MD/PhD- graduate schools years-clinical experience

[FutureMSTP]

I'm curious. What are the best MD PhD programs for students that want to do clinical rounds or rotations for the graduate phase of students' training? I know that MD PhD programs usually have something like the opportunity to work at a free clinic or do some sort of volunteering at a hospital. I want to know what MD PhD programs are more unique when it comes to clinical experiences.

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[Neuronix]

Why? Clinical work during a PhD is a distraction. You aren't useful for anything after 2 years of med school. You don't really know that much and the basic science stuff won't apply to the clinical world that much. When you're in your PhD, you should focus on your PhD. Shadowing at that point is more for keeping up connections, to find out more about certain subspecialties, etc.

 

[Maebea]

I agree with Neuronix, clinical work is a distraction during the PhD phase of training. We have an optional clinical experience during the PhD years. While students say they are keen to have a clinical exposure, the actual participation rate is less than 10%.

 

[medjustice]

Vanderbilt and Duke have mdphd students do all their clincal clerkships before the start of grad school, which would possibly enable a student to be more clinically involved during grad school. In general, I would say look for programs that have some degree of clinical clerkships before beginning grad school, many schools have updated their curriculum to include this. I can't tell you whether or not clinincal work will be a distraction, but those are some things to consider if you're looking for more involved clinical experience.

 

[EvoMed]

This is coming from a current applicant, the least qualified opinion, but:
During my post-bacc years working in research, a physician in our lab invited me to join him in the clinic. I became a regular visitor, and strongly feel that the experience was really important in understanding the clinical significance of our projects and gaining clearer insight into the translational prospects of our work. So in that regard, I can see why a student in an MD/PhD program might seek out such experiences. I see where you are coming from. Related to Neuronix and Maebea's points, the student would have to make sure that this time is spent learning about the clinical realities that are relevant to their chosen thesis and course of study.

However, I don't see any reason for this activity to be formally by the institution. You would probably be able to set this up on your own regardless of where you are studying. More important would be to choose a place with an academic environment that has strengths that align with your interest. (I would expect schools usually have clinical programs that are consistent with their research strengths, but I may be wrong on that?)

 

[PumpernickelCloudberry]

Many MD/PhD programs have some sort of "clinical tutorial" where you can shadow a physician in your specialty of choice and learn to take history, perform an exam, write notes, etc, throughout your PhD. For our MD/PhD program, clinical tutorial counts as fourth year elective credit. Most programs now also have "clinical refresher" type of crash course at the end of your PhD years to prepare you for going back to medical school. Simply ask the current students about this during your interview.

 

[phonyreal98]

I'll be the contrarian and say that I had a meaningful longitudinal clinical experience during graduate school that was valuable to me and allowed me to network with faculty in my specialty of interest (that I am now applying for residency in).

Like so many things with the whole MD/PhD training pathway, it is what you make of it.