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The Urgent Need to Increase Support for the NIH's MDPhD Student Fellowships
Samarasinghe, Ranmal Aloka
http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...Need_to_Increase_Support_for_the_NIH_s.9.aspx
Reply from Brass, Andersen, Akabas
http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...eed_to_Increase_Support_for_the_NIH_s.10.aspx
Interesting read.
If too many positions become available, they will attract/fill with less-than-desirable candidates who will not have the opportunity or motivation for success.
It's very hard distinguishing the 99th vs. 99.9th vs. 95th percentile in terms of their possibility for future success so I would give more people a chance at a physician scientist career rather than less. I have a hard time predicting how my rats would behave already...
Having a smaller number of MSTP students probably serves as a seal of approval to outsiders who cannot judge people's research abilities. It's probably more impressive being MD/PhD if there's only 100 graduates per year vs. 2000.
Overall, 120 (24.4%) respondents responded yes to the question, Have you ever seriously considered leaving your MD-PhD program?
The highest satisfaction was during the first stage of training (pre-grad school, 2.19), was lowest during the thesis stage (2.94, P < .01 compared with pre-grad school), and then rose slightly by program completion
These differences represented an almost 30% decrease in medical residency interest, a more than twofold increase in lifestyle interest, and a nearly threefold increase in surgical interest between the first and last stages of MD-PhD training.
However, by current definitions, 44%, or almost one half of respondents, indicated that they do not wish to become physician-scientists because they do not wish to perform research as their primary professional activity.
Having a smaller number of MSTP students probably serves as a seal of approval to outsiders who cannot judge people's research abilities. It's probably more impressive being MD/PhD if there's only 100 graduates per year vs. 2000.