Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 1/5/2007

Question
I am currently a senior in high school and am in the process of narrowing down my selection of colleges. I aspire to become an anesthesiologist after quite some time of schooling.  It was just recently brought to my attention that there is no specific major needed for medical school.  I was always under the assumption (from guidance counselors, and elders) that you needed some form of a biology or chemistry major to pursue a career as an anesthesiologist. Is there any truth to this?  Also, do you have any recommendations for majors that would be beneficial to this field if that is not true?

Answer
To become an anesthesiologist you need 4 yrs of college, 4 yrs of medical school and 4 yrs of residency training. You can major in anything you want in college as long as you take the required premedical course (which any college can tell you what they are). There is no major in medical school. The things to look for in a college are the same as anyone looking for a good college. You want it to be competitive, to have a high caliber faculty, to have their own medical school (they often give preference to their graduates) and most importantly, that the faculty and coursework in your chosen major are of high quality.

Hope this helps,

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston