Any MDs who are also thinking about getting an MPH too?

[pastanoodles]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering if there is anyone here who have also considered getting a Masters in Public Health in addition to their MD degree. What are your reasons for wanting to do an MPH on top of your MD degree? And when do people normally take courses for getting an MPH?

I am considering the possibility of getting an MPH in addition to an MD degree, but since I am relatively new to the idea, I would like to know what the more knowledgeable folks here have to say about it.

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[pastanoodles]

I've read through the mph forum. Someone else asked a similar question in that forum and it went unanswered. I thought I'd ask it here, since I wanted to know whether there were any MD students who were thinking about supplementing their MD degree with an MPH degree as well.

Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll read through the mph forum again to see if I missed anything.

 

[lilmo]

i'm also contemplating the dual md/mph. i've heard its good for people wanting to go into rural medicine b/c you can also take on the role of county health professional (or whatever it's called.) i think a mph would also be beneficial to those looking to work with under-served populations.

beyond that, i think you have the option of taking classes before your M1 year, between M2/M3, or before residency.

as an added bonus, most schools i looked into will pay for your mph if you are in the md program.

i'd love to do my mph somewhere abroad. anyone know of someone who has done this?

 

[guarana]

i'm interested in this too, right now doing a mph b/w year 3 &4 sounds nice but i really haven't done much investigation or research, just daydreaming....

anyone else out there know much about getting an mph during residency? or taking a leave from a md prorgam to do a one year program?

i've heard of people doing mph abroad at the london school of health/tropical medicine, but i'm not sure if this was before or after getting an md. it is supposed to be one of THE places to study, and i'm sure living in london isn't half bad either. (downside = expensive!)

i'm also contemplating the dual md/mph. i've heard its good for people wanting to go into rural medicine b/c you can also take on the role of county health professional (or whatever it's called.) i think a mph would also be beneficial to those looking to work with under-served populations.

beyond that, i think you have the option of taking classes before your M1 year, between M2/M3, or before residency.

as an added bonus, most schools i looked into will pay for your mph if you are in the md program.

i'd love to do my mph somewhere abroad. anyone know of someone who has done this?

 

[lilmo]

sounds perfect to me. bridget jones has always been one of my fave movies if you find out anymore about this program, let me know!

 

[LSUwannabe]

Hey all...

I've applied to the dual program at LSU. They offer a companion program which can be completed during the 4 yrs of medical school.

Before this year, tuition was waived for the MPH completely!!! It's not very expensive, though so I'll survive.
Anyway, why am I enrolling and adding to what'll likely be a busy schedule?

My friends who have finished medical school invariably admit they received little instruction on sociological/financial aspects of the practice of medicine.

Here's a list of some of the MPH courses offered in their program:
Design of Experiments (3)
Occupational Health & Medicine (3)
Preventive Medicine (3)
Behavioral Science Theories for Public Health Practice(3)
Health Care Accounting (3)
Health Care Economics (3)
Health Care Financial Management (3)
Health Care marketing (3)
Health Care Strategic Management (3)
Health Care Policy (3)
Health Law and Ethics (3)

There are many other courses but this is a decent representation...and I think I'd find many intriguing/informative.
At the very least I believe the MPH will a) prepare me to maximize the quality of my practice/maximize earning potential and b) expand my ability to make a difference/be a more effective manager.
I feel people in our position are often ostracized for even mentioning money but it should be a concern given the amount of debt many of us will compile. Besides, I want to be as efficient as I can in my earnings to allow for as normal a life as possible outside of medicine.

If your school doesn't offer a concurrent program you can likely find one as a resident...good luck all.

 

[blueberry]

I'm in a similar situation as guarana. I"m interested in public health just from going to conferences, sort of worked with underserved population for a while, and am now an MSI. So I guess I have some experience but definitely not very substantial. I've heard you need a lot of work experience to apply to MPH, is that true? Should I try to seek out more public health opportunities then? either research or in terms of policy advocate??

Any advice is appreciated. thanks.

 

[guarana]

I'm in a similar situation as guarana. I"m interested in public health just from going to conferences, sort of worked with underserved population for a while, and am now an MSI. So I guess I have some experience but definitely not very substantial. I've heard you need a lot of work experience to apply to MPH, is that true? Should I try to seek out more public health opportunities then? either research or in terms of policy advocate??

Any advice is appreciated. thanks.

blue-
i might be wrong--but it seems from my scanning the mph forum posts and schools' websites, and also talking to others that medschool may in itself count as some experience. at least that's what i'm banking on, b/c all of my 'experience' prior to medical school involved pipetting and autoclaving (ie i had no public health experience).

however now in school, i have had opportunities to explore public health further and am excited about learning more.

summer b/w MSI and II is a good time to check things out, btw. i spent my summer in an underserved clinic and it was great. also, check out amsa's stuff...they have alot of summer institutes to learn more about policy, etc.

 

[Blade28]

There are a couple of residencies that require 2+ years of research, and will accept an MPH instead of bench research. If I match at one of those programs, I'll go for the MPH instead (more interesting to me).

 

[sparky5]

I was also in the same boat so I asked two people I know who have dual degrees one at CDC who did a EM residency then decided she wanted more epi/mph style work and one who was a MD/PhD/MPH who worked in my lab. They both said the same thing:

*There are lots of programs & fellowships out there that will pay for you to get an MPH. My cousin who is at CDC was hired as a MD then CDC (or some fellowship not sure which) paid for her to get an MPH. They both said that it is a bit of work to tack ontop of an MD, and you don't really need it right away in most cases.
*They also said that unless you know how you are going to apply the MPH it is hard to get much out of the program. Without a direction you may not get the training that you ultimatly need.
*If you go back and get it, it can be sort of a 1 yr vacation while you get it, and you relax since the work isn't that bad if you do it full time.

with that I decided to just concentrate on the MD for now and maybe later if there is the need to go back for the MD. Just my .02 from 2 people who I trust, but I am sure there are people who totally disagree...


one more thing here ant NYMC if you are an MD or a MD to be you are accepted into the MPH, I can't imagine that you would need THAT much experiance outside of the MD track to qualify for most MPH programs, granted some are extremely competitive I am sure, but I bet most would take a MD or MD to be.

 

[AlaskaGirl]

I plan on getting an MPH along with my MD as well. The nice thing about the U of M is that between years two and three I will take an "extra" year to go through all my MPH work. Then I come back that fall to start my rotations. I guess a downfall is that it takes 5 years for me to graduate, but in the end I think it will be worth it. I want to go in to rural medicine and feel that the MPH, with an emphasis on community health education, will benefit me greatly in a small community. As a physician, I would like to use my MPH to develop education programming for the community either through the schools or independently, especially in regards to issues surrounding drug abuse and alcoholism, which are prevalent where I come from. I guess the issues just hit home for me, so in a way, it is how I want to "give back" to my community and the MPH is just a way of allowing me to do that more easily.

 

[OmahaMX80]

Hey... like most of you posting here, I am also considering an MPH. I worked for a few months in a public health oriented non-profit organization focusing on maternal and child health, so I feel like I got a pretty good taste of public health.

Unfortunately, my school doesn't offer a combined degree. What are people's thoughts about transferring to another school which does offer this combined program? Does anyone know how residencies view M.D.'s who did their training at two separate medical schools? As always, thanks for your insights and thoughts on this.

 

[eag]

You don't have to transfer into a combined MD/MPH program. If there isn't an MPH program at your school, you would have to take a year or more off (usually after your 2nd year) and complete the MPH degree at a school of your choice. You should be able to work that out with your school.

Hey... like most of you posting here, I am also considering an MPH. I worked for a few months in a public health oriented non-profit organization focusing on maternal and child health, so I feel like I got a pretty good taste of public health.

Unfortunately, my school doesn't offer a combined degree. What are people's thoughts about transferring to another school which does offer this combined program? Does anyone know how residencies view M.D.'s who did their training at two separate medical schools? As always, thanks for your insights and thoughts on this.