A brief outline of the path you will need to follow for a career in medicine and a snapshot of United States US Medical Schools.

Places in United States medical schools are limited, making fierce competition for the many talented and intelligent students who want to follow a career in medicine. Basically, the pathway to a medical career in the US is:

  • Pre-medical education
  • Medical school
  • Sub-internship
  • Internship
  • Residency
  • Fellowship
  • Board certification
  • Licensure
  • Continuing medical education

Pre Medical and Medical Schools

Medical degrees in the US are second entry degrees, so it is usually necessary to have completed at least 2 or 3 years pre-med courses at University. Once you are enrolled in the Medical school, the course will be divided into two sections, pre-clinical (teacher based causes in the basic sciences) and clinical (practical training in the different wards of a teaching hospital). At the end of four years, the student will be granted either a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) depending on which medical school was attended.

Internship

At some point within the last year, the students apply for positions of postgraduate residency within their chosen field of medicine. Competition varies for these residencies depending on the popularity of the chosen field and the number of applicants in relation to the number of positions. If at all possible, undergraduates will get their preference.

Residency and Fellowship

This varies widely depending on the particular field of medicine chosen. Each of the different specialties has its own specific medical curriculum defining the length and content required for the period of residency. The time scale varies from three years for internal medicine, for surgery it is five years, and six or even seven years for neurosurgery.

Fellowship is required beyond residency for some highly specialized fields, including endocrinology, cardiology, and lots of surgical fields.

The road through medical school is long and difficult, but the rewards can definitely be worth the time and effort taken to achieve your goals. Medical education is never finished, with new research and technology being constantly discovered, if you choose a career in medicine there will always be something new and exciting for you to discover.