How to Become a Pediatrician
Pediatricians are physicians who specialize in the medical care of infants, children, adolescents and young adults up to the age of 21. Pediatricians perform preventative care and diagnose and treat medical conditions. The journey to become a pediatrician is no easy task and requires a strong commitment to education.
- Begin preparing for a career as a pediatrician during high school. Concentrate on being an above-average student, staying involved in plenty of extracurricular activities and sign up for some advanced placement courses, especially those in biology or chemistry.
- Attend an accredited college or university to earn a bachelor degree after you graduate high school. It is helpful to select a field of study from a scientific discipline such as biology or chemistry. During your college years, maintain the same level of focus you did during high school. In order to be accepted into a medical school program you will need excellent grades.
- Start preparing for medical school toward the end of your undergraduate coursework. In addition to excellent grades you must also successfully pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in order to be accepted.
- Expect the hard work to continue after you have been selected to medical school. During this time you will need to successfully pass all your courses including microbiology, immunology, physiology and anatomy. During the end of your medical school career you also need to apply for an internship or residency program using a national matching service. The higher your test scores and grades are, the more opportunities you will have.
- Successfully complete your internship or residency which generally takes about three years.
- Take the National Board Exam once you have completed the program in order to become a board-certified pediatrician.