Whether you wish to be a doctor, surgeon, medical consultant or dentist, or pursue any other medical profession, the preparation should start as early as possible. You need the right grades and experience to be accepted into a great medical school and develop the knowledge you need to excel. In this article, we look at the best steps to take, from taking the right approach in high school to selecting your pre med majors and beyond.
Focus on the Right Subjects
Future medical professionals need to have great grades in Science, particularly biology and chemistry. A strong grounding in Mathematics, English, IT and Statistics will also be extremely helpful. If your school offers Sociology, Psychology or languages, this can also help, if not with your acceptance into a good place of further or higher education, then with your ability to communicate with your future patients. Study hard in these areas throughout high school to make sure you get into a great college.
Select the Right Major
It’s advisable to have a good idea of the field of medicine you want to enter by the time you get to college. This will help you to choose the best major. Recommended majors for future doctors include Biology, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics and Sociology. Look into colleges that excel in these fields. Do their students regularly get accepted into top med schools? What are the levels of student satisfaction like? Is there support available for extra study and what extracurricular opportunities are there? Will you receive individual support and assistance?
Find Work Experience
It may not seem like it, but it’s absolutely possible to get work experience in medicine. Of course, you won’t be treating or diagnosing patients but manning the reception desk of a community doctor’s surgery or working in a hospital as a porter are great ways to get to know the inner workings of a medical establishment. It will also help to introduce you to some of the key players at these locations – individuals who could prove to be great contacts further down the line, and who may be able to offer you valuable support and guidance right now.
Practice Your Time Management and Organization Skills
Medical degrees are famously high-pressured, and the first few weeks may be a baptism of fire for those who arrive unprepared. Future doctors are at greater risk of burnout and stress-related illnesses than other students the same age. However, it doesn’t need to be stressful. Throughout your pre-med studies, you should try to develop organizational approaches that suit your personality and leanings. By the time you get to med school, you should be ready to hit the ground running.
Have Someone to Talk To
Any degree can have its challenging moments. As a medical student, you may be looking at over ten years of study if you wish to eventually become a physician. For this reason, you need to build a strong support network around you and to feel confident that you’ll always know where to turn when things get difficult.