MS in Anatomy - beneficial for future residency?

[ssa915]

Hello,

I'm trying to make a decision of what to do with the next year of my life before I start med school in Fall 2007 (hoping i'll get in), and i'm hoping someone here can help me out:

I graduated from undergrad 3 years ago. Since then I have done a lot (volunteer, research, post-bacc classes, retaken mcat), but now I am enrolled in an MS in Anatomy. The program is 2 years. I have completed 1 year now which amounts to a Certificate. 1 more year of this program, and i'll get a Masters degree.

My question: I am seriously considering surgery in the future. Would a MS in Anatomy be beneficial in any way when applying to Surgery residencies, or do other things (reccomendations, board scores) outweigh the MS? The reason I ask is, because I wanted to go abroad this next year and volunteer in a 3rd world country instead of doing 1 year of: research, thesis, and a comprehensive 2 hour oral exam where they pimp you on all your classes - thats what i need in order to finish the degree, which doesn't sound very exciting at all.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

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[RxnMan]

Hello,

I'm trying to make a decision of what to do with the next year of my life before I start med school in Fall 2007 (hoping i'll get in), and i'm hoping someone here can help me out:

I graduated from undergrad 3 years ago. Since then I have done a lot (volunteer, research, post-bacc classes, retaken mcat), but now I am enrolled in an MS in Anatomy. The program is 2 years. I have completed 1 year now which amounts to a Certificate. 1 more year of this program, and i'll get a Masters degree.

My question: I am seriously considering surgery in the future. Would a MS in Anatomy be beneficial in any way when applying to Surgery residencies, or do other things (reccomendations, board scores) outweigh the MS? The reason I ask is, because I wanted to go abroad this next year and volunteer in a 3rd world country instead of doing 1 year of: research, thesis, and a comprehensive 2 hour oral exam where they pimp you on all your classes - thats what i need in order to finish the degree, which doesn't sound very exciting at all.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

Why are you considering doing these things (MS or volunteer) instead of applying to school? Do you feel that your current record is not good enough to get you a med school acceptance?

 

[ssa915]

Why are you considering doing these things (MS or volunteer) instead of applying to school? Do you feel that your current record is not good enough to get you a med school acceptance?

I applied for this year's entering class (2006) and was not accepted anywhere...i had interviews, just no acceptances...the first 2 years after i graduated from undergrad, i had family problems to deal with, so couldnt apply, so i decided to use those 2 years to take post-bacc classes, and retake the mcat - so yes, my app wasnt competetive enough at the time, which is why i did all these things

I have 1 year in this cycle to do something: (1) finish up my MS or (2) do something I want to do - volunteer abroad

Im not using the volunteering as leverage, i'm just doing it for my own edification - basically I have 1 year to do something, so im trying to figure out what will help me the most in my career in the future...

 

[RxnMan]

I applied for this year's entering class (2006) and was not accepted anywhere...i had interviews, just no acceptances...the first 2 years after i graduated from undergrad, i had family problems to deal with, so couldnt apply, so i decided to use those 2 years to take post-bacc classes, and retake the mcat - so yes, my app wasnt competetive enough at the time, which is why i did all these things

I have 1 year in this cycle to do something: (1) finish up my MS or (2) do something I want to do - volunteer abroad

Im not using the volunteering as leverage, i'm just doing it for my own edification - basically I have 1 year to do something, so im trying to figure out what will help me the most in my career in the future...

Good - I just wanted some context. If you have made a significant investment of time and energy and $ money, I'd consider finishing the MS. It will help you with gross, it'll make you look better for residency, it will make you look (a little) better to ADCOMs, and so on. More than that, if you're in it halfway already, you owe it to yourself to finish it up. Finishing it up is a pain, but that shouldn't be a deterrent from captializing on the investment you've already made in yourself.

Volunteering sounds fun, but it won't help like an MS will. Do it if that's what you want to do, but don't use it as an escape from finishing something that will help your career.

 

[ivan lewis]

If I were you, I'd go and volunteer for a year - or do whatever else you want to do.

A good majority of people who enter medical school change their minds multiple times about the field that they enter. I started out thinking peds and finally finished at surgery with about 7 different fields that I considered in between. Most of my peers had a similar experience.

Furthermore a MS in anatomy means very little or nothing when you're applying for residencies. Waste of a year if you ask me.

 

[Fah-Q]

I think quitting a masters degree program will look very bad on your application to med school. Having the degree will do nothing for you in terms of applying to residency. Stay and finish the program.

 

[Faebinder]

All logic tells you an MS in anatomy should help you get into med school and residency later..... in reality.. what everyone said above is true. My version of advise is.. FOCUS ON THE MCAT (yes retake it and get an even higher score) and then worry about adding some research publications/volunteer work.

I remember an advisor once said to me.... this XXXX medical college (not an IV league or anything special) has enough applicants with 4.0 GPAs and high MCATs enough to fill 3 entering classes. You must become competitive else you are going to lose to the common rank and file of GPAs 4.0 fresh out with a bachelor in French or Spanish... (no offense to anyone with a bachelor in French and Spanish... but you are the ones who made my life harder getting to med school, heh. Or maybe I should blame those darn Education/History majors.) Bah, I'm rambling... get better MCATs. Easier said than done I know... but if it was easy then everyone would do it.

 

[ssa915]

I wouldn't be quitting a masters, I would be finishing up a masters. But if i didn't even start, I wouldn't be quitting...because I have completed a 1-yr Certificate in Anatomy - confused? 😉

I don't know, which is why im asking those who have already gone through the process of applying to school and then to residencies, that looks bad?

(The certificate is taking 1 yr med school classes, which ive completed, and done well, so that has served its purpose)

Very plainly, i'm not keen on doing research/thesis/2-hour oral exam if it won't help me in the long run - i might as well do something useful with my time

I've spent 3 years beefin up my app with things I know will help (mcat, courses, work, etc), but if an MS over a certificate wont help as far as residencies, why put myself through the torture? Am I wrong?

 

[RxnMan]

I wouldn't be quitting a masters, I would be finishing up a masters. But if i didn't even start, I wouldn't be quitting...because I have completed a 1-yr Certificate in Anatomy - confused? 😉

I don't know, which is why im asking those who have already gone through the process of applying to school and then to residencies, that looks bad?

(The certificate is taking 1 yr med school classes, which ive completed, and done well, so that has served its purpose)

Very plainly, i'm not keen on doing research/thesis/2-hour oral exam if it won't help me in the long run - i might as well do something useful with my time

I've spent 3 years beefin up my app with things I know will help (mcat, courses, work, etc), but if an MS over a certificate wont help as far as residencies, why put myself through the torture? Am I wrong?

That makes more sense - I didn't know if you were leaving the program with nothing or not.

Listen to my advice at your own risk - I am only an entering med student. I am also interested in academia. I have an MS in chemistry and I am positive that my thesis project helped me get in. I've been asked about it during every med school interview. Now that I'm in, professors have asked me if I will work for them. That will lead to more projects, more/better LORs for residency, etc, etc. And the Program Director I work with has told me that one way he's separated out great candidates from good ones is grad degrees.

That being said, it depends on your career goals. A MS won't mean a thing in private practice. The same can be said if you're not interested in a highly-competitive speciality. The only reason my degree will help me because I keep leveraging it and putting effort into the opportunities it provides.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Most of what was posted above is on the money...to summarize (with my own thoughts added)...

1) An MS in Anatomy will not make a signficant difference in getting into medical school or residency, even a surgical residency. These particular programs, ie, many in Anatomy or Physiology, are often seen as being designed to help people get into medical school not help those that want an advanced degree, say to teach Anatomy. And they do do that, not because of the subject matter but because the students often take the same classes as medical students and use the time to prove themselves academically. You can get an advanced degree in pretty much any science field with the same result. Does that make sense?

In short, advanced degree or certificate programs in science, with the exception of the PhD (which even then is not a sure-fire method to getting into medical school or residency), are useful for the student to show he can handle the academic work, not because of the degree or certificate itself. Therefore, a post-bacc program is often just as good (although wouldn't afford you the *possible* post-grad opportunities that a degree would).

2) An MS in Anatomy will help you in medical school because you will have more knowledge than most and can possibly even make some money as an anatomy tutor during medical school.

3) The reason why "quitting" a graduate program looks bad is the feeling that a) you are a dilettante who never finishes anything; b) the long-held feeling in academia that "stealing" a student from another program is a bad thing. However, as you noted, you are not quitting but rather considering not extending your program. Different and probably makes no difference.

4) If your year volunteering is doing something medically or socially related (ie, building Houses for Humanity, doing some medical relief work in a 3rd world country), then it is probably, IMHO, better suited to help you in your efforts to get into medical school.

5) Pre-med activities are not often looked at when evaluating a candidate for residency. Some more competitive programs will look at your grades and MCATs, but in general, the slate starts relatively clean with medical school. So don't use the degree as an attempt to bolster your residency application.

6)You may have a totally different interest when it comes time to apply for residency. Many students, myself included, have changed their minds drastically about career plans.

7) Graduate degrees, with the exception of PhDs in students heading for an academic medical career, are not worth the time and expense in getting them, in general. Get the degree if you are interested or feel it might help you with Plan B if you don't get into medical school, but unless you are going for the doctorate, the MS will not make a significant difference.

That said, there are always anecdotes about what will and won't help you. As noted above, one user is convinced that his graduate degree in Chemistry helped him get in. And it may have, or not. In his defense, having experience in a medically related field in which he is obviously interested helps. It may not help him in the future with regards to LORs, though, as LORs from basic science professors are not valued as much as those from the clinical years.

Anyway, just my two cents...do what makes you happy and that interest will serve you well. If your MCATs, grades, etc. are the best they can be, and you are sure your LORs are great (you need someone at your school to be honest and let you know if there is a problem with anyone of them), then the addition of a degree in Anatomy, in which you seem less than interested, will not likely make a significant difference to your application now and hardly will be noticed 4+ years from now when you apply for residency.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
A masters degree in anatomy will mean very little in terms of application to a General Surgical residency. You need the grades in medical school and the scores on USMLE. If you don't have the grades and the board scores, you need to choose something else.
njbmd 🙂

 

[ssa915]

I just wanted to thank you guys for helping me out...much appreciated! 🙂

 

[Jocomama]

I have ~ 7 pre-med students I mentor and try to help get into Medical School.
Kim Cox has a great thread. njbmd is on the money: the degree is meaningless.

At U Mich, we have Surg 499 which counts as science. In our lab, you sign up, work hard and if you get an A, that's 3-5 CR helping your GPA per Semester. I take students for 1 full year.
But, as per njbmd - it is MCAT and GPA getting you to Med School.

The greatest benefit for my students? Abstracts and publications.
What these college students are doing now, by getting these on their CV will put them so far ahead of the game. Plus, it allows them entrance back to the lab in summer between M1 and M2 year.

Hope that helps. But remember, get into Med School first - that's MCAT/GPA. Research helps more than MS, IF you are with the right lab. It also depends on the political connections of the Private Investigator relative to the admissions committee.

I just wanted to thank you guys for helping me out...much appreciated! 🙂

 

[Surgeon24]

Quick question:

I'm a PGY-1 in General Surgery.
I was thinking of doing a Masters in Anatomy, so that in the future, I could maybe teach medical students/or residents. Is it worth it? Or am I losing my time? (i.e. Anatomy has lost a lot of interest in the medical faculties these past few years)

Thanks.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Quick question:

I'm a PGY-1 in General Surgery.
I was thinking of doing a Masters in Anatomy, so that in the future, I could maybe teach medical students/or residents. Is it worth it? Or am I losing my time? (i.e. Anatomy has lost a lot of interest in the medical faculties these past few years)

Thanks.

Is it required to have a MA in anatomy to teach medical students or residents? I don't know...just asking.

Anyway, I'm not sure how you would fit this into the life of a busy surgeon, but that's not what you are asking. I'm not sure it would be worth it - at least not financially, but if its something you are really passionate about and think you swing it time-wise, then go for it.