PhD During Residency

At UF surgery residents can spend 3 years in the lab, after their second year of residency, and get a Phd. Then go back and complete the last 3 years of their residency. Then most do a fellowship in their desired specialty for another 2 years. PGY 10!

 

You wait until residency...

This is the only place I have seen grant a PhD so quickly. They shorten the coursework, and don't do rotations. They are expected to start working on their thesis project from day 1. Plus after being worked so hard for 2 years in general surgery, they are used to long hours. So they end up with 3 pretty hardcore years in the lab. I think most Ph.D. students could finish in 4 years (1 year of classes and rotations, 3-3.5 years on their thesis) if they worked as hard as the residents I have seen. I graduated in 5 years (4 years of work on my thesis) from a top 10 Ph.D. program. I worked hard, but not as these guys do....

 

Check out the APSA website, or look for the ABIM Research Pathway (there's similar deals in Path and Peds). General plan is 2 yrs clinic + 3yrs research + X yrs fellowship, where X depends on the fellowship. A/I a year, CC is 2, cards 3, so on. Caveat: If you don't have a PhD yet, you are expected to have a lot of research experience prior to applying to one of these programs.

There are many ortho and g-surgery programs that have a research year incorporated into their curriculum. N-surg usually have 2 years. I would expect that these programs (most are university-based) would be open to more years, and letting you get a PhD, if that's how your interests ran.

I knew this one guy who graduated from his MD/PhD in 6 years. He happened on a very productive lab and worked hard.

For most mortals, it probably would mean having a MS prior to starting the MD/PhD.

 

Don't know what to tell you. ABIM and the research residency websites all say that applicants should have either a PhD or significant research experience.

If I saw what you did I wouldn't know what think either.