Do MD/PhDs stay in the same place?

[penguinophile]

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Since dual degree programs last an average of about 8 years, how often to graduates try to do residency/postdoc in the same university that they did their med/grad school? I have heard that it is common to get a house while doing MD/PhD since you have 1)a stipend and 2)a long time at one location. I was just wondering if the trend is to try and stay rooted somewhere or if more people want to go somewhere totally new.

 

[Vader]

Since dual degree programs last an average of about 8 years, how often to graduates try to do residency/postdoc in the same university that they did their med/grad school? I have heard that it is common to get a house while doing MD/PhD since you have 1)a stipend and 2)a long time at one location. I was just wondering if the trend is to try and stay rooted somewhere or if more people want to go somewhere totally new.

Many of the graduates at my program go elsewhere for residency/postdoc training, although some certainly stay at the home base. Without knowing the precise numbers, I would say that the distribution reflects what is seen in the larger med school class, where some stay and others leave.

I have gotten much advice from MD/PhD faculty that having different experiences (i.e. different institutions) can be quite beneficial. Aside from the additional contacts and networking opportunities, you would be exposed to a different way of doing things.

This decision of course also depends quite a bit on your location. For example, if you are in a highly desirable place with a great academic center, and you have family or close friends nearby, it might make individuals more inclined to stay put. If by the end of 8 years, you are ready to try something else, then that is fine as well.

The bottom line is that you will not really know what you want until you get to that point. Life happens after all. 🙂

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Since dual degree programs last an average of about 8 years, how often to graduates try to do residency/postdoc in the same university that they did their med/grad school? I have heard that it is common to get a house while doing MD/PhD since you have 1)a stipend and 2)a long time at one location. I was just wondering if the trend is to try and stay rooted somewhere or if more people want to go somewhere totally new.

Many graduates of the Michigan MSTP do NOT stay for residency. Those who do stay do so because of family reasons (i.e., they got married in med school and their spouse is a resident or junior attending at Michigan). The majority of us who can get up and move end up getting the hell out and moving somewhere else. More of us tend to go to east coast or west coast programs over the midwestern programs.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

The statistics show that about 23% of MD/PhD graduates stay at their home institutions. Of those, about half obtained positions in a highly competitive specialty.

 

[penguinophile]

The statistics show that about 23% of MD/PhD graduates stay at their home institutions. Of those, about half obtained positions in a highly competitive specialty.

Thanks for the replies and the wonderful information. Just out of curiosity, where did you see this stat?

 

[Doctor&Geek]

Self collected data.

http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~paik/match2005.html
http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~paik/match.html