How Long Does It Take To Become a Pediatrician
How long does it take to become a pediatrician?
Take pride in being a doctor, because to become one entails hard work and many years of course work. You do not only invest time; your financial outlay can be very high as well, however, after becoming a full-fledged doctor, you are in a very rewarding and prestigious career and profession. The desire to be a doctor is not spontaneous decision because you have to think of being in this path from the time you are still in the secondary or high school. Then with your inherent love for children, you might continue to pursue your specialization in a particular field. You want to become a pediatrician. So, in addition to the several years you spent to become a medical doctor, how long does it take to become a pediatrician or children’s special doctor?
As you start with this herculean dream, you need to have a lot of special character. Even if you have not yet started working, you should already have a strong work ethic, and patience to deal with people, as a doctor gives lots of his time to his patient. You should have an unwavering passion to serve the people and an interest in medicine and healing. Of course, you cannot hurdle the tests, exams, researches and writings if you are not intelligent and diligent. So you will need a combination of You should have time, brains and passion. Money doesnt hurt, either, but for the purpose of this article we will focus on time.
Bachelor’s Degree
It is very basic that before you can go to medical school, you have to pass through two stages of schooling. You have to finish high school then get accepted to a university to obtain your bachelors degree. The educational requirement for medical school had changed in the pre-requisite as before, you HAD to take pre-medicine to gain a slot in the medical school. Today, a bachelor’s degree satisfying the pre-required science and math subjects will suffice, however, having a science or mathematics related bachelors degree can give you an edge when you pursue your medical schooling, as it typically shows a more avid interest.
To the extent possible, go to a highly accredited university for your pre-medical courses. This will provide you with a better chance to get into the medical school you want, which will also usualy have more programs or the one you want, in this case pediatrics. The undergraduate course for a degree takes four years and it should prepare you for the Medical College Admission Test, better known as the MCAT. You cannot gain admission to the medical school without passing this test and it is wel knows that many medical institutions give preference to those with high scores in the MCAT.
Medical School
Congrats, now that you did well with 4 years as an undergrad, You will now get rewarded by going back to school – for another four years! The subjects or the courses are more difficult and challenging and most now have to double or even triple their efforts to pass every course. This is where you will be required to invest lots of time and money, as the tuition fee in medical school is staggering, although with good grades anyone can get a scholarship. There are some schools that will allow you to get your medical degree in 6 to 7 years, which combines the BS and MD. To be able to be accepted to this program will require brains and superior intelligence, as well as great time management, and a knack for not getting distracted by beer and parties, like most other undergrads. After graduation, you have to take and pass the medical licensure for medical doctors, then and only then can you practice as a general practitioner.
Specialization
If you want to pursue your specialization as a doctor for children, you have to go back to school again. How long does it take to become a pediatrician? You will spend another three years as resident and intern in a field of specialization. Then, you will again take and pass another board exam relevant to your field of specialization.
If you want to know how long does it take to become a pediatrician, just sum up all the years you are in school. This is simply 4 years undergraduate plus 4 years in medical school plus 3 years in residency and specialization, which equals 11 long years of hard but rewarding work.