Which MS to pursue in a 5-year MS/MD program?

[abcdeffedcba]

Hello,
This post will also apply to you if you plan to apply/are in one of the MS/MD fifth-year-is-tuition-free like Yale's.

I have been admitted to a medical school that allows for 5-year MS/MD program. While the MS is not paid for by the school, I have received a scholarship that will cover the MS if it is in the following areas:

1. Computer Science
2. Education
3. Engineering
4. Library and Information Science
5. Mathematics
6. Public Health
7. Science (includes Biological/Life Sciences and Physical Sciences)

My main question is what are the general pros/cons of getting an MS/MD.

I have a vague understanding that many people pursue MD/MPH if they want to do public health work or if they want to do hospital administration. (If this is false, please PLEASE correct me! I want to learn)

At this moment, I am very interested in computer science and engineering. I play around with robots in undergrad and I got a minor in CS. I believe that the revolution in healthcare is coming very soon--and CS/general technology use will be at the crux of this revolution. This is why I've highlighted them in the list above.

What use will an MS in these fields do for me? I love learning, but I don't want to complete a master's program just because it financially sound. If I want to be a pioneer in applying CS to medicine (perhaps revamping hospital systems), will an MsCS really help me more than an MPH? If I want to continue to work with robotics and bring robots to the healthcare scene, will an MsEng be worth it? Like every decision, taking a 5th year MS has its costs/benefits. The tuition cost is taken care of, but there are other costs like accruing interests, and so on.

My goal is to spend the majority of my time practicing. I like people, I like working with people. 10 years down the line when I see patients for the majority of my time, what use will an MsEng, MsCs, or MPH do for me?

If these aren't enough questions for you to answer, I'm also curious about Ms in Bio Sciences/MD. What do people do with MsBioSciences/MD? Will they be researchers? Basic scientists?

Anyways, thank you for your assistance in answering any of the questions above!!

tl;dr What type of jobs do MsEng/MD, MsCS/MD, MsMPH/MD, and MsBioSciences/MD do?

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[tantacles]

If I were you, I would call up the school and ask them to put you in touch with alumni who have these degrees. If they're suggesting you pursue this degree (by giving you a scholarship for it), they have to have some rationale for it, and if that rationale doesn't do it for you, then don't get the extra degree.

 

[virchow?]

If I want to be a pioneer in applying CS to medicine (perhaps revamping hospital systems), will an MsCS really help me more than an MPH? If I want to continue to work with robotics and bring robots to the healthcare scene, will an MsEng be worth it?

My goal is to spend the majority of my time practicing.

I empathize because I feel like there are too many interesting things to do them all as well. But, in my experience, the docs who maintain partial practice and do research or administrative work or public health work (or, I would assume, engineering or CS) tend not to spend the majority of their time seeing patients. Maybe this is different at other institutions, but from what I've seen, people maintain a very small practice and commit much more time to these other things.

Also, do you have to decide before matriculating? Many schools give their students the option to delay these decisions well after they have started (e.g. I know someone who did his MPH between year 3 and 4). All of this will be school-specific, of course. Maybe more time to explore your interests and talk with people at your institution about the different ways they could be used in medicine would benefit you.

 

[7331poas]

The big revolution in healthcare will be artificial intelligence. Not robots directly.

 

[abcdeffedcba]

Thank you for your responses! I actually have a year to decide on which MS to do. I just wanted to see SDN's opinions.

Also, I think that it will be at least 10 years before we let artificial intelligence be a part of healthcare.