How long do you have to go to school to be a DO doctor?

Answer 1

Typically, students are admitted to medical school only after 4 years of college but there are a few early admissions. Then they spend 4 years in medical school and 3-5 years or more in residencies. They take pre-med courses in college - Biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics - but may major in any subject.

Medical education in the United States does not require a college degree but completion of the MCAT and the required pre-requisite courses. Compared to many other countries, medical school admissions standards in the US are slightly more subjective and include the following factors: MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) scores, undergraduate GPA, research experience, essays, patient care in a clinical setting, and extracurricular activities.

There are two types of medical schools, osteopathic offering a DO degree and allopathic, offering an MD degree. Both are very similar but Osteopathic medical schools are more holistic during the admissions process and focus less on MCAT scores and GPA than on other qualifications. As a result osteopathic students have slightly lower scores on average than the allopathic schools. In the US, admission is highly competitive with many students forced to pursue alternate degrees upon failing to gain admission to a medical school. Medical school consists of two years being spent in basic sciences, and two years spent in a clinical setting (internships/rotations). During this time, medical students are required to pass the USMLE or COMLEX Step 1 (after 2nd year), and Step 2 (just before graduation). At graduation, students can earn an MD degree (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO degree (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine).

Both curricula are similar, but the DO students receive extra training in the "hands-on" approach to patient care, with more focus on manipulative medicine and physician/patient relationship. Both are equally regarded in terms of medical licensing. After achieving a medical degree, graduates go on to complete 3-5 year residencies (the length is determined by the type of residency, for example, internal medicine is usually three years while general surgery is five or more years). Physicians may go further to complete fellowships and sub-specilizations which can take even more years.

There are a couple of different routes. It is possible to go straight to medical school, but most people get a Bachelor's degree (it makes you a better doctor, and med schools prefer it). The usual course is to do your undergraduate, usually majoring in pre-med, or if your college doesn't have that, then in something close to it, like Biology. While in college, you take the MCATS - very hard tests that are the SATs for med school. After you get a B.S. or B.A. (4 years), you apply to med school. After finishing med school (3 or 4 years), you are certified as a D.O. or M.D. But even though you can now call yourself "doctor", you still have to do an internship.

As an intern, you will work in all the different fields of medicine (neurology, pediatrics, proctology, etc.). After you have finished your internship, you should have a good idea about what you want to specialize in, from which field you liked best. You do your residency for your specialty, where you get advanced training in that specialty. You will be constantly studying through your whole time in internship and residency. Depending on what specialty you go into, your residency will last for different amounts of time, although it will take a few years no matter what specialty. But pediatrics, for instance, has a shorter residency than neurosurgery, which has the longest (about 8 years, compared to about 3 years for pediatrics). When you have completed your residency, you become a full-fledged, practicing doctor.-Yahoo answers.com

After graduating from college and taking the required pre-med courses; also having a good GPA and a good score on the MCAT test you can be admitted to medical school. Medical school can be completed in three years sometimes it takes longer. After graduation you can put M.D. after your name but you are not licensed to practice medicine. This requires a board certification in a medical specialty. In order to obtain this certification you must complete a residency where you work under supervision at a teaching hospital. This can take from two to eight years depending on the medical specialty.

As to the cost it can be hugely expensive. You would not be able to afford it as a poor stay at home mom. However, there are ways to get others to pay for it. The federal government has programs that pay for medical school or guarantee loans to medical students but requires them, once they graduate, to spend some years practicing in a community poorly served by the health care establishment. This might be a rural area, an Indian reservation or an inner city neighborhood. The U.S. navy will also pay your way to medical school but require a five year enlistment when your training is done.

I think the cheapest way to complete your training would be to attend a junior college and complete all the lower division and elective requirements. Then, transfer to a state university and get a bachelors degree. After that enter one of the programs I described above.

The sacrifices would be enormous. You have to be a top student at college in order to get in to medical school to begin with. Medical school courses are very demanding and residency requires long hours of work. You must not only be very intelligent but a very strong character in order to complete this type of training. Good luck.

After graduating from college and taking the required pre-med courses; also having a good GPA and a good score on the MCAT test you can be admitted to medical school. Medical school can be completed in three years sometimes it takes longer. After graduation you can put D.O. or M.D. after your name but you are not licensed to practice medicine. This requires a board certification in a medical specialty. In order to obtain this certification you must complete a residency where you work under supervision at a teaching hospital. This can take from two to eight years depending on the medical specialty.

As to the cost it can be hugely expensive. You would not be able to afford it as a poor stay at home mom. However, there are ways to get others to pay for it. The federal government has programs that pay for medical school or guarantee loans to medical students but requires them, once they graduate, to spend some years practicing in a community poorly served by the health care establishment. This might be a rural area, an Indian reservation or an inner city neighborhood. The U.S. navy will also pay your way to medical school but require a five year enlistment when your training is done.

I think the cheapest way to complete your training would be to attend a junior college and complete all the lower division and elective requirements. Then, transfer to a state university and get a bachelors degree. After that enter one of the programs I described above.

The sacrifices would be enormous. You have to be a top student at college in order to get in to medical school to begin with. Medical school courses are very demanding and residency requires long hours of work. You must not only be very intelligent but a very strong character in order to complete this type of training. Good luck.

After graduating from college and taking the required pre-med courses; also having a good GPA and a good score on the MCAT test you can be admitted to medical school. Medical school can be completed in three years sometimes it takes longer. After graduation you can put D.O. or M.D. after your name but you are not licensed to practice medicine. This requires a board certification in a medical specialty. In order to obtain this certification you must complete a residency where you work under supervision at a teaching hospital. This can take from two to eight years depending on the medical specialty.

As to the cost it can be hugely expensive. You would not be able to afford it as a poor stay at home mom. However, there are ways to get others to pay for it. The federal government has programs that pay for medical school or guarantee loans to medical students but requires them, once they graduate, to spend some years practicing in a community poorly served by the health care establishment. This might be a rural area, an Indian reservation or an inner city neighborhood. The U.S. navy will also pay your way to medical school but require a five year enlistment when your training is done.

I think the cheapest way to complete your training would be to attend a junior college and complete all the lower division and elective requirements. Then, transfer to a state university and get a bachelors degree. After that enter one of the programs I described above.

The sacrifices would be enormous. You have to be a top student at college in order to get in to medical school to begin with. Medical school courses are very demanding and residency requires long hours of work. You must not only be very intelligent but a very strong character in order to complete this type of training. Good luck.

Answer 2

It depends on what type. Im only 13 but the type of doctor i want to be is a psychiatrist that takes 16 years (counting your high school diploma) For others it may be less.

I would say 5 to 8 years.

Answer 3

You'd have to at least have a bachelors and a masters. A bachelor would take 4 years (typically) and a masters would take another two years (typically)

To go on to receive your doctorate, it depends on the field of study. Some fields don't require a masters degree (like lawyers, dentists and chiropractors)

Typically, most students take about three years to finish their doctorate. It really depends upon the personal, their self discipline and the time that they are able to spend.

Answer 4

Great question, if by D.O. you mean a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, then the answer is D.O.s must complete four years of medical school. After that, residency is the standard and is usually at least 3 years though there are some residencies that are seven years in length. Fellowships after residency can be completed and those may vary in duration from 1-3+ years. I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Typically, it will take eight years post high school completion, in addition to three to eight years of internship and residency, depending on the specialization.