by Ellie Norton

Created on: October 11, 2009

A pediatrician is a doctor who primarily takes care of children. Ultimately, you need to graduate from college, go to medical school and complete a four-year residency. Certain undergraduate degrees will prepare you better than others to become a pediatrician.

General Degree

You do not need any particular college degree to become a pediatrician. You can major in anything, as long as you take the required premed classes in biology, chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physics, calculus and humanities.

Helpful Degrees

It may be helpful to major in a science subject as a lot of your test material in the MCAT and your classes in med school will center around these subjects. Some areas to consider would be biology, chemistry, physics, and physiology.

MCAT and Med School

During your senior year of college, you will have to take the MCATs and apply to med school. The better GPA and the higher MCAT score that you can attain will help you in the admissions process of getting into a Med School. Med school is 4 years long and then you have to apply to hospitals to become a resident. After residency, you will take your board exams to be licensed.

Volunteer

Try and volunteer during college at a hospital, children's center or with Big Brothers/Big Sisters to ensure that you can be around children for a long period of time.

Considerations

The process to become a pediatrician is a long one. You have 4 years of college, then 4 years of med school, and then another 3 years in residency at a hospital before you can take your medical board exams to become a licensed doctor.

Benefits

You can make a lot of money as a pediatrician but ultimately it will be a lot of hard work and you should be in it because of your love for medicine and helping children, not the money. The Government website, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average salary for a pediatrician in the United States is $142, 585. Remember that that figure will be taxed and your social security, 401K and other insurance policies may be deducted from that figure.

Alternatives

The great thing about being able to get a college degree in any subject when wanting to be a pediatrician is that your major is versatile. If you change your mind, and do not wish to become a pediatrician after college, you can use your degree for something else. You may decide, out of many options, to become a teacher, a researcher, a pharmacist or even a different type of doctor.

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