MSTP Transfer Question

[hopefulscientist]

Hey all,

I have recently put in my deposit to attend Tufts med next year and I was hoping to get additional feedback from you all about MSTP program. Back before I applied for med school, I was heavily debating whether or not to apply for MSTP as while I enjoyed research, I was not sure how willing I was to invest roughly four extra years in the lab (while I enjoy research, as I've learned from my time volunteering, I also very much interacting with a diversity of people and helping them directly). Ultimately I only applied MD, though now that I'm moving forward, I'm once again thinking about this and I'm not sure if I made the right move and whether I should apply for MSTP internally at Tufts. I guess a lot has happened this past year and I did a lot of research (and will continue doing so) so I was hoping to gain perspective from you all on the value of earning a PhD for clinical research because when I decided to apply only MD, I realized that I really value the human aspect of medicine. Some facts about me, I'm working in a globally-recognized lab, will soon by submitting a paper for first-authorship, will be presenting my work at a conference this coming summer, and my PI says that I am basically doing research at the level of a post-doc.

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[eteshoe]

Hey all,

I have recently put in my deposit to attend Tufts med next year and I was hoping to get additional feedback from you all about MSTP program. Back before I applied for med school, I was heavily debating whether or not to apply for MSTP as while I enjoyed research, I was not sure how willing I was to invest roughly four extra years in the lab (while I enjoy research, as I've learned from my time volunteering, I also very much interacting with a diversity of people and helping them directly). Ultimately I only applied MD, though now that I'm moving forward, I'm once again thinking about this and I'm not sure if I made the right move and whether I should apply for MSTP internally at Tufts. I guess a lot has happened this past year and I did a lot of research (and will continue doing so) so I was hoping to gain perspective from you all on the value of earning a PhD for clinical research because when I decided to apply only MD, I realized that I really value the human aspect of medicine. Some facts about me, I'm working in a globally-recognized lab, will soon by submitting a paper for first-authorship, will be presenting my work at a conference this coming summer, and my PI says that I am basically doing research at the level of a post-doc.

1. Realistically, assume ~ 5 yrs for the PhD part (yes you can finish faster but the nature of the beast and all that jazz)
2. Are you asking about research dealing strictly with clinical trials or more clinically relevant (e.g. "translational") basic research? If it's the first, a PhD isn't usually necessary - a masters should suffice. If it's the second, a PhD could be useful depending on your career goals.
3. If you are an UG, I will just say that one usually isn't operating at the level of a post-doc until they have 4-6 yrs of independent research and experimental design experience.

 

[hopefulscientist]

1. Realistically, assume ~ 5 yrs for the PhD part (yes you can finish faster but the nature of the beast and all that jazz)
2. Are you asking about research dealing strictly with clinical trials or more clinically relevant (e.g. "translational") basic research? If it's the first, a PhD isn't usually necessary - a masters should suffice. If it's the second, a PhD could be useful depending on your career goals.
3. If you are an UG, I will just say that one usually isn't operating at the level of a post-doc until they have 4-6 yrs of independent research and experimental design experience.

I guess I'm still figuring out what I want to focus on as I know I enjoy interacting with a variety of people, but I enjoy the basic science research I have been doing. My plan is to do some clinical research the summer between M1 and M2 to see if it is for me so I can make a more educated decision on whether to apply for the program transfer.

 

[eteshoe]

I guess I'm still figuring out what I want to focus on as I know I enjoy interacting with a variety of people, but I enjoy the basic science research I have been doing. My plan is to do some clinical research the summer between M1 and M2 to see if it is for me so I can make a more educated decision on whether to apply for the program transfer.

Sounds like a solid approach