Is MD/PhD actually the right route for me?

[Mel Belle]

I’m questioning whether I’m going the right route for what I want to do with my life. It’s not like I dislike what I’m doing right now as an undergrad biochem major (physics and psych minors) or anything... I love it. I’m just starting to feel like biomedical engineering or biophysics might be something I want to do. So not only does that make me question my course load, it also makes me question if I should apply MD/PhD.

I’m just not sure what to do and I feel like I’m wasting time and money by not knowing. Should I take engineering classes? Then I will be in undergrad for even longer than I planned (I planned for 5 years for a gap year/makeup from being sick year). But at least I will have what I need under my belt... Right?

For so long I felt like I was certain I knew what I wanted to do. Now I’m not sure at all. I know this is perfectly common. I was just wondering if anyone had some advice for me. So far my stats seem competitive enough for MD/PhD, so that's not my main concern.

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[okemba]

Hi!

It seems like we're in the same boat (not knowing whether MD/PhD is a good idea for us). If you're interested in learning more about biomedical engineering, I would recommend *not* taking engineering classes (as a physics minor, you will probably find most engineering classes to be analytically childish), and rather looking through the BME faculty at schools you're interested in and at what research they're doing (and whether it fascinates you). I don't know anything about biophysics.

Why do you want to do MD/PhD? (real reasons, not the essay prompt. lol)

 

[Mel Belle]

Why do you want to do MD/PhD? (real reasons, not the essay prompt. lol)

I want to do research. While I know you can do that with just an MD or a PhD alone, I like the approach that MD/PhD provides. It's a brilliant antagonism between the MD side being expected to know everything for exams/practice and the PhD side "not knowing" and thus having a reason to do research. You learn to see through a unique perspective of both a clinician and a basic scientist, not putting one necessarily over the other. More importantly, I like the applicability of this translational kind of research. I love research, but I want what I do to have a direct application (or at least be in the direction of one) or else I don't think I would hold my interest. That's why I'm wondering about biomedical engineering as an option, actually. Because obviously engineering is about applicability. Yet I question if I would be happy as just an engineer.

I'm also very interested in cross-disciplinary research. I like to put things together to create something new and useful. I think that also covers the fact that I love biology, chemistry, and physics so much, each in their own right, that I question if I could truly abandon any of those disciplines.

I mean, I'm sure I'd get something out of engineering classes if I were to take them, I'm just wondering if it's a good idea. Of course I will be talking to the physics department head at my college about the subject when I get the chance, I just thought I'd peruse SDN for some ideas.

If you're interested in learning more about biomedical engineering, I would recommend *not* taking engineering classes (as a physics minor, you will probably find most engineering classes to be analytically childish), and rather looking through the BME faculty at schools you're interested in and at what research they're doing (and whether it fascinates you).

I'm not sure that those classes being "analytically childish", as you say, is all that relevant. They would teach me useful skills and ways of thinking I might otherwise not have, I would think. But then again, what do I know, I've never taken engineering classes.

 

[okemba]

I mean, I'm sure I'd get something out of engineering classes if I were to take them, I'm just wondering if it's a good idea.

I guess it can't hurt. So you're a biochem major minoring in physics and psych. If you're interested in bme classes, maybe try... fluids, heat/mass transfer, biomaterials, control theory...? These would be good core engineering classes for a science-y person like yourself.

When I think of clinically relevant ways to combine passions for biology, chemistry, and physics into one, what I think of in BME are... computational biology, biomaterials/tissue engineering, medical imaging. You could maybe also try looking into work being done with microfluidics. Its a bit purer, but there are potential future applications to things like adoptive cell transfer therapy.

If you're interested in actually building new devices, then maybe branch out into ME/ECE to see what medically-relevant things people there are doing.

They would teach me useful skills and ways of thinking I might otherwise not have, I would think. But then again, what do I know, I've never taken engineering classes.

Lol. Probably. I've just had bad luck with engineering classes.

Yet I question if I would be happy as just an engineer.

Meaning?