Question QUESTION: I just graduated from high school and deciding on a career. I just have a few questions about the schooling to become a Doctor. From what I understand, you go to school for 4 years and then pick a Medical School. You go there for 4 years but after that...I got nothin'. I understand that the first 2 years are just the basics and the last two are rotations in hospitals. But after all that are you just a Doctor or should you have a specialty(if you chose that path)? And if you shouldn't have a specialty then do you have to go back to school for another 2-3 years or do you get training while you work in a hospital as a General Doctor? I am just missing the small details to the entire schooling/career path. On the chance that my questions just aren't making any sense because something I don't make sense, this is want I want to do. I want to go to a medical school so I can become a Internist with a few specialties. And for my last question (for now :P) Is there such thing are a specialty in diagnostics? Just general diagnostics. Thank you taking the time to read my long questions.
ANSWER: Dear Justin,
Gaduating from medical school, you get the MD degree that makes you a doctor of medicine. Most states require at least one year of work in a hospital after graduation for licensure. That year is called internship. Specialization requires at least two more years of hospital work. Internal medicine and pediatrics are the specialties that emphasize diagnostics, but there is no specialty called diagnostics. To get subspecialized in one of the branches of internal medicine, cardiology or gastroenterology or endocrinology, requires 3 more years.
Please write back if this note doesn't answer all your questions.
David Richardson
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Ok, that did help out a lot but I have a few more questions. Specialties and sub specialties. When I get out of Medical school and done with my internship, I would be just a general Doctor with no specialties. Then I could spend 3 years and become a doctor of Internal medicine , right? But are those the only three branches I could choose from because I've read more like Immunology or Infectious Disease. And could you give me some examples of the specialties that take two years? Thank you for all you're help
ANSWER: Go to www.abms.org. You'll find all your need to know, I think. If more questions, write me back.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you very much for that site. It helped a lot. But I have one more little question and comment. Can you work for two specialties at once so instead of spending 6 years getting 2 sub specialties, you could spend 3 year getting two? And I didn't know getting licensed was optional because that site said that it was an option. Thank you for all your help and I'm sorry for the constant questions.
Answer You can do internal medicine and pediatrics in 5 years, but so far as I know, no other short cuts. You need a license to practice medicine in any state I know about. Many states will grant you a license without any exam if you've passed the National exam, whose name I can't recall. National Board Exam, maybe.
