Anyone who performs a surgery is a Surgeon and there are many types of surgeons. A modern surgeon is also a licensed physician and receives the same medical training as a typical physician. A Surgeon’s job is typically not easy, and it is even more challenging to become one. But with a lot of passion for the human body and its working, one can quickly fulfill their ambition of becoming a surgeon. Following is a list of things you need to complete to become a certified surgeon.
First, one must complete high school with high grades and an aptitude for mathematics and science. Students must appear and score high in the appropriate medical school entrance exam to get into a medical school.
STEP 1- PRE-MED GRADUATION
After appearing for an inappropriate entrance exam and entering medical school, one must complete their pre-med graduation. This would take about 4 years to be completed. During the pre-med or bachelor’s level graduation, one must also focus on studying for the entrance MCAT, which is followed after.
STEP 2-APPEARING FOR MCAT
Medical College Admission Test, popularly known as MCAT, is the necessary entrance exam one must appear in to get into a master’s level degree college. MCAT is a common entrance test popular widely due to its ability to admit international or foreign exchange students into international universities. An MCAT examination can also be given directly after high school, which is 12th in India, to pursue MBBS in the United States.
STEP 3-MASTER’S LEVEL DEGREE
The master’s level degree in medical college generally takes about 3 years to complete, during which students learn about surgery in detail. As mentioned earlier, there are many types of Surgeon from which one can specialize in a specific kind of surgery and continue to study that further. Some of the specializations in surgery are listed below-
- General surgery
- Orthopedic
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Urology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatric surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Plastic surgery
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Geriatric medicine
- Trauma surgery
- Reconstructive surgery
- Podiatry
- Eye surgery
- Colon and rectal surgery
- Critical care surgery
- Surgical oncology
- Thoracic surgery
- Academic surgery
One can choose from the interested specialization courses from the many types of surgeons offered and continue studying or researching in the specific field of interest. A student can also choose to obtain a Ph.D. in any of these courses.
STEP 4- RESIDENCY OR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Residency is usually practised after one completes MD. Residency is a brief period of practising surgery under the supervision of professional surgeons. This period is subjective with regard to the specialization courses. For example, a general surgeon would need a 5 years residency while an internal medicine specialist would need 3 years. A neurosurgeon would need to complete 7 years of residency, while an emergency specialist would need 3-4 years.
This career is not an easy one to pursue, but it’s all worth it in the end. A surgeon gets to operate on people, save their lives, and experience a truly unique job that allows them to build a unique bond with their patients.
