Lisa M Cannon – From Columbia to the OR, How to Become a Doctor

My best friend Lisa M. Cannon and I met at Columbia high school in New York and we both made friends over our shared love of medicine. After finishing school both she and I went through end school together and would you believe it, we are now working in the same hospital. If you have dreams of doing what we have done then you should know that this is not going to be an easy road at all, and both Lisa and I had to work tirelessly to get to where we are.

At School

Your grades across all subjects are vitally important and from the moment that you know you want to become a doctor you must achieve strong grades in as many subjects as possible. If you want to get into the best college available you need to ensure that you are performing well at high school.

College

Once you get into college this is where the work starts to get ramped up and this can prove a difficult time for many. Your goal here is to ensure that you get a place in medical school and in order to do that you need to earn and maintain a GPA of at least 3.4. Most doctors like myself and Lisa studied the sciences, especially biology and this proved to be the perfect preparation for medical school.

Med School

If you have managed to get yourself a place in medical school then this is the time when you really need to work yourself to the bone. During your years at med school you will be studying alongside some brilliant minds and you must ensure that you are up to the required standard that medical schools expect. Even the med school with the lowest success rate will be tough and you must forego much of your private life in order to amass strong realist and as much knowledge as you possibly can.

Residency

Once you have finished medical school you will need to become a resident in a hospital before you can even begin to think about getting a license to be a doctor. Generally speaking a residency will last between 3 and 7 years, during which time you will receive on the job training and the chance to implement the skills that you have learned. The theory will still be required but the residency is more about the practice side of things and you must show that you are capable of such a position.

After the residency is over you will be chosen as to whether or not you have done enough to finally get your license as a doctor. Once you receive your license it will be then up to you as to whether or not you wish to pick a particular specialization which you will then work towards. As a professional, you should find the best medical billing provider to save time and easily track claims.

You must stay positive, work hard and believe that you will one day become a doctor, do that and you will be just fine.