Very important question about my furute career in Cosmetic Surgery....?

Hello, im 18 and I will be attendning St.John's University next month as a freshman. I was going to become a Pharmasist but I changed my mind. Im really into the medicine field. Such as Cosmetic Surgens. I would like to know what are the procedures to become a COSMETIC SURGEN. I heard that I have to take my core classes and then classes on chem. and bio. and then go to medical school to become a Doctor MD and then go to some type of surgery school. Im clueless about this with such a sudden change in career choices. My passion is truley with making people feel better about thier appearance. Please I need to know step by step how to pursue this. It would be even better if a cosmetic surgen would answer my question with in depth analysis. ONLY serious replys please, to a SERIOUS question.


Thank you.

Very important question about my furute career in Cosmetic Surgery....?
Hi,





It is a long process:





First, you need to complete undergraduate. Your major doesn't matter, but you do need to take the prerequisite courses for medical school. Your advisor can assure you get the courses you need.





Next, you need to take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). This may be during your Junior year, so be sure to schedule it to have scores back before medical school applications.





You will then appy and interview for medical school--this is competitive, so you'll want good grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation. Also, volunteering or working at a hospital can help.





Upon enrollment in medical school, you typically spend 4 years in education. The first 2 years are classroom work and the last 2 are clinical working, doing "rotations" mostly at the hospital, but some in outpatient settings.





During your third year of medical school, you'll make your specialty decision. If you truly still wish to pursue Plastic Surgery, you'll need to find an advisor and arrange rotations outside your medical school to get more exposure.





During your fourth year, you will compile an application for residency. This is a lenghty process of paperwork and interviews. Selection of a program is through a "Match" process where a computer matches applicants with programs. Again, Plastic Surgery is VERY competitive and success here lies in a number of factors--some you can control and some you cannot.





Residency for Plastic Surgery is presently in 2 paths:


integrated with 3 years of General Surgery and 3 years of Plastic Surgery or separately, requiring 5 years of General Surgery and another application process to get a position for 3 years of Plastic Surgery training. Right now this process is in flux as the Plastic Surgery divisions are splitting from General Surgery and becoming separate departments. The goal is to bring the entire training under the auspices of the Plastic Surgeons and move toward only the integrated tract.





Training is typically 6 years. You will have your MD at medical school graduation, but can only practice after completing training. In addition, there is a Board Certification process for medical specialties. Previously, this was a credential, but not necessary. Now, though, insurers are not putting physicians without board certification on their payrolls and it can be hard to practice without it.





Best of luck--it's a long road. As I complete my training (in Orthopaedic/Hand Surgery, not Plastic Surgery), I can look back and say I'm glad I did it!
Reply:You might alienate many plastic surgeons if you were to call the cosmetic surgeons.





Talk to your advisor about going pre-med
Reply:Only a suggestion: learn to spell future and surgeon. Or how to use spellcheck.
Reply:The very first step is learning how to spell surgeon. If you want to really achieve your goals, there is A LOT of studying in your future!

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