Academic Physician

[snowballz]

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Hey group,

What steps are normally taken to become an academic physician? I have experience in academic medicine...as a patient and volunteer and am interested in this aspect of medicine.

Alicia

 

[Winged Scapula]

There isn't an "academic physician" training program or residency per se.

Those interested in working as a physician at an academic medical center generally are advised to seek their residency training at such an institution and spend some years in the lab, doing research. You'll also find many in administrative positions (ie, department chairs) will also have some additional qualifications, ie, MBA, MPH, PhD, etc.

Obviously community residency programs also have academic physicians who also teach as part of their job requirement and it may not be necessary to do your residency at a university program. However, this is generally the route most suggest.

Hope this helps.

 

[guardian]

Hey Kimberli (always helpful as usual 😀),
I remember reading somewhere that some internal medicine residencies at academic hospitals gear residents for academia or offer the flexibility to do so? I think I'd be interested in clinical/basic science research in endocrinology.

Snowballz,
There were some good threads in the past that were helpful in describing academic medicine and the path for such program. I'll try reviving them from the dead as soon as I get some stuff done 😱.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Originally posted by guardian:
•Hey Kimberli (always helpful as usual 😀),
I remember reading somewhere that some internal medicine residencies at academic hospitals gear residents for academia or offer the flexibility to do so? I think I'd be interested in clinical/basic science research in endocrinology.

•

Sure...I'd venture to say that pretty much any specialty residency done at an academic university based institution has as part of its mission to train academic physicians. And that would include Internists as well. Obviously the same goes for them as well - probably the majority trained at such institutions don't go into academics and there is nothing restricting those who train at community programs from doing so.

 

[droliver]

Proffit,

Having a pHD definately opens doors for you as far as being competative for training programs & as a pedigree for a succesful research-based academic career. My younger brother is in his seventh year of med school after 4 years in the lab getting his PhD @ Southwestern Univ. (TX)in their MD/PhD program with tentative plans on doing Medical Oncology research. I don't think getting non-basic science PhD's impresses people though. Your CV will definately be improved with a PhD when you compete with other people for the most competative positions

 

[guardian]

Originally posted by proffit:
•I am a first year med student and I am considering applying to the phD joint program. How much of an advantage is it to have the phD degree in becoming an academic physicians? Is it only advantageous if one wants to do basic science bench research? Will it dramatically affect my chances of being accepted into a top residency program? Are there certain medical fields where a phD degree is more highly valued in obtaining residencies? How important it is that I do my thesis work in a field highly related to the residency specialty that I choose (which is a concern because the phD degree will be earned before I do my clinical rotations)? Do you know anyone who has recently completed the joint program? If so, what are their opinions? Thanks so much..

B•

That is a good point you brought up about your research correlating with your choice of residency. I was thinking about that too. It would seem silly to do something completely unrelated and unapplicable. But it's tough because we may end up liking a specialty we weren't even considering.
The professor I'm working for does research on cancer molecular biology and apoptosis. But I can't say for a certainty that radiation oncology or medical oncology would be a good match for me.