How to Become a Heart Surgeon

Video Transcript

"To become a heart surgeon, you need to start by completing a bachelor's degree, at a four year college or university. During your undergraduate career, you're going to want to focus on keeping a GPA of 3.75 or above, in order to be a competitive applicant to medical school. To apply to medical school, you must take what's known as the Medical College Admissions Test, or the MCAT. Now, if you were a science major, in your undergraduate career, you will have all of the basic knowledge to take the MCAT. If you did not major in one of the sciences, then you will need to make sure, that you took all of the science prerequisites for the MCAT. Being a year of general chemistry, and a year of organic chemistry, a year of physical sciences, and two years of biological sciences. Along with your MCAT scores, your GPA, your college course of study, and personal statement, you'll apply to medical school through a standardized system called MCAST. Almost all of the medical schools in the United States participate in MCAST, and you can apply to one or all of them, through their service. The medical colleges will then evaluate you as an applicant, and if you are accepted, you will begin your medical education, which is an additional four year course of study. The first two of which, are really dedicated to Didactic instruction, and health sciences, and the second two years, which focus primarily on clinical skills, and knowledge. Along the way, you'll need to pass both parts of the United States Medical License Exam. Step one, covering basic knowledge of health science, and part two, assessing your competency of basic clinical skills. Now, upon finishing your course of study in medical school, whether it be an M.D. program or a D.O. program, you'll be given the degree of Doctor, but that's just the beginning, towards becoming a heart surgeon. The next step, is where you really start learning, first how to be a surgeon, and then how to specifically operate on the heart. Most surgical residency programs are a minimum of five years. In fact, all are a minimum of five years, and cardiac surgery will be probably an additional three years beyond that. You'll apply to a residency program, much as you did to medical school, through a standard match program. Once you are matched to a residency program, that's when you'll really begin learning how to become a heart surgeon. First, you'll learn general surgery techniques, and then as you progress through your residency, you'll start learning how to specifically operate on the heart. Upon completing your residency, you can either choose to practice then, or you can go on to do an additional fellowship, which would be another two to three years. Most cardiac surgeons will complete a fellowship, as well. Once you've completed your formal medical education at this point, then you can sit for your State License Exam, and upon becoming licensed as a physician, you can practice as a heart surgeon."