Becoming a doctor is a long and challenging process that requires many years of education and training. Most medical students are in their early to mid 20s when they start medical school after completing a four-year undergraduate degree. After graduating from medical school, new doctors complete residency training that lasts three to seven years depending on their specialty. Many physicians don’t finish their training and start independent medical practice until their early 30s at the earliest.
What is the typical path to becoming a doctor?
The first step is completing a four-year bachelor’s degree at an accredited university. Pre-med students usually major in a scientific field like biology, chemistry, or biochemistry and take prerequisite courses required for entry to medical schools. This includes classes like biology, physics, mathematics, English, and social sciences.
After graduating college, prospective doctors must apply to and be accepted at a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). There are currently 155 accredited MD-granting medical schools in the United States.
Medical school takes four years to complete. The first two years focus on classroom scientific study and laboratory work. The last two years involve direct patient care and clinical rotations in specialties like family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and internal medicine.
After receiving their MD, new doctors enter a residency program to train in their specialty area. The length of residency depends on the chosen specialty, but can range from three years for general internal medicine to seven years for neurosurgery. Many specialties like family medicine and pediatrics require three years of training.
What is the age of medical students when starting school?
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average age of students entering medical school is 24 years old. Here is a breakdown of medical student ages:
- Less than 21 years old: 12.6%
- 21-23 years old: 43.5%
- 24-26 years old: 26.8%
- 27-29 years old: 11.3%
- 30 years or older: 5.8%
As these statistics show, over 70% of first year medical students are between 21 and 26 years old. The typical range is 22 to 24 years old after completing a four-year bachelor’s degree immediately following high school.
Older medical students over age 27 make up less than 20% of enrolled students. Some enter medicine as a second career or after completing another graduate degree like a Ph.D. Delaying entry to pursue other interests or gain more experiences is also common.
How many years of schooling and training are required?
The minimum educational requirement for physicians in the United States is:
- 4 years undergraduate degree
- 4 years medical school
- 3-7 years residency program
This equals 11 to 15 years of higher education and on-the-job training after high school before achieving an unsupervised medical license. Here is a more detailed overview of the timeline:
Undergraduate education (4 years)
Medical school applicants must complete a Bachelor’s degree program at an accredited college or university. Required undergraduate coursework includes:
- 1 year biology + labs
- 1 year general chemistry + labs
- 1 year organic chemistry + labs
- 1 year physics + labs
- 1 year English
- 1 year calculus or statistics
A science major in biology or biochemistry is common, but any major is acceptable as long as prerequisites are met. A competitive GPA and MCAT entrance exam score are also required.
Medical school (4 years)
The MD program is completed full-time over four academic years. The first two years focus on classroom scientific study. Courses include anatomy, biochemistry, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, neuroscience, and medical ethics. Students also gain initial clinical experience through rotations and shadowing physicians.
The final two years are dedicated to clinical clerkships rotating through specialty areas in hospitals and clinics under physician supervision. Core clerkships include internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and obstetrics/gynecology.
Residency (3-7 years)
After earning their MD, all physicians must complete accredited residency training in a specialty area. Common residencies include:
- Internal medicine – 3 years
- Family medicine – 3 years
- Pediatrics – 3 years
- General surgery – 5 years
- Neurosurgery – 7 years
Residents work over 60 hours per week delivering supervised patient care in clinics, ERs, operating rooms, and other hospital settings. They gain intensive hands-on training in diagnosis, treatment, surgical skills, and managing patient care.
Medical licensure
After finishing medical school and residency training, physicians must obtain state medical licensure to practice independently. This requires passing licensing exams like the USMLE Steps. Doctors apply for hospital privileges to gain admitting access and work on the medical staff.
What is the typical age when doctors finish training?
Given the lengthy educational and residency requirements, most newly minted physicians are in their early 30s when finishing training and starting independent practice. Here are typical timelines:
- Age 21-22 – Start medical school after college
- Age 25-26 – Graduate from medical school
- Age 28-32 – Complete residency program
- Age 32+ – Start working as licensed physician
These timelines can vary. Students who take time off during school may finish later. Longer residencies extend training for some specialties. But for most new physicians, being fully licensed and in independent practice does not happen until at least the early 30s.
What are the age requirements for medical licensure?
Every U.S. state and territory sets its own minimum age limits for eligibility for medical licensure. The Federation of State Medical Boards reports that the age requirements are as follows:
- Minimum age of 21 years – 15 jurisdictions
- Minimum age of 18 years – 23 jurisdictions
- No minimum age – 13 jurisdictions
So while over half of states allow 18 year olds to legally be licensed as physicians, this almost never happens in reality due to the extensive educational requirements. The average newly licensed physician is in their early to mid 30s after completing four years of medical school and a multi-year residency program.
What is the youngest age someone has become a doctor?
While stories of teen medical prodigies graduating from college by age 12 or 14 sometimes make the news, these youngest-ever medical school graduates are very rare. Here are a few notable examples:
- Sho Yano – Entered University of Chicago at age 9, graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. at age 12, and obtained his M.D. at age 21 in 2009.
- Balamurali Ambati – Earned bachelors and masters degrees by age 17 and graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine at age 18 in 1995.
- Marissa White – Accepted to medical school at age 15, graduated from Stanford Medical School at age 24 in 2020.
While exceptional students like these demonstrate the possibility of completing premedical studies at incredibly young ages, beginning independent medical practice still requires finishing residency training well into the 20s at a minimum. Even child prodigies cannot bypass residency requirements and become fully licensed physicians prior to their mid 20s.
What percentage of doctors are under age 30?
Less than 15% of actively licensed physicians in the United States are under the age of 35, according to physician workforce data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Specifically, here is the breakdown of practicing doctors by age group:
| Age Group | Percentage of Physicians |
|---|---|
| Under 35 years old | 14.3% |
| 35-44 years old | 22.4% |
| 45-54 years old | 26.6% |
| 55-64 years old | 23.2% |
| 65-74 years old | 12.0% |
| 75 years or older | 1.6% |
This data demonstrates that less than 15% of doctors are under 30 years old, which is consistent with the lengthy medical training required before independent practice.
The average age of physicians is 51 years old. Only about 1 in 7 doctors are under 35, reflecting the many years of education and residency required after college before becoming fully licensed.
What percentage of medical students are over age 30?
While the majority of medical students are in their mid to late 20s, a significant minority are over the age of 30 according to AAMC statistics. Here is the percentage breakdown:
- Under 21 years old: 12.6%
- 21-23 years old: 43.5%
- 24-26 years old: 26.8%
- 27-29 years old: 11.3%
- 30 years or older: 5.8%
So roughly 1 in 17 medical students are over the age of 30 at the start of medical school. These nontraditional students often pursue medicine as a second career or enter school later after gaining additional experiences.
Additionally, the percentage of older medical students has been gradually increasing over the past decades. In 1975, only 2.1% of medical students were over 30. By 2015, this percentage had risen to 7.1% over age 30.
Do doctors ever retire?
Many physicians continue practicing medicine well past the average retirement age. Surveys indicate:
- Over 33% of doctors still work past age 65.
- Nearly 25% of doctors remain active after age 70.
- Around 10% continue practicing even after reaching age 80.
Reasons doctors may delay retirement include maintaining income, continuing professional engagement, and simply loving the practice of medicine.
However, full-time clinical practice does become less common for physicians in their 60s and 70s. Many transition to part-time work or consulting. Solo private practitioners are more likely to work past 65 than hospital-employed physicians.
At advanced ages over 80, most doctors curtail their practices to very limited part-time hours or retire fully. But a passion for healing can lead some physicians to remain active well into their 80s and 90s.
What is the mandatory retirement age for physicians?
There is no universal mandatory retirement age that applies to all doctors in the United States. Retirement policies are set by individual hospitals, medical practices, and state medical boards.
AMA policies state that compulsory retirement based solely on age is unethical age discrimination. However, hospitals may impose age limits of 70 to 75 for physicians with hospital privileges, while allowing exceptions on an individual basis.
Some states also have enacted laws prohibiting age discrimination and compulsory retirement. Unless covered by an age discrimination law, physicians can legally be required to retire at 65 or 70 based on institutional policies.
The American College of Surgeons recommends surgeons voluntarily retire at age 65-70 due to declining skills. But retiring is not mandatory, and many surgeons practice well beyond this guideline.
Conclusion
Becoming a fully licensed physician is a lengthy process that typically takes 11-15 years after starting college. Medical school begins around age 24, and doctors are usually in their early 30s when they complete residency training and start independent practice.
While a few exceptional students have graduated medical school in their teens or early 20s, residency requirements mean physicians still must be in their mid to late 20s at the earliest before they can work independently. Less than 15% of practicing doctors are under age 35.
Many physicians continue practicing beyond the average retirement age due to their passion for medicine. But by their late 60s and 70s, most transition to part-time work or retire fully from clinical practice.