Info on becoming a doctor

In all developed countries, entry-level medical education programs are tertiary-level courses, undertaken at a medical school attached to a university. Depending on jurisdiction and university, entry may follow directly from secondary school or require pre-requisite undergraduate education. The former commonly takes five or six years to complete. Programs that require previous undergraduate education (typically a three or four year degree, often in Science) are usually four or five years in length. Hence, gaining a basic medical degree may typically take from five to eight years, depending on jurisdiction and university.

Following completion of entry-level training, newly graduated medical practitioners are often required to undertake a period of supervised practice before full registration is granted, typically one or two years. This may be referred to as “internship”, “Foundation” years in the UK, or “conditional registration”. Some jurisdictions, including the United States, require residencies for practice.Medical practitioners hold a medical degree specific to the university from which they graduated. This degree qualifies the medical practitioner to become licensed or registered under the laws of that particular country, and sometimes of several countries, subject to requirements for internship or conditional registration. At the University level, the first milestone will with be the Bachelors Degree, preferably in a scientific field. This is traditionally a four year program. Then the student moves on to the postgraduate level, where a Master Degree can be earned. This program is traditionally two years long. Finally, the student enters into the Doctorate program, which is another two years, at least as far as coursework is concerned.

A survey of 15,000 physicians practicing in the United States reported that, across all specialties, male physicians earn approximately 41% more than female physicians. An attributable variable is that female physicians tend to a higher degree to choose medical specialties of relatively lower compensation, such as obstetrics. Also, female physicians are more likely to report working fewer hours than their male counterparts The same survey reported that, the highest-earning physicians were located in North Central region, comprising Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri, with a median salary of $225,000 per year, as per 2010. The next highest earning physicians were those in the South Central region, comprising Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, at $216,000. Those physicians reporting the lowest compensation levels were located in the Northeast and Southwest, earning an across-specialty median annual income of $190,000.

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Physician Education and training
How Long Does it Take To Become a Doctor