MPH and surgery

[the_maverick]

Hi ,

I'll be applying for Fall 2006 MPH program ; i've a GRE score of 1580 and a TOEFL
range 243 - 300 (final score is yet to arrive ) .
I don't wish to pursue a career in public health and the only reason i'm applying is to add some weight to my otherwise bland resume .Later , I plan to do residency in surgery from a respectable institution . However my friends say that MPH is no good if u are to enter a residency ;and it's worse if u want surgery .
Aren't public health and surgery related in any way ?? I've seen dental surgeons do MPh ..how are they any different from gen surgeons as far as MPH is concerned ??

Another thing , during MPH , can u get some clinical research experience ???

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[fantasty]

Hi ,

I'll be applying for Fall 2006 MPH program ; i've a GRE score of 1580 and a TOEFL
range 243 - 300 (final score is yet to arrive ) .
I don't wish to pursue a career in public health and the only reason i'm applying is to add some weight to my otherwise bland resume .Later , I plan to do residency in surgery from a respectable institution . However my friends say that MPH is no good if u are to enter a residency ;and it's worse if u want surgery .
Aren't public health and surgery related in any way ?? I've seen dental surgeons do MPh ..how are they any different from gen surgeons as far as MPH is concerned ??

Another thing , during MPH , can u get some clinical research experience ???

I won't do an MPH if you weren't interested in public health (or any other degree just for the hell of it). And, it's actually a pet peeve of mine that so many people use an MPH in this way. It also reflects poorly on the program if the students do not complete their degrees (we occasionally get students who apply during the period when they are working on their residency applications, and some leave the program do residency even if they aren't finished, so it looks as though we do not graduate a substantial % of our matriculants).

With that out of the way, I will say that the MPH carries more weight in some medical disciplines, and it's probably true that many surgeons would not weight this as highly as other things you could do to spice up your CV. But, if you are interested in clinical research / academic medicine, having an MPH can be really helpful. Within either biostats or epidemiology, you can learn about conducting clinical trials, etc. We also had a trauma surgeon (currently faculty) getting an MPH - it just depends on what you'd like to do with it.

Even though surgeons are stereotyped as "cutters", some do care about prevention (injury prevention advocates, vascular surgeons).

Finally, yes - you probably can get some clinical research experience during an MPH, but you'd have to look at the programs. You would have better luck at schools that have good relationships between their medical school and college of public health.

 

[the_maverick]

I'm not in favour of leaving MPH midway , it's just that i don't want to pursue a career in that field .
Thanks for your reply .

However, your reply raises another question - Are we supposed to apply for residency after completion of MPH ? There are MPH programs of 1year duration ; so if we don't wish to have a 10-11 month gap between residency & MPH program ,then we have to apply during the course ??

 

[fantasty]

Sorry if I sounded kurt 🙂 I didn't mean to imply that you would.

It probably depends on the school and whether you have to take your USMLE's. We commonly get IMG's who use the MPH year (or 2) to take Step 1 & 2. But, they generally apply during the last acaemic year and interview around the same time our 4th US grads are applying, and start residency at the same time.

My little rant was just that sometimes, if a student hasn't finished all of their courses, or completed their practicum, but gets a residency spot, they just ditch their MPH. And, I personally think that it would be best if the person was doing something that they enjoyed.

 

[Adcadet]

I seem to remember some medical school (MCOW?) requiring graduate students to submit a letter from a Chair/DGS stating that he/she knew of and supported my plans to go to medical school starting in August of 2003. I'm guessing this was to minimize the poaching of MPH students who were applying in their first year (out of two). Since I applied to medical school during my last year in my 2-year MPH program this was a moot issue, but I still had to get the letter (and the Chair, who was an MD/MPH, was happy to do so).

 

[TheMightyAngus]

However my friends say that MPH is no good if u are to enter a residency ;and it's worse if u want surgery .
Aren't public health and surgery related in any way ??

Another thing , during MPH , can u get some clinical research experience ???

Your friends are full of $hit. An MPH is very valuable in any medical field. Surgeons conduct research just like docs in every other specialty. A surgeon who conducts research as well as cuts, is an asset to any institution. An MPH isn't necessarily only for public health, it also encompasses biostatistics and epidemiology. An MPH would definitely help you land residency/fellowships. But, if you aren't interested in an academic career, that's another story....

 

[uhoh!]

Your friends are full of $hit. An MPH is very valuable in any medical field. Surgeons conduct research just like docs in every other specialty. A surgeon who conducts research as well as cuts, is an asset to any institution. An MPH isn't necessarily only for public health, it also encompasses biostatistics and epidemiology. An MPH would definitely help you land residency/fellowships. But, if you aren't interested in an academic career, that's another story....

well said! 👍
i think you are likely to get the most out of your MPH if you don't treat it just as an extra step to get your foot in the door..i am doing my MPH(Epi concentration) right now.i have applied for Pathology, so i might be a little biased towards the applications of the MPH in research.
however, in any field, a clear knowledge of Biostats,Epidem, and Stastical interpretation will help with your research, if that's what you plan. you have to know what you are trying to show, and what you are talking about..or else you need to hire someone who does!
my advice- don't blow off the MPH just because it is not your "primary aim"..there are tons of ways the program can help.make use of the facilities available at your program,cause you are paying good money to be there,and won't have such a chance again! its really an attitude thing..

 

[pedsid]

well said! 👍
i think you are likely to get the most out of your MPH if you don't treat it just as an extra step to get your foot in the door..i am doing my MPH(Epi concentration) right now.i have applied for Pathology, so i might be a little biased towards the applications of the MPH in research.
however, in any field, a clear knowledge of Biostats,Epidem, and Stastical interpretation will help with your research, if that's what you plan. you have to know what you are trying to show, and what you are talking about..or else you need to hire someone who does!
my advice- don't blow off the MPH just because it is not your "primary aim"..there are tons of ways the program can help.make use of the facilities available at your program,cause you are paying good money to be there,and won't have such a chance again! its really an attitude thing..

yep ... i'm currently working on an MPH and I plan on applying to surg programs next year