Combine Your Love of Athletics and Medicine with a Career in Sports Medicine
Do you love sports but prefer to spend your time off of the field? Have you always been fascinated by the physicians who help athletes of all ages treat and overcome their injuries to get back on the field? If so, then a career in sports medicine might be right for you.
This field involves helping athletes by diagnosing their problems and determining the best ways to treat their injuries, so they end up stronger once the treatment plan is done. How can you get started on this career path? Here’s what you should know.
Choosing the Right Bachelor’s Degree Program
The best thing about eventually going to medical school is the fact that you have several options when it comes to a bachelor's degree. You can choose to major in biology, chemistry, pre-med, or even something designed for the type of medicine that you want to go into, like exercise science.
A degree in exercise science from Dean College is designed to help you springboard to the next step. In this particular case, that’s medical school, complete with a specialization in sports medicine. What will you learn while studying exercise science? Everything from anatomy and physiology to kinesiology, nutrition, and fitness and conditioning. All of these will be helpful once you become a practicing sports medicine doctor.
Heading to Medical School
After earning a bachelor’s degree, the next step is to go to medical school. If you want to be a doctor, you have to be accepted into a medical school program, which involves taking the MCAT and finding a school that’s the right fit for what you’d like to specialize in.
Once you’re enrolled in medical school, you’ll spend several years in the classroom and in a laboratory before moving on to clinical experience. This takes two years and is where you’ll get to experience a number of different types of medicine in a hands-on setting. After you finish this part of medical school, it’s time for your residency, as well as the board exam, which must be passed before your residency begins.
Medical Residency
Residency is where things really get serious. You’ll spend between three and seven years at a teaching hospital learning everything that there is to know about sports medicine. While you’ll have the basics down, thanks to everything that you learned in the classroom, there’s nothing quite like experiencing it on real life patients who need your help so that they can get back out on the track or field. The best part is that this brings you one step closer to your dream job as a sports medicine practitioner.
Starting Your College Career at Dean College
Want to go into sports medicine? If so, consider getting a degree in exercise science from Dean College. It’s the ideal springboard into the career of your dreams, providing you with the basics that you’ll need to get started. Ready to take the first step? Request more information, today!