A bit torn between service and research...

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Lifeblood_20

Neuro PGY-1
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For the past year I have been serving on the exec board of a non-profit that works directly with a group of underserved members of our community, and it has easily been the most fulfilling experience I've ever had. We are very hands-on and it's just so rewarding to see tangible progress/actual difference made. I can see myself doing this sort of hands-on service as a social worker, or doing action-based research on social policy/advocacy. I also love science and scientific research. I am fascinated all the time by what I learn in my science classes, and I have been working rather productively in a research lab -- a fellowship, an oral presentation, a poster, a paper in the making, and starting an honors thesis project. I am considering applying to MD/PhD programs because I can definitely see myself doing research for a career.

However, if I do decide to go for the MD/PhD and become a physician scientist... I doubt I would have much space in my life to do the kind of service that makes me feel so fulfilled now. On the other hand I wouldn't want to stop pursuing science either.

Does being a doc really fit that well in between science and helping people as we tend to say?
 
Well, let's take a pragmatic approach to this. Suppose you're a practicing physician, at least 50% of your productive time is going to be dedicated to patient care - I don't see any way around that. Suppose you have few other responsibilities - no significant other, no familial obligations, etc... such that the remainder of your time is fully yours. Even under such conditions, you'd be hard-pressed to conduct meaningful fundamental (i.e. benchtop; not statistical) medical and public health research simultaneously. The caveat is that an M.D./PhD can at any time decide to transition into public health research, the opposite by comparison is extremely rare. If you're looking for maximum flexibility M.D./PhD seems to be the way to go. Then there's the matter of opportunity cost and workload. It goes without saying that with an M.D./PhD you'll be committing more years of your life and it's a fairly rigid path - in short you better be sure you love doing research because you're locked into that path for a very long time.

TLDR; if you want maximum post-graduate career flexibility M.D./PhD is the way to go. If you want any semblance of personal agency within the next 6-8 years a regular M.D. is preferable and it certainly carries the possibility of getting involved with public health post-graduation. Personally, I believe M.D./PhD is a waste of time (not unlike other PhDs) unless you're truly passionate about some narrow field of research - you should go in knowing what you want to get out of it; it's not something you should do just because the idea kinda sounds appealing.
 
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