How to Become a Spine Surgeon
Spinal surgeons are highly educated medical professionals who specialize in bone and nervous-system releated diseases. To become a spine surgeon you will first need to become a physician. It takes years of dedication and study as most surgeons have to get at least 12 to 16 years of additional education past a high school diploma. Know that the work will well be worth the wait, however. It isn't unusual for surgeons to make a quarter of a million dollars a year.
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Things You'll Need
- Internet access
- Telephone access
- High school diploma
- Bachelor's degree
- MCAT scores
- Medical school degree
- Residency completion and specialization
Instructions
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Get a bachelor's degree. Every medical doctor must have a four year college degree. Students must be proficient in biology, chemistry and calculus. They must also have completed a certain level of premedical study that includes, anatomy, physiology, microbiology and some physics. To become a spine surgeon, know that you will have to maintain above a 3.0 GPA even to be considered for acceptance into medical school later.
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Take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). The MCAT is a standardized test that measures a potential applicant's ability to be successful in medical school. It is made up of four parts: verbal reasoning, writing, physical sciences and biological sciences. You will need to score above 15 to be considered for a hospital residency program. Surgeons all generally have to complete a on-the-job training forum to be considered for career specialization. Fees for testing can range between $200 and $500.
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Attend medical school. To become a spine surgeon, you will have to complete either a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic (D.O.) program. In some cases, students will be required to finish both. This is specially true if they are interested in teaching later. Most medical school programs take approximately three to five years to complete.
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Complete four year residency requirement. Future spine surgeons generally acquire most of their "on-the-job training" during their medical residency. Residency is often physically taxing and arduous. It is also equally rewarding as it is difficult. A typical residency work-week requires that a person be "on-call" for 75 hours or more. You will also need to use your residency to specialize in a specific area of medicine. All spine surgeons need to become specialized.
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Tips & Warnings
Most regions in the U.S. require physicians and surgeons to be formally licensed by a state medical board. Requirements may vary, as well.
Resources
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Comments
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...it isn't unusual to make a quarter of a million dollars per year? For spinal surgery, it isn't all that unusual to make over a million.
