Some really good responses in this thread already, but I'll give some additional points on a couple of topics raised. For context, my perspective is that of a physician in a hybrid/non-pure clinical role. I still have a clinical practice (GI - clinic/procedures/inpatient consults) but most of my time is in hospital leadership/clinical informatics -- c-level hospital exec role (many layers of reporting under me), as well as a separate team of direct report data scientists (master, phd, md/phd members). I am faculty at a "brand name" medical school and a major tertiary/quaternary academic medical center. I am faculty for two fellowships (GI/clin informatics) and have mentored med/grad students as well as MD trainees (residents/fellows).
1) Value of MD in a career with a small % of clinical practice. I'll burst the bubble on the value of the degree right off the bat. The MD itself, fresh out of medical school, is basically not worth all that much. As a med school graduate, you have an overall mediocre grasp on clinical medicine in terms of patient care. It's through the actual practice of medicine (residency/fellowship/attending practice), that you actually gain expertise in the healthcare system, operational workflow, patient care challenges, areas of need for innovation/scientific discovery in whichever choosen field. Without that perspective, the MD degree does not really bring anything of value to any collaboration, whether it's medtech/industry/consulting/investing. As a medical student, you simply cannot grasp the complexities of all of these areas to offer any real insights. Imagine investing in a company that promises to reduce length of stay for patients using an "AI platform" (I hear this one a lot in my job) but having no real grasp of the challenges of inpatient workflows/admissions etc. Similarly, in medtech, what is the relative value of a young medical graduate vs a seasoned expert in the field? I am a big fan of "hybrid" backgrounds as I firmly believe multiple perspectives to consider a problem helps give the most innovative solutions. Having worked with PhDs, MD/PhDs, MD/MPHs, MD/MBAs, pure MBAs, MHS, and many more alphabet soups, I will tell you that the MD value comes from actual experience practicing medicine, not the degree itself.
2) Doing a lot at the same time. I commend folks who are high achievers and do a lot at the same time. I think the key takeaway is that doing a lot is not an excuse for not doing a good job. People ultimately look at results when determining value. I would recommend doing a lot at the same time only if you're going to be able to pull it off and be successful. We've all worked with trainees who have a lot going on and deprioritize one aspect (for example, the clinical training for MD/PhDs who are sure they will never practice and just live in lab). This overall paints an unfavorable impression of the person. General advice -- if you're going to do something, do a good job at it. Every choice you make, including deprioritizing some things over others, is reflection of your values/thought process. The people you will deal with moving forward in your career are going to be increasingly savvy observers of individuals. They can see through a lot.
Good luck.
