MPH vs residency impact on career?

[dextor2003]

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It didn't seem like there were many MDs/med students in the public health degrees forum, so I was hoping to get some more input from this forum if that's okay.

I'm an MS3 interested in doing Peds ID / Global Health and would love to study/treat ID abroad part-time and work with NGOs like MSF. I've narrowed my options down to Emory and Hopkins.

They both seem to have excellent global health programs, but the latter obviously has the greater overall reputation, and with that, stronger networking opportunities. I haven't received my financial aid packages yet, but Emory would be at least 12k cheaper. Hopkins starts in July and would give me 1 month to study for Step 2. Emory starts in late August and would give me 2.5 months. First year of med school was P/F, and second year I did above average. I scored 220 on Step 1 and have been getting slightly below average on my shelfs. I want to do peds at a competitive location, and Emory is actually one of my top choices because of its Peds Global Health residency. I was hoping to use the 2.5 months to hopefully do much better on Step 2 to improve my chances of landing a spot there. If I pick Hopkins, I'm guessing I'll do average/below average on Step 2 and wouldn't be competitive for Emory or the places I'm interested in. But I would have the networking advantage / name recognition that comes with Hopkins. So my question is: given my career goals, would an MPH from a more reputable institution be worth the (high) risk of not matching into a competitive peds residency of my choice?

Would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

 

[Rumalum]

Step 2 is about the amount of reading and patient ownership you did over the course of M3, so an extra 2 weeks won't make a lick of difference and shouldn't factor into your decision making

 

[dextor2003]

Step 2 is about the amount of reading and patient ownership you did over the course of M3, so an extra 2 weeks won't make a lick of difference and shouldn't factor into your decision making

It would be an extra 6 weeks. Do you think that might not make a difference either?

 

[michigangirl]

None of can predict what would happen. But being a Hopkins Ph.D student at Bloomberg myself and knowing what a spectacular education and experience it is particularly for global health, I would go with the Bloomberg. The first term is not as hard as the subsequent terms in terms (sorry for the pun) of coursework, and Step 2 really is all patient care and less about rote studying. I would not give up your dream MPH program because of Step 2. And since you are a Dexter fan, you deserve good advice ;-)

 

[dextor2003]

None of can predict what would happen. But being a Hopkins Ph.D student at Bloomberg myself and knowing what a spectacular education and experience it is particularly for global health, I would go with the Bloomberg. The first term is not as hard as the subsequent terms in terms (sorry for the pun) of coursework, and Step 2 really is all patient care and less about rote studying. I would not give up your dream MPH program because of Step 2. And since you are a Dexter fan, you deserve good advice ;-)

Haha really appreciate the advice.

I don't doubt that my clinical experience over the year will play a role in how well I perform on Step 2. But seeing as how it hasn't really been helping me do well on shelves, I feel like I need to try to do better in other ways, i.e. study as much as I can for it. I keep thinking that a stronger residency program will have a more significant impact on my career (especially if I want to work at a strong university program) than whether I got my MPH from Hopkins vs. Emory. I can't deny that my experience at Hopkins will be second to none, but in the grand scheme of things, I keep thinking that an MPH from Emory should still give me strong enough connections and skills to work abroad with NGOs in the future, no? Any thoughts?

 

[michigangirl]

Sounds like you'll only have peace of mind with the additional time to study. So I think you have your answer.

 

[general987]

Haha really appreciate the advice.

I don't doubt that my clinical experience over the year will play a role in how well I perform on Step 2. But seeing as how it hasn't really been helping me do well on shelves, I feel like I need to try to do better in other ways, i.e. study as much as I can for it. I keep thinking that a stronger residency program will have a more significant impact on my career (especially if I want to work at a strong university program) than whether I got my MPH from Hopkins vs. Emory. I can't deny that my experience at Hopkins will be second to none, but in the grand scheme of things, I keep thinking that an MPH from Emory should still give me strong enough connections and skills to work abroad with NGOs in the future, no? Any thoughts?

I saw this while searching for advice on MPH impact. From my understanding - connections mean as much as grades/scores. 220 is a good score for peds. If you were at Emory for a year, moonlighting in the peds department and working alongside with the physicians in the department and the head of it and do phenomenal they will remember you which bodes excellent for your chances. If they really like you, got to know you for over a year, they will easily take you over someone with even 10-15 points higher than your step 1. Something to think about - best of luck on everything!


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