Alternative health science grad programs?

[KarateGirl]

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I'm interested in the medical sciences, but I think I want a program with more flexibility than the M.D.. The obvious alternative is a Ph.D., but I'm not fond of research. Does anyone know any programs where I could learn medical science without having to do intensive research?

 

[boardchic]

I'm interested in the medical sciences, but I think I want a program with more flexibility than the M.D.. The obvious alternative is a Ph.D., but I'm not fond of research. Does anyone know any programs where I could learn medical science without having to do intensive research?

what about public health?

 

[KarateGirl]

what about public health?

I was looking at that, but it seems to be more about public policy than biological science. Or am I mistaken?

 

[boardchic]

I was looking at that, but it seems to be more about public policy than biological science. Or am I mistaken?

I guess it depends on what you want... if you want to study biological sciences, you'll have to go to grad school for biological sciences, but there's more to medicine than just that. Public health can cover a range of fields, from public policy to international health to epidemiology - the study of disease in populations.
What is it that you're looking for?
Also, if you're referring to flexibility of career path, an M.D. does provide a good deal of that... you can be in academics, private practice, research, public policy, etc. In fact, a PhD who I used to work for said that, if she could go back and do it again, she would have gotten an MD, because it would garner more respect, more flexibility, and higher pay, and she could be doing the exact same research.

 

[KarateGirl]

I guess it depends on what you want... if you want to study biological sciences, you'll have to go to grad school for biological sciences, but there's more to medicine than just that. Public health can cover a range of fields, from public policy to international health to epidemiology - the study of disease in populations.
What is it that you're looking for?
Also, if you're referring to flexibility of career path, an M.D. does provide a good deal of that... you can be in academics, private practice, research, public policy, etc. In fact, a PhD who I used to work for said that, if she could go back and do it again, she would have gotten an MD, because it would garner more respect, more flexibility, and higher pay, and she could be doing the exact same research.

I'm not thinking so much of career flexibility, as I know the M.D. probably gives you the most. I was thinking more of flexibility in terms of schooling. My situation is that when I originally decided to study medicine, I didn't have anything else in my life to interfere. Now I do. I am still really interested in medicine as a science, so I'm trying to find an alternative that will give me the opportunity to study it without having to spend my life in a lab. The Masters in Public Health seems to be in the vein of what I want, but so far it looks like a lot of policy and stats, and I'd like to do more science and education. On the flip side, the medical scientist route seems purely research-oriented. So at the moment I feel like I'm in a bit of a quandry. I realize I'll probably have to sacrifice a bit to get what I want, but I'm hoping there's something out there that is a compromise between med school and pure research science.