Education · 1 of 5
The path
One of the longest training routes on this site. Fourteen years from high school to practicing on your own is normal.
- 1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Top grades in biology, chemistry, physics and math. You need a strong average to get into a competitive undergraduate program.
- 2
Bachelor's degree
4 years
Any major is allowed if you finish the science prerequisites. Keep the GPA high, get clinical and research experience, and sit the MCAT (medical school admission test).
- 3
Medical school
4 years
Four years for either the MD (doctor of medicine) or the DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine). Two years of science, then two years of clinical rotations. Acceptance rates are around 40 percent of applicants overall and far lower at individual schools.
- 4
Internal medicine residency
3 years
Matched through the national residency match. Three years of paid hospital training in adult medicine before you can even apply to specialize.
- 5
Gastroenterology fellowship
3 years
Three more years, matched separately and highly competitive. This is where you learn endoscopy, liver disease and the procedures the job is built on.