Currently in M2 year and debating the pros and cons of doing a clerkship after Step 1 before PhD research. I have the option of any of the 6 week rotations, but would probably do Family Medicine. Anyone have any experience with this? Like it or hate it? So far no MD/PhD student has done this at my school.
Doing a clerkship after Step 1 before PhD research?
- Thread starter jgold16
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I did Surgery and Ob/Gyn before going into my PhD and I'm really glad I did. It changed my perspective of med school, gave me a basic level of knowledge of the workings of the hospital, and I got the worst clerkships regarding hours worked over with. I also did all of my outpatient clerkships during my PhD. Compared to most MD/PhDs I've met who are in graduate school, I feel very well connected with the medical world.
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I went to a program where clinical rotations were standard before PhD. I think there are pros and cons to this. Overall it's a good thing to get some experience in the clinic. Internal medicine as a rotation is probably your best bet, unless that's what you think you're going into. The only problem is that the internal medicine clerkship grade can be very important depending on what specialty you go into, and doing it first it can be tricky to honor. There's a good amount of overlap between internal med shelf material and step 1 shelf material, so you could even take step 1 afterwards.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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I think that doing family medicine now would be fine. First, as an MD/PhD, the odds of you going into FM are very low. Second, FM tends to be more of a touchy-feely kind of rotation compared to others like surgery or even IM. Third, FM is so broad that it will give you a brief exposure to all the major areas of medicine.
Before you start any rotation, you should look into what the grading system is at your school. Some schools care a lot about shelf exams and weigh them heavily in your clerkship grade, while others are much more clinical evaluation-oriented. Ask one of the third years (MD or MD/PhD) who has already completed the FM rotation about what it takes to get an Honors in the rotation. Once you know what your school emphasizes, you should apportion your time and effort accordingly.
Before you start any rotation, you should look into what the grading system is at your school. Some schools care a lot about shelf exams and weigh them heavily in your clerkship grade, while others are much more clinical evaluation-oriented. Ask one of the third years (MD or MD/PhD) who has already completed the FM rotation about what it takes to get an Honors in the rotation. Once you know what your school emphasizes, you should apportion your time and effort accordingly.
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