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  • So you want to become a doctor.

  • You've come to the right place.

  • In this new series, we'll cover various specialties and types of doctors, and help

  • you decide which type of doctor would be the best fit for you.

  • Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com.

  • Welcome to our new series, So You Want to Be.

  • In this series, we'll be highlighting a specific specialty within medicine.

  • In each video, we cover three main areas: 1) what does it mean to be that type of doctor,

  • 2) what are common misconceptions about the specialty, and 3) what steps do you need to

  • take to become that type of doctor.

  • If you like the sound of that, be sure to check out my second channel, Kevin Jubbal,

  • M.D., where I do another series in parallel titled A Day in the Life.

  • In that series, we highlight the day to day happenings, highlights, and behind the scenes

  • action of real life doctors and real surgeons.

  • Link in the description below.

  • When I say doctor, I'm referring to physician.

  • Unlike other healthcare professionals, physicians are notoriously bad at advocating for themselves

  • we're just too busy.

  • In recent years, there's been increasing levels of exploitation of the doctor identity

  • by those who aren't doctors.

  • White coats are no longer the uniform reserved for physicians and are now handed out to just

  • about anyone working in the hospital.

  • In fact, the new uniform doctors rock are the North Face or Patagonia jackets with their

  • names and specialties embroidered.

  • Include the Instagram post linked on the screen when I mention the jackets Even the term doctor

  • is haphazardly thrown around.

  • No one is taking away the hard work you've done as a nurse to earn your DNP or as a nurse

  • anesthetist to earn your CRNA.

  • You should be proud of what you've accomplished.

  • But if you mislead patients and allow them to believe you're a doctor, it is ultimately

  • dishonest and detrimental to patient care.

  • The only physicians and real doctors in the hospital are MD's and DO's.

  • Sorry naturopaths and chiropractors, you aren't real doctors either.

  • And despite what the AANP may say, nurse practitioners may have the heart of a nurse, but they certainly

  • don't have the training or knowledge of a doctor.

  • The prestige and trust for physicians is earned through hard work and extended years of training.

  • But as the vegan natural bodybuilding crossfitter Ronnie Coleman once said, “everybody wanna

  • be a doctor, but don't nobody wanna read no heavy ass books.”

  • Insert audio clip of Ronnie Coleman famously sayingain't nothing but a peanut!”

  • If you agree with Ronnie Coleman, drop a like on this video.

  • How to Become a Doctor If you want to become a doctor in the United

  • States, you have to first earn your bachelor's degree in university over 4 years, then complete

  • 4 years of medical school, and then complete residency, lasting anywhere from 3 to 7 years,

  • followed by fellowship for additional sub-specialization.

  • By the time you've completed training, you'll be at least between 29 and 34 years of age,

  • if not older.

  • In many other countries, students begin medical school immediately after high school.

  • Rather than 4 years of college and 4 years of medical school, these students simply pursue

  • a 6 year medical school track.

  • In college, you can technically major in anything you want, so long as you complete your medical

  • school pre-requisite courses.

  • This generally includes one year of biology, one year of chemistry, one year of physics,

  • and math in the form of statistics or calculus, depending on the medical school.

  • Many schools also require some amount of English, biochemistry, psychology, and sociology as

  • well.

  • If you want to practice medicine in the United States, then going to medical school in the

  • U.S. is the best option.

  • You can either go to an allopathic medical school where you earn your M.D. or to an osteopathic

  • medical school where you earn your D.O.

  • I've compared the pros and cons of each path in a previous video.

  • Link in the description below.

  • Some students attend medical schools abroad, most commonly in the Caribbean but also in

  • other English speaking countries.

  • Usually, the reason for attending these schools is that getting accepted to a U.S. medical

  • school is too competitive, but sometimes financial concerns also come into play.

  • Regardless of where you attend medical school, if you want to practice as a physician in

  • the United States, you'll have to complete a U.S. residency.

  • Obtaining a residency position is not as straightforward as simply applying and getting a few acceptance

  • offers.

  • The residency application process is governed by the National Resident Matching Program,

  • or NRMP, and they call it the Match.

  • If you'd like me to make a dedicated video explaining how the Match works, including

  • its complex algorithm, let me know with a comment down below.

  • In short, you apply to a certain specialty and interview at multiple residency programs.

  • After interviews are complete, you submit a Rank List of the programs you'd like to

  • attend in order of decreasing preference.

  • Programs do the same, ranking students they have interviewed from their most to least

  • favorite.

  • The algorithm works its magic and you're left with an envelope on Match Day.

  • In that envelope is the program at which you'll be completing your residency.

  • The challenges for a resident are very different from the challenges facing a pre-med or medical

  • student.

  • As a pre-med or medical student, competition is steep, and to even get accepted to medical

  • school you first need to perform well on your MCAT, in your courses, and have a compelling

  • narrative in your overall application.

  • As a medical student, crushing Step 1 and your clerkships is paramount, particularly

  • if you want to match into something highly competitive.

  • These high stakes are a source of tremendous stress and pressure for future doctors.

  • But in residency, competition with your peers is much less important.

  • As I've explained in a previous video, the hardest part of medical training is now behind

  • you.

  • Residency is difficult because it's an endurance race.

  • The stress is no longer due to performing well on standardized tests, but rather the

  • added responsibility of patient lives that are now in your hands.

  • The hours are long and often irregular, and therefore maintaining healthy lifestyle habits

  • is more challenging.

  • That being said, if you got through medical school and are following the study and efficiency

  • strategies from this channel, then residency likely won't be a problem for you.

  • If you are keen on becoming a doctor, it's important you understand what you're getting

  • yourself into.

  • I've discussed the personality tendencies that make for good doctors, and have even

  • covered reasons for which you should not go to medical school.

  • In short, if you're going into medicine for the money, the prestige, or because of

  • parental pressure, one of two outcomes is most likely: you either won't make it to

  • the other side, or you'll make it to the other side but be miserable.

  • It's critical that you go into medicine for the right reasons.

  • When pre-meds are asked why they want to become doctors, they often state that they want to

  • help people, but so do nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, and many other healthcare professionals.

  • Being a doctor is different because you'll be the leader of the healthcare team.

  • As a hospitalist, you'll face stimulating intellectual challenges.

  • As a surgeon, you'll combine medical management with the art and science of surgery, using

  • your hands to improve health.

  • I cannot tell you why you should want to become a doctor, but being a physician is unlike

  • any other professionnot only in what you do, but also in the challenging training

  • path to get there.

  • And at Med School Insiders, we're all about empowering students to most effectively navigate

  • that pathto create a generation of happier, healthier, and more effective future doctors.

  • If you enjoyed this video, you'll love my weekly newsletter.

  • It gets sent out once a week and is super short.

  • In it, I share short actionable lessons that I've learned, tools, tips, and resources

  • available only if you sign up via email.

  • I don't publish it anywhere else.

  • When new projects come up, small in-person meetups, special deals, or anything else that

  • is very limited, I share it first with Med School Insiders newsletter subscribers.

  • Check it out at medschoolinsiders.com/newsletter.

  • If you ever change your mind, it's one-click to unsubscribe, and I promise I will never

  • spam you.

  • I hope you enjoyed this first video in our new series, So You Want to Be.

  • I'm deciding on which specialties to cover first, so leave a comment down below with

  • your request.

  • Based on your comments, I'll narrow down the options to a poll.

  • If you want to vote in that upcoming poll, make sure you are subscribed.

  • Much love to you all, and I will see you guys in that next one.

So you want to become a doctor.

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