How to Become a Gynecologist

Video Transcript

"To become a gynecologist, or an OB/GYN, as they're sometimes known, as they typically do practice obstetrics and gynecology. You must first do a bachelor's degree or a four year course of study, at a college or university. Upon completing your bachelor's degree, you need to take what is known as the Medical College Admissions Test, or the MCAT. This is a process that all premed students,must go through, to gain admittance to medical school. You really want to focus during your undergraduate career, on maintaining a strong GPA, 3.75 or higher, in order to be a strong candidate for medical school. Once you are accepted to medical school, then the course of study is a fairly standard process. The first two years being Didactic Education, and health sciences, and the second two years, being, focusing more on clinical knowledge and skills. After completing your four years of medical school, you'll need to also have passed both parts of the United States Medical Licensing Exam. Step one tests your knowledge of basic health science, disease process, and treatment modalities, and step two, assesses your basic competency in clinical skills. Now, this is true for any physician, but to become a gynecologist, you next need to go on to what's known as a residency program, in obstetrics and gynecology. Now, residency programs, much like medical school admissions, use a standardized process called the National Match. Once you are matched with a residency program in the field of study, that you wish to specialize in, in this case, obstetrics or gynecology. You would then start an additional course of formal education in that field. Residency programs can range anywhere from three to eight years, and for obstetrics and gynecology, is approximately a four to five year course of study. Now, at this point, you are ready to take the State Licensing Exam, in the state in which you which to practice. Physicians can be licensed in multiple states, and you would then be ready to practice, as an OB/GYN. However, some who want to focus on a particular sub specialty within obstetrics or gynecology, or want an academic career, will also complete what's known as a fellowship,and this is an additional period of formal education, two to three years typically, and at that point, you would then be ready to practice clinical gynecology."