Why/How I Decided MD/PhD Was Right For Me - My Introduction to Research
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- This video is largely about how I was introduced to research and MD/PhD programs from the perspective of someone who strictly wanted to go to medical school. I was told that it would be a good idea to conduct research in order to get into medical school, so I quickly joined a lab. I had no idea that research would become a lasting and fulfilling part of my overall career!
When I first tried to contact a professor to do research with, I didn’t get a response. I say this to remind everyone that you must not be discouraged. It’s important, but not necessary, to do research on the exact topic that you’re interested in. The fact of the matter is that you may not have access to the labs that are conducting the research you want to do.
One of the upsides to research for people from low-income backgrounds is that there are plenty of avenues to get paid to do research. I participated in the LSAMP program, which paid me to do research part-time during the semester when I was simultaneously studying for classes, and the overwhelming majority of research oriented summer internships for undergraduate students pay interns a stipend of some sort (~$2,000-$4,000), on top of providing housing and at times food. MD/PhD programs, particularly MSTP program, are fully funded, meaning that they pay for each student’s tuition on top of offering a living stipend for the duration of the program. The amount of the stipend varies greatly depending on the cost of living in the area of the school, but it is always enough to cover the basic necessities, and the school typically addresses the needs of the students as needed.
Nevertheless, as I continued to learn about what life is like as a physician-scientist I quickly learned that the money is in private practice, not research or academic medicine. Due to my love for research and my financial situation, this was not a deal breaker for me at all. I enjoy learning about what life as a physician-scientist is like and look forward to taking my career in this direction.
EDITS TO THE VIDEO: I said that there is no harm in making money if you want to save it as opposed to if you need it, and I want to retract that statement. Money is not an unlimited resource, and when I receive money, it most likely comes at the expense of someone who needs it more than I do. As physicians, scientists, and physician-scientists, it is of the utmost importance that we look out for and acknowledge the ways in which our class privilege, either before we become professionals or after, impacts and oppresses those from lower-income backgrounds and/or those with less privilege and access to resources than ourselves.
Info on LSAMP: www.nsf.gov/pu... , www.nsf.gov/fu... , lsmce.org/lsamp... (list of participating institutions)
Forums and Websites Discussing Getting Paid as an Undergraduate Researcher: forums.student..., www.quora.com/... , www.sciencemag....
List of Undergraduate Summer Research Internships: www.aamc.org/m..., www.aamc.org/m...
General Channel Description: Welcome to MDPhDandMe! My name is Chelsea Nnebe, I am a URM student at Stanford’s MD/PhD program, and I want to take you on a journey with me as I train to become a physician scientist. This platform is meant to be interactive. I want to hear from you! Whether you’re a pre-med, a high schooler, an MD/PhD student, a full-fledged physician-scientist, or just a curious on-looker, I want to know what you all think. Feel free to like my videos, leave a comment, give me (constructive) feedback, and tweet me your questions if you have any. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
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Ever since sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to get my MD, but it wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I started seriously considering a PhD as well. At the beginning of sophomore year, my boss came to me with what he thought was a cool biomed research summer program that he thought I'd be perfect for with my interest in med school and he also wanted to open my eyes to the world of research in case I ever decided med school wasn't for me. I thought it sounded cool too and tried it. As soon as it ended, I found myself going to my PI and asking if he would take me on as a non-paid labourer bc I wanted to get our research published and I had also found out that I LOVED RESEARCH. I really would love to use my MD/PhD to be able to develop new treatments for ailments and then be able to apply it to my patients...I'm still working on it, tho.
That's such an awesome story. I hope to hear of your research developments soon!
I’m premed and I’m currently doing research now and I just love that in research I can answer my own questions and I love the human body and I feel md/PhD is the perfect way to do research and still get to experience hands on patient care
Hey Chelsea, great video. It's interesting to learn of what led you to your MD/PhD journey and I love how you include further information in the description! I have always been interested in getting my PhD, even before I came to college, because I found my science classes super interesting and I liked the idea of discovering cures. I got my first research experience the summer after my freshman year, and I really enjoyed it. More recently, though, I have felt that in addition to finding cures I want to directly interact with the patients my research aims to help, which is why I'm considering an MD/PhD. Looking forward to your next video!
Hey Jaquesta 😇! Thank you so much for your feedback! You sound like the ideal MD/PhD applicant. Eight years is a long commitment, so take your time in deciding what you want to do, but I'm sure you'll make the right decision! I highly recommend looking into MD/PhD themed summer internships, btw. I'm going to talk about my experience at MPUS in about 2 weeks, but there's a large number of MD/PhD themed internships for you to choose from that could help you decide if MD/PhD is right for you.
Man I have so many damn questions
Ask away! Or, if you prefer, send me an email at mdphdandme@gmail.com. I love hearing from students who are on the journey towards becoming a physician-scientist.
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Aye! Thanks a lot for your support 🌞!