Understanding yourself: Is a medical career right for me?

If you are a high school student who envisions a future in medicine, there are some critical questions you need to ask yourself before committing to a college major that leads to medical school, such as: 

Do I have what it takes to get accepted into medical school?

How much of my personal life am I willing to sacrifice?

According to Medical School Headquarters, there are five definite reasons to go to medical school—and five not to go:

Improving the lives and health of other people

Seeking amazing clinical and non-clinical job options

Being a lifelong learner in an intellectually stimulating career

Don’t go because it looks cool on TV dramas

Don’t go because of parents pressuring you

Don’t go if you want a great work-life balance 

Once you’ve decided a career in medicine is the right path for you, your grades are where they need to be, and you’re willing to put the time into a residency that can take years to complete, you’ll need to think about the various specialties. The options are vast.

The American Medical Association identified eleven top factors that medical school students claimed as the key influencers when choosing a specialty. The study ranks by number most to least important factors:

How hard is it to get into medical school?

Here’s what one doctor had to say about the path to medical school: “Realize that at most colleges and universities there is no such thing as a “pre-med” major. If you are referring to the percentage of freshman students who have an interest in going on to med school, it varies but can be significant.”

“As an example, during the first week of my 200-student freshman chemistry class at UNC, the professor asked the class to raise their hands if they plan on going to medical school. About a third or more of the hands went up. By the time I took inorganic chemistry from that same professor the percentage was down to maybe 10 percent. I think the previous year’s organic chemistry classes weeded out a lot of would-be docs.”

Do I need perfect grades in high school to become a doctor?

Grades are important. Applicants should strive for a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Know this: of the more than 55,000 that applied to medical school in 2019, less than 22,000 were accepted to at least one school. This means that more than half were rejected. 

The average total cost of medical school in the U.S. is $218,792 according to Education Data Initiative. The average yearly cost is nearly $56,000. This is a 2021 statistic. Every year, the average yearly cost goes up by about $1500. Keep In mind, annual salaries for med school grads who are doing a residency range from $63,400 to $68,500, depending on the specialty. A residency can last anywhere from 4 to 9 years—the longer programs for specialties such as neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, and plastic surgery to name a few.

So, while your peers in the business world are moving up the ladder, jumping to higher-paying jobs, and improving their lifestyles, doctors don’t begin that process until they have completed residency training and gone on to private practice. If you are interested in studying a specific niche within a specialty, you may need to do a year’s fellowship training. This can add up to 13 or 14-years total.

How long does it take to become a doctor after high school?

According to one noted source, becoming a doctor in the U.S. typically takes between 10 and 24 years. You must complete a 4-year undergraduate degree, then complete 4 years of medical school. Upon graduation, you are a doctor. However, to succeed in a specialty – even family practice – you’ll need to “match to a residency” which can last anywhere from 3 to 7 years, depending on the specialty you choose. After this, you’ll need to complete a licensing exam.

In 2018, Primary Care Physicians in the United States earned on average $237,000, while specialists earned $341,000, according to the Medscape Physician Compensation Report. This marked about a 21.5% increase for PCPs from 2015 and about a 20% increase for specialists. A department head can make in excess of $500,000.

What classes should I take in high school if I want to be a doctor?

Every high school student interested in a medical degree must show an affinity for the sciences. When applying to college, you will need to show that the classes you took in high school include: biology, chemistry, physics, and math (BCPM). Your grades in these courses will be closely reviewed. It should also be noted that college and medical school admissions panels do weigh your BCPM GPAs more heavily than other subjects. If you don’t excel in these categories, medical school isn’t right for you. But if you do, your next step is to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Taking AP courses leads to AP exams, which many universities recognize for both undergrad and medical school credits. 

If you still see yourself as a physician, high school is the time to finetune your learning skills: study habits, time management, test-taking, and written and verbal communication. English class is where you will improve your communication skills. Med school curriculum often includes writing multiple styles of essays, analyzing literature, giving oral presentations, and taking comprehension tests. It starts with your application to medical school, and continues throughout your career as a physician, where you’ll use these skills every day to write reports and communicate with colleagues and patients.

Extracurricular Opportunities to Prepare for Medical School

Although grades are an important aspect of your potential for college and medical school admission, review panels also take into account other aspects of your life, such as extracurricular activities or pre-clinical experiences. High school students with an eye on being a doctor can pursue activities that give them valuable training and insights, including anatomy and biology clubs. Another option is the Medical Explorers Club, which provides exposure to how medicine works at local hospitals. You can also sign up for volunteering opportunities with Doctors Without Borders, an international organization that delivers urgent medical assistance - not only in war zones - but in high-need communities. High schoolers are often recruited to help with fundraising and awareness efforts. 

Medical Summer Immersion Programs for High School Students

Many leading universities today offer summer and online programs for high school students. Young motivated scholars 13 and older can study with renowned faculty. Pre-College Online Programs are offered throughout the U.S. Here are just a few:

Going Straight to Pre-Med Right After High School

Going from high school to med school is not typical at most universities, but there are options. These include completing a BS-MD track or an Early Assurance Program (EAP). A BS-MD program combines undergraduate school with medical school, allowing students to complete bachelor and medical degrees over a seven-year period. Requirements vary from program to program

In an article with the American Academy of Medical Colleges (AAMC), University of Rochester student Jayson Baman gave his first-hand experience with the BS-MD program, one of only 50 in the U.S. “A big advantage of being in a BS-MD program is the familiarity you develop with the medical school while still an undergraduate. Because physicians and researchers know that you are serious about medicine, you often find it easier to secure internships or shadowing positions.”

Another popular option is the Early Assurance Program (EAP), which is rapidly growing in popularity and available at leading schools, such as Georgetown University and Wake Forest University. To qualify, students must apply for med school in their sophomore year, demonstrate strong grades, and have completed science and pre med coursework, depending on the school’s requirements. Students accepted into EAP programs are not required to take the MCAT for entry. 

If these options are not in your wheelhouse, you can apply to med school in the traditional manner. Take the MCAT exam, and show that you have succeeded in one year each of: biology, general inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and related lab work for each course.

Are you drawn to helping people? Do you love science? The path to becoming a physician is long and arduous and can take many different routes. As a high schooler, there are numerous aspects to consider and plan for before you even get to college. After all, according to U.S. News and World Report, the medical school admissions process is extremely competitive, with schools becoming even more selective since the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a surge of interest in the field.

Participating in pre-med summer programs is a great way for high school students to get a taste of what medical school is like. Here are some of the top programs.

Medical Summer Programs for High School Students

What kinds of medical programs are available to high school students?

High school is the ideal time for motivated students to try out college courses. Why invest time and money in a college major only to discover it’s not the right fit? The field of medicine is a popular choice for many. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has this to say: “employment in medicine is projected to grow 16 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.6 million new jobs.” 

There are many leading U.S. institutions that offer summer medical courses to high school students. Some universities offer in-person courses and others provide courses online. There’s bound to be a school that works for any high schooler.

Wake Forest University: Topics cover areas such as medicine, sports medicine, and psychology. 

Brandeis University: has both women’s health and global health online options.

Case Western Reserve University: has a neuroscience and medicine course designed specifically for high school students.

Students greatly benefit from these types of programs for a number of reasons:

The chance to try out the college experience before choosing a school or a major

Getting a leg up on other students in the field

But clinical medicine is only one area of this vast field. Another study within medicine is the role of medical researcher. With a summer course in medical research, high schoolers get hands-on experience working in labs and potentially assisting in ongoing studies. One example is Georgetown University, which has a renowned summer medical research program. 

Students find enormous value in experiencing medical research courses early, as pre-med students typically require lab experience to qualify for acceptance in a pre-med program.

Similar to medical research, science research programs offer prospective pre-med students the opportunity to gain hands-on lab experience in non-medical scientific topics such as biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. A working knowledge of lab work is essential for anyone looking to join a pre-med program as medical students either conduct lab work for a class or as an add-on to their medical school application. Universities with notable science research programs include:

Case Western Reserve’s Astrophysics and Evolutionary Biology online course

University of Rochester’s Biomedical Engineering course for high-school students

Brandeis University’s precollege course on Climate Science

Why do colleges value medical summer programs?

Colleges and universities are constantly searching for the most motivated students. Since many of the precollege courses are from very prestigious institutions, it’s an indication to the college that, not only is the student motivated, they are also competitive and comfortable in the college environment. Also, high school students who are motivated enough to utilize these courses indicate a level of drive that is very attractive to colleges and universities. Both top schools and smaller secondary colleges are using pre-college courses to attract prospective students. This offers high schoolers additional options that might better fit their comfort zone.

Students participating in Brown’s summer program for high-schoolers can choose from a huge variety of medical and health-related courses, including Introduction to Medicine: Do You Want to Be a Doctor? and Hands-On Medicine: A Week in the Life of a Medical Student. The length of the program is between 1 and 3 weeks, depending on the course, and there are both residential and commuter options. 

Brown also has a distance learning program for students unable to travel to Brown’s campus (see “Distance Learning Options,” below). 

Transcripts, personal statements, and sometimes teacher recommendations are required for students applying to either the online or on-campus program. Students must be 15 or older to participate.

The Penn Medicine Summer Program is a week-long experience modeled after Penn Medical School’s actual first-year curriculum. Each morning, students attend interactive lessons on the topic of the day, which could be emergency medicine, cancer, kidney disease, or any number of other topics. Each afternoon, students participate in interactive virtual medical experiences. Additionally, students go on two hospital trips and two academic field trips. 

Any student who has taken or is taking a high school biology class at the time of their application can apply.

The SMYSP is a five-week residential program open to high school sophomores and junior low-income and/or underrepresented minorities who live in Northern and Central California. The program includes anatomy and pathology labs and courses, college admissions help, a research project, lectures by Stanford faculty and other medical professionals, and insight into the day-to-day operations of a hospital. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in a career in medicine and/or science and a B-average in their science classes; however, applications are reviewed holistically, meaning that a low science GPA won’t necessarily preclude participation. Each accepted applicant will receive a full-tuition scholarship for the program. 

Wake Forest University Summer Immersion Program: Medicine Institute

The Medicine Institute at Wake Forest University is a one-week program with a non-residential option in Charlotte and residential option in Winston-Salem. The program covers topics such as obstetrics and gynecology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, pediatrics, and other medical topics. Students visit local healthcare facilities, learn about the latest medical technology, practice taking blood pressure and suturing, participate in a dissection lab, and learn minimally invasive surgery techniques. 

Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors are welcome to apply.

Georgetown has 1-week and 3-week Medical Academy programs, and students can either stay on campus or commute. Both programs provide an introduction to the field of medicine and a glimpse at Georgetown School of Medicine. Students participating in the 3-week program also register for one of three tracks: 

Each track will give students classroom, lab, and case study experience with their chosen topic. To apply, prospective students must submit a 300-500 personal essay and the contact information of a school counselor, teacher, or administrator who can speak to their academic readiness and confirm their GPA. This program is open to students who are freshmen, sophomores, or juniors at the time of application. 

National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine & Health Care

The NSLC on Medicine & Health Care is a nine-day experience available at many different university campuses across the United States including Vanderbilt, the University of Washington, Northwestern, and Harvard. You’ll explore different medical career paths, visit medical facilities, diagnose and treat simulated patients, identify public health concerns and come up with potential solutions, and hear from guest speakers from the medical field. You’ll also gain some clinical skills such as suturing, testing vital signs, and surgical knot-tying. And, true to its name, the NSLC Medicine and Health Care program will teach you leadership skills that you can apply to any field you go into. 

This program is open to any high school student with demonstrated academic and leadership abilities. Students are either nominated by a teacher or counselor, invited to apply by a talent identification program such as the College Board Student Search Service, or apply of their own accord. There are also summer Nursing and Psychology & Neuroscience programs available. 

Distance Learning Medical Program Options

Sometimes preexisting summer plans, finances, or other personal circumstances prevent students from being able to participate in on-campus summer medical programs. Luckily, there are distance-learning options available for students in these situations. Read on for information about two such programs. 

Wake Forest University - Making the Rounds: An Insider's Guide to Becoming a Doctor

Students 13 years old and older are eligible to participate in Wake Forest’s online pre-college medical course. This 30-hour program—completed over the course of two or four weeks, depending on the dates selected—focuses primarily on the life cycle of a heart attack. Students will also get a virtual tour of a working hospital, learn about what it’s like to work in the medical field, and complete a final Capstone project demonstrating what they’ve learned in the course. 

The class is taught by Wake Forest School of Medicine faculty, and students are assigned a Wake Forest mentor to encourage them, provide direction on assignments, and help brainstorm for the final Capstone project. Although the class is online and asynchronous, students will have many opportunities to connect with their mentor and fellow classmates. This course is ideal for students interested in learning about the inner workings of a hospital, how to prevent and treat heart attacks, and/or what it’s like to have a career in medicine in a completely flexible way.

Students participating in Brown’s online summer program can sign up for classes such as Neuroscience in Action: Understanding Our Brains and Nervous Systems and Biomedical Engineering: The Smart Design of Medical Implants and Devices that range from 3 to 5 weeks. Classes are asynchronous and take approximately 10 hours per week. Despite the fact that all coursework is completed online, Summer@Brown Online courses provide ample opportunity to connect with instructors and other students. 

Most aspiring high school students live in communities with teaching hospitals and healthcare systems. Volunteer jobs for teenagers can include: assisting nurses with basic duties, helping visitors navigate the hospital, and in some cases, working in a physician’s office with checking patients in. Volunteer programs are a great way for high school students to get a feel for the world of medicine and see if it's a possible fit.

While volunteering is a greater time commitment, job shadowing is an option that requires less of a high schooler’s time. As the name implies, shadowing allows high schoolers to spend a day or two following a doctor to observe their day-to-day responsibilities. It can be a wonderful learning experience for a young person. 

The medical profession is poised for growth according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—employment in medicine is projected to grow 16%, adding roughly 2.6 million new jobs in the next ten years.

Driven high schoolers who seek opportunities in the medical fields will find a whole array of options including, online courses from leading universities, summer immersion programs, summer camps, volunteering, or shadowing.

There are different disciplines that live under the medicine or health umbrella. These include medical research, science research, biomedical engineering, climate science, and specialties such as women’s health.

These programs not only provide an inside look at the field for students, but give universities a pool of motivated future students who have proven themselves in some of the best universities.

For high school students who are considering a career in medicine, a great way to learn about the medical field and get a head start on the clinical skills required for medical careers is to participate in an immersive pre-med summer program. Many universities and other organizations offer summer opportunities for high school students to learn more about medical school and medical professions. We’ll discuss some of the top programs further in this blog.

Science Classes. This might seem obvious, but take lots of science classes, and take them seriously. Some high schools only require students to take 2 years of science, but you should take more than that to get comfortable with the topics you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student. Biology, chemistry, and physics are three nearly universal medical school prerequisites that most high school students have access to. Take them in high school to get a head start on the material.

Calculus and/or statistics. One or both of these advanced mathematics courses is usually required for medical school. Again, taking them in high school will help familiarize you with the material so that when you take them in college you’ll be confident and prepared.

Student government. The medical field requires doctors to be good leaders. Whether a doctor is the attending physician at a teaching hospital, the owner of a small practice, or just managing their own careers, opportunities for leadership pop up regularly in medical careers. In an effort to prepare future doctors for these roles, many medical schools have programs dedicated to fostering leadership skills and providing leadership opportunities to medical students. Participating in high school student government, whether as an elected officer or a committee member, will give you a running start. You’ll learn how to communicate with others, understand the needs of the people you’re serving, and confidently make decisions that will impact others.

Foreign languages. There are a couple ways taking a foreign language in high school will help your medical career. First, it’ll expand your reach as a medical professional. If you’re working in a diverse community, the ability to speak Spanish or Mandarin or any other language will allow you to communicate with many more patients than if you speak only English. Some jobs even require you to speak multiple languages. Second, foreign languages teach you to be confident and not fear mistakes. If you’re paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes as a doctor, you’ll never be able to confidently treat patients. You’ll inevitably make some mistakes practicing medicine, just as you’ll inevitably make mistakes learning a foreign language. But if you learn how to get past the mistakes and focus on the message you’re communicating, or the patient you’re treating, you’ll be much more successful.

AP and Honors classes. Your pre-med and medical school curricula are going to be rigorous. High school is a good time to develop good study habits and get used to doing lots of reading. Although medical schools may not accept credit earned from AP test scores, AP and honors classes will teach you analytical skills and help you get used to intaking a high volume of information, which you can carry over to undergraduate and medical school.

English. Communication--both written and verbal--is key to being a good doctor. Whether you’re writing notes about a patient or working on a research paper, presenting patients for rounds or explaining a diagnosis to a patient and his/her family, you need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly. English classes will teach you to formulate ideas and present them in a concise, direct way.

Any medical electives offered by your high school. No matter what medical electives your high school offers, taking one or more is a great way to get your feet wet in the medical field.

While it’s true that taking classes on this list will prepare you for an education and future career in medicine, keep in mind that you have plenty of time. BA/MD programs are great options for students who are already absolutely certain they want to be a doctor, but most people don’t apply to medical programs until much later. You’ll spend all of your undergrad and all of medical school taking classes and gaining experiences that will prepare you to be a great doctor, so don’t stress yourself out by trying to develop all the skills and learn all the knowledge while in high school. Enjoy high school and do lots of things that interest you.

Your high school coursework will provide you with a great foundation for your pre-med classes and beyond. While your high school grades won’t count for your medical school prerequisites, getting a feel for the content you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student will help you decide if a career in medicine is right for you. Here’s a list of classes you can take in high school to prepare you for a career in medicine. 

What High School Classes Will Prepare Me to Become a Doctor?

Take your high school science classes seriously.

Undergraduate pre-med requirements include classes in biology, chemistry, psychology, physics, and more. Although you won’t be able to use high school classes to count towards these requirements—often even if you receive AP credit,—you can use high school science classes to build a strong foundation for your college pre-med classes. If you do well in your high school science classes, you’ll be more comfortable in your undergraduate science classes, which are the ones that will count for medical school applications. 

When you were younger you might have said that you wanted to be a doctor when you grow up. But now that you’re getting a little closer to beginning your medical studies, you should do some research to learn more about what kind of doctor you’d like to be. If you don’t know yet, that’s okay! You won’t need to make a decision about your specialty until well into medical school, and you’ll likely change your mind a few times before then. But there are many, many different opportunities in medicine, and having some idea of what you’d like to pursue will help guide your studies. Consider what about being a doctor appeals to you. Is it...

long-lasting doctor-patient relationships? 

the excitement of saving lives in an ER or ICU? 

Depending on what interests you, you might choose to be a medical researcher at a university hospital, a family medicine provider, or an emergency medicine or internal medicine doctor in a hospital.

Once you have an idea of what medical subspecialties might interest you, look for shadowing opportunities. Ideally these opportunities would come through people you already know; perhaps your own doctor, or family members or friends working in medicine. If this isn’t an option, though, you can always call nearby doctors offices or hospitals and ask if there are any doctors willing to let you shadow them. Many doctors have experience being shadowed, so it’s often not an inconvenience for them to have you tag along for the day. That being said, you should give them plenty of notice so they can plan for you to come on a convenient day. 

Here are some ways to make a good impression while you shadow:

Don’t be late. Doctors have busy schedules, and to be respectful of their time you should arrive early. 

Come prepared with some questions. You’ll likely have some time to chat with the doctor about his/her profession in between patients, and you should use this opportunity to learn as much as you can about being a doctor.

Be fully present. Turn off your phone and take notes. 

Dress professionally. You may be given scrubs to wear, depending on where you’re shadowing, but if not, err on the side of business casual (with comfortable shoes!). 

Keep in mind that these shadowing hours won’t count towards the amount of hours medical schools expect you to have; however, it’s worth it to pursue shadowing opportunities just for the experience.

Look for volunteer opportunities that align with your interests. Don’t worry right now if the service opportunities you find aren’t medical, since these community service hours won’t count for your medical school applications, anyway. The most important thing is to find something you enjoy and stick with it for a while. Volunteering will make you more well-rounded, give you leadership opportunities, and show that you’re interested in helping others—all things medical schools like to see in an applicant. 

While you’ll need official clinical experience with patients to be a competitive medical school applicant, for now it’s enough to focus on getting familiar with medical techniques and medical facilities. Whether you’re working with actual patients or practicing sutures and surgical knots on an orange, early hands-on medical experience will help you get a feel for the medical field. You could choose to get certified as a CNA or EMT, which would put you in direct contact with patients in a medical setting, or volunteer in clinics, nursing homes, or hospitals. Another option for clinical experience is a pre-med summer program. Many universities and other organizations have immersive week-long (or longer!) programs in which high school students spend time on a college campus attending classes by medical school faculty, participating in labs and dissections, and learning about medical school. 

Decide what degree(s) you want and where you want to get your undergrad

While there are several BA and BS/MD programs in the U.S., most pre-med students get a bachelor’s degree and then apply to medical school separately. It’s a common misconception that in order to qualify for medical school you need to get a science major. As long as you complete the medical school prerequisites, you can major in anything! In fact, medical schools often like to see that applicants are well-rounded—that means that if you want to major in Art History and supplement your studies with your pre-med requirements, you might stand out more than applicants who focused solely on science.

Although most of your pre-med experiences will take place during your undergrad, you don’t have to wait until you start college to begin gaining skills and knowledge that will help you in your future medical career. Here’s a list of steps you can take that will help you prepare for a career in medicine before you even start your undergrad. 

How can I get ready for medical school in high school?

Medicine

How can I get ready for medical school in high school?

How To Decide If You Want to Be a Doctor

Medical Summer Programs for High School Students

What High School Classes Will Prepare Me to Become a Doctor?