How do you know if MD/Phd is for you?

[cellochic]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I was just inquiring how people knew this field was right for them. I absolutely love basic research especially in the area of pharmacology, but I want to work with patients too. I don't mind the 80/20 split at all because I want to spend more time in the lab, and I'm more of an application person that just rote memorization. I feel like I could spend forever learning.

Personal experiences?

 

[Enkidu]

I was just inquiring how people knew this field was right for them. I absolutely love basic research especially in the area of pharmacology, but I want to work with patients too. I don't mind the 80/20 split at all because I want to spend more time in the lab, and I'm more of an application person that just rote memorization. I feel like I could spend forever learning.

Personal experiences?

I think most people just go with their gut, and then find out whether it's right for them later. A lot of people ultimately decide that it wasn't right for them, and they go into clinical medicine full-time.

The people that need to avoid MD/PhD are those that will be constantly pining for all the money that they could be making if they had just done MD only. If you think that you might be like that, then beware.

If you like research and don't mind spending a few years doing it before ultimately deciding where to go with your career, then just go for it. If you're lucky, you'll make an amazing career out of science and medicine. If you're unlucky you'll be a private practice physician with a little more appreciation for science and a little less money at the end of the day.

 

[ablavar]

I think it's impossible to define what a "successful" MD/PhD should be doing, but I think a failed one would be one who enters private practice with zero academic appointments.

Your forever learning sentiment will resonate very well with admissions directors

 

[delirium81]

Everything you mentioned, preferring application to rote memorization and your love of learning, sounds like the beginnings of an excellent MD/PhD career. I spent some time pondering which route I wanted before I applied too. Since I was working at the NIH I was able to talk to a lot of MDs and PhDs and MD/PhDs about their career choices. I guess the one that stuck with me the most was a question from an MD/PhD. He said, "If someone put a gun to your head and made you choose between research and medicine, which would you choose?" This is definitely a good thing to be pondering no matter what since someone will ask you this on MD/PhD interviews, maybe minus the gun. Personally, I do think that there's a "right" answer to this, as did the MD/PhD who asked me. What do you think, cellochic?

 

[Neuronix]

I think a failed one would be one who enters private practice with zero academic appointments.

It's the greatest failure on earth. Double or more salary, less work, more vacation, more job security/flexibility... What's not to love about failure?

 

[eighty-twenty]

You sound like the type who would thrive in an MD/PhD program.

I always liked exotic infectious diseases and weird ones. My idealistic rationale for deciding MD/PhD many years ago was thinking how many people I could affect doing the things I liked to do. I liked the idea that a basic science/translational discovery, even if small at first, can have a profound impact on saving lives down the road if it somehow led to a diagnostic or therapeutic application. Much more lives than a doctor treating 20 or more patients a day in the field. But I also liked the breadth of clinical medicine. Although, I never was good at coming up with broad differentials as a med student, after residency, I'm glad I have the broad fund of knowledge for many diseases to which I can apply what I learned doing the bench time. Grad school alone will never expose you to all the diseases you see in clinical medicine (truer if you do IM or Peds) . Thus, why not get both types of training?

 

[ablavar]

It's the greatest failure on earth. Double or more salary, less work, more vacation, more job security/flexibility... What's not to love about failure?

Failed in terms of investment made from the admissions committee, of course.

 

[cellochic]

I was out of town and away from my computer for a bit -whoops.

Thanks for your replies! I feel better about wanting to apply to MD/PhD. I've been considering it for the past two years while doing a lot of research on it, but hadn't gotten personal experiences. The MD or PhD only peeps are quite biased about the combined degree.

I couldn't help but chuckle at neronix's comment about failure and delerium's gun. I think the whole idea of translational research plus flexibility are definitely a plus! Delirium, for me I would say research, but that's my answer. Without research, where would doctor's be and where would they go?


Is there anyone who went straight from undergrad into their respective programs? Or did some of you go into the workforce before? Delirium, how long did you work for the NIH?

 

[delirium81]

I said research too. I think what he was trying to get at when he asked me was how passionate I was about science and research. I think most people will tell you that the PhD is the tougher half of the program to complete. In med school you have clear cut deadlines and tests that make it clear what the requirements are. The PhD is much more self-driven. You need to have a lot of drive and passion to get through all the failed experiments and troubleshooting. If someone were to answer that question by saying that their heart is really in practicing medicine but they have an interest in doing some research on the side, then I would say they should just do a straight MD.

I worked at the NIH for two years before I started the MD/PhD. When I graduated, I was still unsure of which path I wanted to take. My research in undergrad was in chemistry, but I was interested in pursuing ID and wanted to gain some experience in an ID lab before I made up my mind. But if you're sure of what you want to do, why you want to do it that way, and already have a good amount of research experience, then I don't think there's any reason to wait to apply

 

[cellochic]

I would have thought the PhD portion was tougher as well. I started working in one lab in high school and 6 years later, there's a student in the same lab still working on her PhD - she's just taking her sweet time haha.

I'll be a senior come this fall, but I'm taking a victory lap to finish up my degree, so it looks like next summer's it! I'm pumped. Time to start tackling the monster (MCAT).

Thanks so much!