Where to Start for becoming a Sports Medicine Doctor

A common question for many individuals interested in a sports medicine career is what college undergraduate degree they should be going for.  The thing to remember is the sports part comes after the basic medicine part.

What you major in as an undergrad just isn't that important.   With that being said, you must have taken and done well in all the science and math premed courses.

Your goal should be to have the grades and the knowledge needed to get into medical school.  Stay focused on a pre-med curriculum (calculus, physics, at least a year of chemistry and at least a year of biology).

Attend a university that has a well established pre-med curriculum.  You can’t take “Everyday Chemistry 101? and expect a medical school to only look for “chemistry.” Instead look for courses like organic and inorganic chemistry.

The Difference Between Pre Med & Sports Medicine Majors

Pre-med simply means you’re planning on going into medical school.

There are different types of sports medicine specialists.

1. Physical therapists (three years of physical therapy school)
2. Sports medicine physicians. If you want to be a sports medicine physician, that means you would have to go to medical school, so you would technically be classified as “pre-med.”

Anything with the word “physician” = go to medical school.

As long as you have the pre-med requirements, you can major in anything you want (business, economics, engineering) for now and it doesn't matter .

Majoring in science fields is what most students end up doing, just because it prepares them better for medical school, but it really is up to you.

General medical school pre-requisites:

• 8 hours of biology
• 18 hours of chemistry (organic and inorganic)
• 8 hours of physics
• 6 hours english
• a set amount of electives.

What to Study in High School for a Sports Medicine Career

If you're hoping for a career in sports medicine and have plans to study sports medicine in college start early.  While in High School take a lot of science and math courses.

Taking advanced math and science courses will prepare you for college courses and make it much easier to adjust to your college studies.