Pre-Med

Medical doctors are actively involved in diagnosing, treating, and attempting to prevent medical illness. The US Department of Labor identifies the median pay for a physician as $187,200, with the median pay for a primary physician as $220,942 and for medical specialist as $396,233. The job growth is expected to be above average at 18% through 2022. Are you interested in becoming a medical doctor?

Application to most medical schools requires a baccalaureate degree, an admission exam (Medical College Admission Test or MCAT), and the successful completion of required pre-med courses. Although the specific requirements vary for different medical schools, generally the following courses fulfill the core pre-med requirements (as outlined by the Association of the American Medical Colleges or AAMC).

Additional coursework that may be required or recommended by some medical schools includes:

• Biochemistry (CHM260 & CHM260LL)
• Anatomy & Physiology (BIO201 & BIO202)
• Microbiology (BIO205)
• Statistics (MAT206)
• For the requirements for specific medical schools, please visit their websites.

IMPORTANT: Always check with an academic advisor at PVCC and your chosen university before planning your coursework.

PVCC provides a quality and cost-effective way to begin your path to becoming a medical doctor. All of the required pre-med courses can be taken at the beautiful and conveniently located campus of PVCC instead of a costly university. PVCC has small class sizes, state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, and professors that make your education their number one priority. In addition, all of the general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree can be completed at PVCC (up to 90 out of 120 credit hours in some cases).

Finally, you can join the PVCC chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals to interact with like minded students, forge inter-professional working relationships, attend lectures by guest speakers who are prominent in their field, and take advantage of internship opportunities.

There are four medical school programs in the state of Arizona from which you can earn either a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree. The two degrees are considered equivalent, with most medical schools awarding either one or the other. However, there is a higher emphasis on hands-on osteopathic manipulative medicine in a DO program. The Arizona medical schools’ degree programs are listed below:

Additionally, the Mayo Clinic is planning to open a medical school in early 2017.