MD/PhD program

[Guest Kirsteen]

Now that HHH07 has aroused my curiosity...

 

I just meandered over to the UBC MD/PhD link of the Fac. Med. website, but unfortunately, the link seems to be malfunctioning.

 

Does anyone have any experience or information to share on the UBC MD/PhD program? For example, how many students generally accept the MD/PhD helm per class? (Hopefully it is not one, lone soul per year.) Is anyone in our community here part of this program at UBC or at any other Canadian school, for that matter? If so, how are you enjoying your program? How does the MD/PhD schedule compare to that of MD students? Can the MD/PhD student graduate with his/her peers, that is, those with whom he/she matriculated? (It would be a pity if not.)

 

Thanks in advance,

Kirsteen

[Guest Ian Wong]

There's three people in my class in the MD/PhD program. Two started off in it originally, and a third entered it after first year medicine. Their study areas are quite diverse: Molecular mechanisms of cancer, Anoxia and ion gradients in cerebral blood during acute stroke, and Pre-natal genetic mosaicism and diagnosis.

 

At UBC, the MD/PhD'ers do their first year of med school, and after that, leave our class permanently. For example, the three of them have spent the past year (while the rest of us were in Med 2) doing research. This next year, while we are in Med 3, they will be with the Med class of 2004 learning second year medicine. As a result, we won't see them at graduation, because they'll be graduating three years later. In the interim, we've had, and will continue to have more senior MD/PhD students trickling into our MD stream.

 

The three people from our class, as far as I know, are really happy. However, from my point of view, the MD/PhD doesn't make much sense unless you are definitely interested in combining research with your clinical practice. If you then go from that line of thinking, you'll probably need to do a post-MD residency to be able to apply that clinical knowledge.

 

For example, my classmate doing the pre-natal PhD work probably won't want to do only a general practice residency (2 years). He'll probably be looking at an OB/Gyn residency (5 years) or perhaps a neonatology/perinatology fellowship (2 years?) following a pediatrics interim residency (3 years).

 

Therefore, 7 years MD/PhD + 5 years MD residency = one hell of a long time! Make sure you know what you're getting into with an MD/Phd!

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest Kirsteen]

Thanks for that info, Ian,

 

From what I'm seeing, and please correct me if I'm on the wrong track, many specialties require or are evolving to require a research component within the residency. I've seen this constitute one year or so within some surgical residencies. Furthermore, one of my best pals and also a cousin of mine are both Ob/Gyn residents. In order to secure better positions, they have both chosen to take some time out of their clinical settings to enter the research settings. My pal did a year of pre-natal research at Mt. Sinai and my cousin is currently completing his MD (UK equivalent of the MD's PhD apparently) in Edinburgh.

 

With respect to the MD/PhD route, if the student is interested in pursuing a program that would normally require a research component in the residency, e.g., Obs/Gyn, surgery, etc., would the research completed within the PhD sector of the MD/PhD program work towards or even replace that?

 

Cheers again,

Kirsteen

[Guest HHH07]

Hi

 

If you were doing clinical research, I would think that a PhD in the field you were specializing in would be helpful if research was required later on. Also, if you wanted to get into a more competitive specialty, it may help. I know a resident in Ophthalmology that went back to do a MSc after an MD (in eye pathology or something like that) in order to get accepted to the residency program. I know that there are easier ways to get into a competitive speciality than by doing a PhD , so I would not go this route if this is the only reason.

 

Overall, as has been mentioned earlier, you really need to be interested in the PhD and a research career in order to do the

MD PhD. On the other hand, if it is a last resort to getting into the MD part, then it may be a consideration.

 

One other thing, this is something I don't know. If you are accepted to MDPhD you do first year of MD. Are you obligated in any legal or official way to continue, or even start, the PhD portion? Just a thought.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Eh. I don't know. They can't FORCE you to do a PhD if you don't want to. On the other hand, if you've got the numbers and stuff to get into a PhD program, then it shouldn't take much more to get into med school, no?

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest strider2004]

A lot of specialties require you to do a year of research somewhere in the residency program(sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the end). From what I understand, if you have a MSC or PhD, you can bypass this research requirement if it's in the field you're interested in.

This doesn't apply to all specialties, usually only the really long ones like neurosurgery.