Q: Can I become a doctor at 30?

There is no age limit for becoming a doctor. You can become one as young or as old as you want, as long as you meet all the requirements. Medical schools do not have an age limit for acceptance into the program, so it is never too late to begin working toward becoming a doctor.

Q: Can I major in psychology and become a doctor?

No, you can not major in psychology and become a doctor. While getting a degree in psychology will provide some good foundational knowledge for the medical field, you must still gain a certain number of credits in health sciences to get into medical school. Acceptable bachelor's degree programs to become a doctor include:

Q: Can a military doctor become a civilian doctor?

Yes, a military doctor can become a civilian doctor. In order to do so, the doctor would need to obtain a civilian medical license, which typically requires completing a residency in a civilian hospital and achieving certification from a medical board.

Question 1

Family Nurse Practitioner vs. Doctor

Accepted Answer

A family nurse practitioner provides direct medical care to their patients but may not be able to prescribe medications without doctor or physician oversight, while a doctor may prescribe medications freely.

Question 2

Nurse vs. Doctor

Accepted Answer

A nurse is a medical professional that has a wide array of duties in patient care, while a doctor is a more senior medical professional who is informed by patient information gathered by nurses.

Question 3

At what age can you become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

The age at which you can become a doctor depends on your ability to complete the extensive schooling, exams, and medical training required. In the United States, technically the minimum age to become a doctor is 18, however, with around 11 years of higher education and residency training. Unfortunately, there is no Doogie Howser, M.D. out there, but the youngest doctor in the world is Balamurali Ambati, who became a doctor at the age of 17 in 1995.

Question 4

Can I become a doctor at 30?

Accepted Answer

There is no age limit for becoming a doctor. You can become one as young or as old as you want, as long as you meet all the requirements. Medical schools do not have an age limit for acceptance into the program, so it is never too late to begin working toward becoming a doctor.

Question 5

Can I major in psychology and become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

No, you can not major in psychology and become a doctor. While getting a degree in psychology will provide some good foundational knowledge for the medical field, you must still gain a certain number of credits in health sciences to get into medical school. Acceptable bachelor's degree programs to become a doctor include:

Question 6

Can a BSN become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

No, a BSN cannot become a doctor unless they earn their medical degree. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a professional degree in nursing, not a medical degree. To become a doctor, you must earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.

Question 7

Can a medical assistant become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a medical assistant can become a doctor, but they must still complete additional training and education that goes beyond what they received during the completion of their initial degree in pharmacy.

Question 8

Can a medical laboratory scientist become a medical doctor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a medical laboratory scientist can become a doctor, however, in addition to completing a medical laboratory science degree, they must also attend medical school before they can become a doctor.

Question 9

Can a military doctor become a civilian doctor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a military doctor can become a civilian doctor. In order to do so, the doctor would need to obtain a civilian medical license, which typically requires completing a residency in a civilian hospital and achieving certification from a medical board.

Question 10

Can a pharmacist become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a pharmacist can become a doctor, but they must still complete additional training and education that goes beyond what they received during the completion of their initial degree in pharmacy.

Question 11

Can an engineer become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, an engineer can become a doctor, however, the engineer would have to go back to school to obtain a degree from medical school in order to do so.

While getting an engineering degree will provide some useful knowledge for the medical field, there are still a lot of criteria that do not match up between an engineering degree and a medical school degree.

Question 12

Can anyone become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

No, not anyone can become a doctor. In theory, it might be the case that anyone can become a doctor because it just requires a person to go through an immense amount of schooling and training, but the complexities and difficulty of the knowledge that a potential doctor must obtain make it nearly impossible for anyone to become one.

Question 13

Can you become a doctor with a felony?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can become a doctor with a felony. However, this depends on many different factors, such as:

The severity of the felony
How much time has elapsed since the felony
The state in which you are trying to become a doctor in

Question 14

Can you become a doctor with a nursing degree?

Accepted Answer

No, you can not become a doctor with a nursing degree. If you have a nursing degree and want to become a doctor, you must first attend medical school. Then you have the opportunity to become an MD, DO, or DNP (Doctor of Nursing).

Question 15

How hard is it to become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

It is very hard to become a doctor. It can take upwards of 12 years of education and training to become a medical doctor. If you want to be a specialist, you may spend a whopping 14 years in practice and study.

Question 16

How many hours do doctors work?

Accepted Answer

Doctors work a variety of different hours; this depends on several factors, including what type of medicine they practice, if they run a private practice or work in a hospital, and if they are on call.

Question 17

What are the pros and cons of being a military doctor?

Accepted Answer

The pros of being a military doctor are no student loans and financial security, while the cons are stress and specialty limitations.

Here is a more detailed look at the pros and cons of being a military doctor:

Question 18

Why become a doctor instead of a nurse?

Accepted Answer

There are many benefits of becoming a doctor instead of a nurse, such as increased pay, more opportunity for specialization, and the potential for research opportunities.

On average, doctors make more than three times the annual salary of nurses, even when working at the exact same hospital or clinic. While becoming a doctor does require more education, which is more expensive, this is still an incredible difference and can be a huge factor in why someone may choose to become a doctor over a nurse.

Question 19

Why become a doctor?

Accepted Answer

You should become a doctor because doctors tend to make very high salaries, you get to help people and make a considerable impact on their lives, and there are many different forms of medicine that you can practice as a doctor.

Question 20

Do doctors get benefits?

Accepted Answer

Yes, doctors get benefits. Doctorsget a wide variety of great benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, disability insurance, and many other great exceptional benefits. These types of benefits are usually reserved for those that work full-time for a specific hospital or organization. Specific benefits can vary in this field.

Question 21

How are doctors paid?

Accepted Answer

Doctors are paid primarily through salaries, although the actual income varies greatly depending on the practice setting and medical specialty:

The doctors that are hospital employees receive salaries and bonuses from the hospital administration.
The medical school professors who work in the hospitals receive salaries from the schools and grants they've successfully applied for. The hospitals will allot some of their profits to the medical schools they are affiliated with.
The doctors who have and manage their own clinics send the public (e.g., CMS) and the private payers (e.g., UnitedHealth, Aetna) the bills for the medical procedures they have conducted on the patients. The payers will reimburse some or all the bills the doctors submit.

Question 22

How many vacation days do doctors get?

Accepted Answer

Doctors get between 21 to 31 vacation days. This is well above the average amount of vacation days offered in most other professions. The vacation time doctors receive from their employers is almost always considered PTO or paid time off. Doctors tend to receive this much vacation time because their jobs are considered very stressful, requiring adequate time for doctors to rest and recharge.

Question 23

What is the highest-paid doctor?

Accepted Answer

The highest-paid doctor is a neurosurgeon. The median salary of a doctor who specializes in neurosurgery is around $746,544 a year. For perspective, the annual salary of a general practitioner doctor is $208,000.

Question 24

What is the highest-paid medical profession?

Accepted Answer

A neurosurgeon is the highest-paid medical profession. Neurosurgeons make an average annual salary of $746,544.

Here are the next three highest-paid medical professions and their average annual salaries:

Question 25

Why do doctors get paid so much?

Accepted Answer

Doctors get paid so much because their services are necessary, they are highly specialized, and their work can be extremely demanding. Becoming a doctor requires extensive education and skill. Because of this specialization, doctors make extremely good money and have great benefits such as medical insurance and retirement plans.

Question 26

Are doctors happy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, doctors are happy in most cases. Doctors have a unique and very important job that seeks to take care of patients' medical concerns, so it is not a surprise that most doctors tend to be happy. Here are some factors that contribute to the overall happiness of most doctors:

Question 27

What makes a good doctor?

Accepted Answer

A good doctor is personable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. Great doctors can take their previously acquired knowledge and experiences to be able to create wonderful patient experiences.

Question 28

What is residency training?

Accepted Answer

Residency training is a stage of graduate medical education that follows the completion of medical school. It is a period of intense, practical, and supervised training in a specific medical field, such as surgery, pediatrics, or internal medicine. The duration of residency training varies depending on the specialty, but it typically lasts between three to seven years.

Question 29

Is the DAT harder than the MCAT?

Accepted Answer

No, the majority of test-takers do not find the DAT to be harder than the MCAT. The MCAT is a longer exam that covers more areas of science than the DAT.

The MCAT also demands test-takers to respond to lengthy passages of text, whereas the DAT does not take this approach and has a multiple-choice format with four main sections containing shorter questions.

Question 30

What does board-certified mean?

Accepted Answer

Board-certified means that a professional has obtained certification from a professional association, board, or organization in their field of expertise. There are many different fields in which a professional can become certified, some of the most common include:

Question 31

What does it mean if a doctor is not board-certified?

Accepted Answer

When a doctor is not board-certified, this means that they do not hold current board certification.Board certification is a voluntary professional standard. This means that it is entirely possible that a fully licensed doctor can legally practice without holding board certification.

Question 32

What is a PECOS certification?

Accepted Answer

Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) certification is a verification that a person is enrolled in the Online Medicare enrollment management system. It allows people and businesses to enroll as Medicare suppliers or providers.

Question 33

What is the PALS certification?

Accepted Answer

The PALS certification is the pediatric advanced life support (PALS) certification. Unlike BLS and ACLS certifications, PALS centers specifically on delivering essential care to critically ill or injured infants and children. A PALS certification is a more advanced course of study than CPR or BLS.

Question 34

Which professional organization sponsors the CTR certification?

Accepted Answer

The National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) sponsors the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) certification. It first started offering this certification in 1983, and over 9,000 registry professionals have earned the CTR certification since then. Currently, there are over 5,700 CTR certification holders worldwide.

Question 35

What is the demand for doctors?

Accepted Answer

The demand for doctors is projected to reflect 4% growth from 2020 to 2030. The indicated growth is on par with the average growth for all other occupations combined. One of the prime factors for this growth in the field of doctors is the aging population and the increased need for medical services that treat age-related medical issues amongst older people.

Question 36

Can a doctor work from home?

Accepted Answer

No, doctors cannot work from home. Doctors need to perform physical exams and other procedures that require them to be present in a medical facility. In addition, doctors need to be available to respond to emergencies and unexpected situations that may arise during a patient's treatment.

Question 37

DPM vs. MD

Accepted Answer

A DPM is a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, while an MD is a medical doctor.

DPMs focus on lower extremities, primarily the legs and feet, and can perform surgery, reset broken bones, prescribe drugs, and order lab tests or X-rays. They often collaborate with other specialists on medical issues concerning a patient's legs or feet.

Question 38

How hard is it to get into Harvard Medical School?

Accepted Answer

It is extremely hard to get into Harvard Medical School. Many consider it to be the top medical school in the United States.

The acceptance rate each year at Harvard's medical school hovers around 3.3 percent. During the 2017 - 2018 application year, 6,917 candidates applied and only 165 candidates were ultimately admitted.

Question 39

How hard is medical school?

Accepted Answer

Medical school is extremely hard. Medical school is often cited as the hardest school of higher education a person can attend. Becoming a doctor takes over a decade, and the journey involves years of intense study and very difficult medical exams.

Question 40

How long do doctors work?

Accepted Answer

Most doctors work 40 to 60 hours per week. However, about a quarter of doctors work between 61 and 80 hours per week. Certain doctors, such as emergency room doctors, can work 12 to 16-hour shifts.

Question 41

How many hours a day do doctors work?

Accepted Answer

Typically, doctors work around 40 hours a week, split between 8-hour or 12-hour shifts. There are many different doctors, so there are many options for shifts and availability. Doctors working in hospitals may find themselves working longer shifts, while those in clinics typically work more traditional hours.

Question 42

Physician vs. Doctor

Accepted Answer

A physician and doctor are both medical professionals with an MD, DO, or MB. The different titles have no distinction other than semantics.

Question 43

What are the best gifts for a doctor?

Accepted Answer

The best gifts for doctors are comfortable and durable athletic shoes, designer lab coats, and books. Being a doctor can be stressful and tiring, so there are many different types of gifts you can get to counteract their demanding job and make their lives easier.

Question 44

What are the pros and cons of being a doctor?

Accepted Answer

The pros and cons of being a doctor relate to salary, diverse medical environments, and expensive education. Here are the pros and cons of being a doctor:

Pros:

Doctors tend to make very high salaries. Just how high your salary is as a doctor depends on what you specialize in, how long you have practiced, and what position you hold, but there is no denying that, in general, doctors make extremely high salaries compared to most other professions.
This is due to the extensive schooling and training they have had to complete to become doctors. Doctors' salaries will also vary depending on their geographic location, their particular medical employer, academic accomplishments they have made, and their specific licensure.
Getting to help people and making a considerable impact in their lives. This pro to being a doctor means that most doctors experience a wealth of personal satisfaction, fulfillment, and purpose during their careers in the medical field.
Many doctors save people's lives, and there is arguably no greater impact you can have on a person's life than to save it from demise. Doctors spend many hours diagnosing and treating diseases, illnesses, and injuries.
When they see that one of their patients is convalescing, they are usually filled with happiness and a boost of encouragement to keep performing and improving their jobs.
Many patients and their families also express profound gratitude to doctors when they save a patient's life, successfully treat a life-threatening injury or disease, or even help them get better from a rare illness. A doctor's work can be quite challenging, but their moments of success usually make it all worthwhile.
There are so many different forms of medicine you can practice as a doctor. There is such a diverse list of specializations in being a doctor; a medical student shouldn't have any trouble finding the right fit.
There are doctors in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, cardiology, surgery, oncology, infectious disease, dermatology, psychiatry, neurology, and many more fields.
This abundance represents an expensive amount of knowledge a doctor can pursue. Most will only specialize in one particular field, but many continue to learn different areas of medicine throughout their careers.
Diverse medical environments. Doctors can work in many different medical environments, such as hospitals, private practices, medical clinics, mental health hospitals, inpatient and outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, and many other medical facilities.
Doctors may also work for specific organizations, schools, or government institutions where they might practice medicine, teach, or perform medical research.
Career growth. Most doctors have great opportunities for career growth. They can work their way up a hospital's hierarchy or obtain certifications and licensures to expand their medical careers.
Doctors are almost always in high demand and are needed in just about every community, meaning a doctor can feel free to relocate if they wish. And a skilled doctor with many years of experience is able to negotiate higher-paying salaries and get medical jobs that have better flexibility.

Cons:

Expensive education. Medical school is very costly. Many doctors, who are not on scholarship or do not have the financial backing, must take out extremely large student loans to complete medical school.
These new doctors typically graduate medical school and are in varying degrees of deep financial debt. It is important to plan financially well before going to medical school because you'll likely owe a lot of money afterwards.
Medical school and training is long. Becoming a doctor takes a very long time. For many, it takes over ten years to gain the necessary educational qualifications. Doctors must complete a doctorate degree and medical residency before they can get a license to work as independent physicians.
Doctors working in specialized fields also often must obtain additional certifications or licenses to practice. Regardless of the field of medicine you want to practice in, you can expect to spend over a decade of time working towards becoming a licensed doctor.
Pressure and stress of being a doctor. Doctors can work in extremely stressful environments, like emergency rooms or hospitals in general. Many doctors work in time-sensitive situations where they must make tough decisions on how to handle a person's illness, injury, or medical emergency.
Here they will be confronted by sometimes horrific medical emergencies, such as gunshot wounds, heart attacks, and other scenarios where a person's life is hanging in the balance. And the sad truth is nearly every doctor in these environments will see many people die.
They might even make a miscalculation in trying to prevent someone's death and feel like they caused the patient to die. This emotional toll can be quite taxing for many doctors, and they can experience burnout often in some cases.
Many doctors seek outside help from psychiatrists and counselors to help them deal with the stresses of their work.
Doctors work a lot of hours. Doctors work a variety of different hours; this depends on several factors, including what type of medicine they practice, if they run a private practice or work in a hospital, and if they are on call.
On average most physicians work between 50 and 60 hours per week. This is the average; however, about a quarter of doctors have work weeks that consist of 61 to 80 hours.
Physicians may put in individual shifts of as few as 6 hours and as much as 20 hours. While most doctors range in the 40 to 60-hour work week, it is not uncommon for a doctor to work 100+ hours in a week. These long work weeks are mostly done by hospital doctors during doctor shortages or other emergency scenarios.
Difficult patients. Many doctors deal with recurring and new patients almost on a daily basis. This means they are likely to encounter challenging patients and challenging family members of patients. Sometimes these individuals can be quite ungrateful for the doctor's help and even cross with them.
A doctor must remain professional in all of these types of situations, no matter how unfair or absurd a patient or family member reacts. While many patients do express gratitude, most doctors will have encounters with difficult patients and family members throughout their careers.
Exposure to illnesses and diseases. Most doctors experience this con by default. Being in a medical environment typically means you are going to be around sick individuals. Many doctors often contract the illnesses of their patients, sometimes even when using personal protective equipment (PPE).
Sometimes illnesses also infect large portions of a hospital's population, including patients and medical professionals, meaning a doctor must always be ready to take the necessary steps to protect themselves, their patients, and other medical personnel.

Question 45

What degree do you need to get into med school?

Accepted Answer

You need a four-year degree from an accredited college to be considered for medical school. While acceptance protocol varies from one medical school to another, all aspiring med school students must earn a bachelor's degree.

Question 46

What does a doctor do on a daily basis?

Accepted Answer

Doctors see patients, review patient information, and collaborate with other healthcare professionals on a daily basis. Here are some details on the daily activities of a doctor:

See patients. A doctor observes patients' symptoms and forms a diagnosis. They also develop treatment plans for ill patients. Doctors work in hospitals, individual offices, urgent care clinics, and other medical environments, but in all of these environments their daily activities typically revolve around seeing patients and providing medical treatment.

Question 47

What does a typical day look like for a doctor?

Accepted Answer

There is no such thing as a typical day for a doctor; each day is different, especially depending on the type of doctor that you are. A day in the life of a gynecologist looks much different than an endocrinologist or oncologist or even a gastroenterologist. The commonality is working with the patient to diagnose and treat whatever is ailing them.

Question 48

What tools does a doctor use?

Accepted Answer

A doctor uses many tools; some of the most common are stethoscopes, thermometers, and weighing scales. There is a myriad of tools used by doctors, and what tools each uses depends on that particular doctor's focus.

Question 49

Who do doctors work with?

Accepted Answer

Doctors work with patients, medical staff, pharmacists, medical students, and administrative staff. Not all doctors, however, work in hospitals or clinics. Some physicians choose to work in fields that involve little to no patient care, such as research, academia, or at a government agency developing public policies.

Frequently asked questions about doctors

Questions about becoming a doctor