tcar18 said:
Thanks all for your insights.
Fortunately I have some time to make this decision. I have been doing orthopedic research for the past couple of years and have enjoyed it. I also see some great potential in applying that research to the field of plastic surgery.
The question i am struggling with I guess is whether or not it is worth the extra 3-4 yrs in the middle of med school. It is funny I have been dying to get into school and get started but now that I am in I don't know if I can walk away from what I have been doing nor do I know if i can delay any longer.
as everyone here has mentioned - these sorts of decisions are extremely personal. and subjective.
as an md/phd starting my gen surg residency and who also pursued ortho research (with tissue engineering spin), i'm very happy that i chose the path that i did. and many advisors/interviewers/attendings suggested the plastics route to harmonise with my research. so there is a path for just such a thing.
but i will guarantee that the md/phd route is not the right road for many people. it happened to suit my goals and interests. but the majority of successful (and happy) md/phds that i know are process-driven people with a real love of asking new questions and coming up with novel concepts/solutions. but you have to enjoy asking the questions, not just the idea of research (which it sounds like you do). i have found harmony with my research and surgery. and your interests in particular sounds like they would cross over very well with plastics. but there are many surgeons out there who have absolutely no interest in these sorts of research efforts, and are superb physicians. and very successful.
you need to decide what your goals are. how you will feel about taking a VERY long road. and also if you can decide that you enjoy what you're doing each day and can wait for the "end point" of graduation/being an attending/etc. then you likely will be happy. dependent, of course, on finding a good project and keeping yourself motivated.
alternatively, if your end goal is to finish and be a "real person" with a "real job" which takes a long time for everyone in medicine and a REALLY long time for those of us tacking on extra degrees and extra years, then you may want to go straight through MD.
you should NEVER do the md/phd just in order to look better on paper because you will be miserable during the intervening 3-4 years it takes to do your research. but if you like research and have personal interests you want to pursue, it's a great way to go.
i don't regret a bit of it. not one tiny bit. but i did (and do) have to fend off questions about how i will feel starting my career closer to 40 than 30 (with 7 years residency, 2 years fellowship, etc). can you live with it? i certainly can. but they are valid questions to ask.
regardless, best of luck. there is no one way to accomplish your goals. find the one that suits your interests and strengths the best and go for that.
