med school interviews specific question

[Shredder]

if interviewers broach the topic of md/mba, and i tell them i want to fire up a gene therapy company one day, do you think it will fly?

see, theyve mentioned the md/mba subject before, and ive given vague answers as to my motivation. id like to give something more specific, as ambiguity may not reflect well. but ambiguity has its merits--namely, its safe. then again, nothing ventured nothing gained. makes sense? thoughts? potential problems?

basically: is md/mba the best route for an aspiring gene therapy entrepreneur? why/not? bc if its not and i mention it outright, the inevitable response would be "why dont you do such and such instead", and thats when the interview is toast

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[ASDIC]

for my interviewers, i made the point that medicine has become very commercialized and the inability of today's doctors to understand and adapt to the business dynamics of medicine has lowered the quality of healthcare.

therefore, my mba will help me bridge the gap between medicine and business and provide the best possible care.


i dont think its a good idea to really specify what u wanna do...they might assume that you want to run a hospital (which is a very good thing)

 

[Shredder]

well enough about me, that doesnt make for good talk

what do you guys think about the prospects of gene therapy, both therapeutic and possibly cosmetic in the distant future? also from the business standpoint, thus the md/mba forum

http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaffairs/we/2003/miller03.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/science/ethical/cosmetic.htm
http://www.facefaqs.com/html/ste_gene.htm

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

My answer to this question (and this is my real answer, not some BS) is that I have a strong interest in health policy, and as health policy is really nothing more than political applications of health finance, I'm interested in the MD/MBA to learn about the U.S. financial system and it's applications to healthcare. I already have the degree in Political Science, now I just need to learn more about economics and management skills. It's not my only motivation for the dual degree, but it's my most important and most eloquent answer.
Shredder: I'd avoid the whole gene-therapy issue, for two reasons; one, it's a controversial issue, as gene therapy is definitely an ethically gray area, and two, it could be construed that you're entering medicine for the "wrong reasons" (whatever that my be). Just tread carefully, don't let an ambitious answer bit you in the ass.

 

[Shredder]

good input, thanks, that makes sense

 

[Leviathanius]

Gene therapy, as you may know, has run into serious obstacles in the not too distant past. You should only bring up those specific aspirations if you can speak about the basic scientific and clinical obstacles this field currently faces. As an interviewee, you are probably at least six years away from when your rubber hits the road, so specific ventures are likely irrelevant to what you will actually end up doing. The essential purpose of both your medical and business education will be to condense, organize, and utilize your future experience as a decision maker (business and/or medicine). So be able to speak eloquantly and clearly about how you see the two come together. It would also be good to not bring in the topic from the start; you should try to get a feel of where the interviewer is coming from and maybe adhere to what is natural for them, which might not be the "safe" option in general.