Requirements to Become...
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What are the Requirements to Become a Doctor?

Although doctors perform many duties across a broad spectrum of disciplines, in a nutshell, they help people become healthier. They treat illnesses, repair injuries, guide families through birth or loss of life, and ensure that all patients receive optimal care and attention for their needs. Because the human body is such a complex machine, it should be little surprise that the requirements to become a doctor are quite extensive. Anyone can theoretically help others lead healthier, more productive lives, but only certified physicians can practice medicine at the professional level.

Requirements to Become a Doctor

The most popular path to becoming a doctor involves four years of college, four more years of medical school, and three years of residency at a hospital. Throughout all of this training, you master disciplines such as:
  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Math
  • Chemistry
  • Pathology
  • Nutrition
After securing a solid foundation in general medicine, many aspiring doctors choose to specialize in a given field, be it obstetrics, dermatology, or pediatrics. Some specialties require additional training above and beyond the eleven years already mentioned.

Education is not the only requirement for this profession. Every state and Washington, DC requires doctors to be licensed. This certification involves graduating from an accredited medical program, successfully passing a licensing exam, and completing one to seven years of medical education at the graduate level.

Benefits of Becoming a Doctor

Although the requirements to become a doctor are quite extensive, there are three main perks that come with the territory. Firstly, the salary benefits are often quite generous, with median annual incomes exceeding six figures. Secondly, experts predict that job opportunities for certified physicians will outpace the national average for most other occupational fields. And lastly, you are joining a profession committed to helping others. There is no price tag for that type of satisfaction.

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