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survivorboi · Aug 16, 2009, 11:39 AM

Wondering how long does it really take to become a cardio thoracic surgeon? I've read up online that you need about 6-8 years of undergrad and med school. About 4 years of residency, and 5 or so years of learning to become to surgeon.

So that's like 17 years of schooling? If so, who could get all that money to take care of all that?

I want to become one when I grow up, but it seems like so much schooling is needed, I'm only 14 this year. And if it takes 17 years to become an cardio thoracic surgeon, that would be my whole life plus 3 more years so far! But whatever it is, I'm sure I can find a way out ;)

justcurious55 · Aug 16, 2009, 12:55 PM

Don't stress too much about how to pay for school yet. For now just keep studying, and don't forget to find some extra curriculars or hobbies! :)
Do your parents have any money set aside for you to go to college? Or plan to help you in any way financially? You could always start at a junior college and transfer to a four year. That's actually what I'm doing. You can apply for financial aid. No matter what you expect, you should at least fill out the forms and see what they say. My financial aid covers everything at the junior college. You may also be able to find scholarships. They seem to have one for everything you can imagine. You just have to be patient in taking the time to find the ones you qualify for and apply. You may be able to receive grants for school. And then there's always student loans, but I'd check into everything else first so that hopefully you won't have to pay too much back later.
Here's a link for one residency program. I'm sure there are thousands out there but this was the first Google link. Technically I guess it could be considered schooling but it seems much different than just sitting, learning from books in a classroom. It sounds like learning through hands on experience.
Residency Program - Greenwich Hospital
I would look into more programs. You're eager to get ahead anyway, can't hurt to start looking and seeing what's out there. :)

stevetcg · Aug 17, 2009, 08:48 AM

Well, not all of it is "school" per se. Residency is paid... it's a job.
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But yeah... undergrad and med school can be expensive. You will be paying your school loans off for a long time.

survivorboi · Aug 17, 2009, 09:35 AM

This year I'll be going to 8th grade. If anyone have any advise on how to start saving (like a bank account, Etc. ) or even how to study =) for me, I'll appreciate it! I realize that medical study requires hours and hours of studying a day, but even though I want to be a doctor when I grow up, I just can't find enough motivation to sit down and study for hours at a time!

justcurious55 · Aug 17, 2009, 10:28 AM

I'm glad you aren't sitting there studying for med school for hours a day yet. 8th grade, your still closer to a kid than an adult. Dr's need to have friends and hobbies too. Start with that for now. Focus on your biology and chemistry classes. And if there's an anatomy and physiology class when you get to high school, take it. Next year you can start looking into summer programs for high school students. I went to a forensics program at the university of miami just before my senior year in high school, it was great. You can look into volunteering in hospitals as well. As for savings, you're still too young to work anyplace I can think of. But if you get money for your birthday or christmas (or whatever you may celebrate) you can save that. You can do something like mow lawns for a little cash. You'll probably need your parents to go with you to open a bank account but a savings account is a great idea. It's always easier to save money when you've got it put away out of sight and you can't get to it 24/7 (like if you had a checking account with a debit card).