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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Health Care |
How to become a Doctor? |
Hello everyone! Please can anyone help? I am a 21 year old girl studying Euro Language Studies but have always wanted to become a Doctor. (Or vet) Is it true that there is a conversion course that I could transfer onto after completing my language degree?? I really would love any information on if it is possible to become a Dr at this stage .. thanks .. Laura x This link will provide you with what you need to know. It is issued by the NHS. http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/def... Becoming a Doctor is very hard work. First off, you have to go to college and major in Pre-Med, or if your college does not offer that, major is some kind of science such as Biology or Chemistry.After college you must take the MCAT (an apptitude test for Medical School), and than apply to Med School. Getting into Med School is very competitive, schools get thousands of applications for maybe a couple hundred spots. Most people end up going overseas for Med School becasue they can not get in here in the United States. Grenada has become very popular for Med Schools, same with the Dominican Republic and some people go to Europe. Med School is four of the toughest years of your life. A typical program is two years in the classroom and than two years in a hospital. After Med School you go into residency. The length of residency depends on if you want to specailize or not. If you want to be a surgeon you will probably do a seven year residency, if you want to be a Ear, Nose and Throat doctor your residency is a few years. So as you can see it is a minimum of seven years between Med School and residency before you even are finally out on your own. Not to mention schooling does not stop after residency, if you want to be board certified (which I recommend) becasue not all insurances will allow a doctor to take their insurance unless they are board certified. Also, if you want to be a surgeon, Anesthesiologist etc.. you have to take the boards, which is not as grueling of a process but you have to get recertified every ten years. Also, many people want to become a Doctor becasue they think Doctors make so much money. They still make a nice living, but general doctors do not make what they used to. An Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor probably would make $150,000 to $200,000 due to insurance being so stingy, where as years ago they would have made two or three times that amount. If you really want to make the money you have to specialize, OB-GYN, Anesthesia or Surgery etc.. Do you like careers in medicine, or do you really want to be a doctor? I am asking becasue there are a lot of careers in medicine that require a fraction of the schooling that are just as rewarding, Nurses are in extremely high demand. You can get a job as a Nurse at the blink of an eye. Typically Nursing requires a two-year degree. There are also techniciansthat do ultrasounds, assist in surgery, perform EKG's etc.. and those programs are usally around a year. Of course a Doctor pays the best, but not everyone has the time and money to invest into years and years of school. The last option is to become a Physicians Assistant. You have probably gone to a PA and have never known it. They are basically doctors, but can not prescribe Narcotics. They can scrub into surgery, prescribe meds and for the most part are just as knowledgable as a Doctor, they major difference is that their career path does not involve a residency. To answer your question about becoming a Doctor at this stage, it is going to be tough. Your major has nothing to do with medicine, in order to get into Med School or a PA program you need a science background. It is not impossible if you are willing to start over, just keep in mind you would be between 35-40 by the time you finished residency and started practicing. I would say look into technologist programs in your area. They don't require and kind of science background, you will learn all you need to learn during your program. It is not a glamorous title or pay wise as a Doctor, but you are still helping people and are involved in the medical field. I come from a family full of Doctors |
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