how long does it take to become an established doctor?

This question has been asked hundreds of times on Yahoo, so you can check the archives for many different answers.

In the USA the basic system is: four years for a BS, probably majoring in biology or chemistry. Then, four years in med school to get your MD degree. Then 3 to 7 years of residency depending on which topic you choose to specialize in. Then you are a fledgling doctor at about age 30.

For lots of information about medical education and admissions to med school, check the website of the Association of American Medical Colleges, AAMC (easy to search online)

Good luck!

1

This is a very tricky question; the answer will vary depending on what you mean by established and what kind of doctor you’re looking at becoming.

First, to become a doctor (in the US) you must earn both a bachelor degree and an MD. Traditionally, both degrees take four years to attain each. This leaves you with eight years of higher education.

However, though you are technically a “doctor” in title once you graduate from medical school, you won’t truly be able to practice until you’ve completed an internship or residency. This is because many US states will not award you with a license to practice medicine until your medical training is complete. If you want to be a general surgeon, your residency will tipically last 5-6 years beyond medical school. If you want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, you will have to do further training beyond this initial residency for 2-4 years (this extra training is often referred to as a “fellowship”). If you want to be an ER doctor, your residency would be around 3 years. The same goes from internal medicine, pediatrics, and many other primary care specialties. Thus, what kind of medicine you want to practice really determines how long it will take to become established.

The goal of a residency program is ultimately to lead you to Board Certification. This is where things get a bit hazy. To become “Board Certified” doctors take exams upon completing their residencies in the specialty that they have chosen. Technically, doctors in many states do not HAVE to be board certified to practice medicine. However, most people would not let an un-certified plastic surgeon give them a face-lift. This may help lead to the “establishment” part of your question. Established doctors tend to be board certified doctors; thus board certification is the standard here.

The bottom line is to become an established doctor the minimum amount of time you need to put in to higher education and training is about 11 years (eight years in college and medical school and three in a primary care specialty residency). This number increases if you want to be a surgeon or an expert in a finely defined specialty. In addition, even after acheiving Board Certification, you may not actually establish yourself in the medical community for many more years. It takes time to build a practice and get a solid patient base. Becoming a physician is definitely a very long journey; however, many would argue the benefits of a fulfilling profession in a respected field outweigh the costs. Good luck!

Assuming that you just finished medical school and residency, you will need to find an area to practice and build an office there. Depending on the competition in the area from other doctors; like big cities versus small towns, and whether you go solo or join a group practice, it can take anywhere from 2 years to 5 years.

Good luck

depends on where you are starting from…in the US there is 4 years college, 4 years medical school, 3-5 years internship/residency before your first “real” job. If you want your own practice, I’d say add at least 5 years to that.