MPH and EM

[pmdc222]

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Hi all -

I'm an entering M1 who is strongly interested in emergency medicine (I know I have a lot of time to change my mind). My medical school offers a dual MD/MPH that takes 5 years to complete. In order to do the MPH, I would have to apply by the end of first year. I was wondering what benefit this degree has in emergency medicine. Is it just another set of initials or does it serve a purpose in your everyday practice? I've noticed that a lot of the ER attendings and residents at the level 1's in my area have the MD/MPH. I'm definitely interested in the degree but my only reservation is the extra year of school. I'm a female entering medical school at 26 and I have the normal anxiety about age down the line etc.

Thanks!

 

[Arcan57]

Depends on what you want to do with the MPH. I have an MPH in epidemiology and other than informing my research interests it has not had an everyday effect during residency. A lot of my MD/MPH class did international health which has a pretty specific application, or did an MPH in Health Administration in order to become hospital adminstrators somewhere down the line.

It is easy to structure an EM career to allow a parallel career (especially if you live modestly), so if you can see yourself using the MPH to teach, do research, become an administrator or bring healthcare to the third world then do it. Otherwise, day-to-day ED shifts are not going to be significantly different with or w/o the MPH

 

[FoughtFyr]

I have an MPH (from before medical school) in environmental and occupational health. Useful in research and great in both the academic job hunt (after residency) as well as during the match. But clinically? No difference.

- H

 

[pmdc222]

Thanks for the responses - I'll have to think about it some more I guess...I have the school year to make the decision. Then again, I suppose I could get it some other time down the line if I really wanted to. I know that I am mainly interested in the clinical side of things, I don't really like research (but then again I haven't really done much of it), and I love to teach. I can't really see myself working anywhere but a teaching hospital as an attending (about a million years from now it seems 😉). I'm not sure how much an MPH would help in that regard.

Does it make you a lot more competitive when you match for residencies?

 

[dlung]

Thanks for the responses - I'll have to think about it some more I guess...I have the school year to make the decision. Then again, I suppose I could get it some other time down the line if I really wanted to. I know that I am mainly interested in the clinical side of things, I don't really like research (but then again I haven't really done much of it), and I love to teach. I can't really see myself working anywhere but a teaching hospital as an attending (about a million years from now it seems 😉). I'm not sure how much an MPH would help in that regard.

Does it make you a lot more competitive when you match for residencies?

Probably only if you have a good answer to the incessant "Why the MPH?" question you'll get on interviews...