I’m choosing to reflect on Dr. West’s talk. Initially, I didn’t like her talk; it made me uneasy. I had previously been considered MSTP programs, decided they were not for me, and set my sights on an MD and a career focused on patient care. In about an hour, I went from 95% sure that’s what I wanted to approximately 10%.
Several things stood out to me in Dr. West’s talk, and I was able to see myself in her stories. I very much resonated when she mentioned having such broad interests and wanting to do everything. I always resented the “favorite subject” question as a kid since I found everything so fascinating. I considered a history double major before I discovered that it would necessitate a bit too much overloading. I also related to something she brought up from her clinical rotations in med school. It was something to the effect of “a bunch of people would happily treat this patient, but very few would be so intrigued to spend 20 years in the lab to figure out what’s going on and how to cure the next patient.” I suppose I would be at home doing either, but after listening to Dr. West I might prefer to do both. I’ve since read a lot more about MSTP programs, and one student I came across had something interesting to say. As a practicing physician, you spend a lot of time with the “known”. Of course, every patient is unique, but generally you know what is going on and how to treat it. Research is the opposite in that you are inherently chasing after and living in the unknown.
One thing I have discovered, is that in my career, I never want to stop learning and going after new knowledge. Obviously, a physician is always learning, but it somehow seems different than the agency to explore nearly any question that one has as a scientist.
Dr. West did not sell me completely on MD/PhD, but I am very strongly considering it. As Austin put it, she got to me. I am now planning for a career in research in addition to being a clinician. I’m not yet sure exactly what I want that to look like or how to get there, but as I said earlier, being in the unknown is fun.
