Neuropsychology Central

drvk · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 3

hi guys

i am in a sort of fix with regard to my career. i have graduated in medicine and just abt to embark on residency. on advice of my friends i applied for a phd prog in clinical neurosciences. now, i find that i have been selected for the programme, but then i will have to abandon my residency plans. i want to know what scope the phd prog holds, whether it will still be relevant and popular 5 yrs down the line ( thats when i'll finifsh the course).

i have to decide by the end of the month. can anyone guide me in this matter??

cheers

lash · Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:17 pm Post subject:

That probably depends entirely on where you are. You said "programme," so you're not in the U.S. Where are you located?

What do you want to do with whichever degree you choose? Do you want to do something that you couldn't do with an MD? If neuroscience is your thing, why can't you study that with your medical degree?
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drvk · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 3

hi lash

i have completed my medical graduation in india. the problem is the phd course is a full time course and does not allow for part time or flexible timing.

i am looking for a post graduation in neurology but this subject is extremely popular and there is no guarantee that i wud be able to get it. neurosciences has always been my interest. the field is still nascent in india and people here (meaning my professors and guides) do not have much of an idea about it.

what wud i be my job profile after my phd clinical neurosciences? what wud be my chances of getting into full time research in us/europe? and what wud be my pay packet like??

jcpokes · Joined: 26 May 2006 Posts: 3

Here in the USA, there are a number of folks with both the MD and the Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. However, most that I have known, became Ph.D's and worked 5-10 years as Clinical Psychologist and then mid-30's early 40's became disenchanted with their career choice, so went back to get the MD degree.

I am not you, but if you have already invested 4-6 years on an MD degree and are beginning to go to residency, I would go that route. Although, MD's don't make as much as they used to, your long term income potential will be exponentially greater with the MD versus the Ph.D. degree. MD's may not make much more in India than Ph.D., but it seems like over half the MD's in the USA are from India.

Stick with the MD now and go back for the Ph.D later on. I would suspect that you can focus on neurogy or neuroscience in you residency, and much to my surprise, even in programs specializing in neuropsychology or neuroscience, you most likely will only have 4-5 courses in these areas of specialization. On side note, there are some recertification programs that allow doctoral level individuals to respecialize, so you may be able to do that at a later time once you have established yourself as an MD.

drvk · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 3

thanks for the response.

slyz · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 1

[quote="jcpokes"]Here in the USA, there are a number of folks with both the MD and the Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. However, most that I have known, became Ph.D's and worked 5-10 years as Clinical Psychologist and then mid-30's early 40's became disenchanted with their career choice, so went back to get the MD degree.

Would you mind expanding on some of the reasons that made these people disenchanted with their career?