Requirements

Educational Requirements

The path to becoming a plastic surgeon is not a walk in the park but a long and demanding one. Students must complete many levels of training and education, beginning with obtaining a bachelor's degree in a pre-medical major, such as biology or chemistry. They then must enter medical school.

Bachelor Degree

After high school, students must earn a bachelor degree as part of the requirements to enter medical school. Students can earn a degree in any subject they wish, but certain science prerequisite classes must be taken as a premed student such as chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, anatomy, physics and other science courses. During the junior year of college, you should take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).

Medical School

After completing a bachelor's degree program, future plastic surgeons must earn a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from an accredited medical school. A doctor of medicine program includes five years of education and training. During the first three years, students will have classroom study and laboratory work. The final two years place students in hospitals and health clinics, where they will do their practical and  gain some clinical experience.

Medical Residency

After medical school, plastic surgeons complete 5-6 years of residency training, during which they split their years between general surgery and plastic surgery. Typically, the first three years of surgery training is in general surgery and the final 2-3 years are in plastic surgery. Upon completion of a medical residency, students must pass one or more examinations to legally work as a surgeon.



Fellowship Training

Following a residency, plastic surgeons may choose to pursue a fellowship, which can allow them to specialize in a subfield of plastic surgery, like hand, craniofacial or eyelid surgery, hair replacement or breast reconstruction. While most plastic surgeons choose a specialty, all are trained in congenital problems of the head, neck and trunk, burn management, fluid replacement, breast surgery and other basic skills. Many plastic surgeons pursue certification through the American Board of Plastic Surgery
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~learning is not a child's play, we cannot learn without pain~