What classes are needed to become a surgeon?

[IwannaBEE]

Not that long ago (last year) my family and I moved to the US and I have had a very hard time learning the English language so please excuse me for any typos and grammatically incorrect sentences, Thanks.

I am 13 years old and my goal in life is to become a doctor, specifically a surgeon. I have all As and I already took 4 high school credit classes. The problem is that I have absolutly no idea what classes I should take to reach my goal, though I read lots and lots of information about this topic I still do not know the specific subjects and courses I have to take to become a surgeon in the future. Please provide me any information that might be necessary. Thank you so much for taking your time reading and replying to this.Have a nice day, evening or night. :)

 

[Simon Bridge]

Welcome to PF;
The first stage to becoming a surgeon is to enter med school - the entry requirements can vary with the school so you will have to ask around (med schools often publish their entry requirements online).

... there usually are no specific courses at secondary school level to take to enter med school, which is why you cannot find any, but most places will expect you to have a strong background in the sciences, particularly biology. There is usually a "pre-med" year at college which is designed to catch you up - there you will usually be expected to take a prescribed course including core sciences and mathematics as well as a paper of two specific to medicine.

Becoming a doctor is one of the standard career paths so it is all pretty well mapped out.
Get the prospectus from the med schools you are interested in.

 

[TMFKAN64]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-medical gives more details about what you need to take *in college* in order to be admitted to a US medical school. You are expected to graduate with a Bachelor's degree before going to medical school.

Being 13, all you need to do for now is take as many science and math courses as you can, see if you can find any volunteer opportunities related to medicine, and generally do as well as you can in high school. Get into a good college with a pre-med program, and go on from there!

 

[IwannaBEE]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-medical gives more details about what you need to take *in college* in order to be admitted to a US medical school. You are expected to graduate with a Bachelor's degree before going to medical school.

Being 13, all you need to do for now is take as many science and math courses as you can, see if you can find any volunteer opportunities related to medicine, and generally do as well as you can in high school. Get into a good college with a pre-med program, and go on from there!

Thank you very much! :)

 

[IwannaBEE]

Welcome to PF;
The first stage to becoming a surgeon is to enter med school - the entry requirements can vary with the school so you will have to ask around (med schools often publish their entry requirements online).

... there usually are no specific courses at secondary school level to take to enter med school, which is why you cannot find any, but most places will expect you to have a strong background in the sciences, particularly biology. There is usually a "pre-med" year at college which is designed to catch you up - there you will usually be expected to take a prescribed course including core sciences and mathematics as well as a paper of two specific to medicine.

Becoming a doctor is one of the standard career paths so it is all pretty well mapped out.
Get the prospectus from the med schools you are interested in.

Thank you! :) :)

 

[IwannaBEE]

Do you know if it is necessary to learn Latin in high school or college?

 

[gleem]

Do you know if it is necessary to learn Latin in high school or college?

I don't think it is necessary but it might be useful since most medical terminology and anatomy derives from Latin or Greek. With regard to being a surgeon, your hands are you tools (like a pianist) and you will be only as good as your dexterity. I met a pre-med student in college who did hand exercises to strengthen his hands and have heard of students practicing tying knots either by hand or with forceps. See if you can talk to a surgeon or shadow one to see the skills you need. No need to rush you have a long way to go.

 

[Simon Bridge]

You'll find that many HS level science teachers will try to instill a basic grasp of scientific latin and greek as part of normal teaching. The med students I know say that this is all they really need. Of course there are always benefits to learning another language beyond the language itself, I took languages at secondary school but I don't recommend it... you need to focus on getting good grades in sciences first, so think along those lines. Depending on where you are at now re college-fund that may require extreme focus and dedication.