How To Become A Medical Doctor In Ghana

What do you need to become a Medical Doctor in Ghana ?
Arguably the most competitive course to study in Ghana
today, Medicine and Surgery as it is called is “hot cake” in
Ghanaian Universities.
There are several Ghanaian
Universities offering this course of study.
These consist of
both private and public universities. For the public
universities, they are made up of both the state and the
federal universities.
Ghana has come along way in the field of medicine with its
universities churning out medical doctors.
These Doctors
has gone on to make lasting contributions to this field both
within and outside the country.
Requirements Needed to Become a Medical
Doctor in Ghana
To qualify as a medical doctor in Ghana, there are certain
academic requirements that must be met.
Hence, to realize
your dream as a medical doctor, the journey commences
right from senior secondary school.
You cannot be in the
social science or art classes while nursing an ambition of
becoming a doctor.
You have to be at the right place, in this
case, a natural science class where subjects as Biology,
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and English form the
core subject areas.
Performing creditably well in the above subject areas will
qualify you to study medicine and surgery in the University.
Admission into Medicine and Surgery
Scoring a minimum of 5 credits in core science subject
areas including English and Mathematics is the benchmark
for admission into most science courses especially
medicine.
However, this in itself is not enough as you will
have to write the JAMB (Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board) exams and score high enough to
make the cut-off mark of most Universities offering this
discipline.
There is however no unified JAMB cut-off mark
for all the universities in Nigeria.
Most universities have
their varying cut-off marks for this course.
Undergoing a post-JAMB test/exam is necessary.
This is
organized by the universities as a screening measure to
ensure only deserving students are admitted.
Scoring High
To get admitted, it is necessary that your JAMB score
should be high. in most cases, the benchmark is usually
180.
However, scoring above this, preferably 200 and above
will increase your chances of being admitted.
Alternative Ways of Gaining Admission
In the event you did not perform well in one or more of the
core subjects needed for admission, all hope is not lost as
there is a remedial program offered by most Ghanaian
universities.
As the name suggests, this program which
runs for one academic year seeks to remedy the deficiency
in the weak areas.
Applying for this remedial program is a
necessity for admission.
After getting admitted, all the core courses necessary for
admission, including the deficient subject/subjects are
covered to enable you remedy the problem.
You will have to
sit for exams at the end of the two semesters.
The second
semester exam carries the heaviest credit load.
How well
you perform in your remedial program will determine if you
will get admitted into medicine or not.
Don’t Go For the Wrong Reasons
Because of the prestige attached to becoming a medical
doctor in Ghana, a of people want to study this course not
because of the passion, but due to either peer pressure or
the prestige attached to it.
This pitfall should be avoided.
Studying medicine requires an innate drive and passion.
Without these, it is likely that you might turn out to be
either a quack doctor or a mediocre.
In times when difficult
challenges present themselves, the inborn passion and
drive will sustain you.
Duration of Study
The length of time taken to become qualified as a doctor is
usually significant.
In Ghana, you will have to spend 6
years in training. during the 6 year training, you will be
faced with heavy workloads that might overwhelm you if
you are not determined.
Such grueling academic tasks train
you to become dependable and provides the much needed
skill and experience needed for optimal performance.
Discipline and Patience as Watchword
To become a doctor in Ghana, these are two ingredients
that are necessary.
Being disciplined is a basic
requirement.
Also, patience will will see you through your
years of study.
Without these attributes, you are likely to
fall give up as the course is naturally tasking and takes a
longer time to complete.
There you have it! The “how” of becoming a doctor in
Ghana has been answered.
Following the information
provided in this article, you will be able to accomplish your
dreams.