What if I drop the MD?

[notJERRYFALWELL]

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There's a similar question addressed on the FAQ page, but I'm worried about something a little different. What if, after completing two years of med school and my PhD, I decide that I don't want to finish the MD? Will my "accelerated" PhD be as accepted for general post docs?

😕

 

[zep]

Will my "accelerated" PhD be as accepted for general post docs?

Depends on what you did as a PhD student. If you were productive (say, 2+ papers), then there is no difference between your PhD and a straight PhD. However, if you were not so prolific, the average PhD P.I. may not look as favorably at your PhD. In my opinion it?s stupid, but that is the way it tends to work. You will also have some education from med school that most PhDs won't, so that will be a plus for you.

In terms of being accepted - absolutely. Its still a PhD. 👍

 

[Gfunk6]

Zep has it exactly right. In my program, there is one person who dropped after completing his PhD in neuroscience. He is now an associate prof at Baylor.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Good information in this thread. 👍 👍

I was wondering this same question myself.

Thank you. 🙂

 

[tr]

I have to say this thought had occurred to me more than once early on.

But I think it's a dumb idea. Once you finish your PhD, you only have about 1.5 years (depending on your program) to the dual degree.

If you are 100% sure that you never want to see another patient in your life, you can skip residency and head straight to postdoc. No problem.

But why drop altogether? For 18 months more you could have both degrees and be eligible for a slew of funding sources that wouldn't otherwise be open to you.