By Matthew Verley, GRAAHI Student Intern, 2004

The purpose of this curriculum plan is to provide high school students with information on what steps they need to take to become a medical doctor. The purpose is to guide students looking into the medical field in the right directions.

I. Courses You Should Take in High School

• Freshmen Yr.
  • Physical Earth Science
  • Algebra I or Geometry
  • English 9
  • U.S history
  • Elective (Physical Education)
  • Elective 
• Sophomore Yr. 
  • Biology
  • Forensics Science
  • Algebra II or Algebra I
  • English 10
  • World History
  • Elective (Foreign Language)
• Junior Yr.
  • Anatomy
  • Chemistry
  • Pre-calculus or Algebra II
  • English
  • Economics
  • Elective (Foreign Language)
• Senior Yr.
  • Physics
  • Dual Enrollment (College Course) preferably science based
  • Calculus or Pre-Calculus
  • English
  • Internship
  • Psychology

1. Looking more in depth
There are a lot of career choices in the health sciences field. Explore the different career choices and pick your top five. Then narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 careers. This strategy will help you either ensure or disregard your thought of becoming a doctor. Not all doctors conduct surgery, some just listen and evaluate other people’s problems. So choose carefully and make sure that becoming a doctor is want you want to do. After choosing a career begin to research on what that doctor does and what are their pros and cons of their jobs. Also you should enroll in summer programs as well as any after school activities that will advance you in the medical field.

2. Soul Searching
Do you have the right character to be a Doctor? Do you have the determination to complete the training? Do you have the aptitude to perform well in school? Are you a good at taking standardized tests? Are you willing to forfeit your personal time to get through medical school and residency? Lastly, do you have a strong aspiration to give people aid? Are you eager to help all kinds of people, from the wealthiest lawyers to the poorest destitute? Is it in you?

3. Choosing a Specific Career
After you know what you have to take to become a doctor look into a specific field of medicine. Take the time to look at several and know what they do. Research the profession and choose whether you like it or if you can see yourself doing that in the future

4. Volunteering or an Internship
Do something that gets you in touch with the medical field to see if it is right for you before putting in all that effort. Learn about other fields that may interest you so that you can compare them to medicine. Also, for the same reason, take elective courses other than sciences to see if these are of more interest to you.

Volunteer or do an internship so you can get a general feel of what it will be like being a doctor. This concept is like an introduction to the field of medicine. The experience alone is worth it. You will be able make the decision whether this career is for you or not.

5. Study Skills and GPA
Your study skills will affect you GPA. Time management is also an important tool, which can create an advantage or disadvantage. The more you study the better chance you have of getting of getting a good grade.” In school it is all about the learning and the grade you receive on your knowledge of the material. If you are struggling, schedule as tutor to help you.

6. SAT and ACT
These two tests are college entry exams it is one of the first steps to becoming a doctor. Even though your GPA is an aspect in getting accepted to college the SAT and ACT are the biggest factors. These college entry exams indicate the amount of skill one has in performing on standardized tests. The SAT measures ones capability of reasoning and the ACT measures the amount of knowledge you have acquired. Even a little review on answers you got incorrect on a test can improve your score. Doing practice tests and perhaps a taking a review course in the SAT and ACT could also improve your score 4 to 5 points. Standardized test are hard at first, but become easier when you practice.

7. Applying for College
After taking the SAT and/or ACT you should begin looking for colleges in the fall of your junior year. Complete the required applications, submit you scores and transcript, and write any essays that are necessary for acceptance. You may send your information to as many colleges as you want, but you have to pay an application fee. Also check with your counselor about scholarship opportunities and grants that are given to students and how to apply. When searching for colleges look for the one that is suitable for you. You should look at features such as:

• Cost
• location
• majors offered
• male to female ratio
• percentage of minorities,
• teacher to student ratio
• Academic programs
• Extracurricular programs
• Size if the school: small college, medium university, major university.

A good choice may be to select a college that has a medical school as part of the University.

II. In College

8. Undergraduate Requirements
Most medical schools require that you take pre-medical classes as undergraduate.

• A year of Freshman Chemistry along with laboratory courses
• A year of Organic Chemistry along with laboratory courses
• A year of Biology along with laboratory courses
• A year of Physics along with laboratory courses
• A year of English 
• A year of Liberal Arts Classes and electives
• A few schools require Calculus and/or Statistics.

In college your time becomes constricted and most of your play time will be gone. In college you must learn how to manage your time. This is a skill which will be invaluable as a medical student and for the rest of your medical career. Time management and punctuality will become dynamic issues in your success in college and in your medical career. Although there is a lot of work to be done it is possible to balance fun and study time.


9. Letters of Recommendation
Recommendation letters are key components to the application process. Your recommendation should be efficient and should state something about you that the reader can not tell by looking at your transcript. Your letters should reflect you whole as a person. Medical schools want to see a complete, well-rounded applicant, with a well-rounded recommendation portfolio. The medical schools want to see a person that possesses the qualities needed to become a doctor. These letters should cover characteristics such as: your writing ability, especially if you are a science major, your aptitude to care for others and anything else you spend time doing (sports, music, writing, jobs). Also get to know your professors well so they can write a strong letter for you when the time comes.


10. MCAT
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is the medical school entry exam. Many colleges require you to take this examination before you apply to their school. The MCAT consists of four sections which measures the amount of knowledge you have acquired while you were in college. These sections include: physical sciences section which is composed of physics and inorganic chemistry questions, biological sciences section which contains biology and organic chemistry questions and a verbal reasoning and reading comprehension section which consists of passages and questions. These first three section are all graded on a scale from 1-15. The last section is a writing sample section which consists of two essay questions, half-hour each (Graded with letters J-T).

11. Medical School Interview
If you are selected for an interview your chances of being accepted increase tremendously because only a limited number of applicants are granted an interview to a particular school. You have met their academic criteria for admission and they want to take a closer look at you. This is their chance to get to know you personally and this is your chance to finalize the process. Here are some rules to follow:

• dress nicely (suit and tie)
• be on time (15 to 30 min early)
• be polite and pleasant (do not suck up)
• make eye contact (do not stare)
• be yourself (first impressions are last impressions)
• and above all be honest. (the truth will set you free)

III. In Medical School


12. Board
At the end of 2nd year all medical students take the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE-1), administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). The purpose of the NBME is to prepare and administer a test that states feel confident in using to determine medical competency when deciding to issue a license to practice medicine. There is no national license to practice medicine, each state has its own rules and issues its own license. There are three sections to the USMLE. The first section is taken at the end of your 2nd year of medical school, is tests basic medical sciences. The second section is taken at the end of your 4th year in medical school and tests whether you can apply your medical knowledge in providing patient care under supervision. The third and finals section of the USMLE is taken in your 1st year of residency and it tests your capability to apply your medical knowledge in providing unsupervised medical care.

13. Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
You may be wondering which on do I pick, Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. DOs are the legal and professional counterparts of MDs. DOs perform in all areas of medicine and complete residencies and fellowships just like a MD. The difference is that Dos complete more coursework in osteopathic medicine. DO schools necessitate that their students spend additional time rotating in primary care areas. Theses areas include: internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology during the third and fourth years. DOs take their own boards called the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX), but they also have the option of sitting for the MD boards called the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE).

14. Specific Careers
The length of their training programs (internship, residency, and fellowship) after medical school:

• Dermatology - 4 years.
• Obstetrics and Gynecology - 4 years
• Internal Medicine - 3 years; subspecialties of Internal medicine require an additional 2-3 years after the 3 year residency, they include: Cardiology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Hematology, Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Nephrology, Pulmonary, Rheumatology
• Anesthesiology - 4 years
• Emergency Medicine - 3-4 years
• Neurology - 4 years
• Pathology - 4 years
• Pediatrics - 3 years; subspecialties of Pediatrics require and additional 2-3 years after the 3 year residency, they include: Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Critical Care, Neonatology, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Pulmonology, Pediatric Rheumatology
• Psychiatry - 4 years
• Radiology - 4-5 years; subspecialties of Radiology require and additional 1-2 years after residency, they include: Neuroradiology, Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Pediatric Radiology.
• General Surgery - 5 years; Subspecialties of Surgery require an additional 1 to 4 years after the 5 year residency, they include: Vascular Surgery, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery. Some surgical specialties require 1-2 years of General Surgery, then an additional 3-5 years of specialty training, they include: Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery, and Urology

IV. Specific Careers

Dermatologist
A dermatologist is a physician who is trained to evaluate and manage pediatric and adult patients with benign and malignant disorders of the skin, hair, nails and adjacent mucous membranes. A dermatologist has additional training and experience in various fields, but mainly the skin. Dermatologists are also skin surgeons, performing surgery on the skin to prevent some skin diseases.

Obstetrics and Gynecology
An obstetrician is a physician who has successfully completed specialized education and training in the management of pregnancy, labor, and pueperium (the time-period directly following childbirth). A gynecologist is a physician who has a successfully completed specialized education and training in the health of the female reproductive system, including the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases. An obstetrician/gynecologist, commonly abbreviated as OB/GYN, can serve as a primary physician and often serve as consultants to other physicians. OB/GYNs can have private practices, work in hospital or clinic settings, and maintain teaching positions at university hospitals. OB/GYNs may also work public health and preventive medicine administrations.

Internists or Internal-Medicine Physicians
Internists specialize in a broad-based medical field in which physicians rely on their knowledge of major organs to diagnose and treat patients. Internists treat a variety of afflictions, from colds and heart problems to infectious diseases. Internists often serve as a patient's primary doctor, coordinating that entire person's health care.

Sports Physicians
An athletic trainer, with the consultation and supervision of attending and consulting physicians, is an integral part of the health care system associated with physical activity and sports. Through preparation in both academic and practical experience, the athletic trainer provides a variety of services, including injury prevention recognition, immediate care, treatment, rehabilitation of physical trauma and emergency care if needed. The athletic trainer functions in cooperation with medical personnel, athletic administrators, coaches, and parents in the development and coordination of efficient athletic health care relief systems.

Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists focus on the care of surgical patients and pain relief. Like other physicians, they evaluate and treat patients and direct the efforts of those on their staffs. Anesthesiologists confer with other physicians and surgeons about appropriate treatments and procedures before, during, and after operations. These critical specialists are responsible for maintenance of the patient’s vital life functions—heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, breathing—through continual monitoring and assessment during surgery.

Radiologists
Radiologists are physicians specializing in the branch of medical science that uses radiation and radioactivity in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Health physicists are scientists (occasionally physicians) specializing in radiation safety in industry, academia, medicine, research, etc. As such, health physicists are involved in understanding, evaluating, and controlling the potential risks from radiation relative to the benefits.

Cardiovascular technologists
Cardiovascular technologists use broad and non-invasive procedures to diagnose and provide therapy in heart disorders. Cardiac catheterization is an example of an invasive diagnostic test. The physicians insert a tube into a blood vessel and forward it into the heart using x-ray and the aid of a television monitor to determine blockages in the blood vessels and the condition of the patient's heart.

Family-Practice Physicians
Family-practice physicians provide comprehensive medical care with an emphasis on caring for all members of the family. Family practice builds upon a core of knowledge derived from other disciplines, primarily pediatrics, internal medicine, OB/GYN, geriatrics, surgery and psychiatry. The family practitioner plays the role of personal physician.

Optometrist
The optometrist can use drugs and prescribe drugs for diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. Optometrists traditionally prescribe eye glasses, contact lenses, vision therapy, and low-vision aids for the correction of visual disorders. They employ special tests and instruments to identify and evaluate eye problems and defects in vision, and to identify systemic diseases with eye symptoms or diseases which are of life- or sight-threatening severity. An optometrist must have manual dexterity and pay attention to detail. 

Pathologist
Dissimilar to some people's belief, autopsy and blood testing are not the most important tasks a pathologist performs. It is the microscopic diagnosis on surgical specimens, biopsies and cytological smears which are his/hers main expertise.

Obstetricians/Gynecologists (OB/GYN)
An OB/GYN is a physician devoted to conditions specific to women. Obstetrics is the care of a woman during pregnancy and before and after childbirth. Gynecology is the study and care of the female reproductive system. An OB/GYN expert combines these two disciplines to provide comprehensive care for women.

Pediatricians
Pediatricians are dedicated to the care of infants, children and teenagers. They are often the first doctors children see, and they concentrate on preventing illness and treating children for a variety of conditions, including sore throats, earaches and infectious diseases.

There are many specialities available when becoming a medical doctor (MD) as well as becoming a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO).

Self Evaluation Tests
Do you possess these qualities? Take your time and think.

• Competence
• Integrity
• Spirit of enquiry
• Confidentially
• Responsibility
• Caring
• Advocacy
• Compassion
• Commitment
• Opportunity to serve
• Action
• Respect
• Security
• Excitement
• Mobility
• Flexibility