Becoming a doctor demands tremendous patience, personal sacrifice and years of rigorous training. It also takes meticulous planning, experts say — it’s crucial to map your path and succeed at every step on the way to this high-stakes career.
Each rung of the ladder is cumulative and depends on the successes of the steps prior, says Dr. Alvin Bisarya, vice president of pre-health programs at Kaplan.
By the time you apply to medical school, “if you haven’t crafted a great personal journey (and) understand why you want to do medicine, you’re not going to write the most compelling personal statement on your application,” Bisarya says.
Here’s a list of steps to enter the U.S. medical profession.
1. Explore your options.
2. Complete premed requirements.
3. Join worthwhile extracurricular activities.
4. Study for the MCAT and other required tests.
5. Complete medical school applications.
6. Prepare for and shine in medical school interviews.
7. Get accepted and pick a school that’s right for you.
8. Pass the first two sections of the USMLE or COMLEX-USA.
9. Match with a residency program.
10. Graduate from medical school.
11. Start your residency and earn a general medical license.
12. Earn board certification in your medical specialty.
Step 1: Explore Your Options
Take challenging science courses in college and undertake clinical work or volunteering in a hospital during your undergrad years to figure out whether you’re a good fit for a career in medicine.
Learn as much as you can about the profession and do informational interviews with doctors, if possible. Make sure you’re ready to commit to rigorous studies — both classwork and prep for admission and licensure exams. You’ll be embarking on a journey that generally lasts at least seven years with medical school and residency.
If you succeed, you’ll enter a lucrative field with an average annual salary approaching a quarter of a million dollars, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Step 2: Complete Premed Requirements
Medical schools have many academic prerequisites, so experts recommend consulting your college’s premed adviser as early as possible to make sure you’re on track.
You should also review the Medical School Admission Requirements — or MSAR — to make sure you have completed all prerequisites, says Dr. Megan Osborn, senior associate dean and vice chair of education at the University of California–Irvine School of Medicine.
If you’ve discovered your passion for medicine after undergrad, or you need to boost your GPA or prerequisite credits for medical school, consider a post-baccalaureate premed program.
Step 3: Join Worthwhile Extracurricular Activities
Before you start volunteering, get your bearings as a student and make sure you’re positioned to succeed academically, Osborn advises.
Choose volunteer roles and extracurriculars that genuinely interest you and show med school admissions teams that you’re a well-rounded student who will be a good fit with their program.
It helps to have some health care-focused extracurriculars, such as volunteering at a hospital or doctor shadowing, experts say. You may also consider taking a gap year before starting med school to bolster your clinical or research experience and for personal and professional growth.
[READ: How to Maximize a Gap Year Before Medical School]
Bisarya says extracurriculars should help you find your “why” for medical school — what drives your passion for medicine. That’s something admissions officers pay close attention to.
“It’s a hard journey,” he says, “and more rewarding the more thoughtful you are about the ‘why’ at every step.”
Step 4: Study for the MCAT and Other Required Tests
The Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, is a key factor in med school admissions and it’s critical to perform well on the exam. Most students take the MCAT toward the end of their junior year of undergrad, and spend four to six months preparing.
You should research the median MCAT scores at your target schools so that you can set a goal for your practice exams, experts say.
Med schools may also require a situational judgment test. A handful require the PREview Professional Readiness Exam and more than 50 require the Casper.
Step 5: Complete Medical School Applications
Because medical school acceptance rates are low — often in the single digits — you should apply to multiple schools, experts say.
Allow plenty of time to carefully craft a compelling personal statement that shows your character and empathy, determination to overcome challenges, and the experiences that have led you to commit to medicine. You’ll also need to devote significant time to school-specific secondary application essays and to getting your letters of recommendation.
Many schools have a list on their website of desired or essential characteristics for medical students who will fit their mission, and keeping those in mind when writing a personal statement can set you up for success, says Dr. Jeffrey Chipman, senior associate dean of undergraduate medical education at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Step 6: Prepare for and Shine in Medical School Interviews
Most medical schools conduct their interviews virtually or have a virtual option, Osborn says. Still, it’s important to dress professionally, prepare thoroughly and treat it like a job interview.
Interview formats vary. Schools may use one-on-one interviews, panel interviews in which a group interviews a single applicant, or group interviews to assess the problem-solving and interpersonal skills of multiple applicants.
Experts say schools are also increasingly using the multiple mini interview, or MMI, where applicants rotate between six to 10 interview stations. At each station, a different interviewer focuses on a different question or scenario. The MMI is designed to “measure competencies like oral communication, social and nonverbal skills, and teamwork,” according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Admissions committees “review academics, extracurriculars, research, clinical exposure, they review the interviews, they review the letters of recommendation, as well as consideration of things like students who have had impactful experiences that have affected their ability to have educational experiences or health care experiences,” Osborn says.
For example, if you had to work a full-time job during college, they might put less weight on your GPA and more on community involvement.
[Read: How Hard Is Medical School and What Is the Med School Curriculum?]
Step 7: Get Accepted and Pick a School That’s Right for You
For physicians, there are two types of degrees: an M.D., or doctor of medicine, and a D.O., or doctor of osteopathic medicine.
M.D.-granting institutions are called allopathic medical schools and teach a traditional medical curriculum, while D.O.-granting institutions, called osteopathic medical schools, incorporate touch-based diagnosis and treatment techniques. Both M.D. and D.O. programs start with classroom teaching of medical science courses and move on to training in clinical rotations.
Whether your focus is allopathic or osteopathic medicine, you can attend a med school that primarily focuses on either research or primary care. As you think about the school that’s right for you, you may also consider its research opportunities, the quality and location of its clinical rotations, financial aid packages, success in residency matches and cultural factors such as mentorship and collaboration.
Step 8: Pass the First Two Sections of USMLE or COMLEX-USA
Allopathic and osteopathic medical students at U.S. med schools generally take two of the three parts of their national licensing examinations during medical school. The third part is taken during residency.
M.D. students take the United States Medical Licensing Examination, or USMLE, while D.O. students take the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States, or COMLEX-USA. D.O. students may choose to take both exams.
Experts say good preparation typically includes review materials, question banks, practice exams and test prep courses.
Step 9: Match With a Residency Program
Most fourth-year medical students try to match with a residency program in their preferred specialty through the National Resident Matching Program, and competition for slots is intense.
The NRMP is “an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors,” according to the American Medical Association.
The better you score on your medical licensing exams, the easier it will be to achieve your desired residency match, experts say.
[Read: Is Medical School Right for You?]
Step 10: Graduate From Medical School
Once you’ve earned a medical degree and graduated from medical school, you’re officially a doctor.
But to practice medicine independently, you’ll still need to complete your residency training program and pass the third part of your licensing exam. You may then apply for board certification.
Step 11: Start Your Residency and Earn a General Medical License
Residency lengths vary among specialties, but most are between three and seven years.
“Residency helps you identify whether that’s really the culture you want to have for your career, and it helps you become part of the culture, so that you can apply your experience and knowledge and have the mentors you need to guide you,” Chipman says.
In your first year of residency, you’ll take the last part of the USMLE or the COMLEX-USA, making you eligible for a general medical license.
Residents who want to develop further expertise in a particular area of medicine, like critical care, oncology or cardiology, may choose to pursue a clinical or research fellowship in that field.
Step 12: Earn Board Certification in Your Medical Specialty
When you’ve finished your residency training and passed your board exams, you are eligible to apply for board certification.
Board certification isn’t required to practice medicine, but experts say it signifies a doctor’s completion of rigorous training and assessment, expertise in their specialty and a commitment to high standards.
The main certifying body in the U.S. is the American Board of Medical Specialties, which represents 24 member boards certifying nearly 1 million active physicians in 40 specialties and 89 subspecialties. The American Osteopathic Association offers board certification in 27 specialties and 48 subspecialties.
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How to Become a Doctor: A Step-by-Step Guide originally appeared on usnews.com
