I want to be a DO and a biology teacher. What should I do?

[doc4kids93]

I am currently a senior in undergrad. I will be graduating August 2016 with a B.S. in Biology. I aspire to become a Pediatric Anesthesiologist. However, after taking my physiology course, I realized that I want to also one day teach Human Physiology as a teacher.

How would I go about doing this? Should I go to medical school and residency first, obtain a DO or MD, and then go back and get a masters and then a PhD to teach?

I was looking at the MD/PhD programs and they seemed interesting, but are they geared mainly towards individuals interested in practicing medicine and doing research? Or are they also for those interested in practicing medicine and teaching?

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[deleted763299]

I am currently a senior in undergrad. I will be graduating August 2016 with a B.S. in Biology. I aspire to become a Pediatric Anesthesiologist. However, after taking my physiology course, I realized that I want to also one day teach Human Physiology as a teacher.

How would I go about doing this? Should I go to medical school and residency first, obtain a DO or MD, and then go back and get a masters and then a PhD to teach?

I was looking at the MD/PhD programs and they seemed interesting, but are they geared mainly towards individuals interested in practicing medicine and doing research? Or are they also for those interested in practicing medicine and teaching?

Some more information would be helpful:

• Why do you want to be a doctor?
• Why do you want to teach?
• Who do you want to teach, and at what level?
• How do you envision teaching fitting into your life?
  • Practicing as a physician for a while, then picking up teaching after retiring from medical practice?
  • Teaching for a while, then becoming a physician, then retiring?
  • Teaching and practicing medicine simultaneously?
• Have you taken the MCAT?
• Do you have any clinical exposure? (physician shadowing, being an EMT, scribe, etc.)
• What's your GPA?

Regarding MD/PhD programs, they are designed for individuals that want a career as a physician researcher. Although many people with PhD's end up teaching, as I'm sure you well know from your undergrad experience many of them do a terrible job because they don't actually get any instruction on how to be an educator as part of their PhD program.

 

[IslandStyle808]

There are tons of levels that you can teach at and you should search the forums to see how each are.

1. You can be an undergrad professors and the requirement may vary depending on what you teach. I knew of an MD, MPH who taught many epidemiology courses (I think he taught three courses in one semester, on top of keeping his witty humor, this dude was a beast).

2. You can teach at the medical school basic science level and this will have its own requirements.

3. You can teach clinical rotations in your own field.

4. You can teach residents in your own field.

5. You can teach fellows in the field of your fellowship.


The path you have mentioned is probably the least worth. The question here is now what is your driving in doing this, when there are far better options on the table?

 

[DrMikeP]

If you really want to teach then no need to get a clinical degree to practice medicine. A PhD in Bio or some such and that and it is infinitely easier. You could also go the nurse or similar route for anesthesia and still have an easier path. Just something to consider.

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