How to Become a Doctor

How do I become a doctor? How long does it take to become a doctor?

by Don Osborne, medical school admissions coach

Are you a high school student, college undergrad, parent of a budding pre-med, or a non-traditional / career changing applicant? I have the answers for you.

Imagine Sarah. She wants to become a doctor, but is unclear about her timeline to medical school. What does she need to do to get in? What are the prerequisites? Are there any mines along the road to medicine?

Your “Become a Doctor” Timeline

Here are the major hoops you will jump through:

1. Go to college, earn your bachelors degree, and fulfill your medical school prerequisites (takes four years)
Apply to and get in to medical school (do this during your junior year of college)

I wrote nine case studies of students who went through this process, which I wrote up in a digital book on how to become a doctor that sells for $47. The book is entitled, Pre-Med Success Stories: How 9 Pre-Meds Went from Ordinary to Extraordinary.

2. Attend medical school and graduate from med school (takes four years)
At this point you have earned an MD and you can call yourself a doctor. However, you cannot practice medicine until you complete your residency requirements and earn your medical license.

3. Apply to and get accepted to a medical residency (do this the summer before your senior year of medical school)
Complete your medical residency (takes two years or more, depending on your specialty)

Total time from first day of college: 10 years, but you will start to be responsible for patients in less than six.

At this point, you might decide to complete a  medical fellowship or board certification to become more qualified within your specialty or add another specialty.

Learn more about how to become a doctor with Pre-Med Success Stories. You’ll be massively inspired along the way.

Add your comments below and I’ll continue to update this post.

–Don Osborne