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Department
of Biology
Careers as Doctors - Physicians |
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There are many careers in Health Care. Many of those
are mentioned in our premed page with links to
particular fields. This page is dedicated to careers as Physicians or
Doctors. In the last 10 years, 80% of our Graduates who applied to these
programs were accepted. Graduates of Click here for information on the |
M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)- An M.D. has the most
options with the widest selection of specialties. On the other hand,
Medical schools are the hardest to enter. You usually must have MCAT
scores of 27 or more (total) which means an average of 9 on each individual
area plus a GPA of about 3.6 or more. We find that our majors who get GPAs of 3.8
or better, did extracuricular activity, have a good interview and get MCAT
totals of 25 or better have a good chance at their home state's MD medical
schools. For more information on MDs, click
here. For more information on Medical Schools click here.
D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) - Like Family Practice MDs, Family Practice DOs are trained to handle 90% of a person's health care problems, prescribe medicine. DOs can also become surgeons. In general, D.O.s have fewer options in specialties than an MD, but if your interest is basic medicine (family doc, pediatrician, obstetrician, etc.) the D.O. is an excellent profession with all the same rights as an MD. The average Osteopathic Medical school will expect you to have MCAT total scores of 24 (an average of 8 on each individual area) or more plus a GPA of at least 3.5. A higher GPA can compensate for a lower MCAT and vice versa. For more information on Osteopathic Medicine click here. For more information on Osteopathic Schools click here.
PODIATRIST (DPM) - A podiatrist is a primary care physician. The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) can choose from among various specialties in medical and surgical care of the foot, ankle and lower leg. Podiatric practice can include care for children, the elderly, athletes, and the general population. All 50 states provide licensing for Podiatrists. Podiatrists are very active in the treatment and prevention of sports related problems. Many function in group practices treating professional and college athletes. YA Podiatrist works shorter, more regular hours than a typical D.O or M.D. The American Podiatric Medical Association says podiatrists in private practice can earn up to $200,000 annually. For more information on Podiatry, click here.
CHIROPRACTOR - The Chiropractor is concerned with all the health needs of his patients but concentrates mainly on the spine and nervous system. One of the greatest chronic problems that drives people to seek medical help is chronic back pain. Many people have found relief through the work of Chiropractors when other physicians were unable to help. As with other types of physicians, you need a very strong interest in people and skills in dealing with people. For admission to a school for Chiropractic medicine, you should have a GPA above 3.20. For more information on Chiropracty, click here.
OPTOMETRISTS (OD) Most of you know these people as your eye doctor. They examine the eyes, diagnose diseases of the eye, and prescribe eyeware (glasses and contacts). They are not the same as OPTHAMOLOGISTS who are MDs who then specialize in medical and surgical treatment of the eye. For more information on Optometry, click here.
DENTIST (DDS). When most people
thinks of dentists, they think of braces and getting teeth drilled or
pulled. But
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) This person is not a doctor, but can do much of the work of a doctor under a doctor's supervision. For more on PAs, click here.