Advice please :)

[lachat_noire]

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LCN

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[lachat_noire]

.

 

[Heal&Teach]

LCN - just responded. 🙂

 

[julie29524]

Hi

I am currently a MPH student, and starting Med school in 07.

I would call the Dean of Admissions at the med school and ask for his advice if you are accepted. They can give you a lot of information concerning deferment, finance and various other issues.

If I were you, I would do Med school first. Your twenties are the best years for memorization, so I really want to finish Med School before 30. Also, I feel too young at my public health school, the average age at my school is 35. I also think you'll get more out of public health once you have an advanced degree such as M.D, knowledge and experience wise ( if you actually saw the problems and issues in today's healthcare during rotations, preceptorships and residency, you'll understand and learn more to find the solutions ).

I am currently a 2007 allopathic med school applicant who is interested in a future career in preventative medicine (general public health) or PM-peds. I have been accepted into UNC-Chapel Hill's MPH in Public Nutrition/RD program for the Fall 2006 semester. This program is a full two-year committment (including summers, which are devoted to internships); thus, I would defer med school matriculation (if I'm accepted) to 2008. I don't know if it would be more prudent to commence with/attain the MPH now or wait until med school or residency.

The benefits to completing the two year program are that I'll have more exposure to research, more electives, and not be as rushed to complete the degree. Another plus is that I will pay in-state tuition, as an out-of-state student, for an excellent program thanks to the Academic Common Market. The downside to opting for the two year program is that I will have to defer med school for another year. I am slightly non-traditional (25 years old, currently working in the research sector) and am anxious to start med school (this year off--now that I know what I want to do--will kill me, lol at the histrionics). Even though I will pay in-state tuition, I will still have to take out/pay back loans (I have a combined Stafford subsidized/unsubsidized of ~20K per year) and wonder if it wouldn't be more financially sound to apply to combined MD-MPH programs in order to save some money. (I know Emory sets aside money each year for use by MD-MPH students; in some years, the amount of money is sufficient to pay for 100% of the MPH cost.) Furthermore, this evening, I spoke with a resident (who has a combined degree) in a local Emergency Department where I volunteer about either completing the MPH prior to, during, or after med school. She recommends attaining the MPH during or after med school because the program content and focus are different from a free standing (two year) MPH. She thinks this will better prepare me for practice as an MD. However, I take this with a grain of salt because she is an Emergency Department resident and not a preventative medicine or preventative med-peds resident.

My attainment of an MPH is not to "make up for a bad undergrad record." I am comfortable with myself as an applicant and don't feel like the MPH will make or break me as a med school candidate. I want to complete the MPH because I am passionate about public health. (As a side note, I will have to complete an MPH for the preventative medicine residency, if this has any bearing on your opinion.)

There are not many MD-MPH's in the state in which I live and definitely not many in PM so I don't really have anybody to turn to for advice.

Thanks so much for reading this (novel-sized) message! Any and all replies are welcome!!

LCN

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