Real advantage of the PhD?

[ohnoes]

I would like to pursue research in disease (pathology), although I wouldn't mind doing research involving patients as long as my time devoted to patients is kept at a relatively low ratio. So I was wondering: what real benefits does the MD/PhD offer over a straight MD + Residency + Fellowship, other than the fact that you don't have to pay for med school? Does it make it easier to land a good research position?

Also, although it's somewhat un-related, what kind of person does a postdoc following residency (and maybe fellowship), and what are the advantages of doing one over a research fellowship? Is a postdoc neccessary to go into academic medicine/research?

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[cmz]

So, I sort of asked the same question here yesterday... no responses yet but plenty of views... anyway, I will say that if you want to be competative in the research/R01 world, there is probably no substitute other than what you can find through some decent PhD training. If your aim is to do mostly research with as little patient interaction as possible, then I would highly recommend straight PhD or MD/PhD.

I guess it all comes down to how successful you can be when doing a MD/Residency/Fellowship/Post-doc versus doing the MD/PhD. I can guaruntee that you'll the way you think and approach a problem will almost be like night and day.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

This very topic was actually discussed (probably not 100% in line with your question but pretty close). The problem is that it was discussed quite a while ago so it's not a recent thread. If you look far back enough, you'll be able to find a few threads that approach this topic.

I posted some lengthy replies in the past so I won't do so here. But I'll toot my "credential inflation" horn briefly here.

Three main points:
(1) There are so many people getting PhDs now. There is a relative dearth of MD degree holding researchers. Some folks testify that the physician-scientist is a dying breed. Who knows?
(2) There are lots of grants that PhDs can't get and only MDs can. To put it bluntly, it's kinda like free pickin's if you have an MD. On that vein, asking about the advantages of a PhD is the wrong question. The real question is, "What can an MD do for you?" And the answer is...a helluva lot!
(3) If you do get both the MD and PhD degrees, the sky's the limit. Who knows...in 20-30 years there will be so many MD/PhDs out there that they'll have to make another degree, the UbD (Degree of Uber-badassness), and you'll have triple degree MD/PhD/UbD programs.

 

[kassie]

If your main reason for doing MD/PhD is for the free med school, think again. It would be totally useless. You would essentially be losing 4 years of a physician's salary. It's not worth the money. Most if not all people I know who had that view either didn't get in or dropped out because grad school is way too much work and difficult to complete if your heart isn't in it. If someone says that here it's likely to get them turned down.

That being said, there's nothing that MSTP is tailored for that can't be done with another degree either. It is a broad degree with many potential paths. It just makes it easier sometimes.

From what I've seen, most people either work research into their clinical training years or they do a postdoc and skip the residency.

I'm currently in undergrad, and would like to pursue research in disease (pathology), although I wouldn't mind doing research involving patients as long as my time devoted to patients is kept at a relatively low ratio. So I was wondering: what real benefits does the MD/PhD offer over a straight MD + Residency + Fellowship, other than the fact that you don't have to pay for med school? Does it make it easier to land a good research position?

Also, although it's somewhat un-related, what kind of person does a postdoc following residency (and maybe fellowship), and what are the advantages of doing one over a research fellowship? Is a postdoc neccessary to go into academic medicine/research?

 

[JETER]

Three main points:
(3) If you do get both the MD and PhD degrees, the sky's the limit. Who knows...in 20-30 years there will be so many MD/PhDs out there that they'll have to make another degree, the UbD (Degree of Uber-badassness), and you'll have triple degree MD/PhD/UbD programs.

UbD (Degree of Uber-badassness) = MBA???



I know many who act like it

 

[b&ierstiefel]

UbD (Degree of Uber-badassness) = MBA???



I know many who act like it

No. The UbD would be even more uber than an MBA and take twice as long to complete!

 

[ohnoes]

Thanks for the responses. Other than the extra research experience gained during the PhD years, is there any definitive advantage that MD/PhDs have over MDs in academic medicine?

 

[JETER]

try this: MSTP study

Thanks for the responses. Other than the extra research experience gained during the PhD years, is there any definitive advantage that MD/PhDs have over MDs in academic medicine?