Completing PhD while in Medical School?

[XOT]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping for some advise on a rare circumstance. I will be completing a Masters of Science in Cancer biology by next summer (2013). I will have a gap year (Fall '13-Summer'14) to enter medical school in Fall of 2014. If I continue course work towards a cancer biology PhD in this gap year, it would complete all required "course work" for a PhD by the time I enter medical school in F'14.

My question is- would it be feasible to continue towards the PhD during medical school? From my evaluation, during Y1 and Y2 of medical school I would only take two 1 credit "seminar" type courses each semester. Then, in the summer after completing Y2, I would begin the the four consecutive semesters of dissertation research.

These are the problems that I may face:
1) Will it be okay to remain as a PhD candidate during Y1 and Y2 of medical school if I only take two credits toward the PhD each semester?
2) How tough will it be to complete the dissertation research while in Y3 of medical school? The other two semesters of dissertation research will fall on summer break. Will I have to worry about anything during the summer after Y2 and Y3? USMLE?
3) Financial concerns? Will I be eligible for stipend for the PhD degree during medical school?

Thank you for any one that may be familiar with the process. I very much appreciate it.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[URHere]

I'm a bit confused about your question - are you talking about completing both an MD and a PhD during 4 years of medical school? Have you somehow already been accepted to medical school for 2014 or are you just hoping to apply and enter then?

Regardless, you need to consider these things:

1) MD/PhD programs exist so that students can earn both degrees. In these programs, it takes 7-9 years to wrap everything up.

2) Even if you have a Masters degree, that is no guarantee that you will be finished with PhD coursework early. What if you go to medical school at a different university? Although some credits may transfer, there will almost certainly be new classes you are required to take.

3) The "four consecutive semesters" of research you mention really need to be 100% devoted research time unless your PhD is in an unusual area. During third year of medical school, there are some clerkships where you will have close to no free time - you certainly won't have time to put in full days (and then some) in lab.

4) At my school, at least, there is no summer between MS3 and MS4. Once you hit clerkships, you continue in clinic until you either graduate or schedule an elective block. Most elective blocks are short (certainly not long enough to earn a PhD), and some students use them for studying for the USMLE or interviewing for residency.

5) If you want both degrees, you should apply to MD/PhD programs. These are longer, but they are really the only reasonable way to squeeze a PhD into medical school. As a plus, most will provide stipends to students for the duration of the program.

 

[K31]

At least in the US, the requirements for a PhD are not a set period of time but rather sufficient accomplishment (in the opinion of your mentor and committee) to merit a PhD. So usually there are a specified number of semesters of dissertation research for a PhD, but that is merely the minimum requirement and everyone ends up taking longer.

Regardless, there is no way you would be able to conduct meaningful research toward your dissertation during the clinical years of medical school. Not enough hours in the day. I'm trying to wrap up experiments to resubmit a paper while on rotations and I'm finding it hard enough to do that.

 

[XOT]

Thank you guys for the replies-

Yes , my plan was essentially to complete a PhD within my time in medical school. I wanted to do this because 1) I have recognized that research is really an important part of becoming a physician 2) I do not want my master's degree, which I am currently working on, to go to waste. And this is the reason I do not want to do the MD/PhD path (especially because of my age).

I recognize that this is only doable if I remain at the university I am currently doing the MS in for medical school.

So it seems that the biggest obstacle would be completing the dissertation research semesters during medical school. Maybe I could pull off a dissertation research semester at the end of my first year in medical school, but that would require me to wait until the end of Y2 (summer) for the next research semester, which I do not think is allowed. Unless I do the next three consecutive research semesters during Y2. Even though I have an extremely strong background in basic medical sciences, I do not think it would be feasible to do full-time research during second year of medical school. Is that correct?

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can manage this plan? I am sure it has been done before

THANK YOU

 

[BrightandClear]

If you want both degrees, you should apply to combined degree programs. I really don't think it's possible to do the PhD in the same time period as the MD. Combined programs are usually fairly motivated to get their students through as efficiently as possible, but that still means 7-9 years.

 

[Caprica6]

It's not feasible to do full-time research while in any years of medical school. You should apply MD/PhD at the school you are currently at, and then for advanced standing if you have already taken the required graduate level courses. If you already have a masters, and are continuing work on a current project, it's feasible you could complete the PhD in two years in between M2 and M3. Another option would be for you to apply MD only and take a leave of absence to complete the PhD. Either option is going to put you at 6 years minimum though.

 

[miz]

Time aside, the logistical questions about doing PhD coursework during med school vary from institution to institution, so you may be better off asking the graduate student counselor/registrar for your department than asking SDN. (questions 1 and 3 in your list).

I am skeptical that any school would offer you the stipend during med school outside of MD/PhD and MSTP. If you find out that there are schools that allow it, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Neuronix]

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can manage this plan? I am sure it has been done before

Maybe a long time ago. What you are proposing is impossible. Medical school is at worst a full-time job, usually full-time and some, and at times two full-time jobs. You will have summers to work on research. That is it. Doing anything substantial besides clinics during third year is almost completely laughable. Doing a seminar course during first and second year is about all you'll have time for. You'll need at least one year off, probably two, to complete your PhD. I personally don't advocate doing much at all in the research world during medical school, because your medical school performance is the most important part of getting a strong residency. If you pass medical school but don't have any honors level performance, you will have a hard time getting an academic position in many specialties.

Because your plan is impossible, no medical school is going to give you anything like a graduate school or MSTP stipend while doing research in medical school. If you want to be an MD/PhD, apply MD/PhD, but expect it to take you a combined 7 years (AT BEST) just like anyone else. Most coming into MD/PhD programs already have "extremely strong" basic science backgrounds and master's or equivalent level research. The average combined degree time is still 8 years for a reason.

 

[XOT]

I just checked the schedule of MD/PhD students at my school and it consists of time off from medical school after second year to complete 4 years of graduate work. Yet, after these four consecutive years of graduate work, during the Y3 and Y4 clinical education of medical school, these students undergo "integrated research."

From the replies, I assume that my only hope is to take a year off medical school (after Y2) to complete the required research work. Just to make sure I made this clear, if I do take this path, I would have all the graduate "coursework completed by the time I enter Y1. All I would be required to do is complete the 4 semester of dissertation research. My other concern is whether I can do my first semester of dissertation research during the summer after Y2. Is this the time-period I should be concentrating on studying for step 1?

Thank you all for the insightful input...

 

[K31]

I just checked the schedule of MD/PhD students at my school and it consists of time off from medical school after second year to complete 4 years of graduate work. Yet, after these four consecutive years of graduate work, during the Y3 and Y4 clinical education of medical school, these students undergo "integrated research."

Since you don't seem to believe us here, I suggest you speak to the leadership of the MD/PhD program at your school. They will quickly disabuse you of the notion that what you are proposing will work. MD/PhD programs have become very cognisant of time-to-degree, and if there was any way to earn both a MD and a real PhD in 5 or 6 years, they would be all over it.

From the replies, I assume that my only hope is to take a year off medical school (after Y2) to complete the required research work. Just to make sure I made this clear, if I do take this path, I would have all the graduate "coursework completed by the time I enter Y1. All I would be required to do is complete the 4 semester of dissertation research. My other concern is whether I can do my first semester of dissertation research during the summer after Y2. Is this the time-period I should be concentrating on studying for step 1?

I still think you are misunderstanding how a PhD works. It is not about finishing the coursework and then accumulating enough semesters of dissertation research to graduate. The coursework is the least important part of a biomedical PhD (I'd go so far as to say it's a complete waste of time, especially for an MD/PhD)

There is no set amount of "required research work." Earning a PhD is about working until you have a sufficient body of original work (in the opinion of your committee) to merit a PhD, and if you have spent any time at all in the lab you know research usually doesn't go as planned.

Let me spell it out very plainly for you: It does not matter how much of the coursework you have completed prior to medical school. It is completely unfeasible to plan to complete the research necessary to earn a PhD while also being enrolled in medical school. Even taking a year off, no reputable university would let you defend a dissertation with the amount of work you could put in in that time--my school won't even award a master's degree to a med student who dedicates a single year to the lab.

 

[CoolSativus]

Let me spell it out very plainly for you: It does not matter how much of the coursework you have completed prior to medical school. It is completely unfeasible to plan to complete the research necessary to earn a PhD while also being enrolled in medical school. Even taking a year off, no reputable university would let you defend a dissertation with the amount of work you could put in in that time--my school won't even award a master's degree to a med student who dedicates a single year to the lab.

.

 

[Neuronix]

Yeah that was a stupid remark by me earlier to say "at least a year off". I mean if you come into the PhD lab with all coursework completed and a working project in the lab where you got your master's, I think you'd need a minimum of two years full-time research to finish it. I mean it may not even work that quickly. You could conceivably come back to med school and still work on papers/thesis, but I wouldn't recommend that for many reasons. Realistically, no research is done third year and little (depends on the person) is done fourth year of medical school.

 

[Shifty B]

From the replies, I assume that my only hope is to take a year off medical school (after Y2) to complete the required research work. Just to make sure I made this clear, if I do take this path, I would have all the graduate "coursework completed by the time I enter Y1. All I would be required to do is complete the 4 semester of dissertation research. My other concern is whether I can do my first semester of dissertation research during the summer after Y2. Is this the time-period I should be concentrating on studying for step 1?

I'm just going to underscore what the others are saying since it doesn't seem to be getting through. In the US, getting what people will describe as a repectable PhD, you will require at least 6 years (M1-2, Phd 1-2, M3-4), but probably considerably more.

I think the misunderstanding is coming from reading a graduate handbook or something. In most PhD programs, you have some courses you have to complete, then you take a qualifying exam and advance to PhD candidacy. Once you advance to candidacy, then you start registering for a course called something like "701- Dissertation research". You then have to accumulate a certain number of credits of this 701, like 4 semesters, before graduation is even allowed. That is a bare minimum, though, not a given, and most people will spend 6-10 semesters in this phase. You don't finish just because you finished those 4 semesters of credit hours. You finish when your dissertation committee allows it.

I'm going to break this down for you with some arithmetic. How long it's going to take to finish a PhD as part of a combined program is a factor of two things: personal skill and luck. Personal skill includes lab technical skills, intellect, discipline, and planning. Imagine that you rate your skill from 0-5 points and your luck from 0-5 points and then add them. Here is what you need to graduate by years (PhD portion only):

2 years: 12 points (most likely 6 points for skill and 6 points for luck, on a 5 point scale! unless you went for 5 points skill and 7 points luck!)
3 years: 10 points
4 years: 7-9 points
5 years: 6 points
6+ years: 0-5 points

So, unless you somehow exceed the scale on both counts, 2 years is for all practical purposes impossible. The average person gets 3-4 for skill and 3-4 for luck, putting them right in the middle. This also explains how very skilled, smart, disciplined people (5/5) end up spending 6 or more years in a PhD. They just have zero luck. Lesser individuals (0-2/5) with bad luck are likely to never finish.

 

[XOT]

Thank you all for your great replies....As Shifty B put it- by the time I hope to enter medical school, I would theoretically have advanced to PhD candidacy and want to begin the four semester of "701- Dissertation research".

I was originally thinking that I could complete the PhD after these four semesters of research. The problem still remains on WHEN to do these four semesters of research (at the minimum). The dissertation research is offered throughout the year at my university (in one year, someone can finish 3 semesters of research and have only one more semester left- if in the rare circumstance that this is all that is needed).

The question remains on WHEN these 4+ semesters can be completed during medical school. The consensus seems to be that it can not be done, unless time is taken off from medical school. Overall, I would like to know what you goes think the best scenario would be. Keep in mind that there is the possibility of doing dissertation research in the summers after Y1 and Y2.

 

[StilgarMD]

I'm just going to underscore what the others are saying since it doesn't seem to be getting through. In the US, getting what people will describe as a repectable PhD, you will require at least 6 years (M1-2, Phd 1-2, M3-4), but probably considerably more.

I think the misunderstanding is coming from reading a graduate handbook or something. In most PhD programs, you have some courses you have to complete, then you take a qualifying exam and advance to PhD candidacy. Once you advance to candidacy, then you start registering for a course called something like "701- Dissertation research". You then have to accumulate a certain number of credits of this 701, like 4 semesters, before graduation is even allowed. That is a bare minimum, though, not a given, and most people will spend 6-10 semesters in this phase. You don't finish just because you finished those 4 semesters of credit hours. You finish when your dissertation committee allows it.

I'm going to break this down for you with some arithmetic. How long it's going to take to finish a PhD as part of a combined program is a factor of two things: personal skill and luck. Personal skill includes lab technical skills, intellect, discipline, and planning. Imagine that you rate your skill from 0-5 points and your luck from 0-5 points and then add them. Here is what you need to graduate by years (PhD portion only):

2 years: 12 points (most likely 6 points for skill and 6 points for luck, on a 5 point scale! unless you went for 5 points skill and 7 points luck!)
3 years: 10 points
4 years: 7-9 points
5 years: 6 points
6+ years: 0-5 points

So, unless you somehow exceed the scale on both counts, 2 years is for all practical purposes impossible. The average person gets 3-4 for skill and 3-4 for luck, putting them right in the middle. This also explains how very skilled, smart, disciplined people (5/5) end up spending 6 or more years in a PhD. They just have zero luck. Lesser individuals (0-2/5) with bad luck are likely to never finish.

Thank you all for your great replies....As Shifty B put it- by the time I hope to enter medical school, I would theoretically have advanced to PhD candidacy and want to begin the four semester of "701- Dissertation research".

I was originally thinking that I could complete the PhD after these four semesters of research. The problem still remains on WHEN to do these four semesters of research (at the minimum). The dissertation research is offered throughout the year at my university (in one year, someone can finish 3 semesters of research and have only one more semester left- if in the rare circumstance that this is all that is needed).

The question remains on WHEN these 4+ semesters can be completed during medical school. The consensus seems to be that it can not be done, unless time is taken off from medical school. Overall, I would like to know what you goes think the best scenario would be. Keep in mind that there is the possibility of doing dissertation research in the summers after Y1 and Y2.

XOT, you are being so dense Shifty B had to make up a fictional scale for you to understand the impossibility of what you are requesting these people schedule for you.

do you understand what a Ph.D is? its not a completion of credits, its finishing a piece of original research. You can not do that in 2 years. Science is a lot of luck, and a lot of hard work. what the hell do you want a Ph.D for? so you can add more letters after your name? you don't sound like someone interested in actually contributing to science if you are trying to squeeze past with (theoretical) minimum time commitment and come out on the other end with a degree some people fight 6 years for.

My current thoughts:

 

[miz]

Thank you all for your great replies....As Shifty B put it- by the time I hope to enter medical school, I would theoretically have advanced to PhD candidacy and want to begin the four semester of "701- Dissertation research".

I was originally thinking that I could complete the PhD after these four semesters of research. The problem still remains on WHEN to do these four semesters of research (at the minimum). The dissertation research is offered throughout the year at my university (in one year, someone can finish 3 semesters of research and have only one more semester left- if in the rare circumstance that this is all that is needed).

The question remains on WHEN these 4+ semesters can be completed during medical school. The consensus seems to be that it can not be done, unless time is taken off from medical school. Overall, I would like to know what you goes think the best scenario would be. Keep in mind that there is the possibility of doing dissertation research in the summers after Y1 and Y2.

Why don't you talk to your graduate program departmental counselor in the event that you are admitted to your home medical school?
I am confused as to what you are asking. What do we think the best scenario would be? We think the best scenario is that you consider applying to MD-PhD programs (generally 8 year) or consider getting a PhD seriously, which means that you don't know how long that it will take. You could try to enroll in an MD-PhD program at your home institution, if it has one and if they accept you, and then discuss with program administration to see if you need to take additional coursework. You could enroll in medical school only and then try to work towards the PhD during and afterwards, but we do not think that this will save you any significant amount of time because the amount of work you can do during medical school is very limited and/or interrupted (summers are nice, but they are short and it may be difficult to do meaningful work in this length of time). Or, you could pursue research or a clinical career with an MD and master's only.

I don't know of anyone who completed 2 years toward the PhD, then enrolled in medical school, then took ~2 years afterwards to finish the PhD. The exact inversion of a traditional MD/PhD program... a nice little ice breaker at conferences if you can pull it off.
(you will run into problems with this if you want to complete residency, with paying off the expense of medical school etc, etc.)

Are you asking us what you should do with your gap year?

 

[tiedyeddog]

Thank you all for your great replies....As Shifty B put it- by the time I hope to enter medical school, I would theoretically have advanced to PhD candidacy and want to begin the four semester of "701- Dissertation research".

I was originally thinking that I could complete the PhD after these four semesters of research. The problem still remains on WHEN to do these four semesters of research (at the minimum). The dissertation research is offered throughout the year at my university (in one year, someone can finish 3 semesters of research and have only one more semester left- if in the rare circumstance that this is all that is needed).

The question remains on WHEN these 4+ semesters can be completed during medical school. The consensus seems to be that it can not be done, unless time is taken off from medical school. Overall, I would like to know what you goes think the best scenario would be. Keep in mind that there is the possibility of doing dissertation research in the summers after Y1 and Y2.

Yeah, just do all of your dissertation research over six months, three of those which you'll likely be using to study in part for Step 1.

Are you in the US?

 

[BrightandClear]

Keep in mind that there is the possibility of doing dissertation research in the summers after Y1 and Y2.

Depending slightly on your field, this will not be helpful. If you work on a project for three months and then leave it for nine months, it is unlikely that the work will carry through. You will probably end up having to start over each time you come back to the project.

To complete a PhD worthy research project, you need to think about finding 1-3 years of uninterrupted research time.

 

[red doctober]

Best case scenario to achieve what you're asking for:
You get into the MD/PhD program at your home institution. You go through M1&M2. The MD/PhD program will most likely still make you do at least one or two rotations in addition to the lab you've been working in (this could be during the summer before M1, in between M1&M2, or after M2 depending on the program.) They allow you to waive some of the PhD coursework and take the qualifying exam early. This would allow you to get a head-start on your dissertation research. You defend in 3 years, and return to finish M3 and M4 for a total of 7 years. Some other programs may also waive some course requirements to allow you more time for research.

Questions/comments:
Why not apply this cycle for MD/PhD, so you don't lose a year?
MD/PhD programs not only cover tuition but give living stipends, by not taking advantage of this, you'll be missing out on a ton of money and up to your ears in debt.
MDs can also do basic science research equivalent to a PhD or MD/PhD.
Most basic science research is heavily continuous, do you really think that starting and stopping research for 3 months at a time in the summer will be effective?
If you say that your plan is to achieve an MD and PhD concurrently on MD applications/interviews, you would come across as naive to the difficulty and amount of time that med school requires, which will be taken negatively.

 

[XOT]

A lot of good information here....thanks again for the replies.

1) I will be completing the masters program in cancer biology by next year (summer 2013), and will be applying to medical school in this same time period. Therefore, I really would like to know if it would be worth spending my gap year in courses reared towards a PhD program in Cancer Biology. Within this gap year I would be completing all required course work, lab rotations, and taking the qualifying exam. Therefore, when I begin my first year of medical school, all that would be required would be the dissertation research semesters.

2) My biggest reason for not applying to the MD/PhD program is the time I would need to put in. I am already 30 yrs old. So essentially, this whole discussion was meant to figure out if I could finish a PhD while I am in medical school

3) My second reason for not applying to the MD/PhD program is the fact that I will probably not be accepted. So if I do pursue a PhD, it would be independent of the MD program.

4) The best strategy I have would be to start dissertation research at the end of Y2 while taking Y3 off to complete the dissertation research.

 

[URHere]

Just to emphasize again:

2) My biggest reason for not applying to the MD/PhD program is the time I would need to put in. I am already 30 yrs old. So essentially, this whole discussion was meant to figure out if I could finish a PhD while I am in medical school

There is absolutely no way around this. If you want a PhD it will take substantial time and you will need more than a one-year break between MS2 and MS3. People earn Masters degrees during a time frame like that, not PhDs.

4) The best strategy I have would be to start dissertation research at the end of Y2 while taking Y3 off to complete the dissertation research.

Again, that would not be enough time to complete a PhD. After two years of medical school, any research done during your MS will be old. Fields move on, and you would likely have to try out several new projects before finding a workable thesis topic. You will absolutely not be given a PhD in time to return to MS3 after just one year off.

So, your options are:

1) Put in the time. Apply to MD/PhD programs (including improving your MCAT score/GPA if necessary).

2) Get over the idea of earning a PhD. Figure out how to make your career work with your MS and MD.

That's it. You cannot earn a quality PhD the way you are proposing.

 

[K31]

4) The best strategy I have would be to start dissertation research at the end of Y2 while taking Y3 off to complete the dissertation research.

As pretty much every poster in this thread has told you repeatedly, this is not a viable plan. There is no way to complete enough research during med school summers and an extra year to earn a PhD.

It doesn't matter if you've done all the required rotations, passed all your classes, and finished your qualifiyng exam. I had those done 14 months after starting graduate school. Still took me another 3.5 years to have enough data to defend.

 

[red doctober]

If you still don't believe all the people here who have told you this is not realistic, talk to the administration of your PhD program and med school of the parent institution and ask them their opinion. I cannot imagine that either one will be too enthused with your plan and give you the answer you're hoping for. If you think you can get enough usable results to write a dissertation in the time-frame you are suggesting, you are undermining the rigors of the PhD degree; it's not like they just hand it out all willy-nilly. Have people graduated with a PhD in a combined 4 years? Sure, but what you are expecting is that you will be guaranteed to take only 4 years when there's a chance that it will take up to 7 or 8 years. What you are suggesting holds the likely possibility of a multiple-year hiatus from med school, which is allowed in MD/PhD programs, but not typically in MD programs.

You don't want your Masters to go to waste, and I get that. The benefit of your education extends beyond what degrees you hold though. The education and skills you received while pursuing your Masters will aid you as a physician regardless of whether or not the degree gave you any upper-hand in advancing your career. If you still really want to be a physician scientist, you don't necessarily have to have a PhD. You can still do a research fellowship, and get a professorship at an academic institution performing research. Receiving a Masters will have conceivably made you a seasoned researcher and will aid you in a successful fellowship. There are plenty of MD biomedical researchers whose job description mirrors that of MD/PhDs.

 

[Neuronix]

4) The best strategy I have would be to start dissertation research at the end of Y2 while taking Y3 off to complete the dissertation research.

The best strategy you would have outside of an integrated MD/PhD program would be to get into medical school and take a leave of absence to work on your PhD. Most medical schools will be fine with this. However, they are not going to give you any money while you are in medical school (unless you wind up with a medical school scholarship independent of the research). The attitude is not one of integration, but one of "ok let us know when you're done."

That said, my current medical student did exactly this plan. He had a master's coming into medical school, all the PhD coursework, and thought he could finish his PhD quickly. He's back finishing medical school now, but after a three year leave of absence for thesis research.

 

[XOT]

Thank you guys for all the input ans suggestions. I will have to think about this in great depth before I make the right decision.

Best wishes

 

[Silverfalcon]

Thank you guys for all the input ans suggestions. I will have to think about this in great depth before I make the right decision.

Best wishes

There is nothing to think about - you are greatly underestimating how difficult MD and PhD programs are. If you try to do what you want to do - which is not possible but in hypothetical world where there's more than 24 hours per day - you will get crappy grades in MD years and do awful research at PhD. You will be that guy who will get rejected from family practice residency - if you get lucky - and realize that all of your publications are in WebMD (and no, this isn't a research journal...that's my point).

Maybe I'm a bit harsher than others, but I think you are trolling. Anyone who has a slightest idea knows that you are not being serious. You do not have a single good reason why this is a good idea.

 

[Ombret]

There is a neurologist named Dennis Choi, currently at Emory, who earned his MD and PhD in a four-year span. Wikipedia (source of all knowledge) says this occurred between 1974 and 1978. The consensus when I heard about this more than ten years ago was that (a) he is probably superhuman and (b) you cannot do this anymore. I have no idea what outrageous circumstances led to this being possible. He may have gotten very lucky or been given a "gift" project, or worked on something theoretical that could be done without bench work. Also, rules and requirements in general used to be looser (this is a general observation about the olden days, no idea if it applies here). To me, this is like the occasional grad student who graduates with >30 papers. It's freakish, but not impossible. You probably cannot will yourself to be that person. I think we can all agree that the OP/troll is going to hit a brick wall if he shows up asking for a four-year MD/PhD. Perhaps "be our guest" is the best reaction.

 

[kryptonian]

There is a neurologist named Dennis Choi, currently at Emory, who earned his MD and PhD in a four-year span. Wikipedia (source of all knowledge) says this occurred between 1974 and 1978. The consensus when I heard about this more than ten years ago was that (a) he is probably superhuman and (b) you cannot do this anymore. I have no idea what outrageous circumstances led to this being possible. He may have gotten very lucky or been given a "gift" project, or worked on something theoretical that could be done without bench work. Also, rules and requirements in general used to be looser (this is a general observation about the olden days, no idea if it applies here). To me, this is like the occasional grad student who graduates with >30 papers. It's freakish, but not impossible. You probably cannot will yourself to be that person. I think we can all agree that the OP/troll is going to hit a brick wall if he shows up asking for a four-year MD/PhD. Perhaps "be our guest" is the best reaction.

Wikipedia says he went from Harvard undergrad to Harvard med and finally Harvard residency and fellowship Holy smoke, that's crazy.