Medical Education US

do u absolutlely have to become a doctor before becoming any other special type of doctor?? I am a freshman in high School, so i have lots of time to decide, but i was just wondering.

All types of doctors first go to medical school (or osteopathic school) and then choose a residency in the field they want to practice. For example, a pediatrician would go through medical school and then do a residency in pediatrics.

There are some doctors, called "sub-specialists" who have to do a fellowship after residency for extra training. For example, to become a cardiologist, you'd first go to medical school, then do a residency in internal medicine (3 years), then do a fellowship in cardiology (3-4 years last I checked). Some people even further subspecialize, so if you wanted to be a cardiologist who specializes in echocardiograms, you would do a fellowship in echocardiography after your cardiology fellowship.

Hope that helps.