Inside... - University of Pittsburgh :: MSTP

How to navigate non-traditional residencies
One alumnus’s experiences and perspective on the post-graduate training opportunities outside
medical residencies and how to maximize your degrees to find the one that fits you.
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MSTP graduates have a venerable
collection of skills: a comprehensive fund
of knowledge, the ability to communicate
complex information to a broad range of
audiences, the ability to synthesize data
in literature, and the capacity to become
world experts in medical science. The
job of a physician-scientist is a natural
extension of these skills. However,
it is important to realize that being a
physician-scientist is not the only career
option available to MSTP graduates.
My Path
My story serves as an example of a
non-traditional approach to post-MSTP
training. I plan to use engineering
innovation to improve health care
efficiency and affordability through
entrepreneurship. This broad goal
includes fields such as medical
technology, medical informatics, and
medical robotics. In seven years or
so, I would like to be responsible for
bringing together university research,
industry, and investors to create private
companies to address these issues.
Coming to the decision not
to pursue a medical residency was
extremely challenging, requiring months
of self-reflection about my career goals,
skill set, and risk tolerance. As I spoke
with friends and colleagues about
the choice and my goals became
more specific, I began to identify local
organizations to help me determine what
the next step should be. Ultimately, I
settled on a list of three potential career
paths: management consulting, midsized
company, and entrepreneurial
fellowship.
Advice
I believe there are common elements
to career planning that can benefit all
students. The most important point is
that the immediate years after the MSTP
should be viewed as a “residency.” It is
difficult to immediately step into a high
level professional job after the MSTP. We
are simply not ready. Early post-MSTP
life is typically an intense 3-5 year period
of relatively little income, long hours,
and a precarious sensation of drowning.
In exchange, the Residency teaches
critical skills, supplies performance
feedback, and helps build a network of
contacts that will establish and maintain
a career.
I have found that there are 3 key
considerations when selecting a good
Residency:
1) Obtain Missing Skills. First, one
must concretely define a job description.
Instead of selecting a job title the goal is to
identify critical career accomplishments,
which may or may not align with job
title. Second, one must identify the key
ingredients required to accomplish the
critical career goals. This step cannot
be performed in a vacuum; it requires
online research and face-to-face
communication with people of different
backgrounds who have already achieved
these goals. Finally, one must perform a
“...maximally leveraging your
training means understanding
what your future employer
will value...and then recasting
MSTP training to match
those values.”
self evaluation to determine both missing
skills and existing strengths. This step
requires brutal honesty or the consult
of several honest mentors. Successfully
performing this step helps both to select
the best residency and to maximize the
chance of getting into that residency.
2) Get Mentorship. The value of
mentorship cannot be overstated.
Multiple mentors in different fields and
career stages have incalculable career
benefit. Mentors can provide an unbiased
ear for ideas, feedback, personal
connections, and recommendation
letters. Many individuals have helped me
secure interviews, connect with program
directors, and on occasion get hired
without applying.
3) Maximally Leverage Your Training.
Dr. Jenny Grandis is an MSTP mentor
whose life is an outstanding example
of how to combine clinic, research, and
family. She emphasizes that an MD/
PhD is qualitatively different from either
an MD or PhD, and MSTP graduates
should carve out a niche unto their own,
in effect “branding” themselves. This
is relatively easy in medical residency,
since most residency directors know the
value of MSTP applicants in increasing
department funding and prestige. In
exchange, physician-scientists can
negotiate to expedite their training.
Thus, MSTP training can be maximally
leveraged in research-intensive medical
residencies. In other Residencies, the
value of MD/PhD training is variable.
However, regardless of Residency
type, maximally leveraging your training
means understanding what your future
employer will value in the near term and
then recasting MSTP training to match
those values.
Potential Career Paths Considered
One of the biggest challenges facing
a new graduate is how to select a
residency. Here is a brief summary of
residency categories I considered, with
the aim to gain skills in entrepreneurial
pursuits.
1) Matriculate into an MBA program.
Benefits of an MBA include learning the
educational foundations of business and
making important networking contacts.
However, an MBA prolongs schooling
and may not be the best way to obtain
the skills that MSTP students lack.
2) Take a job doing management
consulting. These large firms apply
analytical thinking to the problems of
very large companies. The short term
contracts serve as great way to find out
more about the business world, gain real
job experience, and make contacts. In
addition, good consulting firms have
a strong tradition of mentorship and
feedback, which is excellent for career
development.
3) Work in a small startup. In a small
company, an MD/PhD can serve as a
physician liaison, technical designer,
and also have some business roles.
There is a sharp learning curve, and
the work is quite exciting and variable
from day to day. In addition, an MSTP