Although it is not completely necessary, it is helpful to have a undergraduate degree in pre-medicine or another health related field. These degrees were designed to include coursework that is required for medical school entrance. If you choose to graduate with an alternative degree program, then you must be sure to take at least one year of biology, physics, and English, and at least two years of chemistry. One of the chemistry years must be organic chemistry. A passing grade is required for all courses, but higher grades yield a better chance of being accepted into a medical program.
The MCAT is a standardized test that is required to be taken before applying to medical school. It it to be taken after completing undergraduate studies and earning a diploma. The highest score one can receive on the MCAT is a 45. While an average of 30 is good enough to get into a higher ranked medical program, 25 is still considered a good score. A student who scores higher gains a better chance of being accepted into the program of her choice.
The first two years of medical school is the basic science program. This is were students sit in lectures and learn about anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, neurology, embryology, epidemiology, and many other subjects. These sciences are the core education that sets the future physician up for success as a practicing doctor. If a student does not graduate from basic sciences, then he may not move further in his quest to become a hematologist.
Clinical rotations, or internships, are for students that complete the basic science curriculum. The rotations takes place during the third and fourth year of medical school and are set in a clinical setting. This means that the student will learn and study within a medical establishment, such as a hospital. Students are not doctors yet, but they follow doctors and take notes on patients, diseases, and treatments. Through this type of learning, students are preparing see patients on their own. A student who wishes to become a hematologist must take additional rotations of internal medicine as their electives. Upon completing the internship, students will graduate from medical school.
After medical school graduation, students apply for residency at medical facilities. Residencies last for three years and, once the student completes her residency, she is a doctor. She can prescribe medicine and treat patients, but she must report all her diagnoses to the physcian overseeing the residents. A hematologist is required to specialize in internal medicine while in residency. After the resident completes this area of the program, she must take board exams to get certified in the area of hematolgy.