Does a Masters in medical sciences help?

[phillybabe]

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I will be applying to med school this summer. For next year, I have the option of either working towards a Masters in Medical Sciences (MMS) or working in a hospital. My undergrad GPA 3.5 and MCAT 30. I was wondering if the MMS will make me a better applicant or will the clinical work count more. Also, does having a MMS degree give you a leg up when applying for good residency programs? Any input will help.
Thanks

 

[DaNugget79]

Your numbers look good. And both of those options look good for med school, so if I were you, I'd go the route where I'd MAKE money and have a life as opposed to SPEND money and having to study.

 

[MD-bound]

Hey Phillybabe,

I was curious, are you talking about the Master's in Medical Science program at BU?

I think your numbers are fine, but issues like your state of residency and your science GPA will be of concern. In addition, have you previously applied to medical schools? or are you graduating and really looking for something to do with a year.

I would also recommend not doing the master's if everything is in order and you are just applying for the first time. If not, well then perhaps you can post more info and we can help.

Good luck!!!!!

 

[NewAgeDO]

You definitely fit the numbers, so there's no need to further with a MMS, but getting one won't hurt. Further education is always an advantage in one way or another. Is it an advantage in your situation? You'd have do decide for yourself. If your whole goal is to become a physician, then the MMS in my opinion is considered a waste of time and money. Working in a hospital would be the ideal situation while applying for medical school. I chose the route to work in the ER as opposed to going back to school and getting a Masters. I gained the experience, knowledge, and patience of working in a hospital as an ER Coordinator. I know exactly what needs to be done (i.e. labs, xrays, meds administered) in most ER scenarios. The docs I work with are great. I've picked up many things while working in the hospital. I'm learning to read x-ray films, follow along with ACLS protocols in full arrest cases, read EKGs, and so forth. Something we won't really see until our third year of medical school. Also, doing all those IV sticks and blood draws will be an invaluable tool as a resident when the attending doc is hounding me on getting those labs results STAT. What will a MMS get you? Maybe a little more text knowledge and class time. Will you use the MMS as a physician? Probably not, but other degrees such as combined MD/MPH, MD/MBA, or MD/JD may help out in the future. How about choosing to work in a hospital? You should get more out of it. 1)Money saved. 2)Experience earned. 3)A really good topic to discuss at your interview date (they never focused on grades at my interview and asked me more about my clinical experiences). Hopefully this helps you decide whether or not to go back to school or work in a hospital. Look at both sides of the coin and decide for yourself. Good luck.

 

[together]

Hi All:

I was accepted to BU's MA in Medical Science program and am still undecided as to if I should go there. Inasmuch as I am not 100% sure if I want to pursue clinical medicine (MD), my completing the MA will allow me to gain a leg up on PhD requirements, should I decide to pursue only that degree. My other options are working in a hospital and/or pursuing the MPH degree. I am leaning toward the MA program but am still trying to see if it's the best way to go. For the record, I recently graduated summa cum laude with highest honors (however, before I transferred, I had a 2.9 year at another school), my BCPM good use a little kick due to my sub-par freshman performance, and I recently retook the MCAT.

Any suggestions?

Together

 

[Rusty]

Originally posted by together:
•Hi All:

I was accepted to BU's MA in Medical Science program and am still undecided as to if I should go there. Inasmuch as I am not 100% sure if I want to pursue clinical medicine (MD), my completing the MA will allow me to gain a leg up on PhD requirements, should I decide to pursue only that degree. My other options are working in a hospital and/or pursuing the MPH degree. I am leaning toward the MA program but am still trying to see if it's the best way to go. For the record, I recently graduated summa cum laude with highest honors (however, before I transferred, I had a 2.9 year at another school), my BCPM good use a little kick due to my sub-par freshman performance, and I recently retook the MCAT.

Any suggestions?

Together•

I was in a similar situation as yourself and I chose the BU program to help with my decision-making process and it did. I completed this program prior to medical school (MA, 1994) and it definitely helped with my applications. However, the degree has no practical value in training to do any specific vocation. I suggest the MPH route as an alternative. Or, consider an MHSA or MBA or combination MPH/MBA. Several students in my year took 2 years to complete an MA in Medical Science/MBA degree both at BU. This seemed to help those who were looking for alternatives to a doctoral degree program.

 

[together]

Rusty:

Thank you for your reply. I have a few more questions, if you do not mind.

(1) How challenging did you find the BU MA
program in Medical Sciences?

(2) How was your "summer thesis" experience?

(3) How do you go about applying to the
combined MA/MBA program?

(4) Did any students from your MA class at
BU go on to pursue only the PhD degree
and not the MD or DO?

(5) Where are you going to medical school!?


Thanks, Rusty.

Together

 

[Rusty]

Originally posted by together:
•Rusty:

Thank you for your reply. I have a few more questions, if you do not mind.

(1) How challenging did you find the BU MA
program in Medical Sciences?

(2) How was your "summer thesis" experience?

(3) How do you go about applying to the
combined MA/MBA program?

(4) Did any students from your MA class at
BU go on to pursue only the PhD degree
and not the MD or DO?

(5) Where are you going to medical school!?


Thanks, Rusty.

Together•

1. The MA in Medical Sciences Program at BU is very challenging. The competition among students is intense as most students are attempting to audition for medical school. You take classes with the MS1's at BU, but you are competing for grades against the other MA students. Overall, I found the courses very challenging academically. The Biochem course was extremely rigorous, unless you have already taken biochem before. Most of the students have applied to medical school, been rejected, and are trying to improve their application. This makes for a large number of "gunners."

2. I started my "summer" thesis in January by completing most of the library research. I spent some time during the next semester collecting data and wrote the entire thesis during a 2 week period in May.

3. I would contact the BU School of Business admissions office and let them know that you will be starting the MA program in the fall and wanted to know about doing a combined MA/MBA.

4. At least one person I can recall decided to get a PhD in Biochem and prior to his MA in Medical Science he converted over to the PhD track.

5. I graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine a few weeks ago. I will be starting my transitional year (PGY1) in July and then I will complete a three-year residency in Neurology (PGY2-4).

 

[together]

Dear Dr. Rusty:

Thank you for your informative reply and congratulations again on your graduation from medical school!

I'm sorry to keep bothering you with requests but you have been VERY helpful in shaping my career plans. Let me tell you more about myself.

I recently graduated from college and have a strong background in psychobiological research. My specific interest in medicine is neurology and psychiatry. I am fascinated by the human brain and want to study its physiology and pathophysiology as a clinician and researcher. I am also interested in osteopathic medicine, having shadowed a D.O. (chief resident of neurology at UMass) for the past year. My career plans, however, have been deterred lately due to my desire to pursue a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience. I would very much like to enroll in a combined degree (DO/PhD, MD/PhD) but need to work on bumping up my science GPA before applying to these programs (I am aware that I could start the PhD track after being accepted to an MD or DO program).

My chief concern at the moment is deciding what is best for me to do next year. The BU program is attractive because it allows me to get a leg up on MD and PhD requirements (if accepted to BU's MD, MD/PhD, or PhD program). I am also deciding whether an MPH at UConn is a good option. A final option is working at Mass Gen and taking classes at Harvard Extension School.

Do you have any suggestions? You could contact me by e-mail, if you'd like.

Thanks!

Together

 

[algernon]

Originally posted by phillybabe:
•My undergrad GPA 3.5 and MCAT 30. I was wondering if the MMS will make me a better applicant or will the clinical work count more.•

IMHO phillybabe, the clinical stuff and the master's will probably have an equal effect on your chances of GETTING IN to school. But in the long run, you will probably be better off with clinical experience. Unless I am mistaken, a Master's in med sci is really no different than what you'll be doing in class during your first year of med school. So....would you rather take a bunch of classes twice or get some exposure to real patients? Just my 2 cents.

 

[hermanshermits]

Originally posted by Rusty:
•1. The MA in Medical Sciences Program at BU is very challenging. The competition among students is intense as most students are attempting to audition for medical school. You take classes with the MS1's at BU, but you are competing for grades against the other MA students. Overall, I found the courses very challenging academically. The Biochem course was extremely rigorous, unless you have already taken biochem before. Most of the students have applied to medical school, been rejected, and are trying to improve their application. This makes for a large number of "gunners."

2. I started my "summer" thesis in January by completing most of the library research. I spent some time during the next semester collecting data and wrote the entire thesis during a 2 week period in May.

3. I would contact the BU School of Business admissions office and let them know that you will be starting the MA program in the fall and wanted to know about doing a combined MA/MBA.

4. At least one person I can recall decided to get a PhD in Biochem and prior to his MA in Medical Science he converted over to the PhD track.

5. I graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine a few weeks ago. I will be starting my transitional year (PGY1) in July and then I will complete a three-year residency in Neurology (PGY2-4).•

Generally, most grad programs are competitive. I was in a doctoral chem program and we were always fighting for the highest scores. This was before I even thought about med school. Some of the foreign students made the competition really rough. They had taught physical chemistry and other chem courses in their own country. So, this gave them an advantage over others in the program.

Also, in many grad programs people are very good at the subject being studied. For example, people who find pre-med physics a little difficult will generally not attempt grad level physics.

 

[together]

Are you there Rusty?

 

[Rusty]

Originally posted by together:
•Are you there Rusty?•

Sorry for taking so long to reply but I had been away on vacation for the last 16 days.

Together - Is cost a factor in your decision? Are the 3 options you present the only options you will consider when making your decision?

 

[Olsen]

Well at least one of the posts was germane to my situation. I am a Ph.D. track chemist who wants to go to medical school. I also don't want to spend the extra 3 years finishing to apply. I am going leave with my masters and apply. Does that look bad? I suppose it would look worse if I stayed in my program and applied, knowing full well if I was accepted I would leave...what do you think?

 

[together]

Hi Dr. Rusty,

I hope you had a nice vacation! You undoubtedly deserved one!

My decision about what I am going to do during my "year off" does indeed take cost into account. My options have also been narrowed down to (1) the BU Med MA program, (2) Harvard Extension, and (3) UConn-Storrs. Options 2 and 3 would require me to complete undergraduate-level coursework while option 1 would be graduate/medical-school level work. At the moment, I am leaning toward BU Med because the program would allow me to gain a leg up on MD and PhD requirements. In the event that I decide that the PhD program is the one for me, then I could easily go that route and complete the degree in a couple years. I am drawn to BU because its Behavioral Neuroscience program is unique in that it integrates experimental neuropsychology into the clinical arena so that students work with patients, albeit not as intimately as physicians.

A couple more questions for you (bear with me!) --

(1) In your opinion, is the MA in Medical Science program at BU REALLY as challenging as everyone says it is? How long do you need to study per day to do well?

(2) In which department did you complete your MA while at BU Med? What was your thesis on?

Thanks Dr. Rusty!

Together

 

[Rusty]

Originally posted by together:
•
(1) In your opinion, is the MA in Medical Science program at BU REALLY as challenging as everyone says it is? How long do you need to study per day to do well?

(2) In which department did you complete your MA while at BU Med? What was your thesis on?

Together•

1) Compared to my medical school studies, the BU program is less challenging, but was more stressful for me personally. I was 4 years older and wiser when I began medical school and I used my BU classroom experience and added life experiences to my advantage. As for how long I studied per day, I cannot recall exact numbers, but I felt as if I spent the vast majority of time outside of class studying. I took little time for distraction.

2) Prior to my MA in MS, I worked in dermatology research. I worked largely independently to formulate my study design, collect and analyze data, and write my thesis. My advisor was a physician in the dermatology department at BUMC. Many fellow students worked in their thesis advisors lab on a small project or just completed a literature based review. Most MA in MS theses are not classic theses in terms of the time committment or length.

 

[together]

Thanks again, Dr. Rusty. You have been invaluable to helping me shape a decision about the BU program.

Keep this thread alive!

Together