Concerns about MD portion of MD/PHD

[oceanchild]

Hi All,

I am new here and haven't seen any posts similar to mine, but if there are, I apologize for you guys having to answer the sames things multiple times.

I recently completed my undergraduate sophomore year, and am considering completing an MD/PhD. I have always planned on completing a Phd, but have been toying with the addition of medical school for a few months now. I am interested in hearing how people deal with the uncomfortable portions of medical school? Is there anything you did before to prepare, or things to think while you are going through it?

For example, I am worried about gross anatomy. For some reason, I find the idea of cutting open a cadaver uncomfortable, but not the cutting open of a live human in surgery. My other concerns include OB/GYN, proctology, and the chaos possible in emergency medicine.

Thanks in advance

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[Neuronix]

Grow from oceanchild to oceanadult. If you can't deal with legitimate training and patient concerns, medicine is not for you.

Remember, these are real people with real problems that you will need to get experience with.

 

[bee17]

What exactly do you mean when you say uncomfortable? Are you worried about being awkward, or does it have to do with squeamishness?

Example: you mentioned OB/GYN as an area of concern. Are you worried about passing out during a delivery, or are you worried about talking to patients about sex?

If it is squeamishness, shadow surgeries/deliveries to figure out if you can get over that feeling. If it is awkwardness, get more clinical experience with patient contact. Becoming a CNA would force you to get over an aversion to bodily fluids quickly.

 

[oceanchild]

I think I am more worried about being awkward, and as a result, making the patient feel uncomfortable during medical school. My plan is to do mostly research, with the hopes of one day running my own clinical trial with direct patient contact, but not having everyday contact with patients outside of my research area. As of right now, I am planning to pursue neuroscience research.

I will try and get some shadowing done to see how I can avoid being awkward, and make sure I am prepared for medical school.

 

[bee17]

You might want to try volunteering at a nursing home or hospice facility, where you can get experience talking with sick/elderly people. I was worried about communicating with clients when I started volunteering at hospice, but I have found that as long as you are courteous and genuine, people won't find you awkward.

 

[Elixir6]

You might want to try volunteering at a nursing home or hospice facility, where you can get experience talking with sick/elderly people. I was worried about communicating with clients when I started volunteering at hospice, but I have found that as long as you are courteous and genuine, people won't find you awkward.

Second this - you can only know if you throw yourself in there. Through your training you will be dealing with many "disgusting" things but that's how people live and breath and die.

Also, you need to explore further why you are thinking of medicine - it's not clear to me from your post.

 

[oceanchild]

I have already begun looking for places I can volunteer near my school so hopefully I will have a place to start in August.
I am thinking of doing medicine because I want to understand how the human body functions and use this knowledge in my research to directly help patients.

 

[NancyPansy]

Honestly, I wouldn't call somebody immature just because they don't feel comfortable with certain aspects of medicine, like the idea of operating on someone or whatever it may be. For example there is a blood-injection-injury phobia that is very real. I have a relative who functions more than adequately as a lawyer but doesn't feel they'd be able to do medicine for that very reason. It's possible that with therapy these things can be overcome but I guess what I'm trying to say is this is no reason to look down on someone. I would say talk to a therapist, they might be able to give you advice and it's a great idea to volunteer at a hospital or hospice so you can have that experience to help you decide. Good luck!

 

[ConfusedChemist]

honestly, just save yourself the 100K debt and do your PhD. Seems like med is more of an afterthought for you, and that it wouldn't be worth all the stress and money
I feel like we put such status to an MD that it makes people feel like they should have one for any clinical research job. But we would never expect an MD to do PhD level reasearch to make themselves a better clinician...
please dont attack me for saying this btw

 

[phonyreal98]

How would that save the op $100k, given that ms pjs programs are generally fully funded for the entire time?

 

[ConfusedChemist]

How would that save the op $100k, given that ms pjs programs are generally fully funded for the entire time?

forgot about that...haha but still. Why do the MD if you actually have no interest,rather than making themselves 'uncomfortable' for 4 long years

 

[dogeisdoge]

forgot about that...haha but still. Why do the MD if you actually have no interest,rather than making themselves 'uncomfortable' for 4 long years

because having an MD/PhD is pretty cool.

 

[ConfusedChemist]

because having an MD/PhD is pretty cool.

and enjoying 4 years of your life isnt?

 

[oceanchild]

I personally love school. So an extra 4 years doesn't really bother me. I also really want to learn about medicine and how to treat patients, but I'm just nervous about using actual medical training on real people I guess. I'm the kind of person who watched brain surgery for fun but isn't very comfortable with the idea of performing it myself.

 

[gutonc]

I personally love school. So an extra 4 years doesn't really bother me. I also really want to learn about medicine and how to treat patients, but I'm just nervous about using actual medical training on real people I guess. I'm the kind of person who watched brain surgery for fun but isn't very comfortable with the idea of performing it myself.

This may in fact be the worst reason ever given for wanting to go to medical school. Don't do it.

 

[URHere]

I mean no offense by this, but if I were you I would do a serious reality check and figure out exactly how much of your desire to go MD/PhD is your ego.

It sounds to me as if you want the skill set of an MD without the responsibility of ever using it, as well as the extra credentials to bolster your research career. I won't lie - I think most people are at least slightly attracted by the idea of holding multiple higher degrees, and the ego boost of going through an extremely competitive and challenging training program is a real thing...but that isn't enough. You will spend so many years purely focused on clinical medicine that you need some desire to be a practicing physician. Plus, you are just making it harder to start a research career if you know from the start that you don't actually want to be an MD (and all that it entails).

 

[ConfusedChemist]

I personally love school. So an extra 4 years doesn't really bother me. I also really want to learn about medicine and how to treat patients, but I'm just nervous about using actual medical training on real people I guess. I'm the kind of person who watched brain surgery for fun but isn't very comfortable with the idea of performing it myself.

umm.....
you are aware that clerkship involves treating 'real people' right? I hope you're never giving me a needle lol......

 

[oceanchild]

Yes I am aware that clerkship involves real people. That was what my original post was about.

I haven't fully decided on pursuing an MD/PhD. I'm still doing my research about it, and I still need to volunteer to see if it's really what I want to do. I was just voicing a concern that I had and wanted to see what other people thought.

I'm no thinking of doing this for my ego. I'm not going to become a brain surgeon for the fun of it.

 

[Elixir6]

because having an MD/PhD is pretty cool.

Yes, all the people that worked for 9 years at my program just to do 6 more years of residency came out the other end as the coolest people in town. Maybe by cool, you mean pasty. Sunlight for me, at times, has been a real treat.