MD/JD anyone?

[ewing]

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There's also a surgery resident or a surgeon at Columbia who has a JD. He wrote a very informative article about the Match lawsuit in the NEJM about a year ago. I can look up the name for y'all when I get a chance.

For what it's worth, though, I'd reccomend Duke or Penn for the dual degree, since you can get it in 6 years. If you're in no rush, Chicago and Yale are both very accomodating to MD/JD peeps.

 

[Trekkie963]

Originally posted by ewing

For what it's worth, though, I'd reccomend Duke or Penn for the dual degree, since you can get it in 6 years.

You can also get the joint-degrees in six years at Case Western Reserve or Vanderbilt.

 

[Tiger26]

Pick one of the two that you like the most and follow that one. It would be a waste of time to complete law school if you want to be a practicing physician, and vice versa if you want to be a lawyer. Don't spread yourself thin. I too initially considered this option, but theres really no reason to do it since you can just take a couple of classes in either area you want to learn more about without going to school for it. Just follow your heart.

 

[japhy]

juddson,

bill sage came up to penn a few months ago to participate in a panel on medical liability reform. i had the chance to meet with him.

i am enjoying law school, although not nearly as much as medical school. and after having taking step 1 this past summer, the bar looks more interesting but much harder.

 

[japhy]

there are plenty of reasons to get both degrees. while you can learn about law or medicine by taking a few classes, you cannot practice either without having graduating from a professional school and passed the appropriate liscensing exam.

furthermore, you gain only cursory knowledge from taking one or two classes. medicine and law are different games with much different goals.

 

[LilyMD]

Originally posted by japhy
there are plenty of reasons to get both degrees. while you can learn about law or medicine by taking a few classes, you cannot practice either without having graduating from a professional school and passed the appropriate liscensing exam.

furthermore, you gain only cursory knowledge from taking one or two classes. medicine and law are different games with much different goals.

Yes, but you can't/won't practice medicine if you are in law school. And you can't/won't practice law if you are in medical school. I know a few JD/MD and hope to count myself among them. But I have not met one person who practices law for 3 days a week and medicne the other 3 day. Its very stressful to practice any one of these profession full-time, much less try to juggle both part-time. You seem committed to going this route, and if that's what you feel you need to do, then continue on. But personally I think it's unrealistic to think that you will find that job with the perfect practical intersection between medicine and law - and magically it will lend itself to 50/50 practice of law and medicine. If you want practice one but explore and hone an expertise bordering on the other (a physician who prides himself as an expert witness, a professor/physician/lawyer dealing with bioethics), then you are only practicing one profession or none.

 

[beponychick]

Hi LilyMD,

I am an MD applicant and am taking my LSATs in June with the hope of pursuing a dual MD/JD degree. I understand all your points, and I have heard that it is practically impossible to practice both law and medicine (even though I wish to somehow in my career try to combine the two). What do you personally invision yourself doing? Medicine? Law? Policy? I am just curious to an an opinion from someone who may not be as "idealistic" as the rest of us in terms of practicing both professions...

Thanks a lot. Good luck with everything.

 

[japhy]

cooper,

it has been my impression that the best time to take a leave of absence from med school is after your class years, but before clinicals. i have heard one administrator recommend the path you suggest. however, most every md/phd does it the traditional way. further, after talking to my old med school classmates, who are finishing up their 3rd years, they have assured me that 3rd year is so markedly different from the first two years that jumping back into medicine will not be impossible. i certainly understand your concern, it is something that i worry about constantly. i guess the way i looked at it was, by taking time off after 3rd year, you leave medicine for 3 years (thus forgetting the day to day aspect of medicine) and then you jump right back into 4th year, where you are performing in many cases like the intern. further, you have to immeadiately start applying for residency.

anyway, i think it can be done either way.

lily, i don't plan on having patients 2 days a week and clients 2 days a week. but i do see myself in clinic 2-3 days a week and doing policy the rest of the time. i have always considered this using my law degree. i don't have any intention of working in a firm (although these student summer salaries are very nice), but i still think that consulting and policy work is putting your law degree to practice.

 

[Trekkie963]

Hey all. Just thought I'd bump this thread up and maybe find out what people are planning to do at this point in furtherance of their plans to get both degrees.

 

[LilyMD]

Originally posted by japhy
lily, i don't plan on having patients 2 days a week and clients 2 days a week. but i do see myself in clinic 2-3 days a week and doing policy the rest of the time. i have always considered this using my law degree. i don't have any intention of working in a firm (although these student summer salaries are very nice), but i still think that consulting and policy work is putting your law degree to practice.

While you might feel that dabbling in policy puts your degree to use, keep in mind that that is not really PRACTICING law. Most lobbyists who are lawyers do not even get admitted to a bar. Policy is neither practicing medicine or law. Like lobbying, it is something entirely different. Having completed law school, I can tell you that the degree does not prepare you for a career in policy-making. It is true that there are many lawyers in Congress - but I think that is simply function of the fact that it's natural for anyone who is drawn to the legal practice to also be drawn to lawmaking. However, you certainly do not need to go to law school or be a lawyer to do it. After all, look at all the lawyers that never have any impact on policy or legislation. I'm sure many of them rather sit in Congress, but the truth is that a law degree does not help you get there - it's all about contacts, campaigning and CONTRIBUTIONS.