Additional Information
Thinking of getting into physiatry? Be prepared to study a lot before you
can hang your physiatry shingle. There are no shortcuts to becoming a physiatrist.
The combination of in-school academics and on-site internship and residency
can take more than ten years.
Dr. Paul Pannozzo is a physiatrist in Arizona. He explains the steps to
getting into this career.
The first step is college. "Complete undergraduate training, with a major
in pre-med, biology or whatever you like. Time? Four years," he says.
What's the next step? "Go to medical school to gain your MD [doctor of
medicine degree]. Time? Four years."
Having finished medical school, you're not finished the road to physiatry.
The final step? "Enter and complete internship and PMR residency. Time? Four
years," concludes Pannozzo.
Not all medical students have their minds made up early about which area
of medicine to concentrate on. That was the case with Dr. Jennifer Yao.
"I started medical school unsure of what I really wanted to do," she says.
"As I progressed in my training, I began to lean towards areas that had more
humanistic appeal. I did a number of electives in my third and fourth years
in medical school, one of which was physiatry.
"I was able to successfully match into a physiatry [residency] program
at the end of my medical school training."
Dr. Yao also strongly suggests that anyone considering entering the field
of physiatry take the time to do some electives in the field.
"Get as diverse an experience as you can," she advises, "as physiatry covers
such a broad area. Also, get to see physiatrists at work in communities outside
of your own if opportunity allows. Get to know a few physiatrists and see
if you can see yourself 'fitting in' with them as colleagues."