School and Jobs Advice Megathread Part III

[u/SadBreath]

All job and school-related advice should be asked in here. Below is the r/publichealth MPH guide which may answer general questions.

See the below guides for more information:

1. MPH Guide
2. Job Guide
3. Choosing a public health field
4. Choosing a public health concentration
5. Choosing a public health industry

Past Threads:

1. Megathread Part I
2. Megathread Part II

[u/Dro133]

Hi all,

A little bit of background about me -- I'm a medical student in the final year of medical school, and I've come to realize that I'm more interested in public health policy than I am in the day-to-day of seeing patients. I think that my ideal job would be to perform data analyses on topics in health policy and write reports/communicate my findings. I believe I would find this work more fulfilling than being a physician in what I believe is a healthcare system in need of much reform. Additionally, my temperament is not much suited to clinical work.

Is getting an MPH and then looking for jobs in government/think tanks a viable strategy for me? Would my MD provide me any benefit whatsoever either in the job search/career advancement if I were to forego residency training?

Another option that I am thinking about is doing a residency in clinical pathology, a non-patient facing specialty that would make me an expert in laboratory medicine. These physicians have access to a lot of laboratory data and can be pretty heavily involved in cost/benefit analyses and improving healthcare delivery in hospital systems, from what I understand. I'm just not sure if going through three years of learning esoteric knowledge about various laboratory tests is something I want to do when my main interest is really in the analysis and policy side of things, which I could presumably go into directly with an MPH.

I appreciate any advice or words of wisdom.

[u/SadBreath → u/Dro133]

You would be pretty limited for public sector jobs if you forego residency. I know a few colleagues who felt the same way, and quit residency to go to an MBB consulting firm. With the MD, this would be a great option for you. Follow your heart, but my brain suggests you go for a preventative medicine residency and then make pivot to public health.

[u/musicandarts → u/SadBreath]

I agree with SadBreath. Residency in preventive medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, infectious diseases etc, will be extremely useful. The clout wielded by physicians in public health is tremendous.