🚀 go-pugleaf

At the University of Florida we typically have the 2 year basic science,
PhD, 3rd and fourth years sequence - with some flexibility in returning to
3rd year by losing a senior elecetive for each month past the target month to
rejoin the third years - to keep the schedule balanced.  Until recently there
were some people who did years 1-3 and then the PhD, but this is now
discouraged due to financial constraints (there would be less finds for the
incoming class for each person opting to stay for 3rd year before entering
the PhD, since we are not an MSTP - the dean's office pays us while in med
school and then your graduate dept picks up your stipend while in PhD program.
        Personally I did the typical 2 year, PhD, years 3&4, taking 3 years
to complete my PhD in Neuroscience.  I am now a senior (7/7!) looking to go
into Pediatrics, and ultimately into gene therapy.  Although I'm pleased
overall with the program, I now feel quite stringly that the best training
would be to do the years 1 to 3 and then the PhD followed by 4th year. WHY?:
        1) The year 2 to 3 transition is best made without a break - not that
it turned out to be as bad as I thought, but optimally I cannot argue for the
break between 2nd and 3rd years in terms of helping you clinically.
        2) Once you complete 3rd year most of us know better where we want to
go clinically and the skills are string enough after 3rd year to make it easier
to re-enter as a fourth year after a break or even to be of some use if you try
to keep in touch with a clinical experience once a week or so while in grad
school - as some people do.  This also allows you to know what more of what is
clinically relevant in the clinical arena and perhaps do a research project
more in line with possible future clinical/research interests.  It seems that
(compared to most PhD only candidates) many MD/PhDs swich their area of
research interest pretty dramatically once they go on to later careers.
I know I thought I'd be in neurology, but after third year I was more attracted
to pediatrics and have very little interest in continuing the area of research
I did in the PhD.
        3) Fourth year's easy and if you need more time to complete the PhD
its a more flexible year. Plus you could take your boards before you get full
swing into the PhD and get it out of the way early.  Then the end of the road
is much more pleasant and rapid once you finish your dissertation.
        4) One less year delay out of research while finishing clinical
training - and if you do a more clinically relevant project or one you stay
interested in because you did third year before the PhD, then yo may be able
to maintain your research during clinical training anyway.
        Agree?  I'm curious, because it seems overwhelmingly clear to me now.
Jeff Harris (7/7 Neuroscience-Pediatrics) University of Florida, Gainesville.