Research, MPH, or MBA? Productive Gap Year

[uhsikahtap]

Hi All,

I'm accepted into medical school but have 2 years before I can enter, so I want to make the most of that time. One of those years I will spend studying abroad in Europe. I want to spend the second year doing something that will help me later on down the road.

Some of the options I've considered are:
1. Joining the 1 year MPH program my medical school has a partnership with
2. Doing a 1 year MBA
3. Trying to get into research with my school

If anyone has any other suggestions or recommendations between the options I've listed please let me know! I know that the answer would depend on my preferences to an extent so I should clarify that my intentions are to be a practicing doctor. My top priority would be to get a good residency, not necessarily to diverge into a hybrid dual-degree career (although I may entertain the idea in the future). So given that what would be the most productive thing I could do with this gap year? Thanks in advance!

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[SpartanWolverine]

I think the 1-year MBA or research is what I would do.

MBA: we need more doctors with business sense. Opens up the possibility of hospital admin down the line.

Research is always good. If you can be productive in that year, then consider research (especially if you currently have no research involvement). Research is not only important for a potential dual degree, but important for residencies at academic centers. Of course - if you're a talented student - you can also do research during medical school.

That leaves the MPH which I personally consider pretty useless to have prior to medical school. My understanding is that you can often get it for free if you end up in a position where it is required/strongly recommended.

 

[uhsikahtap]

Thanks for your reply! As far as residency programs go, it seems like the value of these three options from greatest to least would be Research, MPH, and MBA. But I agree with you that generally an MPH doesn't seem so useful, whereas an MBA does.

Other opinions are welcome guys, thanks!

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Well, in the NRMP 2012 survey, 51% of residency directors said research involvement was a factor in selecting those to interview. Its importance was weighed as 3.1/5 for ranking applicants.

When you get into more competitive specialties, research is increasingly important. For example, 86% of neurosurg directors said research was important for interview selection and weighed it a 4.2/5.

I have not explicitly found a source weighing the importance of a dual degree, but indeed research -- from what I know -- is the most important selection factor of the three. However, a dual degree does make you stand out a bit. Just intuitively, I would expect dual degree >> research with no publications. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has information regarding the importance of a dual degree.

 

[uhsikahtap]

Right that makes sense. Does anyone have any person experiences to share? I think the MBA option would be tough because the value of an MBA is heavily dependent on the school it came from, and good programs usually require several years of work experience. Does anyone have any other ideas of internships, research, studies that could be useful for residency applications? Thanks!

 

[Stagg737]

I agree with most of what's been said. I think value-wise research is likely the thing that will add most to your CV while spending the least money. If you find a solid position, you can even make a significant salary during that year. As for the degrees it depends on what you want to do. If you want something like epidemiology, global med, or preventative care, the MPH may be more valued. If you want to do anything that has to do with administration or private practice, the MBA will probably help more. It all depends on what you want to do and how you market yourself to residency programs. Any degree is useless if you don't use the skills you learned in it.

Skill/knowledge-wise I'd say the MBA will help you more. EVERY physician should have at least a basic understanding of money and how our healthcare system works. You'll have to learn that whether you do it through an MBA or on your own. I'd argue that the MBA will probably give you better skills for your career than the MPH, though that heavily depends on what you get out of each program. The other big boost you get from a dual degree is connections. I think connections are the big reason that top 10/20/whatever MBA programs are seen as more worthwhile. The people you meet and interact with from those schools along with the name of the school itself can carry a lot of weight. I've met my fair share of people that said they had an average CV but landed their residency spot because of their connections.

The only other unique thing I can think of right now would be to get involved with a charity or foundation. Doesn't matter if it's on the research side or the administrative side. If it's the research side, then you get research and maybe make some connections. If it's the administrative side, then you can see how medical research/treatments get funded, understand the administrative aspects of healthcare, and hopefully make some strong connections that way. Plus you could potentially collect a paycheck for a year, which is never a bad thing.

 

[uhsikahtap]

Thanks for your answer! I think MBA programs, especially top ones, require 3-5 years of work experience usually, so getting one would be tough before entering medical school. I wish it were possible though. And thank you for the new suggestion, I'll have to look into some foundations that are in my area and figure out what might work best. Thanks for the help guys, best of luck to you.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Yes, it's true that top MBA programs are tough to get into. Even my friend who graduated from a great school and worked at Capital One for four years was unfortunately rejected from six MBA programs this cycle. Granted, he only applied to the best programs with kind of an "all-or-nothing" attitude.

Anyhow, you certainly don't need to go to Wharton/Harvard/Stanford/Chicago/MIT to help you bet a good physician-administrator...

 

[uhsikahtap]

Why do you have to wait?

I'm in a BS/MD program that is 4/4 so Summer 2017 is the only time I'm guaranteed my acceptance. I took advantage of this and finished my undergraduate degrees in 2 years so I could study abroad and do other productive things. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Stagg737]

Thanks for your answer! I think MBA programs, especially top ones, require 3-5 years of work experience usually, so getting one would be tough before entering medical school. I wish it were possible though. And thank you for the new suggestion, I'll have to look into some foundations that are in my area and figure out what might work best. Thanks for the help guys, best of luck to you.

True, I was going to suggest a dual degree, but if you're in a BS/MD program that won't be an option unless the MD school offers it. I'm in a DO/MBA program and the business school is actually top 20 for management (which shocked me since I had never heard of the school before). Whole program is about an extra 30k for 3 years total, but the program is concurrent with med school, so I'll still be done with everything in 4 years. Not sure how it will go in the long run yet, but we're already making some solid connections and have a significantly better understanding of health systems than 95% of the rest of our class. A lot of people don't think it's worth it, but so far I feel like the long term outcomes will be worth it.

 

[evilbooyaa]

If you have a strong idea of what field you want to go into, then research in it would be recommended.

Be aware, however, that you could hate it clinically and thus not want to do it (or fall in love with another specialty much more). This would not mean your research was useless, but at least LESS useful than if you had selected your initial specialty.

I think getting an MBA is a fair/safe option. Don't see the role of MPH unless you're super into incoroporating that into your future career. Given you're in BS/MD (congrats on finishing UG in 2 years btw, that's insane), you'd likely have to do it through your school's business school. Alternatively, you could ask the medical school to let you come in a year earlier (although you'd be like 20-21 if you're BS/MD) if someone happens to miss out on their GPA/MCAT requirements.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

MPH is no doubt useless. Even for later on it'll be a skill that you will have lost over 4 years. MBA is a similar boat, but if you already have a strong interest, it can open career doors. Personally, I'd stick to research. Your research is for life.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to Pre-Allo