Accepted as a DO - Really want to do MD-PhD

[geiza]

So I'm in a bit of a mess here...

I've been accepted to a DO school, and I actually start class in three days. While I should be getting more and more excited about starting med school, I've been becoming increasingly apprehensive. I took my acceptance and ran with it, like many on here have suggested, but I still am left feeling like I've made a HUGE mistake.

My fiance is finishing up her undergrad and we have been talking a lot about her going to grad school. It seems like I'm more excited than she is every time we get to talking about it. Whenever I get talking about my research experiences and how great I think grad school would be it gets me thinking that I should have gone that route.

I didn't apply to any combined MD/PhD programs in my first application cycle. I pretty much had myself convinced that I could leave research behind and focus on becoming a physician. I felt like I didn't have any real chances of getting into a combined program, so I just made the decision and picked medicine over grad school. Now, I just really feel like I sold myself short and I'm not going to really enjoy the path that I'm on.

I had a poor undergrad gpa (~3.3) but a fairly respectable MCAT (36). Lots of ECs, though not many that were related to medicine. I also did a lot of research while in school. Research in biochem, chemistry (radiation/radical chem), and mechanical (biotech) engineering. I have one co-authored publication and I have enough to talk about regarding my research that I could write a short novel. It seems that I didn't get much MD love because my background has me more suited for research than anything.

I guess what I really want to know is...what can I do at this point?

I've thought of returning to my ugrad institution to do a second degree (or just take some relevant classes) in biology...or finish the first year at my DO school and try to transfer (which seems to be nearly impossible)...

The situation just really has me down and I don't know what I should do...I know it probably isn't in my best interest to be going into my first year of med school with such a grim outlook.

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[BeancheBlanco]

if you didn't get accepted to an MD program, you probably won't be accepted to a combined MD/PHD program. Add the fact that you turned down an acceptance and are a re-applicant and it's even worse. If you want to do medicine, go to the school you were accepted at. If you would prefer research, do research (and not medicine).

 

[gyngyn]

You might be a better fit for a PhD program, but MD/PhD programs are not an alternative for those who did not get into an MD school. They are much more selective.

Forget transferring after a year, btw. That doesn't happen.

 

[Uafl112]

you could always do research as a physician too. Clinical or bench work. Also, you could get your PhD down the road as well

 

[NontradICUdoc]

What about DO/PhD?

 

[orthogenes]

Once you have a DO or MD, the PhD is just extra letters, you don't need a PhD to do research. Find a lab you like at your school, excel at your DO program, and do research in summers and maybe part time, depending on how everything seems to be going.

 

[QofQuimica]

Forget about MD/PhD programs; if you weren't competitive for MD-only, you almost certainly aren't going to be competitive for MD/PhD. You already knew that, which is why you didn't apply MD/PhD in the first place. The good news though is that a medical degree is extremely flexible, and there are plenty of other options to do research.

First, get yourself psyched up about going to medical school. Getting that med school acceptance is one of the hardest parts of this whole process, and you made it. Celebrate that achievement a little, and congrats.

Second, as suggested above, all is not lost; you can still be involved in research. There are several possible ways of doing this.
a) Do research during med school (usually during summer after first year and/or during fourth year elective time)
b) Apply for a formal DO/PhD or DO/MS program at your school if they have one.
c) Take a LOA from med school between your second and third years to go to grad school.
d) Do a research fellowship (with or without a grad degree) during or after residency.

Third, get psyched about med school again. Speaking as someone who did a PhD and then went back for my MD, I can tell you that you will have a whole host of career options that will be open to you with a DO, but that will not be open to your fiancee with just a PhD. Seriously, dude, assuming you want to be involved in patient care, you didn't make a mistake at all. So embrace and enjoy your success. Grad school will always be there as an option for later if you decide you want it.

 

[IslandStyle808]

The difficult part of getting a MD/DO degree and being physician is all front loaded. The difficult part of getting a PhD and then finding a job is all backloaded. You pretty much cleared a threshold that a lot of students have tried to do and failed. It is so much easier to start from having a medical degree and then doing a PhD than the other way around. Don't chance it by dropping your acceptance and then going to grad school. You may not even be able to get a stable job in this economy if you do graduate and be in a worse position to apply for medical school because you withdrew your acceptance. If you become a physician you will have a much better time finding a job and can pursue a PhD whenever you want, you may even decide rather than that you could just do a research fellowship. Take that acceptance and run to your DO school as fast as you can.

 

[group_theory]

Even with a PhD, it is getting harder to stay in academia. Finding a tenure-track position is difficult, and getting tenure is an extremely arduous and difficult task (with the risk of being fire/terminated if you don't get tenure). And if you decide to pursue a non-tenure track position or become an adjunct faculty, well, there are issues with those positions as well. In industry, it may appear stable but could easily become unstable (ie pharmaceutical companies downsizing or rearranging their priorities due to market condition, sales condition, mergers/acquisitions, etc)

Plus if you are a DO researcher, if you have difficulty with grants, you can still fund your salary with clinical activities. That is one huge advantage that a MD/DO, or MD/PhD have, that the PhDs do not. Something to consider - a lot of people start grad school/PhD with idealistic goals and plans - those quickly changes as you begin to really think about what it takes to get a PhD, what it takes to do original research, what it takes to get funding to continue research (and gain nationwide recognition), run a lab and manage lab personnel, etc.

If you want to pursue research as a clinician (MD/DO), unfortunately medical schools are not good ways to become researchers. You need to find a mentor who can help guide you (this applies while in medical school, residency/fellowship, and even as junior faculty). That is where going through a PhD has its advantage over MD/DO (for research), it is a structured program with mentors to help teach you how to do original research. Medical schools are design to teach you to be clinicians. You will need good mentors to help you with the transition from clinician to researcher.

Something to think about, since being exposed to research as a undergraduate is different than what research really implies as a career.

 

[type12]

The difficult part of getting a MD/DO degree and being physician is all front loaded. The difficult part of getting a PhD and then finding a job is all backloaded. You pretty much cleared a threshold that a lot of students have tried to do and failed. It is so much easier to start from having a medical degree and then doing a PhD than the other way around. Don't chance it by dropping your acceptance and then going to grad school. You may not even be able to get a stable job in this economy if you do graduate and be in a worse position to apply for medical school because you withdrew your acceptance. If you become a physician you will have a much better time finding a job and can pursue a PhD whenever you want, you may even decide rather than that you could just do a research fellowship. Take that acceptance and run to your DO school as fast as you can.

This so many times over. I hope you listen to this guy. There are many doctors who do more research than see patients, especially in academia. You have more options as a DO than as a PhD. You love seeing patients? See them; research? Do it.

 

[GUH]

So I'm in a bit of a mess here...

I've been accepted to a DO school, and I actually start class in three days. While I should be getting more and more excited about starting med school, I've been becoming increasingly apprehensive. I took my acceptance and ran with it, like many on here have suggested, but I still am left feeling like I've made a HUGE mistake.

My fiance is finishing up her undergrad and we have been talking a lot about her going to grad school. It seems like I'm more excited than she is every time we get to talking about it. Whenever I get talking about my research experiences and how great I think grad school would be it gets me thinking that I should have gone that route.

I didn't apply to any combined MD/PhD programs in my first application cycle. I pretty much had myself convinced that I could leave research behind and focus on becoming a physician. I felt like I didn't have any real chances of getting into a combined program, so I just made the decision and picked medicine over grad school. Now, I just really feel like I sold myself short and I'm not going to really enjoy the path that I'm on.

I had a poor undergrad gpa (~3.3) but a fairly respectable MCAT (36). Lots of ECs, though not many that were related to medicine. I also did a lot of research while in school. Research in biochem, chemistry (radiation/radical chem), and mechanical (biotech) engineering. I have one co-authored publication and I have enough to talk about regarding my research that I could write a short novel. It seems that I didn't get much MD love because my background has me more suited for research than anything.

I guess what I really want to know is...what can I do at this point?

I've thought of returning to my ugrad institution to do a second degree (or just take some relevant classes) in biology...or finish the first year at my DO school and try to transfer (which seems to be nearly impossible)...

The situation just really has me down and I don't know what I should do...I know it probably isn't in my best interest to be going into my first year of med school with such a grim outlook.

Don't want to be a DO? Don't spend 250+ grand and four years of your life becoming a DO. If you want a career in research, get your PhD. Getting your DO and then going back to complete a PhD is likely not going to be worth the time, effort, money, and opportunity cost.

 

[smpbound]

So did OP choose DO? he did, didn't he?

 

[gyngyn]

So did OP choose DO? he did, didn't he?

Love the one you're with.

 

[QofQuimica]

So did OP choose DO? he did, didn't he?

We may never know. But hopefully he got over what was probably a case of cold feet and is studying gross anatomy right now.

 

[malick1]

does this do School offers DO/PHD so you can transfer into it ? also, if you want to get a PHD and you ace your USMLE steps, there are a few combined Residency/PHD programs you can aim for once you finish your DO.