I love what I'm learning in med school, and I really do buy into the whole "lifelong learning" stuff that they pile on you when you apply/get accepted. But this is insane. Your life is only so long, and at some point, you're going to want to actually apply what you've learned. Right?
What you are suggesting is a **** ton of school. Plus a residency.
On the other hand, if you want to live in some rural community, where you can be the family doc, and you can also go check out cattle and ****, then I guess this is the way to go. Or you could work with horse breeders and jockeys, and probably make a **** ton of money. I have never heard of anyone who wanted to do this.
But if you really want to do research, go to a place like Stanford and get a PhD, or an MD/PhD. My uncle is a microbiologist there and doesn't make big money, but he loves his life because Bill Gates gives his lab mycobacterium to work with. You can't put a price tag on that, that's for sure. Can't get into Stanford? There are plenty of places that offer great research opportunities. There's a lot going on at my undergrad, UT-Austin. Any big State school will have a lot of that stuff, although places like Texas and Michigan, and the California system, and a handful of others will probably be the real heavy-hitters for most things, since they have the most money.
