career development

[huknows00]

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I was just wondering what kind of jobs M.D/Ph.D graduates get after their training, after residency and fellowship and all that. Are there special positions tailored for physician scientists or do you basically have to work it out with your employer?

I guess I mean to ask is that who decides how much time you spend on clinical duties and how much time you spend on research. Also, who actually pays you, the medical school, your basic science department, or the hospital? What kind of salaries do physician scientists make? I'd think if you went through all this extra training and have so much expertise, your salary should be more than that of just doctors. But again, you don't see as many patients... so...

I don't really care that much about the money eitherway, but just curious.

 

[Gfunk6]

I was just wondering what kind of jobs M.D/Ph.D graduates get after their training, after residency and fellowship and all that. Are there special positions tailored for physician scientists or do you basically have to work it out with your employer?

There are special programs for MD/PhD grads under various names for different medical specialties. For example, there is the Holman Pathway for Radiology and RadOnc and the ABIM Research Track for IM.

After your training, there are no special positions per se but you will probably not have a difficult time being appointed as a tenure-track junior faculty in an academic medical center. What you do with that job depends on your interests and the job description.

I guess I mean to ask is that who decides how much time you spend on clinical duties and how much time you spend on research.

Ultimately, the decision is yours but if you want to do bench research you had better come up with some R01 grants or R01-equivalents. Med schools will give their junior faculty start up funds but only with the understanding that you will be self-sufficient in a few years.

Also, who actually pays you, the medical school, your basic science department, or the hospital?

It depends on the kind of work you do. The Medical School/Hospital System will give you a base salary which will be supplemented by (a) the # of patients you see or the # of procedures you perform and (b) additional income taken off of your research grants.

What kind of salaries do physician scientists make? I'd think if you went through all this extra training and have so much expertise, your salary should be more than that of just doctors. But again, you don't see as many patients... so...

This is where conventional wisdom doesn't work. If you go into academics your salary will almost always be lower than your private-practice counterpart. However, there are numerous fringe benefits to working in academics such as having access to the latest technology, being able to train the next generation of physicains, having your malpractice insurance taken care of, and being able to do cutting edge basic or clinical research.