Just wondering if any prospective/current MSTP'ers here are considering a surgical specialty. As of right now I'm thinking it'd be an ideal job for me to conduct research in neuro-oncology, while practicing as a neurosurgeon with an emphasis on treating spinal/brain tumors. I'll be applying for med school this summer, and I've been grappling with the issue of MSTP vs. a research year during med school for quite some time now. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't imagine a career in medicine without a research component, but at the same time I'd prefer a specialty that allows me to get my hands in there and make tangible structural changes to "cure" patients. I suppose the trouble is that I've heard a great deal about surgeon-scientists being subpar surgeons and subpar scientists.

For those of you further along in this process:

1) Do you think getting the PhD is worth it for a profession where you'll ultimately spend at least 50% of your time in the clinical setting to maintain your surgical abilities? (i.e. is the more appropriate choice for academic surgery MD/PhD or MD + 1 year of protected research time?)

2) Do you think it's possible to produce high quality and innovative research given the time constraints of a surgeon?

Anyways, thank you for any advice in advance. I figure deciding on MD vs. MD/PhD is a decision that will likely have a profound effect on both my career and my personal life, and I'd like to get some more perspective before deciding on either.

1) Do you think getting the PhD is worth it for a profession where you'll ultimately spend at least 50% of your time in the clinical setting to maintain your surgical abilities? (i.e. is the more appropriate choice for academic surgery MD/PhD or MD + 1 year of protected research time?)

2) Do you think it's possible to produce high quality and innovative research given the time constraints of a surgeon?

Anyways, thank you for any advice in advance. I figure deciding on MD vs. MD/PhD is a decision that will likely have a profound effect on both my career and my personal life, and I'd like to get some more perspective before deciding on either.

Applying in ENT right now, 9th year MD-PhD.

1. You have to figure out what sort of research you really want to do. Do you see yourself running a basic science NIH-funded lab, or do you see yourself doing more clinical/epi type research? If you want to do basic science, the PhD will help a lot (though not absolutely necessary, see below)...although in neurosurgery you also have the two years of required research during residency as well. If you get a PhD and you're already focused on a clinical problem for your basic science dissertation research, you'll be able to treat the required 2 yrs as a full post-doctoral fellowship in the same area and hopefully get a K08 coming out of residency--this is the ideal track in my mind and would set you up nicely for a career in academics. I'm sure this is also possible with just the 2 research yrs during residency, but the PhD will give you more complete scientific training. You should talk to some neurosurgeons and see what they think.

2. Absolutely yes. Since you're interested in neurosurgery, see Dr. Robert Friedlander's work from the Brigham and Women's Hospital (he's an MD by the way). For what it's worth, almost half of the current BWH residents are MD-PhDs. So at least in neurosurgery, you'll have lots of company.