Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 7/16/2007

Question
i,
I am a high school senior interested in being an anesthesiologist, but i don't like the prospect of having to train for 12 years ( 4 yrs college, 4 yrs med school, 4 yrs residency) before going into the practice .  Are there any shortcuts or accelerated programs that allow a student to condense his or her undergraduate and med school training while still allowing the student to attain the required amount of education and competency as the normal process would give?

Answer
There are some 6-yr combined college-medical school programs still in existence.  I don't recommend these primarily because you may have all the knowledge but you may not have all the maturity when you graduate. I don't know of any programs that are less than that so you may cut off 2 yrs but I don't see a real advantage. Furthermore, by following this route you lose out on a well rounded college experience.

Just my 2-cents,

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston