What can you do with a joint MD/MPH?

[lstone13]

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Just curious, what is the point of getting a joint MD/MPH? What does it do for your career?

 

[shindotp]

Many hospitals require an MPH, MHA, or MBA of doctors who want to become the physician-in-chief.

And MPH would also be helpful for obtaining leadership roles within departments (ie: department chair, assistant chair, etc.).

 

[Van Chowder]

Many hospitals require an MPH, MHA, or MBA of doctors who want to become the physician-in-chief.

And MPH would also be helpful for obtaining leadership roles within departments (ie: department chair, assistant chair, etc.).

Very good point. I actually had not thought about that.

It also allows you to use more pen ink whenever you write your name 😀

 

[Mattabet]

As has been said above, degree-stacking such as this is probably most often used in academia (ivory towers love degrees). Slightly less often, someone might get an MPH because they're interested in setting public health policy, ie, something like politics or a think-tank of some kind, either instead of or in addition to actually practicing Medicine with the MD.

 

[lstone13]

Do you have to apply to MD/MPH programs at the same time or can the application process be staggered (i.e., you get into MD first then apply to MPH)?

 

[Mattabet]

Do you have to apply to MD/MPH programs at the same time or can the application process be staggered (i.e., you get into MD first then apply to MPH)?

It depends on the institution. Many places will let you apply MD and then complete the coursework for MPH once you get going. For me personally, if I decided I needed an MPH to be competitive later in my career, I'd probably just go back and get it. It wouldn't take long, and by then I'd be able to afford more schooling (and hopefully be established enough that I can cut out the hours to do it).

 

[lstone13]

It depends on the institution. Many places will let you apply MD and then complete the coursework for MPH once you get going. For me personally, if I decided I needed an MPH to be competitive later in my career, I'd probably just go back and get it. It wouldn't take long, and by then I'd be able to afford more schooling (and hopefully be established enough that I can cut out the hours to do it).

Really good point. Thanks!

 

[Exalya]

I spoke with a woman who had an MPH/MD and was a part of the public health department in my county. Not the highest paying job, but a fairly good job... particularly if you have any interest in local politics. She was big on the water fluoridation campaign.

 

[lstone13]

I spoke with a woman who had an MPH/MD and was a part of the public health department in my county. Not the highest paying job, but a fairly good job... particularly if you have any interest in local politics. She was big on the water fluoridation campaign.

Very interesting... I wonder though... would the MD/MPH be necessary to have that job?

 

[Isoprop]

There's a medical specialty devoted to MD/MPH!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventive_medicine#Professionals

Also check the MPH board on SDN and do a search for preventive medicine.

 

[Isoprop]

Here's a better website:

http://www.acpm.org/
Check out this really good powerpoint on PM: http://www.acpm.org/cipm.htm

I was highly interested in preventive medicine. I still may consider it.

 

[CupcakeMD]

When a physician pursues a public health degree, he/she typically does so with some motivation in mind (e.g., community health programming, health policy reform, population-based research, preventive medicine, etc.). The public health degree is flexible, not finite. Having an MD/MPH is not just about having an additional degree to after your signature, it is essentially a way of understanding things.

When you consider the goals of an MD degree, it involves the treatment of patients on an individual level. The goals of an MPH, however, is population-based, and the treatment would instead be focused on preventing a disease, teaching them how to manage the disease, preventing further deterioration of the disease, etc. Thus, having knowledge of public health expands the viewpoint of the clinician to consider things that s/he may not have considered without knowledge of these principles.

So, the purpose of an MPH along with an MD lies in the everyday incorporation of public health into your thought processes and practice. Public health is just an adjunct that may allow (not guarantee) you to be a better physician.

 

[lstone13]

When a physician pursues a public health degree, he/she typically does so with some motivation in mind (e.g., community health programming, health policy reform, population-based research, preventive medicine, etc.). The public health degree is flexible, not finite. Having an MD/MPH is not just about having an additional degree to after your signature, it is essentially a way of understanding things.

When you consider the goals of an MD degree, it involves the treatment of patients on an individual level. The goals of an MPH, however, is population-based, and the treatment would instead be focused on preventing a disease, teaching them how to manage the disease, preventing further deterioration of the disease, etc. Thus, having knowledge of public health expands the viewpoint of the clinician to consider things that s/he may not have considered without knowledge of these principles.

So, the purpose of an MPH along with an MD lies in the everyday incorporation of public health into your thought processes and practice. Public health is just an adjunct that may allow (not guarantee) you to be a better physician.

Wow! Thank you for the insight!

 

[sr9]

also, everyone working for the WHO or its regional/country offices has an MD and an MPH so if you eventually want to go into that kind of work, it's useful