How to Become a Family Doctor

Modern family doctors are capable of handling greater than 90 percent of all medical problems. The process of becoming a family practitioner is very similar to that of becoming a general internist or pediatrician.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Preparing for a Medical Career

1. Investigate medicine as a career. Make sure that this a career that you feel passionalety about and are willing to work long, hard hours for.

2. Discuss a medical career with counselors at your high school as well as advisors at colleges and universities where you plan to apply.

3. Find out what college courses are a prerequisite for medical school. Include them in your 4-year college curriculum.

4. Take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

5. Investigate medical schools. Include schools of osteopathic medicine. Doctors of osteopathy (DOs) have all the same rights and privileges as doctors of medicine (MDs).

6. In your senior year of college, apply for admission to the medical school of your choice and secure funding.

Becoming a Family Practitioner, the Modern Family Doctor

1. Complete the third year clinical rotations before choosing a specialty.

2. Investigate family practice through its academy.

3. Consider serving a rotation or externship with a family doctor.

4. Decide where you will practice. This will direct you towards specific family practice training programs that stress needed skills, for example, obstetrics if you plan on a rural practice.

5. Participate in the residency matching program.

6. Finish your 3-year family practice residency.

7. Firm up job opportunities early in the third year of training.

8. Comply with the requirements for board certification. These requirements are defined by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Tips & Warnings

• While in training, it is possible to develop a network that will assist you in securing employment. This network should include attending physicians, residents that preceded you in the training program and contacts gained through conferences and meetings.