How to become a doctor?

Medical Students. How is your professional exam? How do you become a doctor?

• Hi! I'm a recent graduate doctor from La Salle Mexico, actually I'm on social service. Here, in Mexico, the way you could finish your studies in medicine and become a doctor is by "professional exam" after you have completed 5 years of medicine studies, in my university it consist on an oral exam, you enter to a classroom and in front of you you will have 5 synods that will tell you clinic cases and you'll have to answer each question they provide to you. The exam duration is about 40 min to an hour. If you pass or not pass the exam depends of synods. How about your professional exam? What do you have to do to become a doctor?

• Answer:

  4 years of Med School. To be licensed to practice medicine in the United States you have to take 3 exams during your med. school years, with one exception which I will explain later. First is Step 1 an 8 hour exam with 340 questions (or around about that many), the exam tests you on your basic sciences (pathology, pharm, micro, bio chem. etc.). Then next exam is Step 2, there are two parts to this exam: Step 2 CS and Step 2 CK. CS is a practical exam where you have to deal with standardized patients, interview/take history, write notes, give your differential, this also is an 8 hour exam where you will have 12 patient encounters. CK is a written exam (computer based) which will test your clinical knowledge (Surgery, Psych, OB/Gyn, Internal, etc.) , also 8 hours w/ 300+ questions. Then finally there is Step 3, this is the last of the examinations and must be taken in order to be licensed by your state. The exam covers clinical encounters, normal and diseased conditions, and physician tasks. A couple of caveats, you may take Step 1 or 2 in any order you wish but Step 3 can only be taken after Step 1 and 2 are passed. You may apply for residency having completed Step1 and Step 2 without having completed Step 3 in some programs but usually you must pass Step 3 before the completion of the 1st year of your residency. And that's what the Med students have to do State side, hope that helped!!