MPH During Residency

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doctorDoctor.

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Hello everyone.

I'm thinking of pursuing an MPH during residency because I have always been interested in public health and want a more global perspective on my purpose as a doctor. Please don't question my intention or reasons for pursuing an MPH, for I have thought about this for many years, consulted multiple advisors, etc. to make my decision.

Now, I've always been confused: How does the whole "getting an MPH during residency" thing work?

  1. Are most residencies lenient with me just taking a year off at the start or middle of my residency or internship to complete my MPH degree? Do I return after that year?
  2. Does the institution at which I complete my MPH need to be geologically close to my residency hospital? For example, if my residency is in Virginia but I am pursuing an MPH at Columbia in NYC, how exactly does that work?

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I know of one professor of mine who was able to take off 3 years to do a PhD in the UK between her 2nd and 3rd year of her 5 year surgery residency (she won a prestigious fellowship to pursue her PhD). So it's definitely possible to get time off during a residency, but the question is whether your specific one will do it. You will probably want to call the residency programs themselves and ask them about that. You don't have to tell them your name or that you're applying now, but just ask them that question.

You can also do online MPHs. I know that might not be desirable, but if you're doing a full time job (i.e., residency), it might be very helpful. Lots of people do that when they have jobs that they don't want to leave. You'll need to go to campus occasionally for online MPHs, but that's probably something you can work out with your residency program (and I imagine you'd want to do it in your couple of years of residency rather than internship year where you're super busy).

If you want, you can also do a 1 year MPH after residency (if you're a physician, programs will let you do the 1 year rather than 2 year program).
 
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