How many years of schooling does it take to become a physician?

I'm considering a career in medicine and trying to map out my future education. I know becoming a physician involves a lot of schooling, but I'm not entirely clear on the details. How many years does it typically take from the start of college to finish medical school and any required residencies? It would be great to have a breakdown of the different stages, including undergrad, medical school, and any other necessary training. I'm just trying to get a realistic picture of the timeline so I can plan accordingly.

Becoming a physician indeed involves a significant amount of education and training.

The journey typically starts with a 4-year undergraduate degree. While you don't have to major in a science field, you will need to complete certain prerequisite courses, often in biology, chemistry, physics, and math, to prepare for medical school.

Following your bachelor's degree, you would move on to medical school, which generally lasts four years. The first two years of medical school are usually focused on classroom and lab work, while the last two years involve rotations in different medical specialties at hospitals and clinics.

Once you've completed medical school, you would then enter a residency program, which lasts between 3 and 7 years depending on your chosen speciality. For example, family medicine and internal medicine programs tend to be 3-year residencies, pediatrics is typically 3 years, general surgery is 5 years, and neurosurgery can be up to 7 years.

So all in all, from the start of your undergraduate degree to the end of your residency, you would be looking at between 11 and 15 years of education and training before you can practice independently as a physician. However, your education doesn't necessarily stop there. Further certification can be pursued if you decide to specialize further, for instance, in a sub-specialty like pediatric cardiology or gastroenterology, which often requires an additional 1-3 year fellowship.

While this might seem like a long journey, remember that throughout this process, particularly during the residency and fellowship stages, you are working (and typically being paid, although not as much as fully qualified physicians). So while you're still in 'training,' you're also very much a practicing doctor. It's a path that requires dedication, but can be very rewarding for those passionate about the field.