What doctor need to become a doctor?

Pre-Medical Courses

All medical students must complete a set of pre-medical courses before applying to medical school. Typically, students will take courses like:

• English
• Math (calculus, statistics)
• Biology (2–4 semesters, genetics)
• Chemistry (inorganic, organic, biochemistry)
• Physics
• Social sciences
• Humanities (psychology, ethics)

Medical School

Medical school typically takes four years. The first two years include courses in the basic sciences, such as:

• Anatomy
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Microbiology
• Pharmacology
• Physiology

The third and fourth years include clinical rotations in different departments, such as:

• Emergency department
• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Obstetrics/gynecology
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Surgery

Residency

After medical school, doctors must complete a residency program in a specialty of choice. Residencies typically take three to five years and involve intensive training in a particular area of medicine. Some popular residency specialties include:

• Anesthesia
• Cardiology
• Dermatology
• Emergency medicine
• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Obstetrics/gynecology
• Ophthalmology
• Otolaryngology
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Radiation oncology
• Surgery
• Urology

Board Certification

After completing residency, doctors can seek board certification in a particular specialty. Board certification requires passing a rigorous examination and demonstrates that a doctor has met the standards of their profession.

Continuing Education

Doctors must complete continuing education courses throughout their career in order to stay up to date with the latest medical advances. Continuing education requirements vary by state, but most states require doctors to earn a certain number of continuing medical education (CME) credits each year.