I’m seriously considering a career in law & medicine and I wanted some opinions or any type of advice before pursuing such a degree. There are 23 universities in the U.S. that offer a joint JD/MD degree: Stanford, Duke, University of Chicago, Yale, University of Illinois at Chicago, etc.
Besides the fact that I really want the knowledge, I aspire to be an international lawyer and doctor, advocating for the rights of minorities in the worldwide press, international proceedings, and in the realms of academia.
Any advice will be helpful!
Leaving aside the fact that you don’t need either a MD or a JD to be an advocate, international or otherwise……
get really high grades.
And look into MPP or Masters in Health Advocacy programs–these will probably serve you better in the long run given your aspirations than a joint JD/MD program.
Another option: a MD, followed by a residency in Emergency Medicine and fellowship in Global Health.
@WAY0UTWESTMOM wow thats actually an amazing idea! Thank you so much. I didn’t even know that you can do your fellowship in global health. I’m applying for a Stanford medical internship so this new piece of information will most definitely make my argument stronger. Thank you 
And while I understand that I don’t need a JD/MD degree to be a successful advocate. It will help me in the long run, since I am a woman.
@MiamiDAP its just 6 years: 4 years med school and 2 years law school for a joint MD/JD degree from Duke and Stanford. I don’t think its that bad.
@DoctorandEsquire
Actually it’s longer than that.
You cannot practice medicine anywhere in the world without first completing a residency.
As an example, a EM residency is 4 years (at a some places it’s 3, but at the most competitive programs it’s 4 years). A Global Health fellowship is another 2 years on top of that. (You can enter a Global Health fellowship from other specialties–pediatrics, internal med, possibly even general surgery, but these residencies are all at least 3-5 years long.)
So you’re looking at a minimum of 9-10 years for your medical training, plus 2-3 years for law school and likely an additional year or two to pass the bar and get additional specific training in international law.
If you actually do everything you’re talking about, it adds up to almost 15 years post college graduation. You also need to gain real world experience in order to be creditable voice in advocacy.
Maybe. Maybe not.
In the long run, you’re biggest issue is going to be money. You are going to graduate from your MD/JD with staggering debt–which you must work to repay as quickly as possible since your interest mounts every year. Additionally you’ll need sponsorship to travel overseas to study issues and problems and work first hand with disparaged populations.
It’s not that there aren’t people who aren’t willing to do this work; it’s that the willing individuals don’t have the money to do so.
My understanding is that generally speaking, MD/JDs are a waste. There’s little to no data to support the idea that having both degrees is beneficial and ultimately the time and money spent on the extra degree is wasted. Certainly none of this requires either degree:
So I can’t answer whether the MD or JD is more reasonable. MPPs or MPHs might even be more effective routes for you.