What Does It Take to Become a Doctor or Dentist?

Medicine and dentistry are both careers that require many years of schooling and training before one is allowed to practice. Their overall paths are similar, but becoming a physician takes longer, up to several years depending on the specialty.

College

• Medical and dental schools require a four-year undergraduate degree. The degree can be in any subject, but certain prerequisite courses must be taken before applying. These include biology, chemistry, physics, math and certain humanities courses. Additionally, an admissions test must be taken: the medical college admissions test, or MCAT, for medical school, and the dental admission test, or DAT, for dental school. A combination of a high GPA and admissions test scores in addition to extracurricular activities and research provide the best chance for acceptance.

Medical and Dental School

• Medical and dental schools are first professional degree programs. They both last four years, consisting of two years of didactic, in-class courses and two years of clinical rotations in different specialties. In addition to course examinations and rotation scores, licensing examinations must also be taken.

Post-Graduate Training

• While post-graduate residency programs in dental specialties are optional and not required in order to practice as a general dentist, an internship and residency are required to practice in a medical specialty. These programs last a minimum of three years for primary-care specialties and can last up to seven years for surgical specialties. Some specialties require further training, called fellowships, which can extend training time even more. This training is followed by more examinations, which must be retaken after a specified interval.