You did the MD w/ Distinction in Research, right? Why did you choose to do it and what exactly did it entail? Its something I've been mulling over in my mind lately. Thanks!
I am doing the MDDR program at AMC now. I am currently getting ready to defend my thesis.
I chose to do it because I knew I wanted research to be a part of my career in medicine and though I have an ok research background, I knew I needed more experience. Though it will take up many weekends and afternoons, it doesn't prolong your degree in that it fits within the regular 4-year MD(though, now that I am taking a year off to do the NIH's CRTP, that seems a poor reason!).
It entails several steps. By Dec of your MS1 year, you'll figure out who you want to do research with. There's some night sessions to help you find mentors, and Dr. Andersen has a list of good guys to work for. Then you'll write a proposal, which should outline your experiments and your hypothesis.
This proposal is due a little before the end of MS1. This doubles as your application for Summer Research Fellowship (SRF) money. Funding is supposedly competitive, but I've never known a serious application (i.e., not half-assed) to not get funded.
A SRF will get you a stipend for the summer and grant-writing classes. 99% of people work at AMC, but you can use your money to go elsewhere. 99% of people do bench/basic science research, but you can do clinical projects (like me). At the end of the summer, you re-write your proposal using the results you found, submit it, and you participate in a fall research poster fair.
From there, your re-written proposal can double for your app to the full MDDR. Acceptance usually comes with the requirement for a few more experiments, to fill out your original findings, as well as forming a committee. People generally do these experiments over the next two years, whenever they have time. You take all of your findings, present them in a formal presentation and defense to your committee, and then if you pass, you get the MDDR. If not, you get an extra chance to remediate.
Most people defend in MS4, but if you defend in MS3, your MDDR gets on your dean's letter to residencies. About 20% of any class does the SRFs, about 10% of graduates get MDDRs. At minimum, it's another line on the resume that is fodder for residency interviews. Depending on your experience/mentor/project, you can get papers, present at society meetings, or awards (I've recieved all 3). Like anything, what you get out of the program is dependent on your level of effort.
Another benefit, and you only realize this as a busy med student, is that there is no penalty for dropping the program. There's no committment but the effort you put forth, and there are several good break-points. You can do the SRF and never go further. If MS3 backs you up, and you can't fit in the time for research, no sweat, you can call off the MDDR without it showing on your record or looking poorly on you.