How do residency program directors view MSTP drop-out ?

[the_burned_steak]

When I started the MSTP a couple years ago, I was a competitive person who was full of ambitions and ideals to change the world. The first 2 years of med school went well for me without breaking a sweat. Then after Step 1, I got into a tricky situation where I couldn't go back to either of my 2 summer rotation labs. I ended up joining a lab that I weren't 100% happy with for a variety of reasons. I knew finding a good fit was important, but I didn't want to do another rotation and there were certain advantageous aspects about this lab that I liked. Soon afterward, I started a project that was not my lab's expertise. I was well aware this was an unwise thing to do, but I was too enthusiastic with the idea to ignore it. The PI was supportive, but there was not so much she could do to guide me if it wasn't her expertise in the first place. Needless to say, I spent my first year struggling to establish several techniques. The situation was worsened by some bull****s happening every day in the lab. There were many times I thought about changing lab, but there weren't many good labs at this small school anyway and there was no guarantee a new lab would be better than this one. At that point, I also thought about dropping out, but then I talked myself out of it. I'm now in the second year of PhD. Things have got a little bit better but I still struggle every day and I've become burned out very much because of it. At this point, I'm pretty sure I just want to become a full-time clinician with a nice salary and a normal happy life. In the past few weeks, I've been seriously thinking about dropping out at the end of this school year and return to med school next summer (because it's too late to return now). The biggest fear I'm having is, at some point in the future, I may regret this decision. I've never been a quitter before in my life, let a lone the MD/PhD dream is still burning strong deep down in my heart. Giving up now instead of just biting the bullet for another 2 years to finish the PhD seems to be something a fighter should do. Also, the stigma associated with dropping out and having to take on student loans on top of my other bank loans are just scary thoughts. On the other hand, I don't know whether it's worth 2 more years suffering with this PhD training when I know for sure I just want to become a full-time clinician.

As I'm still debating to reach a final decision, there is another question I hope the senior members of this board can help me answer: how will residency program directors view this ? The way I see it, a lot of medical students take 1 year off to do research, and I just happen to take 2. However, those medical students can easily make an argument that they want to integrate academic research into their physician career, whereas my situation is completely different and quite the opposite. How will I spin this during my residency interview if I choose to drop out ? Thanks a lot !

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[SurfingDoctor]

Well, I would suggest do you think long and hard about it, especially considering the statement you made about things getting a little bit better and still having a strong desire to be a MD/PhD. Is there no one else at your institute that could help you with your project, other members of your thesis committee? Additionally, since you are only 1 year into the project, can you change it around to something that is more feasible and something you enjoy more, after all you are still in the early stages? I think there is a perception that research is just coming up with an idea, having that idea work out simply and in a straight-forward manner and getting tons of results that create a slamdunk publication. However, the reality couldn't be further from the truth. There are a lot of failed experiments, failed hypothesis, dead-ends, technical hurdles. Overcoming these and troubleshooting these issues is part of the fun (well at least for me) and makes the end result all that more rewarding. Anyway, I would try to think about how you really see yourself in 10 years and where you want your career to go. If you just what to be a private practice physician and just see patients, then yes the PhD is unlikely to be worth the time (knowing that a "nice salary" does not necessarily equal a "happy life".) If you want something more, then I would suggest pivot your project and stick with it.

To answer you question though, I don't think it will impact your residency greatly, but it will have some impact. I don't know what field you are going into but many top programs like (besides high Step scores) MD/PhD or MD + another degree because it shows hard work, passion and interests outside of just seeing patients. So there maybe certain programs within your field that aren't as easily reachable anymore, but that doesn't mean you still can't go to a good residency program or practice in the field of your choosing. At the end of the day, residencies are designed to teach to clinical experiences and graduate clinicians, not scientists. When you apply, you should be honest if asked about why you did 2 years of research but turn it into a positive, for instance, while you enjoyed the science aspect, the patient care was really your passion and you wanted to continue on that journey as soon as possible.

But after saying all this, just make sure you think hard about the decision and where you really want to end up again knowing that money doesn't equal happiness.

 

[Neuronix]

How will I spin this during my residency interview if I choose to drop out ? Thanks a lot !

It's simple: you started as MD/PhD, decided you didn't want to do bench research, and dropped the PhD. You'd then be focused on patient care. As long as your MD credentials are up to speed for your specialty (class rank and step scores mostly), you'll be lumped in and competing with the rest of your MD-only counterparts. There's not going to be stigma against you except for specific programs that are looking to train scientists, which are uncommon and aren't going to be what you're applying for.