Is a PHD required to be a surgeon at a major hospital?

Question

I am entering University as a medical student and I need whether or not I need to go all the way (8 long years) to PHD.

Answer 1

What country are you in?

I presume you're not in the US if you're entering University as a medical student. Even then, the countries I know of where you can do that don't have surgeons who get PhD.

Either that, or you're just out of high school and extremely confused as to medical education. I suggest you check Wikipedia.

Answer 2

Actually, you need far more than 8 years to be a surgeon at a major hospital, but not in a Ph.D. program. You need to finish University, then go to medical school, and then do a lengthy surgical residency (usually at least another 4 years), for a total of 12 years minimum. That is the process in the U.S., but I get the sense that while it may fall under different titles, the training in other countries is no shorter.

Answer 3

I don't think most surgeons have Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy) degrees. What you probably want is an M.D. (Medical Doctor) degree. And yes, it does require a Bachelor's degree first, followed by medical school after which you are awarded the M.D.