Will: So what exactly is a physician scientist?

Well, since you clicked on the link,

I'm sure you're very interested in becoming both

an MD and a PhD.

And just as the name suggests,

the MD part of it is more clinical,

so you'll be seeing patients about once or twice a week,

and then you'll be in a scientific lab most of the time.

And as a physician scientist,

you're really bridging that gap.

So you're seeing a lot of the science being,

hopefully applied transitionally to the clinic

and also vice versa.

Now this process is very long.

It will take around seven or eight years depending

on the program, and sometimes even nine years.

You'll spend two years in medical school

just learning your basics, and then you'll spend

about three or four years, and sometimes even five years

to grab your PhD in whatever scientific field

that you're interested in.

Mine is neuroscience, yours might be immunology.

And then you will spend your last two years of medicine

or of medical school earning that MD degree,

and that is spending time in a clerkship

and doing your rotations.

Now, figuring out if you want this path is very, very,

very important.

You will have to love research.

And that means you have to get into the research lab

as soon as possible.

I started in my freshman year and I started seriously

in my sophomore year of college,

and I have over, I think, around four or five years

of experience in the lab.

You might also want to take some time off.

For example, working at the NIH,

or working in a research lab at your home institution.

In all, this process takes a very long time,

and it includes more than just your MCAT,

your GPA, your extracurriculars that will get you

into medical school, but also,

research is the foundational part of the MD PhD.

If you're more interested, please visit us

at www.TopTestPrep.com.