Heather Baumann, age 14, of Cedarburg, Wis., for her question:

HOW DOES A PERSON BECOME A DOCTOR?

 Young men and women who want to become medical doctors must spend many years in difficult and expensive training.

Most medical schools accept only four year college graduates some students are admitted after two or three years of training. Premedical students must have many courses in chemistry, higher mathematics, physics, zoology and liberal arts.

Next comes about four years of study in a medical school with the first two years dedicated to such basic medical sciences as anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and physiology.

 The last two years consist largely of clinical training by observing and caring for patients.

Then comes at least a year of service as a hospital intern and perhaps another year or two as a hospital resident training for a specialized field.