MD/MSc - Worth it?

[number22]

Is it worth doing an MD/MSc program over 5 years?

How much would it help during residency application to have done an MSc?

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[Hkhan]

Is it worth doing an MD/MSc program over 5 years?

How much would it help during residency application to have done an MSc?

Simply doing the MSc for residency is not worth it. If the topic is something you can passionately talk about and is about something You want to do regardless of residency and is something you are genuinely interested in that you should do it.

If you are just doing it for residency then no, it's not worth it.


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[bashwell]

Is it worth doing an MD/MSc program over 5 years?

How much would it help during residency application to have done an MSc?

If doing an MSc helps you to publish a lot, then it would be helpful. Of course, you can publish a lot without an MSc, but doing an MSc might give you more time, resources, etc. Some people even take a year off to do research if they're applying for a highly competitive specialty, but the MSc would give you a degree in the same amount of time since doing the MD/MSc is 5 years for you.

In short, if want a competitive specialty (e.g., plastics, derm), then doing the MD/MSc might be worth it if you use it productively to publish papers and other things related to the field you want. Otherwise, it's probably not worth it.

 

[number22]

Simply doing the MSc for residency is not worth it. If the topic is something you can passionately talk about and is about something You want to do regardless of residency and is something you are genuinely interested in that you should do it.

If you are just doing it for residency then no, it's not worth it.


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Well, yes... Obviously it would allow me to work on research in a field I love. But me wanting to do it, doesn't make it worth it

 

[number22]

If doing an MSc helps you to publish a lot, then it would be helpful. Of course, you can publish a lot without an MSc, but doing an MSc might give you more time, resources, etc. Some people even take a year off to do research if they're applying for a highly competitive specialty, but the MSc would give you a degree in the same amount of time since doing the MD/MSc is 5 years for you.

In short, if want a competitive specialty (e.g., plastics, derm), then doing the MD/MSc might be worth it if you use it productively to publish papers and other things related to the field you want. Otherwise, it's probably not worth it.

Is it just the act of publishing that counts? Does the act of doing the MSc not count for much?

 

[Lya]

Is it just the act of publishing that counts? Does the act of doing the MSc not count for much?

As mentioned above, the MSc itself does not count much.

It's the publications, letters, and networking/connections you get from that dedicated year of research that count.

 

[eteshoe]

Depends on what the MSc is in and how you spin it. I have one - it was helpful in convincing the schools I applied to that I could do the PhD I'm currently doing (in an area very different from my UG studies). Research degrees really only help if you plan on doing research as a component of your career. If you're just aiming at a competitive specialty, a dedicated research year will suffice.

 

[physicsnerd42]

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[number22]

Depends on what the MSc is in and how you spin it. I have one - it was helpful in convincing the schools I applied to that I could do the PhD I'm currently doing (in an area very different from my UG studies). Research degrees really only help if you plan on doing research as a component of your career. If you're just aiming at a competitive specialty, a dedicated research year will suffice.

What is the difference between what I'm doing and a dedicated research year?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Does the act of doing the MSc not count for much?

Not really no.

 

[eteshoe]

What is the difference between what I'm doing and a dedicated research year?

A research year is just that. An MSc may take you 2 years and a degree is conferred at the end if you fulfill course and/or thesis requirements.

 

[number22]

A research year is just that. An MSc may take you 2 years and a degree is conferred at the end if you fulfill course and/or thesis requirements.

The program at my school = MD/MBA in 5 years, so it would be just as much as a research year, without the degree.

So wouldnt this be better than just a research year?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

So wouldnt this be better than just a research year?

To what end? For residency apps? Then no, definitely not.

 

[NickNaylor]

No one is going to be impressed with the fact that you got a second degree - that fact in and of itself is meaningless if you do not have a vision for your career that clearly incorporates that extra training. Are you interested in engaging in some kind of research during your career? Then sure, maybe an MSc would be helpful. But don't fool yourself into thinking that getting that extra degree - all on its own - is somehow going to earn you extra points. You almost certainly will be asked about it in your residency interviews, and if it's clear that you don't have a vision for how that training is going to be incorporated into your career or even your interests, then it's not going to give you any extra "points."

 

[number22]

No one is going to be impressed with the fact that you got a second degree - that fact in and of itself is meaningless if you do not have a vision for your career that clearly incorporates that extra training. Are you interested in engaging in some kind of research during your career? Then sure, maybe an MSc would be helpful. But don't fool yourself into thinking that getting that extra degree - all on its own - is somehow going to earn you extra points. You almost certainly will be asked about it in your residency interviews, and if it's clear that you don't have a vision for how that training is going to be incorporated into your career or even your interests, then it's not going to give you any extra "points."

Thank you. Therefore, I must choose a research project that I would like to work on more in the future, correct?

 

[NickNaylor]

Thank you. Therefore, I must choose a research project that I would like to work on more in the future, correct?

You're looking at this too concretely. Worry less about having a specific project and more about what you actually want to do with your life. Are you genuinely interested in research? Do you want to make it a not-insignificant part of your career? (By that I don't necessarily mean that you do research full time - just that it's an important enough objective for you that you do want to devote some time to it) If the answer to both of these questions, then consider getting the MSc. If the answer to both questions is a definitive no, then I wouldn't even bother as the degree will be a complete waste of your time and net no benefits for you.

Degree whoring is not in and of itself something that academic administrators are looking for on the whole. What's significantly more important are your goals with respect to how you actually want to use your training. If you can describe that clearly and in a way that makes sense, then the additional training can be an asset.

 

[number22]

You're looking at this too concretely. Worry less about having a specific project and more about what you actually want to do with your life. Are you genuinely interested in research? Do you want to make it a not-insignificant part of your career? (By that I don't necessarily mean that you do research full time - just that it's an important enough objective for you that you do want to devote some time to it) If the answer to both of these questions, then consider getting the MSc. If the answer to both questions is a definitive no, then I wouldn't even bother as the degree will be a complete waste of your time and net no benefits for you.

Degree whoring is not in and of itself something that academic administrators are looking for on the whole. What's significantly more important are your goals with respect to how you actually want to use your training. If you can describe that clearly and in a way that makes sense, then the additional training can be an asset.

Thank you. However, that being said, wouldn't a masters thesis be a huge asset for a competitive specialty if the project is in the field? (ex: plastics, derm, etc)

 

[Lya]

Thank you. However, that being said, wouldn't a masters thesis be a huge asset for a competitive specialty if the project is in the field? (ex: plastics, derm, etc)

Someone can correct me, but as far as I know, not really.

I would rather have a few more publications if I have that much spare time to write a thesis.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Thank you. However, that being said, wouldn't a masters thesis be a huge asset for a competitive specialty if the project is in the field? (ex: plastics, derm, etc)

A "huge asset?" No. Why would a thesis be given more weight than some good research projects that were published in solid journals?

 

[NickNaylor]

Someone can correct me, but as far as I know, not really.

I would rather have a few more publications if I have that much spare time to write a thesis.

Agree with this. For better or worse, all that ultimately matters is "producibles:" abstracts, poster presentations, lectures, and/or manuscripts. You might be a able to milk a single project for several of those, but for the most part you are likely to be better served working on several low-labor, quick projects than a single high-labor, in-depth project.

It's unfortunate that that's how things work, but that would be my candid opinion.

 

[mistafab]

Msc will only help you if you want to use it during your career. If you do not plan to, then it won't really help you. If you just need research for a competitive specialty, that can be done without a degree.

 

[number22]

Agree with this. For better or worse, all that ultimately matters is "producibles:" abstracts, poster presentations, lectures, and/or manuscripts. You might be a able to milk a single project for several of those, but for the most part you are likely to be better served working on several low-labor, quick projects than a single high-labor, in-depth project.

It's unfortunate that that's how things work, but that would be my candid opinion.

I see, thank you!

To everyone else, thanks as well