Beyond High School

Here's a list of programs that you should consider if you're interested in this career:

• Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
• Medicine

Education Level

Education training and experience are required at different levels for success in different occupations.

First professional degree

In addition to requiring a bachelor’s degree, physicians and surgeons typically need either a Medical Doctor (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. Depending on their specialty, they also need 3 to 9 years in internship and residency programs. Subspecialization includes additional training in a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.

Insider Info

Additional Information

Becoming an anesthesiologist is no small feat. At least 11 years of training goes into becoming a fully qualified doctor of anesthesia. Here's how it works.

Students spend two to four years in an undergraduate program, four years getting their medical degree, four years receiving postgraduate training in an approved residency program for anesthesiologists, and one post-doctoral year of fellowship in which they specialize in one of the subsections of anesthesiology.

After all this, the doctor can take a written and oral examination to become a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology -- meaning they become a certified anesthesiologist.

Since this career requires such a long training period, experienced anesthesiologists recommend getting all the exposure you can to this profession before jumping in.

"Spend time in the operating room doing anesthesia while a medical student," recommends anesthesiologist Dr. Theresa Walker. "It's not for everyone, and you need to find that out! There is not much exposure to anesthesia in many medical schools and it is a very different area of medicine, so exposure is the answer."

"If you go through medical school and are thinking about anesthesia, it is often advisable to spend some of your elective clinical training in anesthesia," says Dr. Ian Zunder. "This is the only way that you will be able to determine whether this field is for you."

While trying the career on for size may be the only way to be sure if anesthesiology is right for you, there are other ways to test the waters. Volunteering at a hospital or extended care unit is a good way to test your aptitude for this career. It has the added benefit of looking great on a medical school application.

Extra Requirements

All states require physicians and surgeons to be licensed; requirements vary by state. To qualify for a license, candidates must graduate from an accredited medical school and complete residency training in their specialty. All physicians and surgeons also must pass a standardized national licensure exam. M.D.s take the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). D.O.s take the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA). For specific state information about licensing, contact your state's medical board. Certification is not required for physicians and surgeons; however, it may increase their employment opportunities. M.D.s and D.O.s seeking board certification in a specialty may spend up to 9 years in residency training; the length of time varies with the specialty. To become board certified, candidates must complete a residency program and pass a specialty certification exam from a certifying board including the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS).

For additional information, visit these websites:

• http://www.abms.org
• http://www.abpsus.org