Do additional grad degrees matter to IM residencies?

[autobot]

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Im a med student that is graduating next year and am applying to IM programs. How do you think competitive IM programs view additional graduate degress (not PhD)? Masters in whatever, MPH, MBA, bioethics etc. Does it give an advantage? No advantage? Get a shoulder shrug? "That's nice..." I guess it can only help, but just wanted to hear any stories from people who felt it did or did not make a difference for them or someone they knew.

 

[piptaz]

I don't think any degree outside of a Ph.D in basic or applied health science makes a difference for purposes of IM residency applications and matching - the kinds of research that these programs are most eager to fit residents into and hopefully retain in subspecialty fellowships are the kinds that involve the basic and applied lab work. The idea is that adding a Ph.D in those areas through the match will add be adding someone who is autonomous in both designing and carrying out research and will be someone who they can turn things over to and even get significant contributions from as far as grant writing while in residency and more importantly will be most likely to secure a solid research grant as a fellow. The perception seems to be that clinical research is something that they can teach you so they key for being able to contribute to clinical rather than bench research is that you be rock solid in medicine so you will have time to work on that in residency. So a PhD in the sciences or rock solid work in clinical rotations and boards are the two independently sufficient conditions for attracting interest from competitive IM residencies. Other types of research are viewed with much less interest, probably for many reasons, one of which may be that they are generally viewed, rightly or wrongly, as less likely to generate/capture large grants which is the lifeblood of high profile residencies.
That said, I matched at the IM residency I wanted and I do have a JD, an MA in philosophy/bioethics and 4 more years of research so far towards my PhD in philosophy but I feel the interest I got was a function of being AOA with high honors in all clerkships, good boards, Lange book award and the college award for Internal Medicine - I don't think I had or would have had any slack cut for my other degrees and research in the sense of being able to get the same interviews and the match without performing at that level in med school but I would have had slack and been able to get by with a lesser performance in med if I had had a PhD in the sciences. I'm happy and I'm not saying the different status of different kinds of research experiences is either good or bad - its just the way it is. On the one hand, I am not looking at residency in IM as a way to hone my legal and ethical research chops - I already have my training and have a dispersed group of mentors and peers and on the flip side I don't think my research background and profile can do much in the way of generating a large grant on the same scale as what a PhD in the sciences can. Residencies know this and act accordingly. I knew it and put a lot of work in on the med side of things and it paid off.

 

[piptaz]

Addendum.
The above having been said, nothing in what I said should be taken to discourage one from pursuing research or grad degrees in fields other than the basic or applied health sciences - just don't do it to improve your standing for residency. Do it becasue you have a sincere interest in that area of research or discipline and because you want to pursue that kind of research over the course of your career and life.

 

[autobot]

Thanks for the advice piptaz. Well the reason I asked is because I completed an MPH while in medical school and am interested in clinical research/outcomes research. I was just curious if other students have received reactions with their other grad degrees on the interview trail. I remembered the NRMP match data results running a regression analysis on predictors for matching and additional grad degrees (non phd) did not come up significant...Regardless, I have learned alot of epi and biostats with my coursework so that in itself is valuable to me, but was just curious if you get a little bump as well when applying.

 

[TMB58]

It is all how you frame the degree. If you add it with no description to the end of your CV and offer no insight into the degrees effect on you and your future pursuits, then it will be of little value for residency apps. However, if you construct your ps around you Master's degree and how it will play a role in your medical career, then you got something.

You have an MPH, let's say you were really interested in public policy and access to care. Apply to IM programs and then form a logical argument about how you want to be a great IM that maintains a clinic but also sits on county health boards and fights for funding for patient program and so on.

It is all about how you sell yourself. The best part about your MPH was probably that you got to see the business side of medicine, use that to your advantage and I guarantee a residency program will be all over your app.