Characteristics and career intentions of the emerging MD/PhD workforce.
BACKGROUND
MD/PhD program participants represent only a small proportion of all US medical students, yet they are expected to play a major role in the future physician-scientist workforce. The characteristics and career intentions of recent MD/PhD program and other MD program graduates have not been compared.


OBJECTIVE
To identify factors associated with MD/PhD program graduation among recent medical graduates.


METHODS
Deidentified data were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 88,575 US medical graduates who completed the national Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire from 2000-2006. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test responses to items regarding graduates' characteristics and career plans in association with program graduation, reporting adjusted odds ratios (ORs).


METHODS
MD/PhD program graduation.


RESULTS
Of the 79,104 respondents with complete data (71.7% of all 2000-2006 graduates), 1833 (2.3%) were MD/PhD program graduates. Variables associated with greater likelihood of MD/PhD program graduation included planned substantial career involvement in research (OR, 10.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.89-11.93); lower educational debt (compared with > or = $150,000: $100,000-$149,999, OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.35-2.52; $50,000-$99,999, OR, 5.50; 95% CI, 4.14-7.29; $1-$49,999, OR, 17.50; 95% CI, 13.30-23.03; no debt, OR, 17.41; 95% CI, 13.22-22.92); and receipt of medical school scholarships or grants (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 2.82-3.69). Compared with planned training in internal medicine, MD/PhD graduation was positively associated with planned training in dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, pathology, pediatrics, or radiology. Variables associated with lower likelihood of MD/PhD graduation included female sex (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.60-0.77); race/ethnicity underrepresented in medicine (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.52-0.80); and, compared with internal medicine, planned training in emergency medicine (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.40-0.84) or surgery (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.57-0.85).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with graduates of other MD degree programs, MD/PhD graduates tend to be less demographically diverse, have a lower debt burden, favor different medical specialties, and have greater planned career involvement in research.
Andriole
Dorothy A
DA
Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. andrioled@wustl.edu
Whelan
Alison J
AJ
Jeffe
Donna B
DB
D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002321:Career Choice; D004500:Education, Graduate / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013038:Specialization; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014146:Training Support; D014481:United States