can someone become a Doctor without a degree?

Question

Is thier license based completly on a degree or do doctors have to take an exam like the BAR exam?

Answer 1

Here's the path for a medical doctor in the US:

First you need an undergraduate degree. It doesn't matter what your major is, so long as you excel at it.

Then you go to medical school, typically a four-year program. The first two years involve mostly book-and-lecture courses about biological and medical science. Before you touch a patient, you need to understand the language and concepts of anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and so on. At the end of second year, all medical students take the first "step" of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). Step 1 of the USMLE is a 350-question multiple-choice exam testing everything that medical school should have taught you during the first two years, which is, incidentally, more than you learned in four years of college. Most students spend up to two months preparing for Step 1, and it's widely considered the most difficult exam one will ever take.

After Step 1, medical school continues for two more years. Third- and fourth-year medical students spend most of their time in the hospital, learning through real interactions with patients and doctors. Students do 4-8 week "clinical rotations" in most of the major specialties, such as surgery, OB/gyn, psychiatry, internal medicine, pediatrics... so that any doctor has at least been exposed to different parts of medicine. Lectures and exams continue, though now they focus on common problems (i.e., not the stuff you see on House) and what to do about them. During fourth year of medical school, students take Step 2 of the USMLE. This exam tests the knowledge from third- and fourth-year, and in addition to the multiple-choice it has a live-action component to test clinical skills.

A medical student who passes Step 2 and graduates from medical school has the title MD and is a doctor. Anyone who does not have MD after his or her name (or OD, which is similar) did not go through this rigorous education and is forbidden by law to practice medicine. However, just the degree is not enough; a doctor also needs a license.

Earning the MD basically means you are ready to learn how to be a doctor, and the next phase of education, called "residency", is a four- to seven-year apprenticeship of sorts. Everyone gets basically the same education in medical school, but in residency you learn a particular specialty. For example, the young doctors on Grey's Anatomy are residents; they are doctors, but initially they are far too inexperienced to practice on their own. To add to the confusion, a first-year resident is often called an "intern".

Near the end of residency, the doctor takes Step 3 of the USMLE, which is specific to a particular specialty. After passing Step 3 and finishing residency, the doctor is finally "board-certified" in a specialty and is allowed to practice independently.

Education does not end at licensure, however. All practicing doctors must take "Continuing Medical Education" courses and pass periodic exams to demonstrate continued mastery of the ever-changing field. You can often identify quack medicine (chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy) in that their training is far less rigorous and the licensure (if it exists) does not require continuous education and testing.

The training of dentists (who also earn the title "doctor") is separate but similar, although it usually does not require a residency.

To summarize, a medical doctor is defined by having a particular degree (MD), but in order to practice the doctor must also be licensed. Make sure your doctor is "board-certified" in the relevant specialty.

Answer 2

They say never play poker with a man called "Doc." Doctor literally means teacher. You don't need a degree to be a teacher (but it helps). At one time in the USA, a medical doctor obtained a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree then went on to earn a Masters Degree. Things always change and at one time, doctors that did not have accredited degrees were allowed to continue practice (grandfathered) even though tighter requirements were established for newer doctors. The answer to your question may depend on what year and even what country. Today in the USA one can not practice medicine without a license and that likely requires a medical degree, internship, faculty recommendations and license exams. During war, Medics are often called "Doc" as an honorary title, but don't play poker with them. You might lose.

Answer 3

You defidently need some type of degree, depending on what field you are getting into. Four years of premed will get you into the prof. of general internist. After that, you have to decide what you want to specialize in, if anything and then go after that degree. A license is something completely different, but you still have to take a test to get the license. There are other ways to obtain a license, but you need the degree first.

Answer 4

There are several programs where you can only complete part of an undergraduate degree and go straight to medical school - including Texas Tech and the University of Texas at Arlington. So, you don't necessarily need your bachelor's degree.

Oh, and you still have to take several sets of boards... It is a long process.

Answer 5

you cant be a certified doctor if u dont have a degree. and before u will be a certified doctor u need to take licensure exam which is like a bar exam. if u will fail there, then, u cannot practice ur profession.,

Answer 6

You need a medical degree, Training as a intern and resident, and to pass the medical boards exams. I believe this is the minimum requirement.

Answer 7

The very detailed answer on medical training is correct, but to follow on the philosophical discussion it is truly the path to being a physician.
Only individuals who have earned a Ph.D. are Doctors. Everyone else (MD, DDS, DO, DC, etc.) are called doctor as a social norm. Even the U.S Department of Education refers to these degrees as "first professional degrees" and not "doctorate degrees". To be called Doctor you must not only be a teacher, but you must have advanced the body of knowledge in your field. That is, you must create knowledge that did not previously exist. Only an Ph.D. program has this as its stated goal and primary requirement.
So, you have to make the distinction between Doctor and doctor.

Answer 8

go to your choice of any 3rd world country. pay your $5,000, collect your diploma. now you too can enjoy the benefits of doing something that you are completely unskilled at doing. mind you, you will never be able to practice medicine in the United States or any other industrialized nation, but that won't keep you from sailing around the world and operating on millions of sick individuals from the privacy of your yacht 12 miles offshore in international waters.

I suppose next, you'd like to be an airline pilot without actually taking a flying lesson.

Answer 9

Degree, internship and exam are required.

Answer 10

well you can be a doctor on a tv show.