What kinds of research opportunities does an MD have?

[AEW0529864]

What kinds of research opportunities does an MD have? I have considered applying MD/PhD, but have decided that I want a career more focused on patient care rather than research, so I am thinking MD now. I would still love to have research be a part of my career, so I was curious about what opportunities there would be to participate in research as an MD.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Flash7]

What kinds of research opportunities does an MD have? I have considered applying MD/PhD, but have decided that I want a career more focused on patient care rather than research, so I am thinking MD now. I would still love to have research be a part of my career, so I was curious about what opportunities there would be to participate in research as an MD.

There are research opportunities for medical students at their respective schools even though spare time is limited. However, if you're an actual MD working in hospitals full time then you must be committed to your job as a physician and not as a researcher. However, MD/PhD work as physician scientists. They were trained to work as researchers in the field of medicine and they could work in multiple settings. You're best bet is to do the whole MD/PhD if you really want to have research throughout your career. Very few universities will allow an MD to do research without a prior PhD.

 

[SpecterGT260]

There are research opportunities for medical students at their respective schools even though spare time is limited. However, if you're an actual MD working in hospitals full time then you must be committed to your job as a physician and not as a researcher. However, MD/PhD work as physician scientists. They were trained that way. You're best bet is to do the whole MD/PhD if you really want to do research. Very few universities will allow an MD to do research without a prior PhD.

No.

There are ample research opportunities for MD only. It will depend on what a hospital hires you to do. You can also re negotiate later as well. But many MDs do both clinic and lab time and are PIs with their own staff, lab space, and equipment provided by the department. It is actually quite easy to do. There is also clinical research which doesn't always require lab space.

I am going this route because I didn't want to dedicate 3 additional years to school.

Your last line is 100% wrong. Where did you hear this?
Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

 

[Mdtichen]

There are research opportunities for medical students at their respective schools even though spare time is limited. However, if you're an actual MD working in hospitals full time then you must be committed to your job as a physician and not as a researcher. However, MD/PhD work as physician scientists. They were trained that way. You're best bet is to do the whole MD/PhD if you really want to do research. Very few universities will allow an MD to do research without a prior PhD.

I disagree. Everyone of my PI's have been a MD without a PhD, and they do a ton of research despite their full-time duty at an academic hospital. Everyone of them have told me that it is possible to do research and be in the clinic.

 

[Mako555]

i disagree with the above. that info is incorrect.

an MD can be the PI of a lab while spending most of the time doing clinical work. This is somewhat rare but very possible.

much more commonly, an MD will contribute to research efforts simply by properly recording and reporting his or her clinical work. If you go to the web pages for faculty at any med school, the vast majority of professors will have an enormous list (30+) of papers they were an author of. This type of contribution is obviously more common in an academic setting.

there are of course many, many physicians who do not contribute to research at all. that's fine too. but if you want to, you absolutely can, to whatever extent you want.

 

[Mako555]

two people beat me to it. I disagree with Flash7. next two replies are spot on.

 

[wholeheartedly]

You definitely don't need an MD/PhD to do research.

There are options for you to get involved in research at various points in your career. You can take advantage of research during medical school, add a research year between 3rd and 4th year, do an away year in a program at the NIH or other special programs like Doris Duke fellowships, some medical schools offer an MD/MS with research options ranging from biomed engineering to clinical research to ethics to epidemiology and everything in between (an example of this would be the 5 year program at CCLCM).

You can do research during residency and some programs will give you the option to have additional time to fit in more research during residency or add another degree. My current institutions have options for MS in clinical and translational science for MDs or to get MPHs as well, and in these cases they are funded opportunities. Some residency programs have specific research pathways set up.

A lot of fellowships have research requirements.

As far as practice opportunities, it really depends on the institution and your contract. Some people swear you have to be 80/20 research/clinical time to be productive, others seem to make a 50/50 set-up research/clinical time. I've seen all kinds of teaching/research/clinical practice setups.

Spend quite a bit of time checking out the physician scientist forum on here, there are posts about non- MD/PhD options and is a pretty good resource.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=32

 

[Ismet]

There are research opportunities for medical students at their respective schools even though spare time is limited. However, if you're an actual MD working in hospitals full time then you must be committed to your job as a physician and not as a researcher. However, MD/PhD work as physician scientists. They were trained to work as researchers in the field of medicine and they could work in multiple settings. You're best bet is to do the whole MD/PhD if you really want to have research throughout your career. Very few universities will allow an MD to do research without a prior PhD.

Please don't respond if you don't know what you're talking about. Everything you said is completely false.

 

[mzarrowsmith]

What kind of research are you talking about? (clinical, bench, outcomes, etc?)

 

[SpecterGT260]

What kind of research are you talking about? (clinical, bench, outcomes, etc?)

Yes

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

 

[wholeheartedly]

What kind of research are you talking about? (clinical, bench, outcomes, etc?)

Those are all possibilities.

 

[AEW0529864]

What kind of research are you talking about? (clinical, bench, outcomes, etc?)

I'm interested in hearing about any possibilities!

 

[TheShaker]

I've decided to do research as an MD as well because I know it is a viable route. It makes me wonder though, what is the advantage of having an MD/PhD though? I can only imagine it's good because it will give you a good record of publications by the time you finish the PhD portion.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm interested in hearing about any possibilities!

Go to www.nejm.org and take a look at any issue you can see for free. Look at the credentials of the investigators who publish. You will find MD, PhD, MD/PhD, MD/MPH, MD/MBA, JD, etc etc. Look at what they publish and where they are located (departments, schools, etc) and who sponsors the research (published toward the end of the article).

 

[goodkarma]

I've decided to do research as an MD as well because I know it is a viable route. It makes me wonder though, what is the advantage of having an MD/PhD though? I can only imagine it's good because it will give you a good record of publications by the time you finish the PhD portion.

It's advantageous for much more than adding publications to your CV. A simple google search and you will find many resources describing the advantages. MD/PhD programs provide students with training and protected time to develop themselves as researchers, most without the burden of medical school debt. MD's who begin research training during their fellowship without much prior experience face a huge learning curve. MD/PhD's are highly competitive for residency/fellowship spots. They also tend to have an easier time obtaining funding as opposed to MD- or PhD-only researchers. The list goes on...

Though it seems like a daunting route, applicants who are dedicated to performing research, especially becoming a PI, in the future, should seriously consider the dual degree. In hindsight, I'm told it's actually a very efficient and rewarding way to train for that sort of career.

 

[vc7777]

What Lizzy says is a good starting point!

In short - there are research opportunities throughout medical training and in most settings. If you have the "fire in your belly" you can do as much or as little as you want from going MD/PhD and working the classic "80/20" - 80% research with 20% clinical duties to having a straight MD education and full-time clinical privileges with research being "your hobby" nights and weekends (not to belittle their work, but you get the point). Regardless, it should be pointed out that research invariably requires more training - a year off for research, other degrees, summers of training, a research-track residency, research fellowships, etc. etc. It doesn't substitute for medical education, but augments it.

There are examples of very permutation in between of successful researchers. You need to choose a lifestyle and career path that achieves the balance you are looking for (and this may vary over your career and education).

As for "where to start?"
1) first think about what you want your career to look like - predominantly research or clinical? Academic (where you will teach) or not? Private practice?

2) Then figure out the types of research interest you: basic vs. clinical vs translational. Note that there are other areas ripe for research (Lizzy alluded to these with the "JDs and MPHs") - ethics and law of medicine, the economics of healthcare and healthcare delivery, Public policy.

3) Finally, look for good mentors who have achieved/developed a career that seems appealing to you (a good combination of these factors above) and ask for their guidance. Awesome researchers don't just happen - they have had and continue to have excellent mentoring throughout their careers (life-long learning).

Mind you, you might have to take some "lumps with your lessons" - getting good mentors and breaking into medical research can be difficult. But research can be extremely rewarding and can enrich your career in medicine - and vice versa!

Best of luck!

 

[Flash7]

No.

There are ample research opportunities for MD only. It will depend on what a hospital hires you to do. You can also re negotiate later as well. But many MDs do both clinic and lab time and are PIs with their own staff, lab space, and equipment provided by the department. It is actually quite easy to do. There is also clinical research which doesn't always require lab space.

I am going this route because I didn't want to dedicate 3 additional years to school.

Your last line is 100% wrong. Where did you hear this?
Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

I was talking actual MDs and not medical students. I saw a similar thread on this a couple of days ago, saying that they couldn't I guess there universities who let MDs to research. Thanks for correcting me

 

[SpecterGT260]

I was talking actual MDs and not medical students. I saw a similar thread on this a couple of days ago, saying that they couldn't I guess there universities who let MDs to research. Thanks for correcting me

I was also talking about avtual MDs. I was saying in my career I will do this

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

 

[AEW0529864]

Thanks for all the advice! It will definitely help me make some decisions!

 

[wholeheartedly]

I was talking actual MDs and not medical students. I saw a similar thread on this a couple of days ago, saying that they couldn't I guess there universities who let MDs to research. Thanks for correcting me

Not just universities, even some private practice docs can do a bit of research. Obviously they are the minority and research is mostly done in academic settings.

 

[Neuronette]

At the hospital I volunteer at (which is linked to a Med School), there are quite a few doctors that do research (with MDs) only. There are a small number of MD/PhDs who do research as well, of course. The bulk of research is done by PhDs who have more time on their hands but yes, there are still many opportunities to do your own research as long as you have your own lab .