Medical School

• If you wish to pursue a career as a practicing endocrinologist, you need to complete formal medical education at a medical school. To be eligible for admission in a medical school, students are required to have a bachelor's degree, preferably in pre-medical or other subjects such as sciences or mathematics. Most medical schools also require the student to pass a Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) which analyzes student's capabilities for medical education. During the four-year course at medical school, students are introduced to basic knowledge of the medical field, without any specialized study of endocrinology.
  
  

Internship and Residency

• After completing four years of medical school, students are required to spend three to four years in an internship and residency program. The residency program varies according to the students specialization, which may be in the field of internal medicine, pediatrics or obstetrics and gynecology. A residency program sets the ground for specialization in endocrinology. During this training, students are taught about various hormonal diseases, their causes and ways to diagnose and treat them. The residency program focuses on challenging coursework and practical clinical practice under supervision of specialist endocrinologists.
  
  

Fellowship

• To further enhance the specialization, aspiring endocrinologists may also choose to specialize in one of the sub-fields of endocrinology. Students can undergo training under fellowships programs in fields such diabetes treatment, adult, pediatric or reproductive endocrinology. These fellowship programs usually take up to three or more years to complete. Additional residency or fellowship helps the student gain advanced knowledge of the specialization under the wide field of endocrinology. This further training also opens up better job opportunities for the endocrinologist.
  
  

Licensure

• After completing all the training and educational requirements, endocrinologists are further required to apply for board certification to become a practicing physician. The license is to be earned from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). To be a practicing endocrinologist, it is necessary to obtain a license. For this purpose, the student needs to take a board examination that tests his knowledge about endocrinology, endocrine glands and various hormonal disorders and their treatments.