How to Become a Plastic Surgeon

Cosmetic and plastic surgery is becoming a very popular trend. Looking younger is increasing in popularity and plastic surgery is now presented as something glamorous and exciting. It has been associated with many various celebrities and stars. There are also large demands for plastic surgeons who deal with scar removal, breast reconstruction and surgeries in children with deformities. However, being a cosmetic or plastic surgeon is a very serious and competitive profession. First, the training for these professions is rigorous and long. Meanwhile, its licensure process is highly extensive and challenging. On a positive note, this profession highly values and rewards hard work. Being a plastic surgeon gives you the opportunity to be one of the highest paid surgical specialists around. Use these tips to learn about the education required to become a surgeon. A great option for becoming a doctor these days is to enroll in an online medical degree program through an accredited online university.

Here’s how to become a cosmetic or plastic surgeon:

1. Your preparation actually begins in high school. Your high school education is the first and most important step in positioning yourself for becoming a plastic surgeon. Your academic performance in high school can guarantee your acceptance in a pre-medical program in a reputable college or university of your choice. It is ideal to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0. You should also focus on a number of science courses to prepare for these jobs.
2. Here are the college courses you will need to take. In college, complete a four-year bachelor’s degree. Your major should be one of the acceptable options for a pre-medical program such as biology or chemistry. In your third year, prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). You need to get high scores on this exam for placement in a medical school. Before your third year ends, you should be fielding your admission application to a medical school.
3. You will then need to apply and attend medical school. In medical school, you will take another four years of courses building the foundation for your medical training. In the first half of this medical training you will study anatomy, physiology, pathology, immunology, histology, medical ethics and even psychology, among others. The second half exposes you to clinical rotations. This permits you to dwell on various specialties aside from surgery. While completing your medical degree, you should anticipate preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE). It has two parts. The first part is given during your sophomore year and the second, in your last year.
4. You need to complete your surgical residency. After earning your medical degree, you are ready to find work. However, your first official job is a residency. It’s an official training requirement allowing you to work hand-in-hand with a licensed physician. Under his mentoring, you are expected to master core competencies, such as patient care, professionalism, communication and interpersonal skills, medical knowledge, systems-based practice, and practice-based learning and improvement. For a prospective plastic surgeon like you, two options are offered. You can take the independent model. It is divided into two periods and you can complete it in two separate institutions. On the other hand, you can consider the integrated model. It’s endorsed and approved by the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Plastic Surgery. It involves 24 months of concentrated training in plastic surgery and a year’s tenure as a chief resident.
   
   After your residency, you can get your eligibility to practice by passing the national board examinations. If you pass this examination, you will be a licensed physician and surgeon. After you receive your medical license you can apply for certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. The types of certifications are as follows:
   
   
   • Body, Breast and Extremity Cosmetic surgery
   • Dermatologic Cosmetic surgery
   • Facial Cosmetic surgery
   • General Cosmetic surgery
   Once you receive your board certification, you will be required to keep up your continuing education units in cosmetic or plastic surgery. Your certification is good for ten years at a time and to renew, the board requires 150 continuing education units during the three years prior to your license expiration. It is worth it to keep up your board certification, as pay rates for board certified plastic and cosmetic surgeons are much higher.

Your license to practice plastic surgery is proof of your hard work, dedication and years of professional training. A skilled plastic surgeon’s salary can be between $300,000 and $800,000 annually. Job opportunities are available everywhere and you can hold a private practice or work for an HMO hospital, children’s hospital, surgery center, community hospital or rural health clinic. The possibilities are endless for this very rewarding career.