Chemistry's Role in Medical School: A Pre-Med Student's Question

Question
hey

i think my first email was wrong. So i am sending it again

My question is this.

I AM VERY INTERESTED IN BIOLOGY AND WANT TO BE A DOCTOR. I AM A HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR CURRENLY, IN THE USA. I dont like CHEMISTRY THAT MUCH THOUGH. It is good, but not the best. My question, is this. As you have studied medicine already, what is the importance of chemistry, when learning in MEDICAL SCHOOL NOT IN COLLEGE? IS THERE A LOT CHEMISTRY INVOLVED IN MEDICAL SCHOOL. OR IS MEDICAL SCHOOL TOTALLY BIOLOGY? IF IT DOES INVOLVE CHEMISTRY WHAT PARTS OF CHEMISTRY DOES IT INVOLVED? ELECTRON STRUCTURE, CHEMICAL FORMULAS OR MORE.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME

REGARDS
KHAN


Answer
if someone is going to become a clinician... a doctor who works in the real world... not research, then the chemistry you need for medicine is more practical... not electron structures but how different chemicals are soluble in water or oil, how long they last in the body, how they are eliminated from the body.  But, you need a solid base from which to build these concepts, so people need basic chemistry prior to med school.  Also, grades in chemistry, especially organic chem tend to predict how well someone does in medical school, so med schools look at these grades to help pick students.  So, overall, it is important for a few reasons, and, that is the system currently, so someone who wants to go to med school is stuck taking the basic chemistries..... hope this helps...