essay about i want to be a doctor

Healing with Heart: Essay About My Plans to Becoming a Doctor

Becoming a doctor has been my lifelong dream. Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the medical field and inspired by stories of doctors saving lives and helping people in need. As I have grown up, my passion for medicine has only increased. Helping others is an integral part of who I am, and becoming a doctor would enable me to do just that on a daily basis. Here are the reasons why becoming a doctor is my ultimate goal and why I am writing this essay published on custom essay paper writing service Edusson.

Why I Want to Be a Doctor Essay 

Becoming a doctor requires dedication and hard work, but it is also immensely rewarding. Helping people in need brings me joy, and being able to make an impact on someone’s life is something that cannot be put into words. 

By the way, a career in medicine also will give me the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing people in the world — doctors. Working alongside dedicated professionals will give me the chance to learn from their experiences and gain valuable insight into this field. And lastly, medicine will allow me to use both my scientific knowledge and creative problem-solving skills every day. 

My Desire to Help Others 

Every day, there are countless opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives – from donating money to local charities, volunteering at homeless shelters, or simply offering words of encouragement when someone is feeling down. To me, it’s more than just an opportunity; it’s an obligation. 

When I become a doctor, I will be able to take that sense of responsibility even further by being at the forefront of healthcare and providing direct help to those in need. It’s not just about treating patients; it’s about truly understanding what they are going through and offering comfort as well as physical healing. 

My Love for Medicine 

My interest in medicine goes beyond my desire to help others; I also genuinely enjoy learning about the human body and its various functions. In high school, biology was one of my favorite subjects because it opened up so many intriguing possibilities for exploration. Now that I am studying pre-med courses in college, my fascination with medicine continues to grow as I learn more about how the body works on both microscopic and macroscopic levels. From anatomy and physiology to biochemistry and pharmacology, each course provides a fascinating insight into the world of medicine that reinforces my passion for this field. 

What Skills a Good Doctor Should Have

I think it’s important to have good communication skills, especially when it comes to dealing with patients. The patients need someone who is able to understand their needs and feelings and then explain to them clearly what they should do next. 

The most important part of being a doctor is also patience because you need to be patient with your patients if they don’t understand something or if they are having trouble with something simple like taking their medication correctly or following your instructions on how to take care of themselves better.

What Role a Doctor Plays in Society

Furthermore, doctors are very important people who save lives every day around the world – they help us live longer and healthier lives! When we go to see our doctors, we trust that they know exactly what is wrong with us or how we can get better again. This trust comes from knowing that doctors are highly educated professionals who study hard for many years before becoming certified as physicians!

The Challenges Ahead 

Nevertheless, becoming a doctor involves many years of hard work – including undergraduate studies, medical school applications, licensing exams, residency programs, and internships. Each step presents unique challenges but also incredible rewards, such as gaining knowledge that can be applied directly into practice or building relationships with patients that can last a lifetime. With each challenge comes growth both personally and professionally, which makes me even more eager to pursue this path despite its complexity.  

I want to be a doctor because it offers me the opportunity to make an impact on people’s lives while doing something meaningful with my life — something that will give me personal fulfillment now and for years down the road. It requires hard work but comes with a tremendous reward, and ultimately fulfills my dream of helping others through medicine. For these reasons, becoming a doctor remains my ultimate goal in life!

Becoming a doctor is a lifelong aspiration for many people, and the reasons why someone might choose to pursue a career in medicine are as varied as they are compelling. In the following table, we’ve outlined some of the most common reasons why individuals might want to become a doctor, along with a brief description of each reason.

Note: The reasons listed in the table are not exhaustive, and there are certainly other factors that might motivate someone to become a doctor. These are simply some of the most common and compelling reasons.

Crafting an Essay on Why You Want to Be a Doctor – Tips and Tricks 

Are you looking for tips on writing an essay on why you want to become a doctor? Writing personal statement format essays can be a daunting task, but with the right advice, it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips that will provide you with all the information you need to write an effective and compelling essay. Read on to learn more. 

Understand Your Audience 

Before you even begin writing, it’s important to understand who your audience is. Understanding its perspective will help shape the content of your essay. 

Write From Personal Experience 

Your essay should be written from personal experience and not from research or facts that you have gathered from other sources. It should focus on why you personally want to become a doctor and how this profession will enable you to make positive changes in the world or in people’s lives. Using real-life examples of experiences that have shaped your interest in medicine can help make your essay more powerful and memorable. 

Add Specific Details That Showcase Your Understanding of Medicine 

In order to make sure that your essay stands out from the rest, it is important to include specific details related to medicine that show off your knowledge of the field. These details can help demonstrate that you understand what is required of someone who wishes to pursue a career in this field, and why it appeals so strongly to you as an individual.

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I want To become a Doctor Essay - 100, 200, 500 Words

• Essay on I want to become a Doctor -

One of the most significant occupations is that of a doctor. After all, these experts are qualified to identify, treat, and stop the spread of a variety of diseases. The care and safety of patients is every doctor's top priority. We are saved by doctors when we fall sick. Here are a few sample essays on I want to become a doctor .

100 Words Essay on I want to become a Doctor

200 words essay on i want to become a doctor, 500 words essay on i want to become a doctor.

Everyone has their aim in their life, I aim to be a doctor in the future. Doctors are essential in our society because they treat the irregularities in human bodies. They are heroes because they do their best and make us fit and fine. I want to become a doctor because I have seen a lot of serious cases which were cured by a doctor and I also want to help and serve the people. In my family, my father is a doctor and helps many people in a day. I also like to help people. In my city, I see a lot of poor people suffering from different types of diseases but they can't afford medical treatment. It's disturbed me and it also encourages me to become a doctor so that I can help and provide services to people.

Being a doctor has always been my dream. I have always been fascinated by the human body and how it works, and the idea of being able to help people overcome their illnesses and lead healthier lives is what drives me to pursue a career in medicine.

Throughout my life, I have been exposed to several instances where I have seen the transformative power of medicine. I have seen people who were once unable to move, walk again thanks to medical interventions, and that has inspired me to become a part of this industry. I have also witnessed the compassion and dedication that many doctors display towards their patients, and I aspire to emulate their qualities in my own career.

My journey towards becoming a doctor requires a strong academic foundation, and I have been working hard to ensure that I am well-prepared for this challenging but rewarding path. I have taken advanced courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, which have given me a solid understanding of the fundamentals of human anatomy and physiology. I have also been actively involved in various volunteering opportunities, such as working in hospitals and nursing homes, where I have been able to observe firsthand the work of healthcare professionals and the impact they have on people's lives.

One of the things that I admire about the medical profession is its constant evolution and advancement. New treatments and technologies are being developed all the time, and as a future doctor, I am excited to be a part of this progress. I am also aware of the challenges that come with this progress, such as ethical dilemmas and the need for healthcare systems to be accessible and affordable for everyone. I believe that it is crucial for doctors to be not just knowledgeable but also compassionate, ethical, and culturally sensitive, and I am committed to developing these qualities in myself.

Types Of Doctors-

There are different types of doctors. It is your field of interest and ability that decides in which area of medicine you will be working in. The different types of doctors are—

Allergists/Immunologists - This type of doctor treats immunity system disorders like asthma, food allergies, and some autoimmune diseases.

Anesthesiologists - These types of doctors give you drugs at the time of pain or any type of surgery, they monitor your vital sign when you are under anesthesia.

Cardiologists - They are experts on diseases related to the heart and blood vessels. You might see them at a time of heart attack, high blood pressure, or irregular heartbeat.

Dermatologists - These doctors treat the skin problem and skin allergies

Endocrinologists -These doctors are experts in the field of hormones and metabolism they can treat the disease like diabetes

Real Life Inspiration

One inspiring story of a doctor is that of Dr. Paul Farmer, who is an American physician and anthropologist. He is known for his work in providing healthcare to impoverished communities around the world, and for co-founding the international non-profit organization Partners In Health (PIH).

Dr. Farmer was born in North Carolina and grew up in a working-class family. Despite facing financial difficulties, he was able to attend Duke University, where he studied anthropology and medicine. After completing his medical studies, he traveled to Haiti, where he witnessed the dire lack of access to healthcare faced by the rural poor. This experience inspired him to dedicate his life to serving these marginalized communities.

In 1987, Dr. Farmer co-founded PIH with several colleagues, with the goal of providing quality healthcare to impoverished communities in Haiti and beyond. PIH has since expanded to serve communities in Latin America, Africa, and Russia, and has become a model for health equity and social justice.

One of Dr. Farmer's most notable achievements was his work in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Haiti and Peru. MDR-TB is a highly contagious and difficult-to-treat form of tuberculosis that often affects people living in poverty. Dr. Farmer and his team developed a novel treatment program that was not only effective but also affordable, and they were able to cure thousands of patients with MDR-TB.

Dr. Farmer has been recognized for his work with numerous awards and honors, including the MacArthur Fellowship and the Opus Prize. He continues to be a powerful advocate for health equity and social justice, and his work has inspired many others to pursue careers in global health.

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Home Essay Samples Profession Doctor

Why I Want to Be a Doctor: A Personal Purpose and Impact

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“Why Medicine” and “Why Do I Want To Be A Doctor?” Give Unique Answers

• Cracking Med School Admissions Team
• Section 1: How NOT to answer “Why Medicine” and “Why do I want to be a doctor”
• Section 2: How to answer Why Medicine in your medical school essays
• Section 3: How to answer Why do you want to be a doctor in your medical school interviews
• Section 4: Why Medicine  examples

Reasons to Avoid when stating your "Why Medicine" Response

• I want to help people
• I want to practice culturally-competent care
• I want to make a connection with people
• I want to improve people’s lives
• I want to help the underserved
• I find the human body fascinating

Let’s go through common, generic reasons we read in our medical school personal statement edits and why these “why do you want to be a doctor” reasons do not convince us.

Note: we have updated these reasons based on essays we’ve read in the most recent medical school application cycle.

Stay away from these vague “Why Medicine” responses in your personal statement and secondary essays

Reason #1: i want to help people..

• Why we don’t love this response:  You can help people in literally any profession. This response is not specific enough to healthcare, let alone clinical medicine.

Reason #2: I will be a great doctor who practices culturally-competent care.

• Why we don’t love this response:  We are big fans of being cognizant of your patient’s cultural and how it may affect his or her health. However, “culturally competent” care is not becoming a buzz word. Oftentimes, when we students write about this in their medical school essays, they write, “As a physician, I want to provide culturally competent care” without giving any substance to that statement.  IF this idea is important to you and you want to include it in your personal statement, then you have to make sure to give a clear example of what culturally-competent care means to you. Finally, remember that you can provide culturally competent care as a Nurse and as a Physician Assistant. So, you still have to a discuss reasons why you want to be a doctor, and not another health care provider.

Reason #3: I want to make a connection with people.

• Why we don’t love this response:  We think this reason is very vague and you can make a connection with people in any other service-oriented industry. You do not have to go into medicine or healthcare in order to make a connection with people. 

Reason #4: I want to improve people’s lives.

• Why we don’t love this response:  Similar to “I want to help people,” you can improve people’s lives in a variety of fields. 

Reason #5: I want to help the underserved.

• Why we don’t love this response:  The phrase “helping the underserved” is too common these days. In fact, through the hundreds of personal statements we have read in the past 2 application cycles, we’ve read “helping the underserved” in 70-80% of medical school applicants. Talk about not standing out! If you want to help underserved communities, we fully support you. But, our Cracking Med School Admissions team wants you to be more specific in  HOW you want to help the underserved or if there are specific populations you want to serve. Ideally, you will include personal experiences with underserved communities. For example, our students who have matriculated into medical school have written about helping refugee populations. Other have discussed that they want to do health policy research on how socioeconomic factors affect access to healthcare. See how these levels of specificity will provide the reader with more insight into your specific interests in improving healthcare.

Reason #6: I find the human body fascinating.

• Why we don’t love this response:  While this reason is geared towards the medical profession, we also read this fascination with the human body among PhD candidates. If research and the pathophysiology behind our human bodies is what excite you about the practice of medicine, you have to also say why you want to work with patients rather than focus completely on biological research. 

Reason #7: I enjoy learning about science.

• Why we don’t love this response:  Using “I enjoy science” is a worse reason than “I find the human body fascinating. There are many career paths outside of patient care where you can follow your zeal for science. For example, an individual can work in drug discovery with a biotech or pharmaceutical company. There are other careers in the healthcare industry like medical billing that do not require a medical degree. Furthermore, you can be a scientific researcher, including in non-healthcare fields like botany, veterinary science, food science, and geology. Basically, saying that you like science is too generalized for another individual to believe you want to go into medicine. You have to say more specifically why are you pursuing a career in medicine. 

How to Answer Why Medicine in your Medical School Essays

The first place you should explain why you want to pursue medicine is in your medical school personal statement. Most premed students apply to medical school through the AMCAS.

The AMCAS personal statement prompt is the following: ““Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school.”

Your personal statement should really reflect why you want to go into medicine. Additionally, your AMCAS work & activities descriptions as well as your medical school secondary essays should support your med school personal statement’s rationale.

A winning framework to responding to the “Why Medicine” and “Why do you want to be a doctor” questions consists of the following:

Step #1: provide context and your initial interest in pursuing medicine.

• Questions to answer: Do you have any role models who are medical doctors? Did you have any early experiences with medicine that greatly affected you? Were you a patient as a child? Did you have to take care of any family members? Did you consider other careers before deciding on a career in medicine?
• Why this is important: Providing initial context from your life experiences can help your interviewer to understand some of your initial environment and how you may have arrived at the decision to pursue medicine.

Step #2: Highlight reasons for wanting to pursue medicine

• Questions to answer: Why are you passionate about health? Did you study science in school? If you did not study science, how will what you studied help you in becoming a great doctor? How did you cultivate your interests in healthcare and did you pursue any activities or research to do so?
• Why this is important: By describing how your interests in healthcare have developed, your interviewer can gain a more nuanced understanding of your scientific curiosity and affinity. This is often the metric they use to determine if you will remain inquisitive, enterprising, and capable of absorbing and driving scientific knowledge forwards in medical school and beyond.

Step #3. Give examples of your experience and activities

• Questions to answer:  Are you passionate about health? Did you study science in school? If you did not study science, how will what you studied help you in becoming a great doctor? How did you cultivate your interests in healthcare and did you pursue any activities or research to do so?
• Why this is important:  When you are asked these open-ended, common medical school interview questions, you want to give evidence of how you have already tried to make an impact in medicine and healthcare. We strongly encourage students to bring in stories and personal experiences. For example, let’s say you are interested in improving patient care for individuals with disabilities. If you give example of how you worked with a child with autism or did research around improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities, these personal experiences will show the interviewer your passion and experiences. 

Step #4: Describe your desire to use your passion to make a positive and direct impact

• Questions to answer: Have you engaged in community service work to help others? How does it make you feel and why is it important to you? Why do you want to pursue a career based around service?
• Why this is important: This section provides a basis for why you are interested in dedicating yourself to a career of serving others. It is also crucial to help you describe why medicine, in particular, is the kind of service that you are interested in doing and why you seek to be a physician and not serve others in a different capacity. Excellent answers will incorporate one’s scholarly endeavors and extracurricular activities. They will link their activities with their career goals.

Step #5: Describe any other reasons and what you hope to accomplish in medicine

• Questions to answer:  Why do you want to go to medical school – specifically, wre there any unique reasons that are not covered in the other steps for why you are interested in medical school? How do you plan to use your scientific curiosity and desire to help others as a physician? Do you want to advance medical technology? Do you want to advance medical research? Is there a specific field of medicine you are already interested in pursuing?
• Why this is important: By connecting your current passions with the future impact that you hope to produce, an interviewer begins to get a window into what kind of physician you hope to become and how you could greatly benefit from attending their medical school.

We want to stress that there is not one correct answer to “why do I want to be a doctor” in your medical school application. In fact, you may have multiple reasons why you want to become a physician. What is important is that you show your interests in clinical practice and highlight the unique a position a physician is in to manage somebody’s health. 

We Get Into The Tiny Details Of Your Essays, With Each Draft, So Your Application Will Stand Out

Rishi Mediratta, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.

Undergraduate Johns Hopkins

Residency Stanford, Pediatrics

How to Answer "Why Do You Want to be a Doctor?" in your Medical School Interviews

In medical school interviews, “Why Medicine” or “Why do you want to be a doctor” is one of the common intervioew questions asked. So, you should be prepared.

However, we want to stress this: The BEST med school interviewees will convey why they are pursuing a career in medicine in their “ Tell me about yourself ” response, which is usually the first question asked.

Therefore, our first piece of advice is to make sure you include why you want to be a doctor in your “Tell me about yourself” response.

Now, med school interviewees may receive additional questions about why they want to pursue medicine. The questions are usually asked like this:

• Why are you interested in medicine?
• Why are you pursuing a career in medicine?
• Why do you want to be a doctor? 
• Why do you want to be a physician?
• Why do you want to go to medical school?

There are other ways medical school interviewers can gauge your interest and dedication to medicine:

• Why do you want to be a physician and not a nurse/PA/nutritionist/physical therapist/occupational therapist/other health professional?
• Why do you want to get an MD and not an MPH or MPP?
• Where do you see yourself 20 years from now?

Medical School Interview Tip

The best “ Tell me about yourself ” responses – the first question typically asked in medical school interviews – includes your reasons for pursuing medicine. Students are typically not asked BOTH tell me about yourself and why medicine.

How to answer Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor in your interviews

Discussing why you want to be a doctor during interviews is similar to the steps taken above when answering why medicine in your medical school application essays.

The one big difference between discussing medicine in your essays versus your interviews is brevity. You will not have 250 words or entire paragraphs to highlight your interests in medicine.

Take a look at our Why Medicine Answer Examples section below to see examples of what you can say.

Additionally, you can discuss clinical experiences throughout your medical school interview. Discuss various physicians you’ve shadowed or different clinical experiences you’ve been involved with. Our Cracking Med School Admissions interview team advises students to include 1-2 patient stories during each interview. The important point to remember is to discuss that you want to help patients through a clinical setting.

If you striving to stand out in your medical school interview, schedule a mock interview with our Cracking Med School Admissions team!

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Why Medicine Examples

Why medicine and why do i want to be a doctor example answers:.

Again, we want to stress that there is not one correct answer to “why do I want to be a doctor” in your medical school interviews. In fact, you may have multiple reasons why you want to become a physician. What is important is that you show your interests in clinical medicine and highlight the unique a position a physician is in to manage somebody’s health.

Here are examples of how you can convey want you want to pursue a medical career:

Personal experiences + context.

• Initially, I was not that interested in medicine and instead was passionate about space exploration and aerospace engineering. Because of many personal circumstances, I became more drawn to medicine. First, when my grandfather fell ill with pneumonia, I felt helpless to help him when I visited the hospital all while the medical staff remained attentive to small changes in his condition. Seeing how they listened to our and his questions, tailored their treatment to his needs, and reassured us at every step of the way, encouraged me to consider what role I wanted to play in helping others in the future. Second, after a bad ankle fracture while playing soccer, my doctors were just as attentive and they empowered me to come back stronger and more improved than ever before, solidifying my desire to pursue medicine.

Scientific Background

• In college, I was a Psychology major. I was able to learn more about cognition and human perception works and how they can be affected by the underlying biochemical processes happening in the brain and rest of the body. I was also able to explore my interest in neuroscience by working at the Department of Neurology, studying the cognition of split-brain patients and trying to understand novel therapeutic options. Studying this has encouraged me to continue neurology research as a medical student. I aspire to alleviate patients suffering from debilitating chronic conditions.

Helping Patients with their Health

• Throughout my undergraduate years, I’ve been very interested in oncology. I’ve found it to be very rewarding to comfort patients when they receive a very scary diagnosis, and I enjoy helping describe various treatment options. At the Children’s Hospital, I volunteered at the Pediatrics Oncology Department. I helped develop a program where we spoke with parents’ families describing what to expect with chemotherapy. Additionally, I want to translate my patient experiences to the lab when I can develop new targeted cancer therapies.

Ability to Change Healthcare More Broadly

• As a primary care physician, I will be able to help patients navigate through the healthcare system. This will give me insights into what barriers there are to accessing healthcare. I will use those insights to a) advocate to policymakers for better health policies in our state and b) advise start-up companies and non-profits who want to improve access to healthcare services.

Goals in Medicine

• I am specifically interested in removing healthcare misinformation and disinformation among Black and Brown communities. As a medical student at ____ school, I want to teach health topics at after school programs in nearby low-income communities. As a physician, I will continue my scientific problem solving and combine this with my humanistic work serving others, my teaching work, and my desire to advocate for those who have traditionally been underserved by medicine.

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• Medical School Interview

“Why Do You Want to Become a Doctor?”: How I Answered

Featured Expert: Dr. Sruveera Sathi, MD

Answering “why do you want to become a doctor?” is essential, but difficult during medical school interviews or when writing a medical school personal statement . I'll share how I answered this common medical school interview question, plus tips on how to prepare for it and ace your interview.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 5 min read

How to answer “why do you want to become a doctor”.

I was asked “Why do you want to be a doctor?”, in pretty much every medical school interview I went to. This is the ultimate ice-breaker that can come up in medical school interview questions . It’s a question that’s so simple on the surface but can become painfully obvious to the interviewer if you don’t give an authentic, convincing, and genuine answer.

So, let’s get into the mind of an interviewer for a second and think about why someone is asking this question, and what information they are hoping to get from it:

• When someone is asking this question, they want to know your personal journey and how you decided that medicine is the career path you want. They want to know what your initial and subsequent influences were for you to choose medicine.
• They also want to know your inner motivation for pursuing a career in medicine , and that these motivations are appropriate/suitable for a career in medicine. Also, what impact do you wish to make in the field?
• Do these influences and inner motivations for pursuing a career in medicine come across as genuine or are they cliché and don’t seem authentic?

I kept all these considerations in mind when coming up with my answer for this question. Truthfully, it took writing my personal statement and a lot of internal self-reflection to be able to answer this question well. I had to personally start from the beginning at what was my early inspiration for medicine.

I created a timeline of my early inspiration and then asked myself: what is the thread that led me to the next experience? What did I learn from that experience? Which of these experiences contributed the most in my journey toward medicine? I drafted little stories after each clinical , volunteer and research experience in my CV to see if there were some underlying threads and themes. 

1. Share Your Early Influences Towards Medicine

So, to answer the first consideration listed above: I want you to ask yourself, what was your journey to medicine. What were those early or initial influences for you?

For some it can be parents or other family members in the field or medicine for others, it could be themselves or a family member having gone through an illness and seeing how a physician helped them navigate this. For others, it could be an interest in the sciences or the human body. I would try your best to identify what that is for you. I asked myself when did first have an awareness of the field of medicine and worked from there.

For me, it was having grandparents and aunt\/uncles from India who I could see, and feel were excellent clinicians and were also pillars in their communities. I admired how they applied their knowledge and their humanistic skills to treat and heal people and were actively involved in community building efforts. ","label":"My Answer:","title":"My Answer:"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

2. Discuss How Your Interest in Becoming a Doctor Evolved

Now ask yourself, how did these influences evolve over time? What experiences did you accumulate that shaped this desire to pursue a medical career?

I then focused in on one clinical experience (I had a few, but chose one), where I witnessed the information that I learned through my community experiences and from my textbooks regarding asthma physiology and treatment come to life when treating a pediatric patient who was from an immigrant background. In the process of helping to explain the diagnosis, pathophysiology, treatment, and empathy for the patient and mom who were anxious in the situation, I saw the direct impact a physician could make in educating a patient, alleviating fear and worry. This is what I wanted to hone in my career. Experiences like this solidified that medicine was the path I wanted to pursue. ","label":"How I Structured My Answer","title":"How I Structured My Answer"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

3. Conclude with Your Mission Statement for Wanting to Become a Doctor

Then finally, I would encourage you to end with a mission statement about what your impact in the field of medicine will be. This can be your take-home message to the interviewer about what sort of role you might fulfill in their medical school , or even in the medical community at large. This will also answer the second consideration above,: which is what are your motivations for pursuing a career in medicine?

Try to do this in 1 to 2 sentences as concisely as possible.

Overall, I considering my experiences, I would like to be a physician because I hope to be a competent clinician with a vast depth and breadth of knowledge who can educate, and guide my patients through their health journey, and a leader who empowers, advocates, and has a strong presence in the community to address the societal forces which impact a patient\u2019s health.  ","label":"My Answer:","title":"My Answer:"}]" code="tab3" template="BlogArticle">

So far, I went over how to answer this question. Let’s also go over how NOT to answer this question, or what to avoid when answering this question.

Don’t Read From Your CV

The first thing I would avoid is to regurgitate your entire medical school resume or CV. Be selective about which experiences were impactful to you in deciding you wanted to go into medicine.

A way you can determine which experiences to include in your answer is: have one that is the initial influence, then have 2 or 3 experiences that show how that influence evolved. It can be an impactful course, tutoring job, research project, volunteer experience or clinical experience. It can be any of the extracurriculars you’ve spent significant time in. Then try to end with something that solidified your interest in pursuing the career and your overall mission statement.

Don’t Let Your Motivation for Becoming a Doctor be About Someone Else

The next thing I would avoid in your answer is anything along the lines of pursuing medicine because you want to carry on a legacy, or because your parents told you to.

It’s okay to say that your parents were an initial influence, but it’s important to convey how you arrived at this decision for yourself through your own personal exploration.

Don’t Start with a Cliche

Another thing you want to avoid are cliché’s like “I want to go into medicine to help people.” The reason this is cliché is because people in many professions “help people” including teachers, financial consultants, engineers etc.

Distinguish why you want to be a doctor specifically. Somethings that doctors do that some of these other professions don’t is have a DIRECT impact on someone’s health and a deep knowledge about the human body. I would weave this in your answer, especially if you are making the jump from another health profession such as nurse to doctor or PA to MD . 

Want more tips on how to answer this question? Watch this!

Why Do You Want to Become a Doctor? How to Brainstorm Your Answer

Taking everything we’ve talked about up until now into account, we now can start looking at how you can start thinking about your answer “why do you want to become a doctor?”. Your reason for wanting to become a doctor may jump out at you right away, crystal clear. Or maybe it was a series of choices or events in your life which led you to an interest in medicine. Regardless of where you fall, if you don’t have a ready answer, it’s time to dig deep and start asking yourself some self-reflective questions.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get started on creating your personal narrative:

• What were the defining moments in your life?
• What were your early experiences with the medical profession? Which ones made an impression on you?
• When was the moment you decided to apply to medical school? What spurred your decision?
• Is there someone in your life who inspires you? Why?
• What qualities do you have that you think would make a good doctor?
• What started your curiosity or interest in medicine?
• What experiences do you have that have grown your interest in medicine?
• What about the medical profession most appeals to you? Why do you want to become a doctor over another related profession?

We initiated a program that offered online seminars and webinars about mindful movement, designed to help people in remote areas prevent diabetes through physical activity and healthier lifestyle choices. But, despite our efforts, many people continued to be diagnosed with diabetes, which made clear to me that going into medicine was the path I needed to follow. My personal experience with my father and my experience with KACIN, and the IDHC, have solidified my determination to become a doctor. It is my calling to start helping people, and I am ready to take the necessary steps to make this dream a reality. ","label":"Sample Answer","title":"Sample Answer"}]" code="tab4" template="BlogArticle">

To answer this interview question can be tricky, since it is open-ended and everyone’s answer will be different. To answer it, you need to identity the primary reason why YOU want to become a doctor and how you came to this realization.

Medical school interviewers ask this question because they want to get to know you on a deeper level, but they also want to know your motivations for pursuing a career in medicine. They want to admit students who have a genuine, passionate interest in medicine. 

Some good reasons for becoming a doctor include helping others, of course, and there are many professional benefits of being a doctor. Medicine is also a diverse, stimulating and interesting field which is constantly evolving and has many career avenues for practitioners to explore. 

A good answer to this interview question will be different for each applicant, but a strong answer will be genuine, self-reflective, well-structured and passionate. Present your personal reasons for pursuing medicine as a career. Use a personal narrative to explain what has drawn you towards medicine.

Yes, your answer to this question is extremely important. Medical school interviewers are expecting a strong and clear answer. Any uncertainty or insincere reasons you give for wanting to be a doctor may lead to you being rejected as a candidate.

Start by sharing what sparked your initial interest in medicine, then explain what you did to deepen your interest in becoming a doctor. Finally, explain what the defining moment was or what solidified your decision to become a doctor.

There are many resources to help you prepare for medical school interviews. One of the best ways is to use mock medical school interviews , as they are the closest simulation to the real deal. You can also seek help from medical school admission consultants , who can give you personalized feedback on your interview answers and interview performance.

Avoid naming money, prestige or job security as reasons why you want to be a doctor. If your parents were doctors or pushed you to become a doctor, this will not be viewed as a good reason by admission committees, either.

There are many qualities that make a good doctor, but above all, doctors need to be excellent listeners and communicators and empathetic and caring to their patients. Doctors need to be advocates for their patients, be able to work well as part of a medical team, and have a desire for lifelong learning.

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“So, why medicine? Why do you want to be a doctor?”

“Why do you want to be a doctor?” It’s a question that many medical applicants are urged to have an answer for as they prepare to be interviewed for entry into medical school. In our 50th episode of Sharp Scratch, host Nikki Nabavi was joined by two past Sharp Scratch hosts, Laura Nunez-Mulder and Anna Harvey, as well as expert guest Declan Hyland, a consultant psychiatrist who is involved with medical schools admissions at the University of Liverpool, to discuss their own motivations for wanting to study medicine, and how this might change throughout medical school and life as a doctor. The team also heard from some very special guests about why they chose medicine.

The episode kicked off by discussing some of the “cliches” associated with answering the question of “why study medicine?” Nikki cited themes she had come across on Twitter , including the statements all medical applicants are advised to avoid such as “wanting to help people” and “being interested in science.” But why shouldn’t these be excellent reasons for wanting to become a doctor? Laura agreed that when she was applying to medical school, these were big reasons for her own interest in medicine as a career, but felt that “they weren’t good enough reasons,” and that to stand out in applications and interviews, she had to come up with “something that was still true, but was a bit different.” Many of our expert guests agreed that these two “cliches” were still true for them, with BMJ Editorial Registrar and surgical trainee Clara Munro reflecting that part of what keeps her in clinical medicine is “having a real curiosity and genuinely caring about patients, and enjoying engaging with them on a human level.”

Another theme Nikki raised from responses on social media was another “cliche,” of medical students “wanting to be a doctor since they came out of the womb.” Portfolio GP and media doctor Zoe Williams wanted to be a doctor since her third birthday, when she was bought a toy doctor’s kit by her grandmother, who was a midwife. “One of the reasons I wanted to be a doctor is because I found the human body fascinating.” But those dreams weren’t realised until many years later, when Zoe was one of the first students to have the opportunity to transfer from her Biomedical Sciences degree to Medicine. Declan discussed his similar pathway, highlighting that medicine isn’t just for those who learnt the brachial plexus before they could walk!

So with applications for medical courses up by nearly 5000 in the 2020-21 application cycle , what are admissions tutors looking for when asking applicants these questions at interview? The panel turned to Declan, who has had experience interviewing potential medical students, for his take. “Enthusiasm is one of the key things, and that usually comes across pretty quickly,” he said, continuing, “[applicants should] justify why medicine is more suited to your interests, rather than any other particular career within the health service.” 

The variety of work that is available to those with a medical degree is another factor that guided our panel members towards medicine, with Laura explaining that one of the reasons she chose medicine over other careers she considered was that “there’s not just one job within being a doctor that would interest me, there’s lots of jobs, and I would leave that choice open for longer.” Anna agreed, remembering comments she had received when applying for medical school from people concerned that making such a decision during her last years of school meant she was boxing herself into medicine, and not leaving enough options open. “But I don’t think I could have picked something at the age of 18 that could have given me more options.” Declan, speaking on his own career, said: “I’m fortunate that I have a lot of involvement with Liverpool medical school, which is entirely different and separate from my clinical work. It’s something like that that keeps you really inspired, refreshed and stops you burning out.” 

Anna also spoke about her desire to be part of something that is bigger than just herself: “I think a big part of it for me was wanting to have that community, and that agency; because you do have agency as a doctor that you might not in other professions.” Declan agreed: “It goes without saying that it’s still a very respected profession.” And it can’t be ignored that, for all the debate over hours and training, the career is one that can be lifelong, and provides reasonable stability in terms of salary.

For our final reflections, we turned to perhaps the most famous doctor in the UK – the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. Reflecting on his career, he said: “like many others, I have changed my mind multiple times, and the only thing that ran through all of it was clinical practice, which I still do. I’ve done various jobs, all of which I have enjoyed, many of which I would only do once, but I enjoyed that once.” He continued, “the reason to do a job is because you wish to do it, and if you manage to do that, medicine is a fantastic career.”

As Zoe highlighted, being a doctor is not just about the skills and knowledge you acquire throughout your career, but also how you feel: “It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am.”

To readers and listeners: why did you want to study medicine? Have your reasons changed throughout your career? We’d love to hear from you on social media using the hashtag #SharpScratch

Anna Harvey is a final year medical student and soon-to-be junior doctor in North Cumbria. She is a past Editorial Scholar at the BMJ and sits on the Steering Committee of the MedEd Research Collaborative , where her interest in identity is indulged through qualitative clinical education research.

Listen to the episode on spotify or apple pods .

The Sharp Scratch Panel:

Nikki Nabavi, The BMJ, University of Manchester

Anna Harvey , Final year medical student, King’s College London, past editorial scholar, The BMJ.

Laura Nunez-Mulder, Final year medical student, Cambridge University, past editorial scholar, The BMJ. 

Follow us on Twitter: 

Panel: @nikkixnabavi   @a_c_harvey @lnm_rugby  

Guest: @HylandDeclan

Brought to you by: @bmj_latest @BMJStudent

Sponsored by: @MPS_Medical

Brought to you by: @BMJ_Student

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We welcome submissions for consideration. Your article should be clear, compelling, and appeal to our international readership of doctors and other health professionals. The best pieces make a single topical point. They are well argued with new insights.

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 7 steps to becoming a doctor: a complete guide.

Other High School , College Info

Medicine is one of the most challenging yet rewarding fields a student can enter. But before you decide whether becoming a doctor is right for you, it's important that you know every step you'll have to take along the way.

Here, I'll walk you through exactly how to become a doctor, starting with high school . This career is definitely not for everyone—it requires huge investments of time, money, and effort—but if this path is right for you, this guide is what you should read to start preparing yourself early for a successful career as a doctor.

What Is the Career Outlook for Medical Doctors?

Medicine is a super competitive and rigorous field: doctors have a lot of responsibility and must spend tons of time and money on their training. Healthcare is also a growing field , which means that the demand for doctors will continue to increase in the coming years.

As long as you do all the necessary steps below, you shouldn't have an issue finding a job as a doctor.

Let's take a look at the career outlook for physicians and surgeons using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics :

• 2020 Median Pay: Greater than or equal to $208,000 per year
• Job Growth Rate (2020-30): 3%, which is slower than average

Note that pay and job outlook can vary depending on what type of doctor you want to be , so if you have a particular specialty in mind (such as dermatology or rheumatology), I encourage you to do your own research on that field's projected career outlook.

To lend you a hand, we've created the following chart, which presents the median salaries and job outlooks for various types of doctors (arranged in order of highest salary to lowest ):

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

As you can see from the chart, all of the above medical specialties make six figures a year. They do have some differences in terms of job growth, however. The job growth rate for psychiatrists is expected to be a well-above-average 14% in the next ten years, but specialties such as surgeons and pediatricians are expected to shrink slightly. There are a lot of jobs in each of these fields though, so don't think there won't be a need for them in several years, even if their numbers are expected to contract a bit.

How to Become a Doctor: 7-Step Career Path Overview

Becoming a doctor is a pretty complex, multi-step process. Here are the seven major steps we'll be covering in more detail below (you can skip around by clicking the links to each step):

Step 1: Do well in high school Step 2: Get into a great college Step 3: Take the MCAT (and get a good score) Step 4: Apply and get into medical school Step 5: Attend medical school and pass your boards to become a licensed doctor Step 6: Choose your specialty and complete your residency Step 7: Take and pass your final boards to practice independently

Still interested in how to become a doctor? Time to get into the nitty-gritty of each major step.

Step 1: Do Well in High School

If you're serious about becoming a doctor, you'll do yourself a big favor by getting focused in high school . As mentioned, this is a pretty competitive field, so the earlier you start distinguishing yourself as a great student, the easier the process will be.

Here's what you can do in high school to help prepare you for later steps.

Focus on Science and Math

To fulfill all pre-med requirements in college (I'll get to that in a bit), you'll have to take quite a few science and math classes. Lay a solid foundation by taking a science and math course every year, and make it a priority to take advanced and/or AP courses . You'll also want to keep your GPA (in these classes and all others) as high as possible .

This is an important step because it gives you a tiny glimpse into what college and medical school will be like. If you don't enjoy science and math courses in high school, it's unlikely you'll enjoy them later on. Use this as an opportunity to think critically about whether you'd like to pursue this career.

Do Plenty of Community Service

Being a good doctor isn't just about being a science and math whiz—it's about being invested in caring for other people. Show how you care about helping others by volunteering consistently in high school.

It's best if you can do volunteer work that's at least somewhat related to healthcare. You might see whether there are any opportunities at a nearby hospital or clinic (for example, I had friends in high school who helped escort people who were visiting family members in the hospital). These volunteer opportunities can also help you decide fairly early whether a career in medicine is something you're actually interested in pursuing.

Of course, you don't have to volunteer exclusively in healthcare environments—any community service opportunity in which you're helping other people is a good fit. Read more about the benefits of community service , and then check out our list of the best places to volunteer .

Is working in healthcare a good fit for you? Volunteering in the field is a great way to find out.

Get a Great Score on the ACT/SAT

To get into a great medical school, it helps to go to a great college. And to get into a great college, it helps to get a high score on the SAT/ACT .

Plan on taking your first test by the end of your junior year—this gives you time to take your test of choice again if you want to try to raise your scores.

Read these guides for more info on how to get a great SAT/ACT score:

• What counts as a good, bad, or average ACT or SAT score?
• How can you get a perfect score on the ACT or SAT ?
• How long should you study for the ACT or SAT ?

Submit Stellar College Applications

Your senior fall will be all about researching and applying to colleges. You don't necessarily need to go to a school with a dedicated pre-med program, but it'll be better if your college or university has strong science and math programs , since these will be more helpful in preparing you for the MCAT and med school.

If you want to go to a top-tier private school, you'll have to submit applications with the following:

• Impressive SAT/ACT scores
• Strong letters of recommendation
• Polished and thoughtful personal essays

Some great public schools might not require letters of rec or applications essays. Nevertheless, it's wise to start preparing these materials early on in the college application process if you think you'll apply to any colleges that do require them.

If you're still working on college research, I suggest checking out these guides:

• The best pre-med schools for becoming a doctor
• The best college ranking lists and whether you should trust them
• Whether it matters where you go to college
• How to decide where to go to college

Step 2: Get Into a Great College

College is where you really start focusing your studies and preparing for a career in medicine . Here's everything you should do as an undergraduate to prepare yourself for the next major step in becoming a doctor: medical school.

Meet All Pre-Med Requirements

Most medical schools require students to have taken a series of courses as undergraduates. This ensures that they have strong foundational knowledge in math and science and will be well prepared for the more advanced courses they'll have to take as med students.

Here are the core classes that most medical schools require :

• Two semesters of biology with laboratory
• Two semesters of inorganic chemistry with laboratory
• Two semesters of organic chemistry with laboratory
• Two semesters of math (at least one in calculus)
• Two semesters of physics with laboratory
• Two semesters of English and/or writing

This comes to 12 course requirements at minimum, which doesn't give you a ton of wiggle room if you also have to meet requirements for a major without much pre-med overlap (e.g., foreign languages or studio art). Because of this, many pre-med students choose related majors such as biology or chemistry —this makes it much easier to meet both pre-med requirements and the requirements for your major.

If you decide later in college that you'd like to apply to medical school but you know you don't have time to fit in all these requirements, don't panic. It's fairly common for people to wrap up pre-med requirements by taking an extra semester or two in college (some schools call these students "super seniors").

You might also look into full-time post-bac programs if you have more than a few requirements left to fulfill. These options mean extra time and extra expenses, but they're helpful (and sometimes necessary) steps to take before applying to med school.

Keep Your Grades Up

Your transcript will be a very important part of your med school applications, so your academic performance should really be your #1 priority as you work your way through college.

Build Relationships With Professors and Mentors

You'll need a few strong letters of recommendation from respected faculty members when you submit your med school applications—use this fact to motivate you to network with as many people as possible.

Develop relationships with professors and mentors by going to their office hours, actively participating in class, and taking opportunities to work on research projects.

Your nerdy professors will prove to be invaluable resources when you're applying to med school, but only if you have relationships with them!

Get Some Research Experience

Having some research experience under your belt is a big plus for med school applications , especially if you can squeeze in a publication or two. Working in a biology or chemistry lab would probably be most helpful for medical school.

There are a couple ways you can get research experience as an undergraduate:

• Work as a research assistant (paid or unpaid) in an on-campus lab or at an off-campus research institute. Look at campus job postings or approach specific professors in your department about potential lab openings. If you don't have time during the semester to take on extra work, consider summer opportunities.
• Complete an undergraduate thesis, which involves research work. This usually requires a professor to officially take you on as their student. Each school (and each department within a school) will have its own procedures and policies for undergraduate theses, so educate yourself early on (i.e., during freshman year) if you're interested in this track.

Continue With Community Service

Medical schools are going to look at your community service record as an important part of your application. You should make time for volunteer work in college just as you did in high school.

The good news is that it should be easier to find relevant advocacy and community service clubs and organizations in college. Here are a few example activities you might be interested in (although this list is by no means exhaustive):

• Volunteering at a homeless shelter
• Joining a public health advocacy society or organization
• Volunteering at a nursing home or engaging in other forms of elder care (e.g., Meals on Wheels)
• Joining a peer counseling organization

It's better to stick with a few clubs or activities over the long term , as opposed to jumping around between activities year after year. This demonstrates that you're consistent and reliable; it also opens up opportunities for leadership roles, which will prove to be a big plus for your med school applications.

Step 3: Take (and Ace!) the MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, is used as a predictor of your success in med school, and as such is weighted pretty heavily when compared to other parts of your application.

Most students take the MCAT their junior year—this is arguably the most optimal time to take the test. Why? Because by this point you will have gone through many of your pre-med courses, making studying for the MCAT a lot easier.

MCAT Scoring and Logistics

In total, it takes seven and a half hours to complete the MCAT. The sections on the test include the following:

• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Each section is scored on a range from 118 to 132, with a median score of 125. You'll receive an individual score for each section in addition to an overall score. Total scores range from 472 to 578 , with the average score sitting at about 500.

This scoring system is still relatively new (since 2015), so there isn't much historical data available we can use to predict what a good or "safe" MCAT score will be for med school admissions. Current percentiles indicate that around 50% of test takers score 500, and 74% score 508, or what MCAT-Prep.com calls a "good" MCAT score . As such, the new MCAT encourages admissions officers to look favorably upon students who score around 500 or above .

The MCAT is administered 30 times per year , so you have quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to scheduling the test. Be prepared for some hefty expenses— it costs $325 to register for the test . There are Fee Assistance Programs available for students who might not be able to shoulder these expenses.

After your scores are calculated, they're automatically released to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS); you won't have to submit them separately to any schools unless they don't use AMCAS .

If you're adequately prepared the first time you take the MCAT, you could save yourself the cost of an extra registration fee.

Studying for the MCAT

Plan on studying 200-300 hours if you want to do well on the test. Since it's a seven-and-a-half-hour exam, you really don't want to have to take it twice.

There are several different ways you can prep for the MCAT:

• Independent study: This might work for students at schools with strong pre-med support who are also performing well in their classes. Solid foundational knowledge is the most important factor that affects performance on the MCAT, but students would still, of course, need to spend significant time preparing.
• MCAT prep course: Pre-med students commonly take prep courses when they want a solid review schedule to keep them on track. There's a lot of material to cover, and a good course helps ensure that there aren't any major gaps in your content knowledge or strategy. They can be very expensive, unfortunately, with most costing several thousand dollars . Kaplan and The Princeton Review are a couple of the most popular options.
• Online prep: Online resources can offer a great combination of structure and flexibility when you're working to cover a lot of material. Khan Academy provides some free study material if you're looking for a place to start, though it won't suffice if you're putting together a full study plan. Dr. Flowers Test Prep is another, more comprehensive resource for online prep.
• Private tutor: Students whose grades aren't up to par or who have done poorly on the MCAT before might want to consider this option . If you decide to hire a tutor, pick someone with glowing recommendations and years of tutoring experience. They won't come cheap, but they're also less likely to waste your time and money.

You can also buy an official practice test for the MCAT through the Association of American Medical Colleges for $35, in addition to other official study guides and prep materials.

Step 4: Apply and Get Into Medical School

The medical school application process is extremely long . If you want to start med school the fall after you graduate from college, you'll have to start your applications your junior year.

Research Medical Schools

The average student applies to about 13 schools to optimize their chances of getting in —I wouldn't recommend that you put together a list much smaller than that.

The Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) website is one of the best tools for looking into important medical school information. For a $28 year-long subscription, you can easily access the following:

• Acceptance rates
• Average MCAT and GPA of applicants and accepted students
• Numbers of out-of-state students
• Application requirements
• Application deadlines

As with any school or program, there are med school ranking lists . Because US medical schools' admissions criteria and curricula are so stringent and rigorous, though, admission to any school in the country should be considered an accomplishment . If you end up in medical school and follow through with a residency at a good hospital, you'll have no trouble finding work as a doctor.

Know the Different Types of Medical Schools

There are two types of physicians in the US:

• Allopathic physicians (MDs)
• Osteopathic physicians (DOs)

Both types are fully licensed physicians and are often very similar in the way that they practice medicine—they just receive degrees from slightly different types of programs.

We're most used to hearing about doctors with MDs, so if you're not familiar with DOs, I encourage you to do more research on these types of programs. DOs receive additional specialty training in certain areas, including using the hands to diagnose/treat illnesses and injuries.

You can read more about osteopathic medicine on the American Osteopathic Association site .

Allopathic or osteopathic: which type of med school is right for you?

Put Together Your Med School Application

There are three parts of the med school application process.

Part 1: Primary Application

You send in your primary application by June the year before your first year of med school. Most med schools use AMCAS, which is like a Common Application for med schools.

This application includes official transcripts, a personal statement, your resume/CV, and your MCAT scores. Start preparing these materials a few months before submission.

Part 2: Secondary Application

This usually happens in July-August on a typical application timeline (i.e., one on which you submit the primary application in June). At this point, a school will either reject your primary application or ask you to complete its secondary application.

The secondary application will differ for each school you apply to. Sometimes, schools just ask you to submit an application fee to continue with the application process. Other times, though, schools send fairly extensive lists of essay prompts (e.g., "Why are you interested in attending this medical school?") for you to answer.

If the medical school is happy with your primary and secondary applications, you'll move on to the next part.

Part 3: Interview

If a school definitely does (or definitely does not ) want to interview you, you'll hear back from them pretty quickly. Some students are left in limbo for a while as schools deliberate over what to do with them.

Interviews are the final decision-making phase. Your interview will either make or break your application. Preparing for interviews is tough because each school (and each interviewer) will have its own priorities and questions.

Overall, you want to come off (1) committed to the medical track, (2) confident in your abilities, (3) eager to learn, (4) warm and empathetic, and (5) grateful for the opportunity to be there.

Step 5: Attend Medical School and Pass Your Boards

After fulfilling all the pre-med requirements and submitting all those applications, you finally arrive here: medical school. You'll spend four years here , but that doesn't mean the experience will be very similar to that of your undergraduate education—there are more decisions to be made, more opportunities for hands-on experiences, and more professional licensing requirements to worry about.

Here's an overview of what these four years of med school will look like:

• Years 1-2: Primarily classroom-based courses
• Year 3: Training in each major medical specialty (also known as rotations)
• Year 4: Primarily elective courses based on preferred specialty

There are some other important steps along the way, such as board exams, that I'll address in this section as well.

Years 1-2: Classroom Work

You won't have much say in what courses you'll take during your first two years of medical school. Your education during this time will be an extension of your pre-med requirements —you'll take many advanced courses that will give you the important biological, anatomical, and chemical foundations you'll need to work as a physician.

These courses will obviously have an important impact on your GPA, which will affect how competitive you are when you're matched for your residency/internship (we'll get to that shortly). As such, it's important to keep your grades up—your future self will thank you!

At the end of your second year, you'll take the United States Medical Licensing Examination , or the USMLE-1. This test assesses your medical competency to see whether you should continue with your education and medical licensure (another name for the USMLE exams is "Boards").

At most med schools, you need to pass this exam in order to progress to your third year of school.

Year 3: Rotations

In your third year, you'll start working with patients in a medical setting (under a supervisor) within different medical specialties. This helps you gain hands-on experience as a physician, but, perhaps more importantly, you'll learn more about what sort of specialty you may be interested in.

After the bulk of your rotations experiences in your third year, you'll have to decide what sort of medicine you'd like to pursue . This decision will dictate what kinds of elective courses you'll take in your fourth and final year of med school, as well as how long you'll spend in your residency (we give more information on this in the Residency section below).

Med school rotations are a bit more productive than the one the hamster's doing on this wheel.

Year 4: Pursuing Your Specialty

As you now know, your fourth year of med school is dedicated mainly to taking elective courses to prepare you for your preferred specialty and continuing gaining hands-on experience. You'll also take the USMLE Level 2 (which is similar to the first examination, except that it simply tests more advanced knowledge); this exam includes a clinical knowledge part and a clinical skills portion.

Step 6: Complete Your Residency

Residencies, also known as internships, are supervised positions at teaching hospitals. You will be matched to an available residency position through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

You'll be able to note your preferences, but you won't have ultimate decision-making power over your matches. Once the NRMP sets you up, you sort of have to take what you're given.

You will spend at least three years in your residency program but may spend more time there depending on your specialty. In your first year, you'll be known as an intern and will be at the bottom of the totem pole—but not for long.

During your residency, you'll also need to pass your final licensing exam (USMLE-3). The third and final licensing exam is taken during the first year of your residency. It tests your ability to utilize your medical knowledge and provide care in an unsupervised setting, which is what you will have to do as a licensed physician.

You'll get a salary as a resident, but it won't be much. The average resident earns about $48,000 a year , which should cover living expenses and your minimum medical school loan payments.

Here are some example specialties and their respective residency requirements:

• Anesthesiology: 4 years
• Dermatology: 4 years
• Emergency Medicine: 3-4 years
• General Surgery: 5 years
• Internal Medicine: 3 years
• Neurology: 4 years
• Obstetrics and Gynecology: 4 years
• Pathology: 4 years
• Pediatrics: 3 years
• Psychiatry: 4 years
• Radiology: 4-5 years

Step 7: Take and Pass Your Final Boards

Once you've finished your residency and passed all your boards, you can officially practice independently as a licensed physician! It probably won't take you long to find work. You might want to practice in a hospital, clinic, or private practice.

You'll have to keep up with Continuing Medical Education in order to practice as a physician, no matter your specialty; this ensures that you stay educated and up-to-date on the latest research and best medical practices.

Your education doesn't end here—you'll be working to keep up with new information and best practices for the rest of your medical career.

Summary: The 7 Critical Steps to Becoming a Doctor

This is a ton of information to take in at once, especially if you're at the beginning of this process or if you're still unsure about entering the medical field.

To recap, here are the seven major steps you must take to become a doctor :

• Do well in high school
• Get into a great college
• Take the MCAT (and get a good score)
• Apply and get into medical school
• Attend medical school and pass your boards to become a licensed doctor
• Choose your specialty and complete your residency
• Take and pass your final boards to practice independently

You should also keep in mind two important takeaways:

• You don't have to decide at the beginning of college that you want to become a doctor (although it does make it easier to fulfill pre-med requirements). The path to becoming a physician isn't completely rigid, especially if you're interested in other biological and physical science careers.
• You don't have to think about all these steps at the same time. Once you're in medical school, your peers will be thinking about (and worrying about) the same things—there's no way you'll forget any important steps!

Becoming a doctor is definitely not for everyone—getting into medical school is really tough, and you still have a lot of training to complete even after you graduate. But if you decide you want to enter the medical profession, you now have the info you need to start off on the right foot!

What's Next?

If you want more info on what to do to prepare for med school while you're in high school , you're in the right place. Check out these great medical programs for high school students and our list of the best books every pre-med student should read .

Starting to research different college or med school options? Start off with this complete list of BA/MD and BS/MD programs in the United States . You might also be interested in our step-by-step guide on how to get into a BS/MD program .

Thinking of having a different medical career? Learn how to become a dentist or a veterinarian with our in-depth guides.

Francesca graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and scored in the 99th percentile on the SATs. She's worked with many students on SAT prep and college counseling, and loves helping students capitalize on their strengths.

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