c'mon lee, how 'bout a little law & med? i know osteopathic schools are scared, but the allopathic schools are all over it.

how 'bout a little law & med? i know osteopathic schools are scared, but the allopathic schools are all over it.

I suspect it is not a particularly popular joint degree (as compared to an MBA or MPH), as law school takes significantly longer than eg. business school. Also, most of the resultant jobs tend to involve healthcare policy, which is fairly low paying, or health & medmal lawyer/witness type jobs, which people going into medicine tend to conceptually be fairly hostile to (regardless of which side you plan to be on). Thus most of the JD - MBA types you will come across in medicine tended to have obtained one or the other degree first - not taken them simultaneously.

I, too, vote for an MD/JD board. I would love to get both, not necessarily simultaneously. But I have been thinking about going to law school after practicing medicine for several years.

I, too, vote for an MD/JD board. I would love to get both, not necessarily simultaneously. But I have been thinking about going to law school after practicing medicine for several years.
When I did law school there were a couple of much older retired physicians in my law school classes - probably using law school as a way to keep sharp during their golden years. I suspect it was more fun for them doing it as a purely intellectual pursuit without having the looming pressures of passing the bar or finding a job.

When I did law school there were a couple of much older retired physicians in my law school classes - probably using law school as a way to keep sharp during their golden years. I suspect it was more fun for them doing it as a purely intellectual pursuit without having the looming pressures of passing the bar or finding a job.


Law2Doc,

I've read some of your posts on practicing law in the past. Was law school and the profession really that bad? I have several friends that have graduated L school in the past year; all of them hate their current jobs. They keep discouraging my undergrad friends from ever taking the pre-law track.

I think that I would like to try law---as you said---just for the interest. I'm not interested in selling my life over to a firm. I just like reading, writing, and argumentation (I'm a former debater).

c'mon lee, how 'bout a little law & med? i know osteopathic schools are scared, but the allopathic schools are all over it.

I doubt that osteopathic schools are "scared". I bet they just don't find much of a demand for it among their students. If us osteopathic students are looking for dual degrees, we're most likely looking for MPH and MBA degrees.

I considered going for my JD right after residency, but decided that it was going to take way too much time for something that I really wouldn't use in full time clinical practice. If anything, it would be something for me to do as a career change.

Law2Doc,

I've read some of your posts on practicing law in the past. Was law school and the profession really that bad? I have several friends that have graduated L school in the past year; all of them hate their current jobs. They keep discouraging my undergrad friends from ever taking the pre-law track.

I think that I would like to try law---as you said---just for the interest. I'm not interested in selling my life over to a firm. I just like reading, writing, and argumentation (I'm a former debater).

It was not bad at all -- I personally enjoyed a lot of aspects of practice, worked on some exciting deals and had some amazing clients, but I just never really felt it was my calling, and forever felt like I got onto the wrong track when I bailed on the premed thing. And I thought law school (as opposed to employment) was really quite enjoyable if you enjoy being a student, as the material and judicial thought processes involved are really quite interesting (I suspect some of the 1st year med stuff will be much drier). But a lot of my former law school classmates are continuously frustrated with their professions; much of it has to do with high billable hour requirements (not the same as hours worked as a lot of things don't count), law firm politics and management issues and a moving partnership track target - not issues with the practice itself.

funny my state DO school has a DO/JD program :meanie:

funny my state DO school has a DO/JD program :meanie:
ive always wondered who that is in your photo, certainly not you

ive always wondered who that is in your photo, certainly not you

lol, Shredder if thats u in ur avatar then why aren't you trying to go to medical school. Where is your apprentice? Oh yeah, you got a hot wife!!! :laugh:

ive always wondered who that is in your photo, certainly not you
And why not me? ;)

My favoritist person ever! Myself, no wait, I mean jennifer garner.

Just out of curiosity, for those looking into joint MD/JD or DO/JD degrees (as opposed to us career changers), what jobs are you hoping to get and how do you plan to leverage this masochistic combination of degrees?

Just out of curiosity, for those looking into joint MD/JD or DO/JD degrees (as opposed to us career changers), what jobs are you hoping to get and how do you plan to leverage this masochistic combination of degrees?


start up your own gen surg practice, cut off your own toe, then sue yourself for dismemberment. :laugh:

funny my state DO school has a DO/JD program :meanie:

The only one! :meanie:

The only one! :meanie:
Really? UMDNJ is the only one?

Really? UMDNJ is the only one?

Yep...it was the only one I found.

Yep...it was the only one I found.
Man, why am I leaving this state? :laugh:

c'mon lee, how 'bout a little law & med? i know osteopathic schools are scared, but the allopathic schools are all over it.
What would be a good occupation for this degree? I like the sound of it, but what would it be good for?
thanks

What would be a good occupation for this degree? I like the sound of it, but what would it be good for?
thanks

showing off?

you could go law, but then neglect the meds, or visa versa. or you could do a little law and a little meds, and be well known for neither. or maybe you could run a really legalized medical practice. or maybe your law practice could be all about medical malpractice hah...

sad truth, probably most of the time it is the last scenerio...

I bet you could make a pretty penny on the hired gun witness circuit.

... or maybe your law practice could be all about medical malpractice hah...

sad truth, probably most of the time it is the last scenerio...

I doubt that -- you'd be wasting a ton of time going to med school to do something you could do right out of law school.
There must be someone who knows what people really do with this combination -- I know it's not primarilly being an attorney at a firm or I would have come across them. Anyone?

I doubt that -- you'd be wasting a ton of time going to med school to do something you could do right out of law school.
There must be someone who knows what people really do with this combination -- I know it's not primarilly being an attorney at a firm or I would have come across them. Anyone?

There is an MD/JD here in Florida who specializes in malpractice law (on the bad guys' side). He even has T.V. commercials in which he talks about being such a great guy for having an MD, just before encouraging people to sue nursing homes and hospitals.

His website: themdjd.com (http://www.themdjd.com/)

His website: themdjd.com (http://www.themdjd.com/)

That guy looks like satan.. :scared:

There is an MD/JD here in Florida who specializes in malpractice law (on the bad guys' side). He even has T.V. commercials in which he talks about being such a great guy for having an MD, just before encouraging people to sue nursing homes and hospitals.

His website: themdjd.com (http://www.themdjd.com/)

Yes, I'm sure there are some, but you don't need to do med school to do medmal - it's easier to find doctors to give advice and be your expert witnesses. 99.99% of all medmal attorneys aren't MDs (I made up the percent but I'm sure it's close). There will be some MDs who decide to practice law, and some who become expert witnesses, and one or two who go into teaching, but these can't be the draw of a 7 year joint degree. I'm asking what people who go into joint degrees really intend to do. Anyone?

I forgot which TV show (fictional) I saw this one, but they had this MD/JD on where he practiced law to finance his free mental health clinic where he was a psychiatrist. I'm not sure how practical this is in real life, but hey, this was in TV land!

-X

Yes, I'm sure there are some, but you don't need to do med school to do medmal - it's easier to find doctors to give advice and be your expert witnesses. 99.99% of all medmal attorneys aren't MDs (I made up the percent but I'm sure it's close). There will be some MDs who decide to practice law, and some who become expert witnesses, and one or two who go into teaching, but these can't be the draw of a 7 year joint degree. I'm asking what people who go into joint degrees really intend to do. Anyone?

http://www.pshrink.com/

from the horse's mouth - website of someone who has did MD first and JD later on. anyone interested should have a look and decide for themselves.

I would think that a JD/MPH would be more useful/less excrutiating than a JD/MD.

A JD/MD could practice IP/patent law and do quite well at it, I would guess. And the policy work. But that's the only real major applications I see outside of being able to market yourself in the legal field as having an MD