Transition from preclinical to clinical (M2 to M3)

[mtsapko]

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I just realized this may be a better thread for this question.

I did a dual MD/PhD program about 20 years ago (yikes). I had an extremely hard time transitioning back from the lab into the clinic, i.e., research years back to M3. Do medical schools do a better job preparing students now than they did back then?

 

[FalconSlice]

I just realized this may be a better thread for this question.

I did a dual MD/PhD program about 20 years ago (yikes). I had an extremely hard time transitioning back from the lab into the clinic, i.e., research years back to M3. Do medical schools do a better job preparing students now than they did back then?

I started MD/PhD program back in the early 2010s and has been a minute since I graduated, so I did my M3 transition in the mid-late 2010s. But the short answer is yes. We had a formal program that onboarded us to go back including a continuity clinic that we had the option to be involved in during our PhD. Additionally, because I loved learning medicine so much, I voluntarily attended medicine GR, etc. I’ll add the caveat that I also continually reviewed preclinical info throughout grad school so I never really felt out of place back on the wards.

More nuanced answer is everyone is different, and if one wanted to be less involved during grad school, those individuals had a tougher time transitioning. But those that embraced their medical education, continued their involvement and hit the wards running. I’ll also note that a formal onboarding process is unnecessary if one has that internal motivation.