Medical school in the United States

A medical school in the United States is a four-year graduate institution with the purpose of educating physicians in the field of medicine. Such schools provide a major part of the medical education in the United States. Graduates receive either a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree.

Admissions to medical school in the United States is generally considered competitive. Admissions criteria include grade point averages, Medical College Admission Test scores, letters of recommendation, and interviews. Most students have at least a bachelor's degree, usually in a biologic science, and some students have advanced degrees, such as a master's degree. Most students that apply to medical school do not matriculate at a medical school. Medical School in the United States does not require a degree in biological sciences. People with degrees in different fields can be admitted to medical school as long as the criteria for admission is followed.

Medical school typically consists of four years of training, although a few programs (at least two) offer three-year tracks. The first two years consist of basic science courses, such as anatomy, biochemistry, histology, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology, cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, psychiatry, neurology, etc. The third and fourth years consist of clinical rotations, sometimes called clerkships, where students attend hospitals and clinics. These rotations are usually at teaching hospitals but are sometimes at community hospitals or with private physicians. The typical "core" (i.e. mandatory) rotations taken in third year are Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Surgery. Fourth year for the most part will consist of electives and some mandatory rotations like Emergency Medicine and Neurology - but again, some schools are different and some have been able to allow students to take an elective or two during third year, while many schools have also been trying to do the same. Some schools have been trying to incorporate Neurology and/or Emergency Medicine into third year, since by the time students are applying for residency programs, many haven't been exposed to either. However, again, it varies by school, and it varies by the mission of each medical school.

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