MD or MD/PHD

[premedi-kid]

Hey all,
I was wondering if anyone ever decided to go for an MD/PHD besides the typical MD and what their reasons were for choosing either paths. I'm curious because it seems that an MD/PHD is the perfect combination for helping people both globally (through research) and locally (clinical practice). Thanks for your input.

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[jberg4]

I had thought about being a doctor before but I wanted to be able to discover new things instead of just using stuff that had already been discovered. In college I decided to focus on research, but I even though it was really interesting I got bored doing the bench work. I knew I couldn't do just research as a career so i thought by adding an MD I would have more chances to interact with people. I also really like medicine and I was happy when I found out about the MD/PhD and could combine both medicine and research. I'm not sure if I will do clinical research, split time between the two, or end up doing one way more than the other. If the later happens I don't think the 7-8 years will be a waste of time because both degrees will help me become both a better doctor and a better researcher, and I consider myself a life time student anyways.

 

[adesua]

Hello Premedi-kid.
Check out the Pre-MSTP forum. I'm sure you'll find a bunch of people already in MD/PhD or think about going into MD/PhD programs who would like to share how they arrived at their decision.

All the best