The Long Road
Before applying to medical school, you must complete this standard four-year post-secondary degree.
Bachelor's Degree
This type of doctor specializes in diagnosing, treating, and managing diseases and conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels
Cardiologist
This physician is responsible for administering medication to cause a loss of sensation or consciousness so a patient doesn't feel pain during surgery.
Anesthesiologist
Often called a "Primary Care Physician" or "PCP," this type of doctor provides routine checkups, treats everyday illnesses, and manages overall long-term health for entire families.
Family Medicine Physician
True or False: Every single person who graduates from medical school must complete a residency before they can legally perform surgery on their own.
True
This is the name of the standard, multi-hour standardized exam required to gain entry into medical school.
MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
If you have severe asthma, seasonal allergies, or an intense reaction to bee stings, you would see this medical specialist.
an Allergist (or Immunologist)
This type of doctor specializes in performing manual operative procedures to treat injuries, diseases, or deformities.
Surgeon
These fast-paced doctors work in the ER, evaluating patients rapidly and stabilizing life-threatening injuries or sudden illnesses.
Emergency Medicine Physician
While TV shows make it look like doctors spend all day running down hallways, real doctors spend an average of 10 to 15 hours a week completing this tedious administrative task.
paperwork / updating Electronic Health Records (EHR)?
Upon graduating medical school, you are officially a doctor, but you cannot practice independently until you complete this 3-to-7-year phase of hands-on training in a specialty.
Residency
This doctor focuses entirely on the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Pediatrician
This specific type of surgeon operates on the brain, spinal cord, and structural column.
Neurosurgeon
Instead of seeing patients in an office, this doctor spends their day interpreting X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to help diagnose internal problems.
Radiologist
This is the name for the period when a doctor or resident must remain at or near the hospital overnight to handle sudden emergencies.
Being on call
This optional period of highly specialized training happens after residency if a doctor wants to focus on a sub-specialty (like pediatric cardiology)
Fellowship
Commonly referred to by the acronym "ENT," this is the formal multi-syllable name for a doctor specializing in the ear, nose, and throat.
Otolaryngologist
If you break a bone or tear a ligament playing sports, you will likely be referred to this type of surgeon who focuses on the musculoskeletal system.
Orthopedic Surgeon
This doctor manages the medical care of hospitalized patients, coordinating with other specialists to ensure care runs smoothly from admission to discharge.
Hospitalist
This title refers to an individual who has completed a PhD in a field like history or biology, but cannot prescribe medication or perform surgery.
Doctor of Philosophy (Academic Doctor)
In total, counting a standard undergraduate degree, medical school, and a typical residency, it takes a minimum of this many years to become a practicing physician.
11 years (4 undergrad + 4 med school + minimum 3 residency)
This specialist treats disorders of the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
Neurologist
This type of doctor doesn't perform the surgery, but they supervise the entire operating room's physiological safety, checking the patient's vitals from a specialized, non-sterile zone.
Anesthesiologist? (Acceptable alternative: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist / CRNA).
This specialist focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of complex diseases in adults, acting like a medical detective for internal organs.
Internist/Internal Medicine Physician
To maintain their medical license to practice year after year, doctors must complete these continuing educational units.
CEUs (Continuing Education Units / CME)