- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
I am having trouble finding information about career timelines and research opportunities for MDs and MD-PhDs (in fact, threads in this forum have been by far the most informative I have found). Specifically, I am interested how research career opportunities differ for MD-PhDs and MDs alone? How much does spending a summer or taking research electives (or even spending an additional year doing research) during the MD mitigate that difference? Does the type of research pursued by each tend to be different (i.e. basic science discovery research vs. clinical application research)?
Regarding the training, it seems that after one completes an MD-PhD or the MD alone, doctors interested in research careers must then complete a residency and a post-doctoral fellowship. Are these done sequentially or are they typically integrated? Is it common to have completed multiple or an extended post-doc before finding a job, as is often the case for biology PhDs, or are career oportunities more abundant?
My understanding from previous posts is that the MD-PhD better prepares students for careers in academic medicine and offers a competitive advantage to students in achieving such positions. I am generally curious how great is that advantage and how easy is it to gain a faculty/research position from either track. My current knowledge is of immunology research and I am surprised by how difficult it is for qualified post-docs to ascend to the next stage of their career. In deciding whether to pursue a research career via the MD-PhD or MD-alone route, or whether to just practice medicine, I hope to find more information on what I can expect from each.
Thanks!
Regarding the training, it seems that after one completes an MD-PhD or the MD alone, doctors interested in research careers must then complete a residency and a post-doctoral fellowship. Are these done sequentially or are they typically integrated? Is it common to have completed multiple or an extended post-doc before finding a job, as is often the case for biology PhDs, or are career oportunities more abundant?
My understanding from previous posts is that the MD-PhD better prepares students for careers in academic medicine and offers a competitive advantage to students in achieving such positions. I am generally curious how great is that advantage and how easy is it to gain a faculty/research position from either track. My current knowledge is of immunology research and I am surprised by how difficult it is for qualified post-docs to ascend to the next stage of their career. In deciding whether to pursue a research career via the MD-PhD or MD-alone route, or whether to just practice medicine, I hope to find more information on what I can expect from each.
Thanks!
