How to Become a Physician?
A doctor is extremely well-respected and has immense responsibilities. It is also one of the most lucrative professions too. According to a report on Statista, there were just over 1 million professionally active physicians in the US.
Out of this, the number of active specialist physicians in the country is around 535,600 with about 486,400 primary care physicians. Female physicians also continue to outnumber male physicians steadily in the US.
According to the report, a certified professional physician in the US can earn at least US$ 511,000 annually, with orthopedic physicians earning the most. Besides the salary, a physician also gets immense benefit packages from employers too.
If you aspire to become a devoted frontline healthcare provider and plan to become a doctor then this guide is for you. In this article, you will find the answer to how to become a physician.
Why become a Physician?
A doctor’s profession has probably the highest stakes because their decisions can practically make the difference between life and death for patients.
Hence, people tend to respect doctors naturally. Additionally, the higher salary scale is also one of the major reasons to become a physician.
How to Become a Physician
Let’s take a look at the essential steps to becoming a physician:
Step 1 – Do your research and decide
If you aspire to become a physician, then you should research and get hands-on interviews with doctors. This is a great way to determine whether this long, arduous but eventually fruitful career path is for you.
For instance, you should talk to doctors and physicians who have significant experience practicing medicine to understand the industry.
Additionally, you should gain some clinical experience to decide whether medicine is the profession for you. Aspiring doctors are encouraged to take advanced science classes to measure their technical affinity for the field of medicine.
How to Become a Physician – do your research
If you are in college and aspire to become a doctor, then you should search for undergraduate colleges that have expert premedical student advisers and provide significant options of research for medical students.
If you are in high school, then you should learn more about baccalaureate-M.D. programs that will help you graduate college and earn a medical degree in seven years.
Step 2 – Join Pre-med classes and score high in exams
Aspiring doctors are expected to have significant academic prerequisites. To ensure this, as a premed, you will have to consult with your academic advisers to make sure that you are in all the essential undergraduate courses.
If you’ve already earned your college degree, then you can enroll in a post-baccalaureate pre-med program to fulfill all academic prerequisites.
During the premed classes, you will also need to ensure that you score constantly well in every course.
Step 3 – Participate in productive extracurricular activities
A premed needs to have more than academic excellence in their resume if they want to get enrolled in a reputed medical school. However, you can earn brownie points if you have a passion for something else too.
For instance, if you are an achiever in a medical or non-medical endeavor, like athletics or music, then it makes you a more interesting person.
On the other hand, having significant experience in scholarly research or working as a medical scribe or physician assistant is also viewed positively by medical school enrolment boards.
Step 4 – Prepare for the MCAT with a plan to ace it
The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is the basic examination every premed aspirant has to appear for. It is extremely crucial to determine your future as a premed student hence you should prepare extensively for it.
Although perfect MCAT scores are rare, you should find out the average MCAT scores at the med schools where you potentially seek admission. You should only attempt to take the MCAT when you are completely confident of constant high scores after multiple mock tests.
Step 5 – Craft your statement well
Medical schools tend to have lofty standards and expectations from aspiring students. Thus, you should be extremely cautious when crafting your statement and drafting the school-specific application essays.
Do not rush through the process as the information you provide in your application essays is crucial for the board to decide your admission application.
To make an impactful personal statement and application essay, you should include details of extracurricular activities.
Additionally, the low acceptance rate also means that you should apply at multiple medical schools to increase the chances of successful admission.
Conclusion
Physicians are well-respected and earn significantly in the US. If you are aspiring to become a doctor, then make sure to follow the five simple steps detailed above.
The journey to becoming a physician might seem long and strenuous but the fruits of the labor outweigh the effort multifold.
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