How to Get into Medical School?

To be a doctor you must first GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. On graduation you are then given official permission to practice from the medical council of your country. This body requires that you have spent a certain number of years in study and supervised practice at a recognized institution. If your grades and experience are satisfactory to the medical council your name is then placed on their medical register of persons licensed to practice - typically renewed yearly.

How to get into Medical School:

Typically there are many more applicants than available places to medical schools so competition is stiff. Because of this oversupply of eager students, medical schools can pick and choose who they want to train. Because medical school involves a lot of science reading, the strongest determining factor of whether you will be accepted is your grade performance at college in a science background - most often biology, chemistry and physics or mathematics. This means that working hard from early at college and toward a science major increases your chances of landing a place in medical school. But not all medical schools have the same criteria for admission. So if you fish around you can find some which take into consideration work experience in related fields such as nursing or lab work, and others which which will accept a liberal arts background. Your best best bet, is point your finger at a medical school you'd want to attend and then request their information pamphlet. This little document will tell you inside just what you'll need to enter their program.

If all else fails, you can't get into a medical school in your area and you're determined to be a doctor, your next recourse is to look away from home to 'offshore' medical schools. There are many more medical schools outside your country which might have a free position open and you can always return home later to work at your own hospital. An easy way to start is to take out a map and ask yourself, "where would be a cool place for me to study for the next five years?" Suppose you came up with a place like Trinidad 'cause it's warm and has great beaches; use a search engine like www.Google.com to find out what medical schools they have and how to contact them e.g. search: Medical School + Trinidad.

What's Medical School Like?

Medical schools are usually affiliated with Universities and their surroundings, structures, and student life tend therefore to be similar. However there are differences. Notably, a real hospital setting is used at some point for practical experience toward the end of your training and long hours are spent here to prepare you for the rigors of being a doctor. Also the volume of reading you'll be expected to cover will leave you with time for little else.

Study to be a doctor is typically a five year program - sometimes longer or shorter by country. The first few years are spent acquiring basic medical 'book' knowledge while the latter are spent developing real-life practical skills and interacting with patients.

Is it ever too late to Start?

No. You can apply at any age, but your chances are better the earlier you do. I've known persons to start as late as their 30's.

What Kind of Person becomes a Doctor?

There are a number of traits common among doctors. Some of these are: logical, meticulous, disciplined, caring, and a team player. The most important trait of these is discipline. Many students start out with varying degrees of the other traits but without the discipline to come to class/work everyday, to push yourself when it's uncomfortable, and to stick to your books, you won't make it. The other traits can be formed during Medical School itself. Doctors aren't born, they're made.

And remember: Quitters never Win, and Winners never Quit!

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