Becoming an MD/DO

The typical physician completes a 4-year undergraduate degree usually in Biology or Chemistry; however any major is acceptable providing all prerequisites have been met.  The undergraduate degree is followed by 4 years of either medical or osteopathic school, followed by a minimum of 3 years of residency training (for a list of common residency lengths click here).  This is equal to a minimum of 11 years after high school.

How do UW-L students do?

UW-L Alumni report that throughout medical school they felt better prepared than their peers who attended larger university.  This is largely due the fact that UW-L is a comprehensive university.  Students from UW-L have a unique experience to participate in research very closely with faculty, and from this they develop the skills to interact in a professional way with their instructors that many other students don’t get.

Medical School

The first two years (didactic) of medical school involve intense study in the basic sciences.  This is mainly performed in the classroom.  There is little patient contact, learning about disease, or time spent in the hospitals or clinics.  Many medical schools are now looking into ways in which they can make these first two years more relevant.  The third and fourth years of medical school are spent in hospitals and clinics where an “on-the-job” type of format is used.  The medical student evaluates patients, and with the help of resident physicians and staff physicians, develops treatment plans and performs procedures.  Different areas of medicine are explored through 1-2 month long rotations.  The student is part of a team composed of other medical students and resident physicians directed by a staff physician.  Students work weekends and spend some nights on call in the hospital.  A written test typically follows each rotation.

During your third year of medical school, you must decide which medical specialty area you would like to purse.  Once decided, you apply for a residency program for your chose specialty.  The early you decide which specialty you would like to pursue the better.

Residency

Following the completion of medical school, you are an M.D. or a D.O. and now carry the title doctor.  However you cannot practice medicine in the United States until you have completed one (realistically, three) years of residency.  The first year of residency is the “intern” year.  Residencies are intense and take place in large hospitals.  Training involves days, nights, weekends, and holidays.  As much as every 3rd night is also spent “on-call.”  Typically 2 weeks of vacation are given per year.  During the residency,  specifics on specialties are learned.

Residency Lengths

Primary Care Residencies:

Primary care refers to the physician who controls your access to medical care.  A primary care physician is often referred to as a “gate keeper.”  In the United States, a nurse practitioner and a physician assistant can also be a primary care provider.
            Family Practice:  3 years
            Internal Medicine:  3 years
            Pediatrics:  3 years

General Internal Medicine Subspecialties:

These specialties do not involve any surgery and require the completion of a 3 year general internal medicine residency prior to starting the subspeciality training.  The additional training for these subspecialties is referred to as a “fellowship” and training programs are applied for in the same manner as a residency.
            Allergy and Immunology:  2-3 years
            Cardiology:  3-5 years
            Endocrinology:  2-3 years
            Gastroenterology:  2-3 years
            Infections Disease:  2-3 years
            Nephrology: 2 years
            Oncology: 2-3 years
            Pulmonary Medicine: 2-3 years

Surgical Subspecialties:
            General Surgery:  5 years
            Colorectal Surgery:  6-7 years
            Neurosurgery:  7-8 years
            Otolaryngology:  4-5 years
            Plastic Surgery:  6 years
            Thoracic Surgery:  7-8 years
            Urology:  5 years
            Vascular Surgery:  6-7 years

Other subspecialties:
            Anesthesiology:  4 years
            Dermatology:  4 years
            Emergency Medicine:  4 years
            Medical Genetics:  4 years
            Neurology:  4 years
            Ophthalmology:  4 years
            Pathology:  6 years
            Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation:  4 years
            Psychiatry:  4 years
            Radiology:  4 years
 
It is important to understand that residencies and fellowships provide financial support for their students that culminates with years after graduation PGY-1 for example stands for post graduate year one, they may have a salary for the year of around $50,000.  A PGY-7 may have a salary of slightly more, perhaps around $60,000.

MD/PhD Programs

Many medical schools offer joint programs where a student can simultaneously earn an M.D. and Ph.D.  These training programs emphasize research and prepare students for research and teaching careers as opposed to clinical careers in medicine.  Graduates of these programs are typically employed in medical schools, research facilities, and pharmaceutical companies.  Depending on the situation, these physicians have little or no patient contact.  They usually do not complete residencies.

D.O. vs M.D.

There are two ways in which one can acquire the education necessary to become a physician and practice medicine in the United States.  The most common route is to obtain an M.D. (Doctorate of Medicine).  The other, less common, alternative is to obtain a D.O. (Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine).  In general, the educational requirements and the length of training are the same, as are the opportunities for specializations, job scope, job availability, and salaries.  Hospitals and clinics typically employ both M.D. and D.O. physicians and use them interchangeably.  The difference between the two doctorate degrees is that the D.O. degree includes exposure to spinal manipulation and tissue palpation as a means of diagnosis and treatment.  The overall emphasis in osteopathic schools is slightly different, as well.  Osteopathic education claims to emphasize how a disease affects the entire person/body.  This is called an “holistic emphasis.”  There are 17 osteopathic medical schools in the United States and 122 M.D. (sometimes called allopathic) medical schools.

Plan ‘B’ through ‘Z’

As you may know, every year more students apply to medical school than there are seats available.  Moreover, becoming a physician is not an easy task.  Many students who being their undergraduate careers with a pre-med intention later decide to go into something else.  This section will bring explore alterative options if you decided to change your major, or do not get accepted into medical school the first time.  We will explore two options:  (1) I still want to be a physician, and (2) I want to stay in health care, but maybe becoming a physician is not for me.

  1. I still want to become a physician.  Just because you are not accepted into medical school the first year you apply that does not mean that you are not a candidate for future admission.  In fact according to the AAMC, in 2007 only 44% of students who applied to medical school got into at least one school they applied for!  With this being said, taking time off between the end of the undergraduate year and the beginning of medical school is becoming greater with time.  If you are not accepted, and want to apply again, it is to your advantage to contact admissions office in regards to how you can improve your application.  Many schools will gladly speak with you about this.  Remember to be polite, as they may remember you the next time you apply.  To improve your application, there are two options.  One is to work independently on improving your application, and the other is to enter a post-baccalaureate pre-med program.
     
    If you chose to work at a University without a specific program you should consider the following:
    1. Research opportunities
    2. Advising opportunities
    3. Access to professors

    2. Others may chose to enter a university with a post-baccalaureate program.  For a list of post-baccalaureate programs click here.  There are several kinds of programs that fall into a plethora of categories:
    1. Enhancement Programs:  These programs try to make your overall application better.  Many of them are extremely competitive especially if they are at a large university.  Other universities have smaller programs that are open to anyone.
    2. Master Programs:  You may want to consider earning a master’s degree.  Some universities have special programs that relate directly to clinical medicine for pre-medical students.
    3. Minority/Disadvantaged Programs:  There are many programs that are available for students who come from a diverse background.  These are typically competitive and involve interactions with others in a supportive atmosphere.

If you have stellar grades, and a great application but you didn’t get into the school of your choice, you may want to consider taking a year off and traveling or working.  Reapplying will show maturity and your wish to enter that program.

  1. The real “Plan B”:  I want to stay in health care, but Pre-Med is not for me.
     
    Students who are interested in becoming a physician and know they want to work in the health care field, but aren’t sure that they would like to be a physician, may want to consider an undergraduate major in Clinical Laboratory Science, Radiation Therapy, or Nuclear Medical Technology.  Students who complete these programs become licensed health care practitioners who “have a job waiting for them” upon graduation if they wish not to enter medical school right away.  Other students may be interested in working in a “behind the scenes” field by working in a lab.  This can be accomplished by completing a bachelor’s degree.  In addition, students may wish to consider a program in physical therapy or physician’s assisting.

The Application Process
 
Most US and Canadian Medical Schools use an application service to handle prospective students. The student arranges for official transcripts and MCAT scores to be sent to the service and completes an application containing additional information. The service then distributes these materials (for a fee) to the medical schools designated by the student. The medical schools then send out "secondary" applications, seeking more information and recommendations, to students they deem qualified. "Traditional" students typically apply through the service the summer or fall before their senior year for entry to medical school the fall semester following graduation.  Because of rolling admissions policies, it is to your benefit to apply as early as possible.  Many students apply to several medical schools (8-10). The student may request and complete a paper application by mail; however, it is highly recommend using the electronic submission process. You may request a paper application or download the electronic application at the following links:
 
      Allopathic Medicine (MD)
      http://www.aamc.org
 
      Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
      http://www.aacom.org
 
      Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
      http://www.aacpm.org
 
For a typical application timeline click here.
 
In addition to grades and MCAT performance, medical school admissions committees pay close attention to extracurricular activities and recommendations of prospective students.  They want to select students that get along with others and are intelligent, motivated, well-rounded, giving, and compassionate.  Get an early start participating in these activities so that you have an established record of involvement.  Also, make sure the people you will ask to write your recommendations get to know you very well!  Suggested activities are listed below:

  • GPA
    • Grade trend
    • Course difficulty
  • MCAT scores
  • Essay
  • Motivation for entering medicine
  • For Information on job shadowing contact Gundersen Lutheran (608) 775-4743 or Franciscan-Skemp (608)791-9766
  • Personal attributes
    • How you interview.  For a list of common interview questions, click here.
    • Visit Doctors.net for more information on specific medical schools’ interview questions.
  • Volunteer Experience
  • Extracurricular activities
    • Leadership in the Pre-Med Club
  • Life experience
    • For a list of medically related summer programs click here. 
  • Medical experience
    • CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant)
      • For more information on CNA programs click here.
    • EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)
      • For more information on EMT programs click here.
  • Work experience
  • Research Experience
    • UW-L Research
      • UW-L Undergraduate Research (for more information click here)
      • UW-L Undergraduate Research Information College of Science and Health(click here)    
      • Biology (for information click here)
      • Chemistry (for information click here)
      • UW-L Institute of Biomolecular Research (click here)
      • UW-L Undergraduate Research Grant and Fellowship Information (click here)
  • Letters of recommendation, be sure to get to know your professors so they can write good letters of recommendation.
  • Honors program participation
  • State of residence (especially for public schools)
    • The Medical College of Wisconsin preferentially takes 50% of its class to be Wisconsin residents.
    • UW tends to have a class of around 80% Wisconsin residents.

For details about specific medical schools please view there respective webpage.