Eileen Said:

What classes should I take if I want to major in medical and have a career as a pediatrician?

We Answered:

If you haven't already began taking any medical classes so far in your high school career, or haven't started in this year, I'd say your best bet is to pay very close attention to the High School Biology or Chemistry class your in now. Generally for those who want to continue on into Medical school, you will major Biology in College. You can also major in chemistry, seeing as you will take just as many chemistry classes as biology classes. However, it is possible to major in whatever you like so long as you take the classes neccesary to passing the MCAT (Medical College Acceptance Test). for more on that visit:

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/

The road to being a pediatrian is as follows:

Bachelors Degree (4-6 yrs)
Medical School PhD or M.D. (4 yrs)
Residency (3 yrs approx.)

So all in all about 11-13 years until completion depending on how you get through undergrad school ( University). Med School is more competive and there is less room for error so most students who reach that level will finish in 4 years or less on accelerated programs. Residency is the Teaching/Hands-On-Learning/Working part of your first years as a doctor. Not until this part is over can you really call yourself a doctor.

As far as schools are concerned, generally any school that offers a degree in Bio or Chem is as good as any other. There are always your standout schools, but a Bachelors from Princeton and a Bachelors from Virginia Tech are the same Bachelors. Think of it as Coke and Sam's Choice (wal-mart brand). One is just bigger and more advertised.

However it is good to check HOW MANY people are graduating from whatever school you choose with the degree you want. Usually the more grads in a certain field, the more money the school puts into the program, thus better equipment, newer facilites,and sometimes better teachers.

One school i considered on the East Coast is Drexel University in Philadelphia, Penn. One of the best medical programs in the nation. They also have a medical school, so most students do their full 8 years there.

http://www.drexel.edu/

Okay, i hope i helped. like the people said before me...talk to your counselor as soon as possible to narrow your choices. And you can usually take Dual Credit classes thru your community college in high school. I went my freshman year with 15 hrs. ( 1 semesters worth). Once you make a decisison, talk to THAT school's counselor and they can give you a graduation plan that can lay out your four years at that school.

And don't forget scholarships!!! This is going to be expensive so start applying now. Remember, what ever extra is left in your scholarship after paying for school goes in your pocket. You can never get too many. In the sourch box are several links for you buddy. good luck!!

Bernice Said:

Medical Career?

We Answered:

If you want to go into medicine just for the good pay and the benefits, you might as well go into something else that requires less time in school.

And, good pay is relative to what you think is good pay. If you're going to become a doctor without any surgical subspecialty, you'll probably make somewhere between $100,000-200,000 depending on a lot of factors. To most people that's some seriously good money, but I don't know what you're in now. You may be in high school or you may already have a career and are considering a switch. Most doctors don't end up millionaires, let's put it that way. But they can live rather comfortably.

Med school is hard, even for those who are prepared. You might go crazy, that's all up to you and how you handle the course load, the stress, the time committment, etc. I will tell you this, be sure this is what you really want to do before you go into it. I think the average student loan is in the $130,000 range, but don't quote me on that.

As for family time, you can find family time, but it probably won't be of the same quality you have now. If you're married with kids, you need to sit down and have a frank talk with them. The first two years is mostly classroom, but you'll spend a good chunk of your time with your nose buried in a book. The 3rd and 4th years are clinical, so depending on yoru school, there will be days where you will be at the hospital for 30 hours. Not 48, but 30 is a lot.

And remember, med school is 4 years long, but then you have internship and residency after that. For a general family practice doc, residency is an extra 3 years of training after med school. I don't know that there are orthopedic doctors who don't do surgery. I guess you could focus on sports medicine. For dermatology, you need to be at the top of your med school class, have research, do great things, etc. And, that's 4 years extra training after med school.

I have no idea about podiatry. That's a different school than medical school.

The MCAT is hard. How well prepared for it you are depends on you. It covers physics, organic and non-organic chemistery, biology, English, etc. You don't have to be a pre-med major, but make sure you research some med schools and know what their requirements are.

If medicine still sounds like a good idea, go for it! If you don't go into it for the right reasons, you're gonna hate it. If you do it because you actually enjoy it, it'll be really rewarding.

I'm about to graduate med school, and I LOVE what I do. For me, it was all worth the pain, the sleepless nights, the long hours at the hospital. You have to decide if it's worth it to you. My advice is to talk to doctors in your community, go take a tour of some med schools, talk to their students, go follow a doctor around for a day, etc.

Lastly, good luck!