Obstetricians treat only women. These medical professionals use their training and understanding of the female anatomy to treat patients with various conditions, from routine checkups to pregnancy and childbirth.
Check the patient’s health and disease-free status. The genitalia, rectum, and urinary tract are just some female organs that obstetricians can diagnose and treat.
Becoming an obstetrician requires a strong academic background and a passion for improving women’s health.
Obstetrics is a medical specialty related to pregnancy, and obstetricians can practice in both roles.
Let’s move on to the main question. How long does it take to become an obstetrician?
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What is an Obstetrician School Like?
The admission process for medical school is divided into different sections.
Often, they want his GPA to be excellent in undergraduate and post-bachelor courses, his MCAT score to be competitive, a brief personal statement, and numerous recommendations for first-time applicants. Request a letter.
Medical schools often require several essays on various designated topics for a second application. Candidates will be interviewed if they pass the second stage of the application process.
Candidates for the OB Residency Program must hold an MD and pass the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE).
Next, you’ll need a letter of recommendation, a brief motivational letter, and a targeted resume.
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and Electronic Resident Application Service (ERAS) are used by applicants to apply for residency programs.
If the program is of interest, we will contact applicants for an interview.
Is Attending an OB School Worth It?
It is indeed worthwhile. The social, cultural, environmental, and genetic factors that can cause disease in women are all included in the complicated medical specialty of obstetrics.
Additionally, a thorough understanding of reproductive physiology is required.
More than 12 years of postsecondary education and training may be necessary for an OB generalist, and subspecialization may take much longer.
However, because OBs are well paid and impact their patients’ lives daily, it is also a financially and personally fulfilling profession.
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What Schooling Do You Need to Become an OB?
Step 1: Complete High School
To become an obstetrician, one must first complete high school. Enrolling in science and math classes like physics, chemistry, and biology can help lay the foundation for your college studies. Keep your grades up if you want to be eligible for undergraduate programs.
Step 2: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Although OB is not major, many college students majoring in other fields can concentrate on a pre-medicine track to prepare for medical school by studying anatomy, chemistry, biology, genetics, and physics subjects. If you take enough science electives to fulfill the criteria for medical school, you won’t need a science-related major.
Step 3: Attend medical school
The next step in pursuing an OB profession is medical school. To enroll in a typical U.S. medical school, you must do well on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), an initiative of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
When taken electronically, it is split into four sections that cover the physical sciences, verbal reasoning, writing, and biological sciences (www.aamc.org).
You’ll take in-depth science classes for the first two years of medical school while learning medical terminologies and practices.
You’ll undergo practical training at a clinic or hospital in your third and fourth years. To finish your clinical training for your M.D., you must complete an obstetrics rotation.
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Step 4: Complete your OB residency
You will apply for and finish a four-year residency in obstetrics to get experience in preventative and primary care, patient diagnostics, and surgical procedures. As a resident OB, your duties and responsibilities will increase yearly. You’ll undoubtedly put in long hours at the clinic or hospital and be called to unforeseen circumstances like deliveries at all-night hours.
Step 5: Obtain Your License and Certification
OBs and other doctors must all be licensed by the state. Before obtaining a license, you must practice medicine under supervision.
It is necessary to pass the US Medical Licensing Exam. To get certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, you must pass two board exams (www.abog.org).
Candidates must pass a challenging written exam as their initial test after completing their residency. After passing it, you must practice in women’s health care before taking an oral test with a professorial panel.
You can also consider earning a fellowship and certification in a similar area, such as maternal-fetal medicine or gynecologic oncology.
How Long Does It Take To Become a Licensed OB?
Before working in obstetrics, you must complete at least 12 years of study. You must first obtain a bachelor’s degree to go down this professional path.
The focus of your bachelor’s program should be pre-medicine. This suggests that it should contain the classes necessary to apply to medical school.
These courses may be offered in many forms by medical schools.
However, the most common ones include chemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, physiology, statistics, and psychology.
To earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, you must complete a four-year bachelor’s degree program before enrolling in medical school. The same four years are needed to complete this degree.
While the latter two years of medical school are spent on clinical rotations, the first and second years are spent in classrooms and labs.
After completing medical school and receiving your MD, you must complete an obstetrics residency, which lasts four years.
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How Much Does It Cost to Become a Licensed OB?
One of the many factors influencing the answer to this question will be the school and programs you choose.
Obstetricians must finish several years of training before being granted a license to practice.
Most students must complete four years of college coursework in biology, physics, chemistry, arithmetic, and English before becoming doctors.
Pre-med courses are frequently priced between $15,000 and $60,000 annually.
Future physicians must also take the MCAT because their scores must be submitted with their applications to medical schools.
Depending on the program and the school, four years of medical school might cost between $30,000 and more than $60,000 each year.
For instance, state-funded public school programs are usually more affordable than for-profit medical colleges.
Salary and Job Outlook for OB after Study
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual salary for all doctors, including OB doctors, is more than $187,200.
A 2016 Medscape study of doctors found that OB/GYNs made an average salary of $277,000 annually.
The Medical Group Management Association reports that the median annual salary for all OB professionals was $317,496 in 2014.
It is important to note that the cost of OB malpractice insurance is among the highest for doctors.
The reported compensation does not cover the price of this insurance, which can reach six figures for a single provider.
Between 2014 and 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates an overall job increase of 14% for all physicians, which is much greater than the national average.
There are currently very few OBs in practice who were born and educated in the US.
This is mainly due to the industry’s demanding lifestyle and the high maintenance costs of malpractice insurance.
As a result, this sector has plenty of excellent work opportunities, particularly in several different regions.
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Conclusion
Obstetricians can diagnose pregnancies and provide prenatal care for expectant patients up to a specific gestational period, even if they do not hold an obstetrician license.
In addition to being board-certified in obstetrics, an OB can provide care for patients throughout pregnancy and may even be there when the baby is delivered.
Some obstetricians would continue to see their female patients even after they had given birth.
Frequently Asked Questions
A doctor who specializes in the health of women’s reproductive systems is called an obstetrician. A wide variety of issues relating to fertility, menstruation, and STDs can be identified and treated by an obstetrician. They can also assist pregnant ladies in giving birth by keeping an eye on them.
A licensed obstetrician is trained to perform various diagnostic tests and is qualified to do surgery on the female reproductive system.
Obstetricians need a certain set of personality attributes, such as empathy, dexterity, and communication skills, in addition to rigorous medical training.
Between 2018 and 2028, the BLS forecasts a 2% growth in the number of obstetricians and obstetricians in general.
Healthcare facilities that can provide the same level of care with fewer doctors and obstetricians who use new technologies to do tests and treatments more swiftly will help slow the growth.
However, obstetricians’ career chances depend on their location and amount of training; those willing to relocate to underserved areas will have better job possibilities.
Obstetricians must complete at least 12 years of education after high school, including undergraduate study, medical school, and a four-year residency.
If you want to concentrate on a certain aspect of gynecology, you might also need to do a fellowship. To practice, obstetricians need a state license.
By getting a certificate from the American College of Obstetricians and obstetricians, obstetricians can prove their credentials to patients and potential employers.
The most challenging and rewarding aspects of obstetrics and gynecology are: The contrast of emotions you encounter every day in obstetrics is its most challenging feature. Plenty medications are effective, but there are also many that are truly bad, and this can happen to patients repeatedly.