Masters Degree while in Residency

[Tangerine123]

Has anybody had any experience in doing a masters at the same time as residency.

My program is really chill and I might have time to pull it off. Looking into programs in Bioethics and Philosophy.

Thinking about this online masters in Epistemology, Ethics and Mind from the University of Esinburgh. The on-line modality can be done within a period of (6?) years so it's really flexible.

Any Advice?

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[Mass Effect]

You have no idea how chill your program is yet nor do you know what your workload will be or how much time it will take YOU to complete it. Slow down. Start the program, get through intern year, then worry about doing extracurriculars.

 

[Tangerine123]

You have no idea how chill your program is yet nor do you know what your workload will be or how much time it will take YOU to complete it. Slow down. Start the program, get through intern year, then worry about doing extracurriculars.

True. I'm going through various life changes right now, it might be a bad idea to jump into something like this in a rash manner. I'll just keep it as an after thought and consider it again when everything clears and it feels appropriate.

 

[thepoopologist]

Becoming a good psychiatrist and good co-worker pays the bills. I'd look into other things once you've reached steady state with that

 

[Mad Jack]

Wouldn't recommend it until you've gotten into the swing of things at your program and certainly not during intern year.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

I had a PGY-IV once use grant money and elective time to get an MPH. You will have plenty to do with clinical duties and reading about how to become an excellent psychiatrist for the first few years. If you find you have too much time on your hands, you should examine your intellectual discipline, or you matched into a very weak program.

 

[whopper]

You commit yourself to a masters and find out that it was too much to handle it's your own fault. I know of no academic program that will forgive your tuition debt or a residency program that'll let you slide cause cause you knowingly jumped into 2 programs that are considered extremely difficult at the same time.

I will salute, however, your desire to expand your knowledge.

IMHO it's worth considering as a PGY-4 if you got USMLE Step 3 out of the way, but you'd also have to tell your program director.

Some programs will allow for a combined masters and residency but these are already structured into the program. E.g. an MPH + residency.

 

[Sushirolls]

Waste of time and money. The degree will provide no career advantage for you. If anything attempt to get the class list, maybe reach out and email the professors for their course syllabus to "review if this is the program you want to pursue vs another" and then simply read from the text books they would have assigned you anyways.

Save your mind, time, and money.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

You can always do an online MBA. Just talk about quick wins and learn to fall in love with Venn diagrams.

 

[FatherPsychiatry]

Wait until at least PGY-2 year. If your program allows you to moonlight, calculate how much you are giving up in order to obtain this extra degree

 

[romanticscience]

Waste of time and money. The degree will provide no career advantage for you. If anything attempt to get the class list, maybe reach out and email the professors for their course syllabus to "review if this is the program you want to pursue vs another" and then simply read from the text books they would have assigned you anyways.

Save your mind, time, and money.

Such good advice. This pretty much sums up a lot of my learning since undergrad.

 

[liquidshadow22]

I finished an MPH during pgy3 and pgy4. Definitely wasn't easy but my program paid for it. Definitely would not have done it if it were not free

 

[whopper]

I've seen a few people who've gotten an MA or at least another degree after or during residency. These often times were people who really had great expertise and were able to capitalize with their degree. E.g. my PD from forensic fellowship got a masters in philosophy and certainly used it in his role in helping to shape the fundamentals of what would later be the norm in the field. Another person I know had an MPH became the head of a hospital system.

 

[lebensphilosopher]

I've seen a few people who've gotten an MA or at least another degree after or during residency. These often times were people who really had great expertise and were able to capitalize with their degree. E.g. my PD from forensic fellowship got a masters in philosophy and certainly used it in his role in helping to shape the fundamentals of what would later be the norm in the field. Another person I know had an MPH became the head of a hospital system.

As someone who is pursuing a masters in philosophy of medicine, I'd be interested in checking our your PD's work. Could you provide links? Thanks

 

[whopper]

Douglas Mossman, M.D., receives the Manfred S. Guttmacher Award | Boonshoft School of Medicine | Wright State University

douglas mossman - Search Results - PubMed

douglas mossman - Search Results - PubMed

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As mentioned if you go into clinical practice your masters won't come into play much in terms of pay, although you could be known as the person who knows one particular subject much better than the rest. Prior to me entering medical school I was working on a masters in pharmacology and I do notice I am more keen on pharmacological issues vs many of my colleagues (although I've seen plenty that know more than me).

 

[Animal Mother]

I remember some places where I interviewed for residency mentioning that residents can attend university classes for free and that a number of residents pursue MBA or MPH degrees, so it can for sure be done, at least at some programs.

 

[whopper]

You might be able to, for example, pull of 1-2 classes a semester in your later years. I wouldn't advise anything without telling your PD, and certainly not your first year or second (making an assumption the program operates like most). Also get Step III out of the way before you consider working on a masters.