Would being an MD/MPH help in terms of matching in a competitve randonc program?

[forsparta]

Hey,

I have been accepted to a few medical schools, a few of which have 4 year MD/MPH programs at no cost and no extra time.

I am currently interested in Rad/onc and want to pursue a career in it. I know that people change what they want to do, and I am open for ti. I was wondering though, would it be a benefit to have a MPH alongside a MD when I apply for residency?

I assume it will not make up for a weak aspect of my application, but will it make me more competitive for the harder to get programs? Will tehre be any benefit?

Thanks,
Mike

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[DrVanNostran]

Hey,

I have been accepted to a few medical schools, a few of which have 4 year MD/MPH programs at no cost and no extra time.

I am currently interested in Rad/onc and want to pursue a career in it. I know that people change what they want to do, and I am open for ti. I was wondering though, would it be a benefit to have a MPH alongside a MD when I apply for residency?

I assume it will not make up for a weak aspect of my application, but will it make me more competitive for the harder to get programs? Will tehre be any benefit?

Thanks,
Mike

I would suggest go to the best medical school you can that has a good radonc department. 3 years of research and good rotation at your home place will set you up nicely to get a few pubs, posters, and 1-2 letters. MPH is just a nice addon.

 

[JumpingFrenchmn]

Hey,

I have been accepted to a few medical schools, a few of which have 4 year MD/MPH programs at no cost and no extra time.

I am currently interested in Rad/onc and want to pursue a career in it. I know that people change what they want to do, and I am open for ti. I was wondering though, would it be a benefit to have a MPH alongside a MD when I apply for residency?

I assume it will not make up for a weak aspect of my application, but will it make me more competitive for the harder to get programs? Will tehre be any benefit?

Thanks,
Mike

Just my opinion, but I think you should go to the best medical school you get into where you will get the best education and also be the happiest (because of location, friends etc.). More important than an MPH will be how well you perform and how well you utilitize the resources of your school.

While it's great you have an early interest the field, it's somewhat premature I think to allow a potential specialty to influence your choice of medical school, but this is just my opinion and others may disagree with me. I thought I wanted to be a pediatric surgeon when I got to med school. I really don't think one can truly know what area to go into until the clerkship year. You may step into an OR and love it (or hate it, as was my experience). You might find you really love working with kids, and frankly, rad onc probably isn't the greatest fit if that's what you want. Picking a medical specialty is hard. For this field, you have to have some real experience working with cancer patients to know what it's all about. Something that seems to not be discussed often on this board is the emotional toll of caring for dying cancer patients. While it may not be as intense as med onc, as a rad onc you will have to tell someday a patient with a GBM that despite a "successful" surgery, radiation is probably not going to cure them. It's not easy and not everyone's cup of tea.

So my advice is to work hard, do well, and keep an open mind.