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.
Your Elderly Parents: Should They Still Be Driving?
When Nancy Levitt's mother was first diagnosed with dementia 14 years ago at age 78, the doctor told her she could safely drive to familiar places. But Levitt, 61, who volunteers at UCLA's Center on Aging in Los Angeles, was still nervous. Unexplained nicks and dents started appearing on her mother's car. She forgot where she parked. Levitt tried to discuss driving safety with her mother, but she angrily denied there was a problem. Then, she would forget their talks about driving altogether. At...
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