I have a question. How many of you have only a MPH and not interested in trying to go to med school? I think these forums are great...but I've also been disappointed by some of what I've seen on it. I have a MPH and have no desire to go to med school. I love what I do...and I was hoping these forums would actually have something related to the actual career of public health. However, I've seen so much on this forum about people trying to use a MPH to get into med school. This is NOT a reason to get an MPH. I've seen so many post messages not knowing what you can do with a MPH but still want to do it because they've heard it will help them get into med school. Don't get me wrong...I think a MPH/MD is a great combination...but do it for the right reasons...not because you want to improve your chances of getting into med school.
Just a MPH? and MPH/MD
- Thread starter apgmph
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Dude (or dudette 
), I agree with you and you're totally preaching to the choir. However, this is the Student Doctor Network, so you're going to find a large number of people who are going to medical school. I can vouch for a decent number of people here who have a genuine interest in public health (including myself) and fully intend on putting their public health experience to practice in the coming years. I will begin medical school in the fall of this year.
I graduated with the MPH degree back in 2002, and decided that I wanted to get more experience in public health before pursuing a medical career. I currently work at the federal level, and have worked for non-profits (e.g., March of Dimes) and student health centers in health education and health promotion. I even experienced public health practice working a part time job in a women's shelter. This is all to say that I am fully dedicated to pursuing a public health career, but not in lieu of the medical degree. I was your typical pre-med student that took an undergraduate course in public health, and realized that it fulfilled my romantic ideas of wanting to open free health clinics that emphasized education (esp. for adolescents). However, as my public health sense grew, I saw that there was no way that I could become a clinician without understanding the very elementary ways in which public health impacts the medical field. As many others feel, I think that all physicians should be mandated to have a public health degree, b/c the field entails much of the information that involves the distribution and determinants of disease and environmental pressures that influence human behavior and their attitudes toward their own health status.
If you do a search through this forum, you will find a number of students and professionals alike who have pursued MPH degrees and who are compassionate about this. I (as well as many of my counterparts) have emphasized many a time that students should not get the MPH degree just as a stepping stone into medical school - the medical school admissions committees can see right through the BS anyway (esp. since there is an increasing number of people obtaining Master's degrees before applying). There are also other folks who roam this forum who are simply all public health, all the time, but they are truly few and far between. In the context of this website, you will find the majority of students have additional degrees linked to their names (whether it be MD/MPH, DO/MPH, DVM/MPH, etc.), and they are just as dedicated to the cause as you are. A lot of great information is exchanged in these forums for all professional students. However, if you decide to start the Student-Public Health Professional website, I'm totally behind you and will frequent your forums.
I'll step off my soapbox for now, but I had to defend those people who truly do have a passion for public health and also a passion to practice medicine.
Thanks for your comments.
H&T, MPH CHES (soon to be MD)
), I agree with you and you're totally preaching to the choir. However, this is the Student Doctor Network, so you're going to find a large number of people who are going to medical school. I can vouch for a decent number of people here who have a genuine interest in public health (including myself) and fully intend on putting their public health experience to practice in the coming years. I will begin medical school in the fall of this year. I graduated with the MPH degree back in 2002, and decided that I wanted to get more experience in public health before pursuing a medical career. I currently work at the federal level, and have worked for non-profits (e.g., March of Dimes) and student health centers in health education and health promotion. I even experienced public health practice working a part time job in a women's shelter. This is all to say that I am fully dedicated to pursuing a public health career, but not in lieu of the medical degree. I was your typical pre-med student that took an undergraduate course in public health, and realized that it fulfilled my romantic ideas of wanting to open free health clinics that emphasized education (esp. for adolescents). However, as my public health sense grew, I saw that there was no way that I could become a clinician without understanding the very elementary ways in which public health impacts the medical field. As many others feel, I think that all physicians should be mandated to have a public health degree, b/c the field entails much of the information that involves the distribution and determinants of disease and environmental pressures that influence human behavior and their attitudes toward their own health status.
If you do a search through this forum, you will find a number of students and professionals alike who have pursued MPH degrees and who are compassionate about this. I (as well as many of my counterparts) have emphasized many a time that students should not get the MPH degree just as a stepping stone into medical school - the medical school admissions committees can see right through the BS anyway (esp. since there is an increasing number of people obtaining Master's degrees before applying). There are also other folks who roam this forum who are simply all public health, all the time, but they are truly few and far between. In the context of this website, you will find the majority of students have additional degrees linked to their names (whether it be MD/MPH, DO/MPH, DVM/MPH, etc.), and they are just as dedicated to the cause as you are. A lot of great information is exchanged in these forums for all professional students. However, if you decide to start the Student-Public Health Professional website, I'm totally behind you and will frequent your forums.
I'll step off my soapbox for now, but I had to defend those people who truly do have a passion for public health and also a passion to practice medicine.
Thanks for your comments.
H&T, MPH CHES (soon to be MD)
Thanks for that reply Heal&Teach. I apoligize if it seemed I was being harsh...but I do agree with what you are saying. I love the idea of MDs also having a MPH. I think that is the ideal combination. And I greatly appreciate your commitment and desire for your career. We need more future MDs like you. I'm sure there are many on this forum like us...but it just seems that I'm seeing more that are only in it to "look better" for med school. It's just been frustrating...
