Medical school prepares students to become medical doctors and researchers. Acceptance to a medical school requires a four-year undergraduate degree with a major in pre-med or the sciences. Potential medical school students must pass the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT. Medical students take classes in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, geriatrics and immunology.
The medical school curriculum follows a four-year path, although it may be possible to take longer to complete your degree, depending on the flexibility of your chosen school. After you graduate from medical school, you will complete a three-year residency in the area in which you would like to specialize, such as pediatrics or dermatology. After finishing their residencies, most doctors enter private practice, although some continue on to complete fellowships in their specialties.
In addition to classroom work, medical students interact with patients. During the early years of medical school, you will take patient histories and conduct physical examinations under the supervision of faculty. By the fourth year, depending on the school, you may have your own patient caseload and may have responsibilities similar to a medical resident.
Depending on the school, graduating doctors are either awarded a Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (D.O.). A D.O. performs the same functions as an M.D. In addition to seeing patients and prescribing appropriate drugs, D.O.s can perform spinal manipulations. Osteopathic medical schools follow a holistic approach, focusing on wellness and preventative medicine. Many D.O.s choose careers in primary care or family medicine.
Most medical schools offer dual degree programs that allow you to get your M.D. or D.O. degree and one additional degree. Common dual programs include a combination of an M.D. or D.O. and a master's degree in either public health, business information, science information, clinical research or public policy.
Medical school is expensive, but there are loans and scholarships available, just as there are for undergraduate schools. The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) offers a loan repayment program that repays all or a portion of student loans for each year served with the NHSC. NHSC doctors are placed in communities in great need of doctors, often in inner cities or rural areas, and doctors must specialize in pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry or obstetrics/gynecology. You will be paid a salary in addition to the loan repayment.
Don't neglect the personal statement section of your medical school application. Personal statements are evaluated carefully by the admissions committee. Make sure to use this section to write a strong essay describing why you would like to be a doctor and what traits you have that you feel will serve you well in medicine.