OB/GYN Careers

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OB/GYN is short for Obstetrics and Gynecology. Like all doctors, those who look to a career in this field have an extensive path that they have to follow. Just the same, it is a very rewarding career at the end of that path.

What Does An OB/GYN Do?
An OB/GYN is a doctor that takes care of woman, mothers and babies, respectively.  An OB/GYN will take care of yearly checkups for woman, perform surgical procedures, keep a mother healthy during her pregnancy by having regular evaluations and providing solutions for problems, deliver babies and more.

A regular work week for this field is an average of about 55-60 hours. The hours, however, can vary extensively from as low as 50 hour all the way to over 100 hours. Typically an OB/GYN will have two office days, two on call days, a surgery day and two days off. This makes the office 20 hours, 48 hours on call, and 8 hours operating time.

Education Required to Become an OB/GYN
Most doctors have an idea of their field when they are in high school. With that, they strive for high grades to make it into a 4-year college.

When an aspiring OB/GYN goes to college, they are required to take a certain amount of science courses to qualify for a pre-med acceptance. There are some colleges that have a pre med while other colleges do not. Generally, it does not necessarily matter about the major, rather they look that all the requirements are met. You will find the most pre-med students usually major in chemistry, biology, or physics. Some have dual majors while others do not. Dedication to science courses and labs is crucial and will often take a lot of time. Many pre-med students fail simply because they could not make the grade.

If you look to med school, you will then need to complete MCAT in order to apply. The MCAT usually takes about 2 years in preparation.

Once you have graduated a 4-year college, met all your course requirements, passed the MCAT and have been accepted into medical school, you will have another 4 years of learning.

After med school you must undergo residency. When you graduate med school, you are considered a physician. You cannot practice on your own until you have become licensed by the state. Residency for an OB/GYN is 4 years. Each year, the physician gets closer to licensing and is offered a little more responsibility at a time. It is not until 2 years later, after you have been practicing on your own that you can become board certified.

Medical School Available
There are a number of medical schools available for students to attend. Tuition ranges from 10k � 12k a year all the way up to and over 35k a year. Some popular and higher ranking med schools are noted below.

�        University of Washington

�        University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)

�        Oregon Health and Science University

�        University of Colorado (Denver)

�        University of California (San Francisco)

�        University of Vermont

�        Michigan State University

These were rated top medical schools in 2008-2009. Becoming an OB/GYN is very grueling at times, however, it makes a person well rounded, and dedicated to the betterment of the community.

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