Done with PhD now doing a post-doc before MD. What are your opinoins?

[Flanigan]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Dear all,
I am in the middle of the MD/PhD program at my school and am 2 months from completing the PhD degree. I have only completed 3/4 of the first year of medical school classes. In the end I will have completed both degrees separately.

I am working in a basic science field, biochemistry, and have been offered a post-doc position in a well known laboratory at a prestigious university (big name private university) to study a medical application, gene therapy, of the basic science that I have spent 4+1/2 years studying. My plan is pursue this for 2-3 years and then return to my current university (big state university) and complete my medical degree.

This is the type of research that I dreamed of doing when I began the MD/PhD program and this is the type of research that I would like to persue during a residency program. This big name university is also the medical school at which I would like do my medical residency.

What pros and cons should I consider as I make my final descision?

I have recieved encouragement from faculty members who are happy to see their graduate students move on to good post-doc positions. I have recieved discouragement from faculty members who fear that I will never return to this big state, small name university to complete medical school. I welcome advice from people who do not have a vested interest in the outcome of my descision.

Thank you.

 

[Scottish Chap]

I know somebody who was offered such a position after the PhD phase of the MD/PhD program. He never went back to medical school (he had completed MSI and MSII). With so little of medical school completed, I fear you'll never return. I'm not implying anything about your level of motivation, but I have first-hand experience working at a prestigious medical center in a top lab as a postdoc. and believe me when I say that it will define your future and suck you farther away from medical school than you can possibly imagine right now. Research will still be there when you get your M.D. I would finish what you started.....

 

[Circumflex]

I agree. There is never going to be a good time to leave the research behind - but, better now than later. It was difficult for me to leave my research just when it was taking off to go back to med school.

If you do the post-doc now, it will be even more difficult to leave that research behind to go back to medical school. Plus, you may want to look into the time limit for taking all 3 steps of the USMLE for your state license.

However, you have to ask yourself if you really want to be a medical doctor. With only 3/4 of a year invested, you may not. Maybe you'd be happier following through with your research. It's a very personal decision. Good luck!

 

[ClarinetGeek]

I completely concur with the previous posters. It is only going to get more difficult to return in time. Plus are you sure they will let you return after that period of time?

 

[jjmack]

how does one do 3/4 of M1? at my school you do all of a year or none at all.

 

[QofQuimica]

Like Circumflex, I get the impression that maybe an MD is not necessary for you to pursue your "dream career." If this line of research is truly what you want to spend your life pursuing, then take the post doc and don't look back. But as the previous posters have said, it is highly likely that you will never complete your MD if you go on to do this post doc. What you need to decide is whether the extra three years of med school plus a residency is going to be of enough use to you to make it worth postponing your entry into your research career. You might also consider that even if your research is the hottest thing out there today, in 3+ years, the field will move on, and it will move on without you if you're busy sitting in lectures and spending your days on the wards. Is that ok with you?

No one can answer that but you. There is no right or wrong decision here; you have to decide what matters more to you (getting an MD versus pursuing your current research), because realistically the odds are against you managing to do both. If you do decide to finish med school though, you can certainly pick up wherever the current state of the field is in a few years from now. I think if there's a good possibility that you will want or need the MD career in the future, you should go ahead and finish it now.

Best of luck to you. 🙂

 

[tacojohn]

Another thing to think about is how relevant will what you're doing now be in five or six years once you're done with school and residency. Research changes quickly. Information and techniques change enormously in that period (go look up some five or six year old papers and see what they didn't know back then and what techniques they used) You could get stuck in a position where you have to do another postdoc afterwards. Remember, a postdoc is a lot different from a degree in that it is really a springboard to an immediate next step, not some letters to add to the end of your name. Also as somebody else above mentioned as well, there is a time limit for taking your USMLE exams that will come into play.

 

[Flanigan]

Dear all,
Thanks for the input.

First, how does one only complete 3/4 of M1?
1. We are required to complete the PhD before entering M2.
2. Two of the tenured professesor that I worked with moved to other universities, one after the other...
3. The department and lab that I landed in afterwards are not proponents of the MD/PhD program.

These events and factors have, in combination, scuttled my sincere attempts to complete both the MD and PhD degrees simultaneously.

My motivation for completing both degrees is the only reason that I chose to complete the PhD degree under such circumstances. It would have been much easier for me bail out of the PhD and complete medical school. However, it is not likely that I would have returned to research later on by choice. It is also not likely that after quitting the PhD, I would have earned a position in a competetive research oriented medical residency program.

With that said, I do intend on returning and completing medical school after the post-doc. Also, since I have not taken any of the national exams, the time limit does not apply.

Why would I return to medical school?
Some would argue that in order to do the type of work that I would like to do in the field of gene therapy, one would need to complete an MD/PhD degree. This will be important not only for knowlege base and skill sets, interactions between academic, medical, and industrial environmens, but also for specific NIH funding and research opportunities.

Will it tack on 3 more years?
Yes. But it will turn a frustrating and painful experience into a rewarding, worth while Odessy.

Thank you. I appreciate all of your valid comments and insights. Please continue to post if you have any other comments or suggestions.
Thank you.

 

[Scottish Chap]

The only thing I might add is that it takes WAY longer than one expects to adapt to a new lab in a totally different institution. The transition from graduate student to postdoc. can be difficult and you’re going to lose precious time in that transition. On one hand, as a postdoc., the expectations for productivity are higher. On the other hand, without your M.D., you’re delaying entering a residency program that could give you protected years for research so I think this is a step backwards...again, all IMHO. Unless you're willing to spend a minimum of three years to get the publication(s) and, more importantly, to spend enough time to make it a worthwhile experience, I honestly think you're delaying getting to your final destination. I applaud your interest in research for its own sake; it's a rarity. If it were me, I'd join a residency program that would let me get the research experience at that stage, and into a faculty position sooner. Perhaps it’s because I’m ancient. 🙂 Good luck!