Is it better to get an MD or a Ph.D in a medical field after undergrad?

Graduate School
31

<p>The claim that “there will be a shortage of PhDs” goes back to the 1980s–at least. (Side note for general lurkers, etc.: Anyone who is spouting this nonsense w/r/t the humanities is, at best, clueless, and, at worst, lying to you.)</p>

<p>Now there are articles that claim that there are shortages of PhDs in the academy in some fields where non-academic work provides strong salaries, like business and accounting. And certainly, it may be hard to find PhDs if you are in an area that most would consider undesirable to live, demand a particular narrow specialty, or are offering a truly dreadful salary. I would ask for more information behind generalized claims about “shortages in the future.” </p>

<p>Some articles on this debate as it relates to STEM fields:
[Is</a> America’s Science Education Gap Caused By Career Planning Fears?](<a href=“http://www.psmag.com/science/the-real-science-gap-16191/]Is”>http://www.psmag.com/science/the-real-science-gap-16191/)
[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.phds.org/the-big-picture/scientist-shortages/]Scientist”&gt;http://www.phds.org/the-big-picture/scientist-shortages/]Scientist</a> Shortages? - PhD’S.org<a href=“papers%20here%20are%20older,%20but%20they%20show%20that%20this%20is%20not%20exactly%20a%20new%20issue”>/url</a></p>

<p>There are also a number of blogs that discuss this issue, but I know there are rules against linking blogs here. One blog in particular describes a student who, when he was an undergraduate in 1989-90, read about “the pending shortage” in the sciences, and then, when he was a graduate student a few years later, read about nothing but the difficulty of finding work in the sciences. The American Chemical Society careers blog (which you can google) cites two reports, both released in '11, that conclude that “the academic market for PhDs in STEM fields is weak.” </p>

<p>I’m not a STEM person, so I’m not well-versed in differences among fields, nor do I know how the MD angle/medical interests fit here (I’m commenting on “pure” PhD–the link a couple of posts above suggests that the MD/PhD situation is different). However, I would urge you to give claims about shortages and/or widely available jobs a lot of sober reflection.</p>