High School

You will need to devote many years to schooling before you are admitted to practice as a doctor. Your first step, therefore, should be to take a college preparatory curriculum while in high school. Take four years of math, English, and science classes. Biology, chemistry, and physics are particularly important to take. Study a foreign language and, if your high school offers it, the language you take should be Latin. Many medical terms you will encounter later on have roots in the Latin language. In addition, round out your education with history courses and courses such as psychology and sociology, which may give you a greater understanding of people, an asset in this people-oriented career.

Postsecondary Training

To become a geriatrician, you will need to earn a college degree and a medical degree, complete specialized training, and become licensed. You will need to get your bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Most students considering medical school get their degree in a science field. Some schools offer a premed program, which you can also take. In either case, typical studies include biology, organic and inorganic chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Competition for admission to medical school is strong. You will need to take the Medical College Admission Test as part of the admission requirements. Medical school lasts four years and students complete classroom and laboratory work as well as work with patients under the supervision of doctors and residents.

After students have completed this phase of their education, they get more training through a residency, with study in a specialty area. Geriatric care is generally considered a subspecialty. So students complete their residency in one specialty area, such as internal medicine, and then go on to complete a fellowship in geriatric care. The length of these programs varies, and they can take anywhere from one to four years to complete. The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education publishes an Online Directory of Educational Programs in Gerontology and Geriatrics (http://www.aghedirectory.org), which has information on educational programs available at various levels, including fellowship programs.

Other Education or Training

Continuing education opportunities are provided by many national and state organizations, including the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, and Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

A certificate of added qualifications in geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry is offered through the certifying boards in family practice, internal medicine, osteopathic medicine, and psychiatry for physicians who have completed a fellowship program in geriatrics. The American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Family Medicine are just two of many professional medical boards that provide certification to qualified geriatricians.

In addition, all physicians must be licensed to practice. After receiving their medical degree, new physicians are required to take a licensing examination conducted through the board of medical examiners in each state. Some states have reciprocity agreements with other states so that a physician licensed in one state may be automatically licensed in another without being required to pass another examination. Because this is not true throughout the United States, however, physicians should find out about licensing procedures before planning to move.

There is no way to obtain direct experience in high school, but it's a good idea to take as many health and science classes as possible and participate in science clubs. During your medical training, you will gain experience by completing a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in geriatric care.

The career of a geriatrician is both intellectually and emotionally demanding. A good geriatrician needs to be able to effectively manage all aspects of a patient's problems, including social and emotional issues. Creative problem-solving skills are an asset. Geriatricians must have a general interest in aging and the problems related to growing older. They should be effective communicators and listeners and be able to work well as members of a team. And, like any doctor, geriatricians must be committed to lifelong learning, because new advances in medicine occur continuously.