Many Routes From A to Z

Like most folks, you were probably filled with lots of anticipation about what the future holds the moment you decided to pursue a career in medicine. So what’s next after making that decision? How do you go from desiring to become a physician to earning that MD title? How do you choose what country to pursue this career in? You’re reading this because you chose to leave your home country and pursue a medical career in the US. You might have chosen to come to the US for your undergraduate degree and continue from there. Or you might have completed your undergraduate education in your home country and then came to the US for medical school. However, the former is most likely because a majority of US medical schools require completion of an undergraduate degree in the US.

Today, we’re addressing the question of how you go from making the decision to become a physician to obtaining your MD in the US. For the purposes of this post, point A is making the decision to be pre-med, and point Z is obtaining your MD. For starters, it is not a quick trip regardless of how accelerated an individual’s route is so one must really be in it for the long haul. At the very least, it takes 7 years but in general, it takes 8 years, and many will go on to complete residency training programs for an additional 3-7 years. I remember having to give studying in the US some serious thought once I learned of the associated time commitment. There were other countries where I would become a physician in less time but after considering some other factors, I decided to come to the US. However, again, if you’re reading this, then you’ve already chosen to study medicine in the US.

So how does one get from A to Z? What are the mile markers? Are there any pit stops? How about detours? There are some basic steps that are required in order to go from A to Z however it is not a straight line for everyone so many people ultimately take a variety of routes to arrive at Z. Below, the steps on the path to becoming an MD have been divided into two categories: pre-med and medical student, and mandatory and optional components of each have been outlined.

Pre-med (4-7 years)

1. Undergraduate degree (ideally with pre-med coursework requirements): medical schools require applicants to have a Bachelor's degree in any major. Some majors include the required pre-med coursework such as general chemistry, organic chemistry, etc while some don’t but it would be ideal if you completed the required coursework while getting your Bachelor’s.

2. Gap year (Optional): a) Graduate degree such as MPH, MS: often used to boost GPA or show further scholastic excellence; b) Post bacc program: generally used to complete or buttress pre-med coursework requirements. Some programs guarantee admission into their medical school provided you complete the program with a certain GPA; c) Research position: gaining further research experience in an area of interest while making money; d) Other medical positions: medical scribe, EMT, etc

3. MCAT: A required exam for admission into medical school that is supposed to test your ability to succeed in medical school.

4. Apply for medical school and go on interviews: Make a list of the schools you want to apply to after doing some research. Go on interviews and sell yourself!

5. Get accepted to medical school!

Medical student (4-5 years)

1. Preclinical and clinical coursework

2. USMLE Board Exams: Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS

3. Additional year (Optional): MBA, MPH, research

4. Choose specialty, apply for residency and go for interviews

5. Match into a residency program

6. Graduate with your MD

Besides the required steps, you will quickly find from all medical school applicants (international or not) that there are so many permutations of routes that lead up to the MD. Some routes are clearly longer but applicants choose them anyway either out of necessity or genuine interest. Whatever route you choose - whether that’s going straight through from college to medical school or taking several gap years after college and then taking an additional year in medical school - the most important thing is that you have a plan that you’re willing to see through to the end.

I mentioned earlier that I gave studying medicine in the US some serious thought once I learned of the associated time commitment. However, the various components were unclear to me at that time so I made a major decision without considering crucial information. My ignorance continued for a while: as a college senior I was certain that the MCAT was the last standardized test I would ever have to take. You can imagine my surprise upon getting into medical school and realizing that I had three USMLE Board exams to take over the next four years. I’m pretty certain that I would have still chosen this path if I’d had that information as a kid fresh out of high school but I can’t say that for everyone. Consequently, I believe it is important for any pre-med to have the whole picture from the get-go so that they’re aware of the scope of their choice and are mentally prepared should they choose to proceed.

So wherever you are in the journey, take a moment to look at the big picture. Develop the mindset that there are many routes but also decide what route you want to take. This is also a good time to determine what your back-up route is in the event that you need it. I hope the below infographic is a handy tool that gives you a bird’s eye view of getting from A to Z. Let’s not forget our family and friends who can’t seem to make heads or tails of the journey we’ve embarked on; feel free to share the infographic with them. Hopefully, it staves off some of the many questions they have.

Let us know what your thoughts are on getting from A to Z. And share this post with your fellow internationals if you found it helpful.

In solidarity,

Tinu

#InternationalPremed #InternationalMedStudent #InternationalInMedicine