MD/PhD vs. MD

[harposnarpo]

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How long does an MD/PhD program last compared to an MD program?

 

[HumidBeing]

If you'd like to find out more about MD/PhD programs, check out our Physician Scientist forum.

 

[TheRealMD]

Normal MD: 4 years.
MD/PhD: 7-8 years. It really depends on how long it takes for you to finish your PhD.

 

[neurocirujano]

I still don't understand why anyone would opt for the MD/PhD rather than simply the MD. I don't know enough about it to say for sure, but can't MDs perform essentially the same research that those with PhDs perform?

 

[Cegar]

Training in research and subsequent funding offered.

 

[TheRealMD]

I still don't understand why anyone would opt for the MD/PhD rather than simply the MD. I don't know enough about it to say for sure, but can't MDs perform essentially the same research that those with PhDs perform?

Clinical research might be slightly easier to set up, I guess? You'd have to ask a MD/PhD to really find out.

 

[Raryn]

that and the good MD/PhD programs waive your tuition and give you a stipend on top of it.

 

[neurocirujano]

that and the good MD/PhD programs waive your tuition and give you a stipend on top of it.

I was under the impression that you still had to pay for the years in medical school and go the stipend for the years you took a "break" and got your PhD.

 

[JHopRevisit]

I was under the impression that you still had to pay for the years in medical school and go the stipend for the years you took a "break" and got your PhD.

For MSTP programs medical school is free, but MD's both start earning money more quickly and tend to earn more overall, so the money is not a good reason to do it.

I still don't understand why anyone would opt for the MD/PhD rather than simply the MD. I don't know enough about it to say for sure, but can't MDs perform essentially the same research that those with PhDs perform?

Depends what type of research you mean. Medical school coursework doesn't prepare you for basic science research, and the scattered research experiences you get in summers and perhaps during a fellowship are too short to let you reach true independance. Being a researcher is very difficult, many current research MD's spent many years struggling to get funded and learn the basics before they got to where they are today. Not to mention they're from a different generation, when the skills required to do basic science research were less , it's much harder to do today.

It's possible to do very good clinical research, but more and more even that's requiring additional skills beyond the MD degree, particularly statistics, and we're seeing more MD-PhDs in epidemiology and biostats.

 

[seraph524]

People go for the MD/PhD to get both clinical and research training in one shot, a more streamlined process than to just get the MD and then do a post-doc later on.

As for funding, programs under the MSTP (medical scientist training program) grant covers all tuition costs + a stipend for room and board. Programs not under the MSTP grant usually also have private funding.

 

[seraph524]

For MSTP programs medical school is free, but MD's both start earning money more quickly and tend to earn more overall, so the money is not a good reason to do it.

Yep. MD/PhDs on a average, earn less than MDs. Plus, MD/PhDs spend an additional 4-5 years in school - thats 4-5 prime salary years lost in the future. So in the long run, doing an MD/PhD training actually results in a net loss, so doing a dual degree simply to cut costs of med school is a bad idea.