• Surgical training generally takes eight years of school and five years of residency after high school.Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center: General Surgery Residency Although you will have earned the title of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) after completing medical school, you won't be a surgeon until after successfully completing your residency and passing your surgical boards. If you would like more information about becoming a doctor or applying to medical school, check out Mahalo's page on How to Become a Doctor.

• While your formal medical training usually won't begin until after you've received a bachelor's degree, there are steps you can take to begin to prepare while still in high school.

1. Medical school requires a good foundation in the sciences. While in high school, take biology, chemistry, physics, and as much mathematics as your school offers.
2. Focus on the highest level of math and science that is offered.Peterson's: Prepping for Med School in High School For example, competitive colleges will generally prefer an advanced-placement biology course rather than an anatomy course that is open to the entire student body.
3. If your high school doesn't offer an advanced placement program, consider taking science courses at a local community college.Peterson's: Prepping for Med School in High School
4. Volunteer in a surgical office, or take advantage of a job shadowing program. These experiences will help you in determining if surgery is a good career choice for you; they will also enrich your college application.College Confidential: Pre-Med Extracurriculars in High School? Peterson's: Prepping for Med School in High School

• Medical schools generally require a four-year college degree and look for a high GPA being maintained throughout college.

• In addition to selecting a college that is a good fit for you personally, the Association of American Medical Colleges has some suggestions that will help ensure that you are adequately prepared for medical school.AAMC: Considering Medical School

1. Select an accredited school with a reputation for high academic standards.AAMC: Considering Medical School
2. Look for a school with a strong science department that has good laboratory facilities.AAMC: Considering Medical School
3. Ensure that the school offers a broad range of courses, including all the courses required as medical school prerequisites.AAMC: Considering Medical School
4. Look for a pre-med or pre-health advising program.AAMC: Considering Medical School
5. Check out the school's medical school acceptance rate.AAMC: Considering Medical School
6. It's helpful if the school facilitates medical volunteer or job opportunities as well as opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, as such experience is considered in the medical school application process.AAMC: Considering Medical School

• You may also wish to investigate colleges that offer an accelerated program that enables you to complete both an undergraduate and a medical degree in six or seven years by using your first year or two of medical school to satisfy some undergraduate requirements. Such programs can be a good choice—saving you time and money—provided that you are 100% certain that you want to become a doctor.

• Some colleges associated with a medical school will guarantee your admission to medical school at the same time you are admitted to their undergraduate programs. These programs are highly competitive, and generally accept only the most qualified students.

• Admission to medical school is highly competitive, so you'll want to use your undergraduate years to get yourself well-positioned for acceptance.

1. A formal pre-med major is not required by medical schools, but students anticipating medical school generally major in a subject such as psychology, biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry or organic chemistry.
2. Incorporate liberal arts into your curriculum to broaden your background.AAMC: Considering Medical School
3. Study hard! A minimum GPA of 3.0 is generally required to gain admission into medical school.Med School Ready: GPA MCAT
4. Schedule and take the MCATs during your junior year of college.Med School Ready: GPA MCAT
5. Begin applying to medical schools near the end of your junior year.
6. Continue to volunteer in your field as this will help you present a strong application for medical school.

• Once you've been accepted into medical school, you'll finally begin training to become a doctor. The next four years will lay the foundation of knowledge that you'll need when your surgical training begins after graduation.

1. The first two years of medical school will be primarily devoted to classroom and lab work that covers topics such as pharmacology, anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, immunology, histology and medical ethics.Bureau of Labor Statistics: Physicians and Surgeons Training
2. During the second year, you will take the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). This part of the test determines whether you are able to apply scientific concepts to the practice of medicine.USMLE: Test Content & Practice Materials
3. In addition to classwork, during the second half of medical school you'll begin clinical rotations in various specialties, gaining exposure in areas such as internal medicine, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry, as well as in surgery.Bureau of Labor Statistics: Physicians and Surgeons Training
4. In your fourth year, you'll take the second part of the USMLE. This portion of the test determines how well you apply what you have learned to patient care.USMLE: Test Content & Practice Materials

• After you graduate from medical school, you're entitled to be called "doctor" and include the letters "M.D." after your name, but in actuality your training is just beginning. You'll learn to be a surgeon during your residency, which usually takes five years to complete.Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center: General Surgery Residency

During your residency you will receive hands-on training from experienced surgeons with the goal of mastering the six surgical core competencies: medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.American College of Surgeons: Successfully Navigating the First Year of Surgical Residency

• The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education is responsible for accrediting all medical residency programs.Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education: Search by Specialty American College of Surgeons: How to Find a Surgical Residency Position The American College of Surgeons suggests some things you should consider to narrow down your search.American College of Surgeons: How to Find a Surgical Residency Position

1. Are you looking for an academic program associated with a teaching hospital, or would a community-based program meet your needs?American College of Surgeons: How to Find a Surgical Residency Position
2. Will you be looking for additional training beyond a general surgical residency? If so, you may want to make sure that the institution where you'll be conducting your residency has that specialized program, as most programs give preference to doctors who have completed their residency at the institution.American College of Surgeons: How to Find a Surgical Residency Position
3. Do you have geographic preferences or constraints?American College of Surgeons: How to Find a Surgical Residency Position
4. What level of commitment does the program require? Although many authorities are advocating a more realistic work schedule for residents, some programs still demand 80 hours a week from their young doctors. At the other end of the spectrum are programs that have instituted part-time residencies to accommodate doctors with young children.American College of Surgeons: How to Find a Surgical Residency Position Newsweek: Get a Life, Doc, If You Dare (November 22, 2008)

• After completing their residency and board certification exam, many surgeons begin specialized training in one of the many different areas of surgery. Specialty training can take anywhere from an additional two to four years, depending on the chosen area of specialization.