APSA Newsletter - Phi Psi » 2008 Summer, Volume 3, No. 1 » A review of: The Complete Guide to the MD/PhD Degree: The Art and Science of “Doing it Twice”

A review of: The Complete Guide to the MD/PhD Degree: The Art and Science of “Doing it Twice”

Brenda Marsh, Oregon Health and Sciences University Institutional Representative

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Navigating through higher education can be, at times, a painful process. In my case, the tears began just as the process began- with my first acceptance into an MSTP program. Having been out of school for several years by that point, I had no idea there were rules to this game. And so, upon receipt of my first acceptance, the one that should have elicited a sigh of relief, I instead cried and cried on the phone with the admissions officer as I wrestled with the morality of saying "yes" to this program while secretly knowing I would bow out if my dream school came through. Rookie mistake, I now know, and a cringe-worthy story to relate to fellow students at Welcome Back BBQs. But tear-stained cheeks were to appear throughout my training, generally due to more subtle pressures and more complicated issues. Should I begin graduate school after M1, which would set me up for an easier transition back to medicine and the wards, or after M2 or even M3, which would allow me to truly integrate my burgeoning medical knowledge with my research? Should I join the large lab that will push me until I crack, revealing what I hope is the great scientist inside, or the small lab that feels like home, full of warm personalities and a sense of camaraderie? How can I possibly prepare for the wards, after so much time away, no less, when I‘m trying to finish up experiments, bang out a couple of papers, and write my thesis all at the same time?