Confused about preventive medicine residency

[dentistmom]

Can some one explain to me how preventive medicine/public health residency works?

A lot of schools offer a dual md/mph degree, while preventive med residency programs all seem to consider the mph to be half of their two year residency. Plus you have to do one extra year of internship? If you have the md/mph, do you just do half a residency program? Or is that degree marketable on its own?

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[Leukocyte]

If you apply to Preventive Medicine residencies after graduating from medical school, and you already hold a MPH degree, then the residency will be 2 years (intern year and the practitum year), instead of the usual 3 years for those who do not have an MPH. So as a 4th year medical student, you would apply through ERAS and the NRMP match to any primary care PGY-1 spot (FM, IM or transitional). Then during your PGY-1 year, you would apply again to Preventive Medicine residencies through ERAS or independently (some do not accept ERAS applications).

This is off-course assuming you hold an accredited MPH degree from a U.S. public health school.

If you are a MD/MPH U.S. medical graduate, and interested in Preventive Medicine, then it might be better (and easier) to apply to combined FM/PM or IM/PM residency programs. The reason is that it will save you energy since you only have to apply once through ERAS and the NRMP match during your 4th medical school year, rather than apply 2 seperate times. The downside is that you will be doing a FM or IM residency inaddition to the Preventive Medicine practicum year.

NOTE: The one year (intern) requirement to get into Preventive Medicine residency is an absolute MINIMUM. Many Preventive Medicine residencies "prefer" (in other words require) applicants to complete a full primary care residency BEFORE they apply to their Preventive Medicine residency program.

NOTE: If you are a FMG or IMG then this arrangement (2 year residency for Preventive Medicine) might not work. Most State medical licensing boards require that FMGs and IMGs to complete 3 years of residency before they can be eligible for a medical license. If you are a FMG or IMG, the combined FM/PM or IM/PM is the best option (and depending on your state it might be the only option).

 

[Nadia83]

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[Leukocyte]

Can some one explain to me how preventive medicine/public health residency works?

A lot of schools offer a dual md/mph degree, while preventive med residency programs all seem to consider the mph to be half of their two year residency. Plus you have to do one extra year of internship? If you have the md/mph, do you just do half a residency program? Or is that degree marketable on its own?

I just wanted to correct a statement from my prior post:

Preventive Medicine residency is 3 years (1 year internship + 2 years Preventive Medicine) REGARDLESS if you have a MPH or not. You still have to complete all three years (1 + 2) of Preventive Medicine residency. Having a MD/MPH prior to your Preventive Medicine residency will NOT shorten the time of your Preventive Medicine residency.....People who already have a MPH will have to enroll in the Master of Science degree and do all of the clinical public health rotations during their 2 years in Preventive Medicine.

Please not that most of the top Preventive Medicine programs (like Mayo....) are essentially fellowships, more than residencies. They only accept applicants who have already completed a full residency in a primary care specialty prior to the 2 year Preventive Medicine training. The one year (intern year) requirement is only a minimum requirement. Many physicians do Preventive Medicine as a fellowship after their primary residency in primary care. For some it is their only residency.

Regardless of the degree credentials prior to PM residency, to be recognized by the ABPM and to be board eligible in PM you need to have = at LEAST 1 year in primary care (most complete a full residnecy) + 2 years in Preventive Medicine training.

 

[ilovePHandMD]

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