- Joined
- Aug 29, 2007
- Messages
- 92
- Reaction score
- 2
I'm sure this has been discussed in the past, but I can't seem to find the thread. I just thought it to be an interesting discussion.
So the background. From my understanding, here in the US, an MD degree is often seen as more prestigious (I'm not saying this is a fact, but a view) than a PhD. However, in Europe, a PhD is deemed to be more prestigious. In Europe, a medical doctor is simply someone who has had undergraduate training in the area and does not actually get a doctorate degree in medicine.
What reasons make this so? I'm just curious as to what people know about this topic and why there is such a big disparity between here in the US and the rest of the world. Is it possible that doctors are simply paid more in the US than PhDs leading to a prestige in medicine rather than say a PhD in a science field? I'm not sure just conjecturing. Again, I have no intention whatsoever of offending anyone. I just thought this was an interesting issue to talk about.
Please share your views!
So the background. From my understanding, here in the US, an MD degree is often seen as more prestigious (I'm not saying this is a fact, but a view) than a PhD. However, in Europe, a PhD is deemed to be more prestigious. In Europe, a medical doctor is simply someone who has had undergraduate training in the area and does not actually get a doctorate degree in medicine.
What reasons make this so? I'm just curious as to what people know about this topic and why there is such a big disparity between here in the US and the rest of the world. Is it possible that doctors are simply paid more in the US than PhDs leading to a prestige in medicine rather than say a PhD in a science field? I'm not sure just conjecturing. Again, I have no intention whatsoever of offending anyone. I just thought this was an interesting issue to talk about.
Please share your views!