It's Okay To Be Smart

M.D./Ph.D. programs are a unique beast. I thought about it myself way back in the day when I was an undergrad, but I think mostly because I started as a pre-med student. There’s many takes on this, but here’s my $0.02:

• You must love two things, and really love them. Helping patients on a personal level and doing intense laboratory research. This is not just the best parts of each degree, it’s an intense training program designed to make you both a doctor and a Doctor.
• Your primary interests should be in biomedical science, something with patient applicability.
• You must be willing to put about 8 years in, and that’s just minimum training before specialized fellowships. That’s longer than either individual degree, naturally.
• You should have research experience in a Ph.D. level lab, so that you know what a 60-hour research week really means.
• You should shadow a clinical researcher, so that you know what a 60-hour clinical week means, too.
• Get used to 120-hour weeks! Just kidding, you mix and balance the two, of course.

The biggest thing to recognize, IMHO, is that by getting an MD/PhD you are not just trying to get a leg up on other MDs or PhDs. You are truly training to become a research physician. Think about what that means, meet as many as you can, and figure out if you want to be both, or just one.

For those that care, I decided I loved the science, and not the bedside. So I am aiming for just three letters after my name instead of five.