Is a 7 year MD program worth it for someone interested in Global Medicine?

[deleted826437]

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Hello all,

I am a new member, long time reader of these forums and have seen several posts regarding 7 year medical programs with pros and cons. The one I am considering is in my home state and would have me transfer schools for my junior year and then begin MS1 the following year. This appeals to me for a for a couple of obvious reasons: saving money (in-state and fewer years of tuition, no MCAT$$$), saving time (-1 year of school)- Which are, I think, pretty universal among all students considering this program. The saved time&money particularly appeals to me though because I think that I want to go into global healthcare (less $$) and also study for an MPH (will require more $$ and time). With this goal in mind, it seems like the shorter program would be a perfect fit for the additional degree because it would essentially cancel out any disadvantages of earning an MPH.
My biggest reservation is the lack of prestige of the school where I would be earning my MD from (ranked ~40) and I know this would limit my options in terms of academia. My question is: Does this matter? Are there a lot of opportunities in academia pertaining to global medicine that I will probably be limited by this lack of prestige? I know that attending a COM with a higher ranking also opens up doors and allows more connections to be made, and this school would obviously not offer as many of these connections. Does it matter?
I know my goal of "global healthcare" is kind of ambiguous, but I honestly don't know enough about potential careers in order to get more specific. I do know, however, that I want to serve in developing countries and be a part of a movement that strives to provide healthcare to all humans, as a fundamental human right, regardless of education, location, or finances. I've committed significant time to volunteering with refugees in my community over the last several years, and it has helped to confirm my career intentions. I only include this so that its clear that I do have at least SOME experience with work somewhat related to global medicine.

In summary: Will a degree from a lesser ranked medical school significantly reduce the impact I can make in global medicine? Is the sacrifice when it comes to med school connections worth giving up the extra time and money I will save when considering a career in global medicine specifically? Can I make up for the lack of med school connections by getting into a highly ranked MPH program?

I apologize for the "long-windedness" of this post, and I greatly appreciate the time spent to read/respond if you choose to do so. Thanks!
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PS: If its relevant, I have a 3.99 GPA (Bio), I'm a pretty decent test taker, I have/will have significant research experience pertaining to medical genetics (started as a freshman), and what I would consider to be quality volunteering. Obviously med schools get tons of awesome apps and I am not claiming that mine is exceptional in any way, but I do feel that it is reasonable to assume that I could get into a school of equal or greater caliber if I do choose to apply to a full 4 year program that requires MCAT tests, so I won't be considering the "skip the MCAT" aspect as a perk beyond the money saved.

 

[flapjack3d]

Im currently getting my MPH, MD starta next year, and previously worked in public health research in east Africa. Do not underestimate the value of connections. All the docs I worked with had an MPH from Hopkins or Harvard, but many did MD from lower ranked schools. That might just be because MPH admissions are a cake walk compared to MD, especially if you're a med student. If you want to work on admin side of things, who you know is so important. If you want to work in the clinic with msf or something, go for the money, skip the mph. Mph is not relevant in such cases. Spend that time doing a relevant ! Year fellowship post residency.

Furthermore, im sure at least 20% of premeds think they want to be involved in global medixine. The reality of it is endless beauracracy, struggling for funding, and few immediate intangible rewards compared to working in a developed country. Or youll find a nice girlfriend and realize your priorities have changed.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

The only people who care more about a med school's ranking than premeds are citizens of third world countries. If I had a dollar for every Nicaraguan who refused care because I don't go to Harvard I could retire right meow.

 

[deleted826437]

@KinesiologyNerd @flapjack3d thank you both for your replies.

I get that when only considering field work in under developed countries the ranking is pretty much irrelevant, but its clear that higher tier positions within NGO's like the WHO etc. are pretty competitive. I think the idea of field work is awesome, and as a young doctor w/o a family I think I would like to do some of that, but as I get older and need to start considering a career that allows me to be somewhat stable in order to start a family, it seems like it would make sense to move into a more administrative role within one of those organizations for a majority of the time. Those types of jobs are the ones that I would be worried about competing for with a less "prestigious" MD degree. Is this a valid concern, or is field experience much more important?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

@KinesiologyNerd @flapjack3d thank you both for your replies.

I get that when only considering field work in under developed countries the ranking is pretty much irrelevant, but its clear that higher tier positions within NGO's like the WHO etc. are pretty competitive. I think the idea of field work is awesome, and as a young doctor w/o a family I think I would like to do some of that, but as I get older and need to start considering a career that allows me to be somewhat stable in order to start a family, it seems like it would make sense to move into a more administrative role within one of those organizations for a majority of the time. Those types of jobs are the ones that I would be worried about competing for with a less "prestigious" MD degree. Is this a valid concern, or is field experience much more important?

First, ~40 really isn't scraping the bottom of the barrel. Second, how good of a doctor you are, how much people like you, and those sorts of things are what really matter when you are trying to move into leadership positions. Prestige of medical school matters far more to the general public (because name recognition) than your future peers and higher ups. To them they just want to know if you will be good for the job.