Training to Become a Medical Doctor
Medical doctors usually begin their education by completing 4 years of college and receiving a bachelor's degree (baccalaureate) at an accredited college or university. They then attend 4 or more years of medical school. During medical school, students take classes in the cause, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Medical students learn how to assess a patient for a disease, plan and implement treatment, and evaluate the outcome of their intervention. After completing medical school, students earn the degree of medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathy (DO).
Most medical doctors then complete at least 3 years of a specialty training program (residency), which allows them to gain further experience in a specialty area under the supervision of doctors already experienced in that specialty. Following their residency, medical doctors may begin their own medical practice or continue their training in a subspecialty.
Brenda Della Casa had been seeing her primary care physician for two years and had brushed off her concerns about getting rushed care - until she had a health scare she couldn’t ignore. She told her doctor she was experiencing terrible back pain and stomachaches. Her doctor checked her, said she was fine, and sent her on her way. Five days later, Della Casa, an author and dating coach in Chicago, was traveling and had pains so severe she could barely move. When she received a voicemail from...
Read the Breaking Up With Your Doctor article > >
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