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Personal life MD/PHD question
Started by Dragon4939
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Yes. You can wait until after your training (your mid-30s) to start a family, but it's not like the life of the classic physician-scientist is ever not going to be crunched for time. MD/PhD programs are a large time commitment, but so is residency, making a productive post doc, becoming an assistant professor, and getting tenure. I would think after achieving tenure maybe things slow down a small amount (you're assured some amount of stability), but by that time you're probably in your late 30s (very optimistically) to early 40s. In essence, there's never a "good" time to do it as an MD/PhD, as it's always going to require sacrifice. There was an interesting thread with a ton of comments from current MD/PhDs in all phases of training about balancing family life with the rigors of a PS lifestyle, you should find and read it.
See this recent thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=988170
My thoughts here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=13750699&postcount=6
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Yes, this was the thread; thanks Neuronix, I was too lazy to scroll.
Possible? Yes.
Easy? No.
Keep in mind that you're going to be on this "track" for the rest of your life. Grad school is probably the easiest time to start in the next 10-15 years (with last year of fellowship/research years/post-doc second). It's also much easier if you are a dude, or if you have a spouse that has a flexible schedule (or makes enough money that you can afford a FT live-in nanny).
I'm a dude, thus the prospect is easier.
I met and married my wife before medical school. That's made having a spouse/partner in medical school easier. She's also a doctoral student and so she gets the whole studying non-stop thing, and that helps the relationship.
She has a lull in her training in the next few years and I'll be in my graduate years and we plan on trying to start a family. While I'm doing my PhD there will be childcare available, but probably not when I step back into my final clinical years.
I agree with the poster above me. "Possible? Yes Easy? No"
I met and married my wife before medical school. That's made having a spouse/partner in medical school easier. She's also a doctoral student and so she gets the whole studying non-stop thing, and that helps the relationship.
She has a lull in her training in the next few years and I'll be in my graduate years and we plan on trying to start a family. While I'm doing my PhD there will be childcare available, but probably not when I step back into my final clinical years.
I agree with the poster above me. "Possible? Yes Easy? No"
