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I’m thinking about applying to an MD/PhD program and I’m wondering if it would be difficult to continue my PhD after I finished med school. For example, would it even be possible to do this while in residency?
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I feel this would be very difficult working 80 hours a week.
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It depends on YOU and each school's MD/PhD program (because the programs can vary); many MD/PhD programs are "integrated."
In other words, some MSTP programs emphasize integration of the MD and PhD components of the training (e.g., graduate school courses in years 1 and 2) as well as clinical experiences during graduate school. Other programs allow completion of 3–12 months of clinical training before the start of full-time graduate training.
For each MD/PhD program in which you are interested, you should carefully read its MD/PhD website and/or ask about how the MD/PhD program is conducted at the school.
Here is a potential MD/PhD program timeline: 6-8 years MD/PhD program; followed by 3-6 years of residency (depending on your specialty); plus 3-6 years of a postdoctoral fellowship (depending on your field of study).
Is that what you want to do?
In other words, some MSTP programs emphasize integration of the MD and PhD components of the training (e.g., graduate school courses in years 1 and 2) as well as clinical experiences during graduate school. Other programs allow completion of 3–12 months of clinical training before the start of full-time graduate training.
For each MD/PhD program in which you are interested, you should carefully read its MD/PhD website and/or ask about how the MD/PhD program is conducted at the school.
Here is a potential MD/PhD program timeline: 6-8 years MD/PhD program; followed by 3-6 years of residency (depending on your specialty); plus 3-6 years of a postdoctoral fellowship (depending on your field of study).
Is that what you want to do?
In all MD/PhD programs I've ever seen, you satisfy both the MD and PhD requirements before graduating from that school. Most people will finish their PhDs first and then will graduate with their MDs when they actually leave the school.
I imagine it would be logistically very hard to do what you're suggesting. Graduate school isn't an EC you do whenever you have time for it. You have to devote time and resources to completing your PhD. You can't do that while going through residency because your days will be spent in the clinic during residency - that's the whole idea. Even if you could work around that, you would have to figure out a way to do your research at a location away from your primary PhD mentor. This is because you may not be able to do residency at your school and may match elsewhere. So you wouldn't be able to do any PhD wet lab work in your mentor's lab. You'd have to figure out a co-mentorship somehow and that could be difficult.
I imagine it would be logistically very hard to do what you're suggesting. Graduate school isn't an EC you do whenever you have time for it. You have to devote time and resources to completing your PhD. You can't do that while going through residency because your days will be spent in the clinic during residency - that's the whole idea. Even if you could work around that, you would have to figure out a way to do your research at a location away from your primary PhD mentor. This is because you may not be able to do residency at your school and may match elsewhere. So you wouldn't be able to do any PhD wet lab work in your mentor's lab. You'd have to figure out a co-mentorship somehow and that could be difficult.
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I'd imagine it would be quite difficult to work on your PhD during residency. Another idea, and something that I've considered doing, is completing a PhD after residency. By doing so you would have a comfortable income to support yourself on top of the PhD stipend, while also allowing your clinical experience to provide a more nuanced understanding of your research—if it is related that is.
