Do I really want an MPH?

[doctorsareneat]

Hi everyone!

For a while now I've been thinking about getting my MD/MPH. I was thinking about going into preventive medicine, but now I'm not so sure. I know I'm probably going to flip flop about specialties, but how else would an MPH help me outside of preventive medicine?

What do you guys think?

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[DrMom]

Depends on what area you choose as your emphasis. My MPH is in administration and policy...it was basically a cross between an MPH and MBA & I can certainly find ways to use it in any specialty.

That said, if you end up going into preventive medicine, you can find residencies that let you earn an MPH with your residency. There's no reason that you have to do it now.

 

[braluk]

Is it worth the extra time if you plan to go into a speciality like surgery or something like it? It can be done during my tenure in medical school and might be helpful for practice in the future. Thoughts?

 

[Chuckwalla]

Don't worry about it now. I am going to guess you are still pre-med. You will have time in med school to see what you like and if you really want to do that.

 

[braluk]

graduate student taking medical school classes but accepted into med school so just weighing my options to see if its worth it. I guess ill figure it out once things start up

 

[DrMom]

I'd recommend that you get into the swing of things during first year before you decide if you're going to do an MPH or any other degree concurrently with medical school.

You can always do an MPH after you're done. A number of my MPH classmates were practicing physicians.

 

[doctorsareneat]

A number of my MPH classmates were practicing physicians.

That's actually what I'm afraid of. I don't want to be a practicing physician and have to go back to class. I'm pretty sure I'd regret it if I didn't do it now.

I'm also kind of looking forward to a year of more relaxed study than med school. But then that's 5 years instead of 4 and a lot more money. Humph. I just dont know.

 

[nebbione]

I'd recommend that you get into the swing of things during first year before you decide if you're going to do an MPH or any other degree concurrently with medical school.

You can always do an MPH after you're done. A number of my MPH classmates were practicing physicians.

DrMom - are you really a mother? Interesting photo.

Are you steering your toddlers towards medicine yet, letting them tag along at malpractice reform conferences and such?

 

[DrMom]

yes, I'm a mom of a middle school aged child.

 

[trixmd]

I'm back in school for an MPH as part of Prev Med training after practicing for a while and I love it. There are a number of med students in my classes, as well as fellows straight out from residency, and fellows who'd practiced for a while, other types of clinicians as as well as non-clinicians. First, the MPH and my salary are paid for by someone else, since it's part of the residency program. Secondly, having practiced in real life gives me a different perspective on the subject material. For instance, I've actually experienced capitation and the different ways to pressure doctors and their support staff, or where an MRI fits in care of non-operative knee pain, or how to arrange care for outpatients who don't have insurance. I've also been practicing long enough to discern between what classes are good for me professionally (bio and epi) and what classes I find interesting to me personally (environmental engineering and nutrition), and which really are more important (the latter, rather than the former.)

Having said that, taking classes in Epi and Biostat are good for people who want to do research some day in any clinical specialty. If you take them before med school, you may find that not using those skills allow them to dissipate over 2/3/4 years. It's also hard to find interesting masters project if you don't have a lot of experience.

I think it depends on why you want the MPH.

Trix