Four-year undergraduate education coursework in biology, chemistry and other basic sciences leading to a B.S. or B.A. is a common pathway for entry into medical school. While these subjects are ordinary, other college majors will be considered. A high grade point average, a competitive MCAT score and solid recommendations are significant when you apply for medical school.
Medical education training begins in medical school. It is four additional years after undergraduate coursework at a Liaison Committee on Medical Education, also known as LCME, accredited U.S. medical school and it includes educational and clinical components. Upon completion of the medical school training, a student is awarded her doctor of medicine degree, known as a M.D., or a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree, D.O., from a college of osteopathic medicine. After medical school, a student has to complete her residency training before she begins practicing medicine. This may take three to seven years depending on her chosen specialty, e.g. general surgery is five years. If the student is interested in a sub-specialty, she enters into a fellowship program which adds an additional one to three years to her graduate medical education. For example, at Washington University the neurological surgery residency program is six years and includes one year of general surgery.
In the U.S., there are more than 111,000 medical residents training in 8,800 medical residency programs. Medical residents can choose from 130 specialties and sub-specialties. The largest residency program is internal medicine and the residency program with the highest number of women is obstetrics and gynecology.