Cambridge combined (MB, PhD) program

[Dr.Millisevert]

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MB/PhD (Cambridge) Anyone applying? 🙂

 

[MNIkid87]

Looks pretty cool, so I am most probably applying there next year. I wonder whether it's funded though, can't find anything about it on the website. If not it might get kind of nasty expensive for non non-EUs

 

[DeadCactus]

Wow. Definately worth concidering. Only real draw back would be (as already stated) cost and potential for problems with getting into a US residency if you still wished to practice here.

Heh, should post it in the pre-allo and see how many say "No way! I want an M.D.!"

 

[MNIkid87]

Yeah, the pre-allo board probably wouldn't be able to appreciate the program 'So, since it is not an MD, isn't it even better to go Caribbean?'

Concerning residencies: I wonder whether the fact that it is pretty much equivalent to an MD-PhD makes up for the fact that it is not a US program. Also, Cambridge has quite a decent reputation...

 

[DeadCactus]

Yea, I would assume that the prestige of the school and the PhD along with it would help more than hurt. It probably depends alot on Step I and II scores though...

I wish I could find information about funding. If it's like what I recall readign about the PhD programs, then EU students have access to public funds, but Americans are stuck hoping to be awarded funding from University, college, and private sources.

 

[MNIkid87]

Well, my best guess is that there is funding for us EU students for med school and grad school, while American students are pretty much out for themselves (as you said having to hope for Uni, college or private sources and maybe only getting money for the PhD portion of the program).

But it might even vary from PhD to PhD because when I explored cam's website further I found that some PhD programs are funded while others (e.g. stem cell bio) don't seem to be funded at all

 

[DeadCactus]

Hmm. Looking through the pre-reqs and such, it seems questionable if you a student having met only the US Med School pre-reqs would meet thier pre-reqs...

 

[MNIkid87]

can you maybe post the links to the prereqs? Because I am either very blind or very slow and just can't find them

 

[DeadCactus]

http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/admission requirements.html

Under "Standard Clinical Course".

From the sounds of it (and matching up with my recollection of how their system works), it sounds like the system over there is set up to have a six year medical school, with the first three being a program in the basic sciences and the final three being clinical practice. It sounds like this MB/PhD program is for the second half of those six-years and the PhD, and not a start from scratch (with the exception of a few pre-reqs) like we have in the US...

 

[MNIkid87]

oh, I see, looks rather like a program for people who are already enrolled in a UK medical school and now decided they wanna go into academic medicine or so ... that's a pity

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

Yeah, the pre-allo board probably wouldn't be able to appreciate the program 'So, since it is not an MD, isn't it even better to go Caribbean?'

Concerning residencies: I wonder whether the fact that it is pretty much equivalent to an MD-PhD makes up for the fact that it is not a US program. Also, Cambridge has quite a decent reputation...

It is more than "pretty much equivalent"... the (MB, MBBS, MBBChir, MBChB, etc) degrees are 100% equivalent to the US MD degrees.

Waay cooler even. What would you rather have.. MBBChir from Cambridge or MD from "X" state medical school?

I would have assumed the answer was pretty clear. 🙂


The only people who don't realise that a Bachelor of Medicine from Cambridge is equal to or better than the majority of the US Doctor of Medicine programs are pre-meds and lay people.

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

oh, I see, looks rather like a program for people who are already enrolled in a UK medical school and now decided they wanna go into academic medicine or so ... that's a pity

Its not.. their graduate entry medical course is 4 year program and would be no different than attending any US 4 year program.

Their MB/PhD program is a "graduate entry" course ....(meaning only for those who already have a "BSc" or "BA degree + premed").


At Cambridge you have 3 options:

Traditional 6-year medical program for those out of HS at Cambridge

4-year Graduate entry med program for those who have a prior bachelors degree (ie. No diff to any US 4 year MD program)

And finally this is the MB/PhD 6-7 years long (no diff to any 6-7 year MD/PhD program) for those who already have prior bachelors

🙂 Hope that helps.

Here is another example of an med/phd program in Australia for comparison (also requires applicants with prior bachelors degrees and is no diff to any US MD/PhD program 👍

 

[MNIkid87]

I wrote 'pretty much equivalent' because I didn't want anybody yelling at me like 'It's not an MD, its an MBBChir you *****!' - I know that doesn't happen here but I guess it's just a bad case of conditioning from the pre-allo board 😛
And of course I'd rather have that degree from Cambridge than the MDPhD from a state school - that way I could visit my friends at home a bit more often 🙂 (well..and the reputation).

DeadCactus and I just got thrown off by this page http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/admission requirements.html
because we thought those are the course requirements you have to have BEFORE enrolling in such a program, which would be quite a lot eh.

Thanks for the info and clarifying though, Dr. Millisevert, it's greatly appreciated 🙂

 

[DeadCactus]

So what does MBBChir stand for? I keep taking the Chir as Chiropractry which seems strange...

Edit: I should learn to Google.

Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery)

 

[Jorje286]

It stands for "chirurgery."

Anyone knows other international MD/PhD programs? (outside Canada and the US).

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

DeadCactus and I just got thrown off by this page http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/admission requirements.html
because we thought those are the course requirements you have to have BEFORE enrolling in such a program, which would be quite a lot eh.

Thanks for the info and clarifying though, Dr. Millisevert, it's greatly appreciated 🙂

The link says the following are required.

By the time of admission students must have:

completed three years of pre-clinical study in medically-related subjects;
obtained an honours degree/intercalated BSc;

Basicaly it means you must have completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or at least some bachelors degree including relevant pre-med coursework.. that's all.

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

It stands for "chirurgery."

Anyone knows other international MD/PhD programs? (outside Canada and the US).

Yep. its latin for surgery. 🙂

Did you check the link for the Med/PhD program at Flinders in Australia?

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

Example of MBBChir (Cambridge), PhD (London) who works in the US.

 

[Jorje286]

Yep. its latin for surgery. 🙂

Did you check the link for the Med/PhD program at Flinders in Australia?

Yep. Thanks. Just wondering if there are other programs.

 

[MNIkid87]

thanks again Dr. Millisevert for all the info 🙂

Concerning international programs, there is also this one http://www.med.nus.edu.sg/mbbsphd/ at National University Singapore.

I at first found a few in Germany too (e.g. at the Charite in Berlin), but after further examination of the pro0gram structure it's pretty much just a shorter PhD, as you are required to have obtained your MD before enrolling in the program

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

thanks again Dr. Millisevert for all the info 🙂

Concerning international programs, there is also this one http://www.med.nus.edu.sg/mbbsphd/ at National University Singapore.

No problem.

Don't forget about the Duke-Singpore MD/PhD program too.