MD vs MD/PhD

[Thangbilltaiwan]

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hi, I just wonder what is the difference between Md and Md/PhD? There are a couple of Nobel Laureates professors at my school who are Mds. So, if MDs alone can produce productive research, why spend another year in the Md/ PhD program?

 

[LSDiVinci]

Straight MDs can do research, but their form of "research" is typically historical/stats type stuff. Like for instance asking the question "Does treatment X correlate with outcome Y?" and then digging up the statistics from published medical data to find the answer. For regular MDs to go into "real" (i.e. experimental) research, you'll have to typically do some type of research fellowship to get into the game.

You're definitely not the only one wrangling with this issue tho...there is some good debate about whether (for someone who knows they want to go into lab research) it is better to go MD/PhD or MD+research fellowship.

I'd search around the physician scientist forum, cause I remember there were some good threads on this topic.

 

[CoffeeMonster]

First of all, no reputable PhD program is only a year long. MD/PhD is for people specifically interested in research. I have a friend who is going down that route. His future will basically look like this:

Will do the first 2 years of basic sciences with med school class, then while the rest of his class goes on to clinicals in years 3 and 4, he'll start working on his PhD which will take him a minimum of 4 years but more likely closer to 5-6 depending on how well his research goes and if it yields results. Then after doing that, he will go back to medical school to do his 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations. Then comes time for residency, which is another 3 years minimum.

I have a feeling you think that more degrees implies more prestige going off your Nobel laureate comment, but that's not the case. In many instances, those with an MD/PhD actually make less because they're in academics and their research/teaching is more of a priority to them. Nothing more, nothing less. Why else would you extend your training for 6 more years in addition to the already long process of becoming a doctor?

 

[WingedOx]

I'm pretty limited in my research interests, but the thought of only graduating med school at this point in my life rather than finishing residency in a couple weeks and making a real paycheck.... ugh, (shudders)