[JCI] The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MD training for academic physicians

[Mr.Smile12]

To reduce debt burden and encourage the pursuit of research-focused careers, most MD-PhD programs provide medical school tuition remission and an annual stipend. However, prolonged training compared with MD physicians postpones the time until MD-PhD physicians earn a full salary. We compared lifetime earning potential for MD-PhD physicians in academia with their MD colleagues in the same clinical specialty. We examined the relationship between earning potential based on specialty and the likelihood that MD-PhD physicians reported being engaged predominantly in research. Lifetime earning potential was estimated using 2020–2021 debt and compensation data for 77,701 academic physicians across 47 specialties. Self-reported research effort for 3,025 MD-PhD program alumni in academia was taken from the National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study. We found that (a) MD-PhD physicians had a lower lifetime earning potential than MD physicians in the same specialty; (b) there was an inverse relationship between earning potential and research effort in different specialties, with MD-PhD physicians in high-earning specialties tending to spend less time on research; and (c) despite this, MD-PhD physicians in academia were more likely to choose clinical fields that allow more time for research.

JCI Insight - The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MD training for academic physicians

insight.jci.org

Keep discussing in this thread.

M

Post in: 'APSA Financial Wellness Survey'

Feb 4, 2025

Postgraduate financial outlook:

The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MDtraining for academic physicians
Eva Catenaccio, Jonathan Tochlin, Myles Akabas, Lawrence F. Brass, Harold K. Simon
JCI Insight. 2024;9(24):e183476. JCI Insight - The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MD training for academic physicians.

• Maebea

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

To reduce debt burden and encourage the pursuit of research-focused careers, most MD-PhD programs provide medical school tuition remission and an annual stipend. However, prolonged training compared with MD physicians postpones the time until MD-PhD physicians earn a full salary. We compared lifetime earning potential for MD-PhD physicians in academia with their MD colleagues in the same clinical specialty. We examined the relationship between earning potential based on specialty and the likelihood that MD-PhD physicians reported being engaged predominantly in research. Lifetime earning potential was estimated using 2020–2021 debt and compensation data for 77,701 academic physicians across 47 specialties. Self-reported research effort for 3,025 MD-PhD program alumni in academia was taken from the National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study. We found that (a) MD-PhD physicians had a lower lifetime earning potential than MD physicians in the same specialty; (b) there was an inverse relationship between earning potential and research effort in different specialties, with MD-PhD physicians in high-earning specialties tending to spend less time on research; and (c) despite this, MD-PhD physicians in academia were more likely to choose clinical fields that allow more time for research.

JCI Insight - The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MD training for academic physicians

insight.jci.org

Keep discussing in this thread.

M

Post in: 'APSA Financial Wellness Survey'

Feb 4, 2025

Postgraduate financial outlook:

The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MDtraining for academic physicians
Eva Catenaccio, Jonathan Tochlin, Myles Akabas, Lawrence F. Brass, Harold K. Simon
JCI Insight. 2024;9(24):e183476. JCI Insight - The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MD training for academic physicians.

• Maebea

That’s not just MD-PhD versus MD specific. Any physician who chooses a research based academic career will have less earning potential than clinical faculty.

Of course, now institutions are sh-tting bricks at the indirects that research faculty were bringing in, but historically, the value, real and conceptual, of the physician scientist has been lower.

 

[solitude]

That’s not just MD-PhD versus MD specific. Any physician who chooses a research based academic career will have less earning potential than clinical faculty.

Of course, now institutions are sh-tting bricks at the indirects that research faculty were bringing in, but historically, the value, real and conceptual, of the physician scientist has been lower.

this is definitely true. although it makes no financial sense if one has their heart set on making money in a pure or nearly pure clinical track, the debt free nature of MD PhD training does make one "feel" less poor throughout their training. I thought this made training much more enjoyable vis-a-vis MD only colleagues with hundreds and hundreds of thousands in debt. It also, psychologically, makes it easier to pick less lucrative fields, longer fellowships, and more research time.

 

[Neuronix]

The good news is that the reported difference in lifetime earnings is only about 5-10%, which is relatively small. I can't believe that it isn't larger.

The data that rad oncs do more research in some specialties compared to others is nothing new.