Accepted to UCSF Biomedical Imaging MS Program: Opinions?

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MDforMee

Sweet Cheeks
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I'm seeking advice from this forum because I was recently accepted to a masters program in Biomedical Imaging at UC San Francisco.

Since I'm a premedical student, I don't have the Radiology background that all of you do, and I'm curious about your opinions on this program.

I am very committed to attending this program, and will be doing it during my glide year before medical school starts, but honestly, I'm kind of in the dark about a few things.

If you guys wouldn't mind, see my main questions at the bottom of this post, and/or peruse the UCSF Biomedical Imaging website, courses, faculty, etc, and let me know your opinions.

I don't have anyone else to ask about this, since I'm out of touch with Radiologists I've worked with or known, and medical school/professional school advisers don't have the science backgrounds they'd need to answer my questions.

Here's the website:
http://www.radiology.ucsf.edu/education/graduate-programs/mbi-program

Here's the program description:
"The Masters of Science in Biomedical Imaging (MSBI) program is intended for students with Bachelors degrees, advanced pre-doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, researchers and faculty members who wish to master biomedical imaging and research methods to enhance their research designs and broaden their investigative projects. The course can be completed in one year of full time study or two years of part time study.

Course work includes instruction in core theory drawn from imaging physics, engineering and mathematics, linked to physiology and disease processes, providing a foundation in interdisciplinary scholarship. In addition to introduction to the fundamentals underlying image formation, hands-on laboratory courses with experiments relevant for characterizing pathologies, monitoring response to therapy and assessing the underlying mechanisms and etiologies, will be introduced."

Here are the courses:
"Core Courses:

Principles of MR Imaging
Physical Principles of CT, PET & SPECT Imaging
Imaging Probes for Nuclear and Optical Imaging
Principles of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Ultrasound
Image Processing and Analysis
Imaging Study Design
Imaging Laboratory

Electives:

MR Pulse Sequences
Cancer Imaging
Advanced Neurological Imaging
Vascular Imaging
Musculoskeletal Imaging
Abdominal Imaging
Supervised Research"

Main Questions:
1. Would this program help me match into a residency in Radiology? I might be going DO, and frankly, I'm somewhat concerned about not having a prestigious alma mater or the MD title.

2. Do you think that the type of experience I'd get in this program might translate into another specialty if I choose not to specialize in Radiology?

Thanks for reading.
 
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I don't know much about the program, but I've worked with Dr. Saloner (and, to a lesser extent, Dr. Martin) before. He is a good person to work with, and it looks as if this will be a good experience if you are interested in radiology as a career.
 
I feel the program could be beneficial, though certainly not a deal maker- your performance in medical school will have a greater impact on residency desirability (and a med school with a good rep can make a difference but I feel your performance is key).

As far as knowledge "transfer-ability", I am sure you will pick up on some principles and imaging interpretation skills that will benefit you in any field of medicine, but without an understanding of the pathophysiology you pick up in med school I am not sure you will be able to put much into context from the physician's perspective.

All in all, I think it is a great way to spend your extra year and will boslter a med school app, and perhaps a residency app. The great aspect of this program will be the connections you make at a world class program- the radiology community is relatively small and tight-knit, so connections can be key.
 
Can any radiologist please shed some light on this program. I am applying to this program but not able to gather much information regarding the job prospects. I searched over the internet about biomedical imaging and related jobs but i think opinions from the people doctors in the field will definitely be much more reliable.
I am applying this program as a back up plan if the things don't go as i expect. So could anyone please tell me about the job prospects and salary, solely with this masters degree and the kind of job should I expect immediately after the program finishes.
 
Can any radiologist please shed some light on this program. I am applying to this program but not able to gather much information regarding the job prospects. I searched over the internet about biomedical imaging and related jobs but i think opinions from the people doctors in the field will definitely be much more reliable.
I am applying this program as a back up plan if the things don't go as i expect. So could anyone please tell me about the job prospects and salary, solely with this masters degree and the kind of job should I expect immediately after the program finishes.

I am a radiologist and I have a PhD in biomedical engineering. I did an MD/PhD program, but when considering graduate schools I interviewed for a PhD spot in the UCSF/UCB combined BME program. Although I ended up taking a different route, I think it is an excellent program and would be a nice place to spend some time. I think you can probably learn a lot, gain some marketable skills, and possibly segue into medical school.

I think the education and research opportunities would be quite good there. If you ended up not going to medical school, I think there are a lot of potential jobs available both in academia and in industry. A variety of companies are interested in hiring engineers with these kinds of skills, and depending on what kind of lab work you do while there your PI may even be able to introduce you to people at a company where you would eventually work.

Will this help you get into medical school/radiology? Perhaps. It definitely would be a unique characteristic, but you will need to have good grades/step scores, and it's always good to come from the best medical school available to you.

All in all, I think it's not a bad option.
 
I am a radiologist and I have a PhD in biomedical engineering. I did an MD/PhD program, but when considering graduate schools I interviewed for a PhD spot in the UCSF/UCB combined BME program. Although I ended up taking a different route, I think it is an excellent program and would be a nice place to spend some time. I think you can probably learn a lot, gain some marketable skills, and possibly segue into medical school.

I think the education and research opportunities would be quite good there. If you ended up not going to medical school, I think there are a lot of potential jobs available both in academia and in industry. A variety of companies are interested in hiring engineers with these kinds of skills, and depending on what kind of lab work you do while there your PI may even be able to introduce you to people at a company where you would eventually work.

Will this help you get into medical school/radiology? Perhaps. It definitely would be a unique characteristic, but you will need to have good grades/step scores, and it's always good to come from the best medical school available to you.

All in all, I think it's not a bad option.

Thanks a lot 🙂
 
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