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Md without residency: what are your options.

Reviewed by:

Akhil Katakam

Third-Year Medical Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Reviewed: 5/6/24

Do MDs have to attend a residency to get jobs? Follow along to learn about job options for MD graduates without residency, including what to expect if you choose not to attend a residency, and answers to your FAQs.

Did you know that you don’t need to attend a residency program to obtain a medical degree? Medical residency is an optional program in which MD graduates begin training under a senior physician (with pay) to become independent doctors in their specialty . 

First MD grads partake in medical school residency match day to find a residency to pursue and gain the skills they need for practicing as a physician. During residency, doctors also begin the process of earning a medical license. 

However, this isn’t your only option as an MD grad. Here we take a look at your options for completing an MD without residency, from which jobs you can apply for to what educational path could be your next move.

Let’s get started!

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Is Residency Required After Medical School?

First, it’s important to understand that residency is not mandatory after medical school. Earning an MD is enough to get you some interesting, lucrative and important jobs! Your next steps are completely up to you.

That said, if you wish to become a doctor, residency is the best way to guarantee that you’ll secure jobs as a physician. Most countries will not allow you to practice medicine independently if you do not have a medical license, which you earn throughout your years in residency. 

The main takeaway here is that there are states where you can practice medicine without residency, however, obtaining your medical license is mandatory for practicing as an independent physician - for which you need to complete a residency program. However, there are tons of jobs in the medical field outside of becoming an independent physician, and some of them may be right for you. 

Job Options for MDs Without Residency or Medical License

Let’s discuss job options for MD without residency. The following list comprises several viable options for MDs who do not wish to attend a residency program. Keep in mind, these aren’t the only options out there! 

We’ve organized our list by the highest paying jobs for MD holders without residency. Although none of these jobs require residency, some may require additional education or certification beyond an MD degree.

1. Medical Research Scientist 

Medical research teams are composed of many scientists with different levels of education and backgrounds. As a medical researcher, you’ll assist NGOs, health specialists, research centres, and governments as they conduct experiments and analyze results to expand our knowledge of medicine and improve public health. 

Average Salary (US): $97,660

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, MD

Responsibilities: Conducting tests, lab work, research 

2. Medical and Health Services Management

If you enjoy leadership roles, you may want to consider pursuing a career in medical and health services management. Health service managers work behind the scenes in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations to oversee everyday operations, partnerships, and professional relationships. 

Average Salary (US):   $161,256

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, MD Optional

Responsibilities: Management, budgeting, development & implementation of policies

3. Physician Assistant (PA)

Physician assistants work alongside physicians to help with everyday responsibilities. Under the direct supervision of a physician, PAs conduct physicals, take patient histories, order/interpret tests, assist in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, counsel patients on preventive health care, and may even assist in minor surgeries. 

PA certification is required. 

Average Salary (US): $119,625

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, MD, PA Certification 

Responsibilities: Assist a physician day-to-day. 

4. Surgical Assistant

Surgical assistants provide immediate assistance to surgeons throughout surgical procedures. As defined by the AST , they “provide aid in exposure, hemostasis, closure, and other intraoperative technical functions that help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient.” 

Completion of a surgical assistant program is required. 

Average Salary (US): $130,080

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, Surgical Assistant program

Responsibilities: Minor surgical procedures, surgical assistance

5. Post-Secondary Medical Instruction

If you enjoy teaching, medical instruction may be the right career path for you. Medical instructors are postsecondary teachers who conduct classes on medical care and health. You may teach future nurses, surgical assistants or doctors in your courses. 

Average Salary (US): $95,706

Education: MD or PhD

Responsibilities: Creating lesson plans, teaching classes, and conducting assessments

6. Medical Writer/Editor

MD grads who enjoy writing papers may want to consider becoming a medical writer. As a medical writer, it’s your responsibility to smoothly translate complex medical information into readable text. You’ll write documents such as clinical trial reports, medical grants, safety information, manuals, and more.

Average Salary (US): $95,748 with MD

Responsibilities: Writing medical texts, translating data, and copywriting

7. Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA)

Anesthesia assistants administer anesthetic gases and medications, monitor patient conditions, and perform additional patient care tasks under the supervision of anesthesiologists . They help care for surgical patients during regional, general, or conscious sedation anesthesia. AA certification is required.

Average Salary (US): $47,340

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, AA Certification

Responsibilities: Assist an Anesthesiologist to care for surgical patients. 

8. Professor - Medical Administration

Medical administration professors teach courses on health and medical administration in post-secondary educational institutions. You’ll develop courses independently, teach, conduct student assessments, and you may research or create publications. Unlike a medical instructor, however, this position requires a PhD . 

Average Salary (US): $117,160

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, MD, PhD

Responsibilities: Course creation, teaching, assessing work, publishing

9. Ultrasound Technician (Diagnostic Medical Sonography)

If you enjoy working independently, you may want to consider a career in sonography. Ultrasound technicians (or sonographers) help doctors to diagnose their patients using sonographic imaging. They also take care of the sonography equipment, prepare the exam room, and, most importantly, alert doctors of any abnormalities they may find. 

Average Salary (US): $81,350

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, Sonography certification

Responsibilities: Take sonographic images, help doctors diagnose patients, assist radiologists

10. Neurodiagnostic Technologists

Neurodiagnostic technologists use digital equipment to record electrical patterns that run throughout the brain and nervous system in order to diagnose abnormalities. Under the supervision of a doctor, they analyze the data gathered to diagnose conditions such as epilepsy, strokes, degenerative brain disease, and more.

Average Salary (US): $61,370

Education: Associate degree, neurodiagnostic technologist certificate program

Responsibilities: Using neurodiagnostic equipment, assisting physicians to diagnose patients

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few other popular jobs that you can get with an MD degree:

• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• Pharmaceutical Medical Advisor
• Personal Trainer
• Public Health Officer
• Massage Therapist
• Medical Translator 
• Fitness Counselor 
• Medical Consultant

Whichever career you choose to pursue, ensure it suits your individual interests. One thing that’s interesting about pursuing a job with an MD and no residency is that it may be easier to change things up if you’re unsatisfied with your job. If at first you don’t succeed, try again!

FAQs: MD Without Residency

Below are our answers to some frequently asked questions concerning what you can do with an MD degree without residency.

1. Can You Get An MD Without Residency?

Yes. Residency is not mandatory, it is a specialty training program that you can choose to enter after completing your MD. However, residency is a mandatory step to achieving medical licensure in the US, which will allow you to practice medicine as an independent physician.

2. What Can An MD Do Without Residency?

There are plenty of job options for MD graduates who don’t want to pursue residency. Some popular ones include becoming a surgical assistant, a medical instructor, a medical research assistant, or even a massage therapist. Read on for more!

3. Can You Be A Doctor Without Residency?

If you want to become a practicing physician in the US, you’ll need to complete a residency program. Residency is required (typically at least two years) in order to take your USMLE step exams. You’ll need to complete the USMLE to obtain your medical license and practice medicine in the US and in most other countries.

Final Thoughts

If you want to become a doctor, you’ll need to complete a residency program after your MD. However, you can still work in the medical field if you do not want to attend a residency program after your MD. 

Whichever path you choose, make sure you’re considering all of your interests, the options available to you with your current level of education, and that you’re prioritizing your long term happiness. The world is your oyster.

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Pros and Cons of the MD-PhD Degree

• By Lawrence Wang
• August 17, 2018
• Medical Student , Pre-med
• Clinical Rotations , Dual Degree , Research , Residency

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”                                  -Robert Frost

Do you have an interest/background in medicine and research , but balk at the prospect of spending eight years getting the MD-PhD degree? You can theoretically do all the same things (i.e. see patients and run a research lab) with only an MD degree. There are plenty of MD’s out there who are successful physician-scientists, and the MD-PhD  is certainly the less common path, the road less traveled. So why bother getting a PhD as well?

These are all great questions, worth a fair amount of thought and reflection. Pursuing the rewarding, competitive, and singular pathway of a combined MD-PhD degree is a major decision that warrants a critical evaluation of its associated pros and cons.  So without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Pros of the MD-PhD Degree

1 | fully funded.

Medical school is expensive, with the average medical student graduating in 2017 with a debt of nearly $200,000 . In contrast, many MD-PhD students graduate debt-free and may even have a small nest egg saved away. This is because Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTP) and many non-MSTP MD-PhD programs waive tuition and provide stipends to their students that are comparable to a biology graduate student stipend (~$30,000 of disposable income a year). The stipend is adjusted to match the cost of living in the city in which your school is located.

2 | Options for Fast-Tracking

MD-PhD’s enjoy specialized tracks that enable them to shorten their PhD and residency training. The PhD portion of the dual degree is an average of 4 years (vs. an average of 5-6 years for single degree PhD’s in the biomedical sciences).

Furthermore, MD-PhD graduates can “short-track” their residency into fellowship training. In the case of the three-year internal medicine residency, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has a pathway that enables residents with a demonstrated potential for basic science or clinical research to spend only two years doing clinical training before returning to full-time research . These so-called “research residencies” are typically populated by MD-PhD’s, with a few MD-MPH/MD-MS/MD graduates that have strong research credentials thrown into the mix.

3 | Competitiveness for Funding to Start a Lab

According to an NIH report about physician-scientists , MD-PhD’s overall had higher award rates for research program grants (RPGs) (24.6%) than MD’s (21.7%, p<0.01) or PhD’s (21.4%, p<0.01). Furthermore, the award rate for MD-PhD’s from an MSTP program was nearly three times higher than that for MD/PhD’s not from an MSTP program (36.2% vs. 12.3%). If you are interested in more details, there is a wealth of outcomes data in this report as well as the  AAMC National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study .

Cons of the MD-PhD Degree

1 | delayed autonomy.

The additional four years that an MD-PhD student invests in obtaining a PhD represent a significant opportunity cost (time and money). The ramifications of this can be broad. For example, an MD-PhD student living on a graduate student stipend may not have the financial autonomy to start a family until after they obtain an income (and free time!) commensurate to their training level. Furthermore, the average age of young investigators obtaining their first RPG’s continues to rise (44.3 years for MD-PhD’s, 43.8 years for MD’s, and 41.9 years for PhD’s in 2014) . The path of an academic researcher, especially an MD-PhD, creates an extreme delay in full professional autonomy.

2 | Disjointed Training

MD-PhDs are often likened to chimeras in their duality, which is exemplified by the disjointed path to obtaining the MD-PhD degree.

Students typically complete the first two pre-clinical years of medical school, transition to a 4-year PhD program, and then return to medical school to finish the last two clinical years before graduating with their dual degree. Subsequently, most pursue residency and fellowship training in their chosen medical specialties before finally becoming principal investigators (PIs) of a lab. This disjointed pathway forces many MD-PhD’s to play catch-up when they inevitably fall behind in either medicine or research. For instance, a common issue for MD-PhD’s is that their research skills become outdated when they return to clinical training for a number of years during the latter half of medical school and residency.

3| Balancing Clinical and Research Commitments

Juggling the considerable responsibilities of caring for patients and managing research projects can be challenging. Physician-scientists working at academic medical centers may be incentivized (or even pressured) to spend more time seeing patients, a task that earns more revenue for both the physician-scientist and the medical center. It also requires significant time and money for physician-scientists to maintain their clinical skills and board certifications. Consequently, many MD-PhD’s eventually dedicate themselves to either medicine or research and unfortunately let their less-used skill set fade into irrelevance.

Final Remarks

Any aspiring student considering a dual MD-PhD degree should think deeply and critically about whether this demanding career path is right for them. There are pros and cons to getting the MD-PhD degree, some of which may be deal-makers or deal-breakers. Ultimately, I see MD-PhD’s as chimeras walking a road less traveled, obtaining unique toolkits to address gaps in the existing body of medical knowledge and therapies. If this aligns with your goals, it can be an outstanding career!

If you are considering an MD-PhD degree but are unsure, please consider the Med School Insiders  general advising services . We have advisers who have completed this degree and can give you  detailed, real-world advice and feedback!

Lawrence Wang

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MSTP MD-PhD Program

Mstp admissions and eligibility.

The Medical Scientist Training Program MD-PhD Admissions process

Stanford's MSTP is interested in identifying students with significant undergraduate research experience that would predict successful completion of a PhD program. In addition, our successful candidates must meet the standards expected of the very best MD candidates. The Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program admissions process utilizes the same application, process and all policies as the MD-only application. For information regarding the Stanford School of Medicine’s MD Admissions process, policies and eligibility, please visit the How to Apply page. For specific questions regarding the application process, please contact Stanford's MD Admissions directly at [email protected].

Updates to an application   will be accepted only after an applicant has been invited to interview . Interview decisions are made based on information submitted in the AMCAS application, Stanford Supplemental Application, and letters of recommendation.

It is important that we maintain a consistent and equitable standard for all applications to be considered with the same basis of information. If applicable, additional information can be submitted after the day of your interview.

When submitting additional information, please indicate that you have been interviewed or we may not include updates with your file. Acceptable updates include any significant developments in scholarly endeavors or projects, or additional letters of recommendation. Please do not send additional coursework or transcripts unless we have specifically requested such information from you.The MSTP admissions process begins with submission of the AMCAS application. When an AMCAS application is received by the Office of MD Admissions, the information and instructions for completion of Stanford's supplementary application are made available. Once the application file is complete, it is first reviewed by members of the MSTP Admissions Committee. If an applicant is not chosen for an MSTP interview, his/her file is automatically routed to the MD Admissions Committee for consideration.

Eligibility

Academic recommendations for the MSTP follow the same criteria as admission to the MD Program.  Please see the  MD Admissions website  for information on Stanford University's Medical School Admissions academic recommendations . 

If you have matriculated in an MD or PhD program at another institution, you are not eligible to apply to the MSTP. The Stanford MD and MST Programs do not accept applications from students applying for transfer.  Stanford PhD students are eligible to apply through the AMCAS MD application process. 

Stanford’s MSTP  recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

Stanford’s MSTP welcomes applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. The review process is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, prior research experience, and admissions essays to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field and how they might enrich the learning community at Stanford.

Students with disabilities are also encouraged to apply.  Students with disabilities actively participating in the various aspects of life at Stanford, are an essential part of our greater community. Stanford University has a strong commitment to maintaining a diverse and stimulating academic community, representing a broad spectrum of talents and experiences.  Stanford Medicine has a number of programs to support these goals. Both the Stanford School of Medicine and the Medical Scientist Training Program encourage those with diverse backgrounds and/or disabilites to apply. We do not discriminate and believe in the inclusion of all individuals. Our selection process is accessible for students with disabilities and reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be provided to ensure that people with disabilities have fair and equal opportunities to demonstrate their qualifications.

Admission to the Medical Scientist Training Program is contingent on acceptance to the Stanford University MD program, and the application process for both programs is collaborative.

Recommendation Letters

The MSTP Admissions Committee wants to see letters of recommendation from your research mentor, or mentors, addressing your experiences in the laboratory. A minimum of three and a maximum of six individual letters of recommendation is required. All letters must be written on official letterhead and signed by the recommender(s) or committee members. All letters of recommendation must be submitted through the AMCAS Letters Service. Please visit the AMCAS Letters Service site for instructions and more information.

International Students

The MSTP is not able to fund International Students . Stipend and tuition support from the MSTP can only be provided for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Our federal funding restrictions do not permit us to support International Students. Unfortunately, self-support for PhD study is not an option.

Only International Students applying to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program may also apply to the Stanford MSTP. If applying to Knight-Hennessy, International Students may apply to the MSTP MD-PhD track at Stanford.

An International Student can still pursue a dual degree MD-PhD program here at Stanford outside of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program. The applicant must apply and be admitted separately to both degree programs. It is possible to receive support for PhD study from the specific PhD department or program. Please contact the particular PhD Program directly for PhD application procedures. International Students may be eligible for Institutional Financial Aid. Information on applying for financial aid for the MD program is available here .

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Join dozens of  Stanford MD and PhD students  who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as  Knight-Hennessy Scholars   (KHS). KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your graduate studies at Stanford. Candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment. If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023. Learn more about  KHS admission .

DACA or Undocumented Applicants

Stanford has actively supported the DREAM Act legislation since its introduction in 2001, which would enable undocumented students to continue their education and apply for citizenship.  Stanford also supports Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an executive action signed by former President Barack Obama, which allowed some undocumented individuals who entered the United States as children to remain in the country.  We are among the more than 600 colleges and universities that have signed a letter in support of DACA.

Individuals who have been granted DACA at the time of application are eligible to apply and matriculate to Stanford Medicine.  Additionally, individuals who have met all other requirements and are otherwise undocumented are permitted to apply and matriculate to Stanford Medicine.  http://immigration.stanford.edu/

Equal Access to the School of Medicine’s Educational Program

Stanford Medicine intends for its students and graduates to become competent and compassionate physicians who are capable of entering residency training (graduate medical education) and meeting all requirements for medical licensure.

Stanford Medicine has an institutional commitment to provide equal educational opportunities for qualified students with disabilities who apply for admission to the MD degree program or who are enrolled as medical students. Stanford Medicine is a leader in student diversity and individual rights, with a strong commitment to full compliance with state and federal laws and regulations (including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and California law (Civil code 51 and 54). A “qualified person with a disability” is an individual with a disability who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in Stanford Medicine’s educational programs, with or without accommodations. Admitted candidates with disabilities are reviewed individually, on a case-by-case basis, with a complete and careful consideration of all the skills, attitudes, and attributes of each candidate to determine whether there are any reasonable accommodations or available options that would permit the candidate to satisfy the standards.

Stanford’s Policy on Non-Discrimination

Stanford University admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or marital status to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the University. Consistent with its obligations under the law, Stanford prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in the administration of the University's programs and activities; Stanford also prohibits unlawful harassment including sexual harassment and sexual violence. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding this nondiscrimination policy: Director of the Diversity and Access Office, Mariposa House, 585 Capistrano Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-8230; (650) 723-0755 (voice), (650) 723-1791 (fax),  [email protected]  (email). Stanford’s Title IX Coordinator, Cathy Glaze, has been designated to handle inquiries regarding sexual harassment and sexual violence: Mariposa House (2nd floor), 585 Capistrano Way, Stanford, CA 94305, (650) 497-4955 (voice), (650) 497-9257 (fax),  [email protected] (email).

Stanford’s Institute of Equity and Access Office

The Office of Diversity and Access  within the Institute of Equity and Access is the campus office designated to work with Stanford students with disabilities, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels (including the professional schools). The Office provides a wide array of support services, accommodations, and programs to remove barriers to full participation in the life of the University. Institute of Equity and Access Office, Kingscote Gardens, 419 Lagunita Drive, 1st floor Suite 130, Stanford Univeristy, Stanford, CA 94305, Phone: 650-723-1066.

Diversity & Inclusion

Stanford’s MSTP recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

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Is an MD/PhD program right for me? Advice on becoming a physician–scientist

We are living in a golden age of biomedical research in which it is increasingly feasible to translate fundamental discoveries into new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to human illnesses. Inherited diseases are being cured with gene therapy. Cancer cells are being eliminated with less toxic small molecule inhibitors and reengineered T-cells. Direct connections are being made between the central nervous system and prosthetic devices. These efforts are being led by scientists and engineers, some of whom are also physicians. This article is intended to help anyone considering a career as a physician–scientist, but unsure about how best to begin. It is also intended for faculty, staff, and parents who are on the front lines of advising talented students about the options that they have for their future. With this in mind, I have tried to answer common questions about MD/PhD programs, but I have also included information about other paths to becoming a physician who does research.

INTRODUCTION

Because this is a perspectives piece, I will begin it with a confession: I have been a physician–scientist for more than 30 years and I like what I do. I am also a graduate of one of the earliest MD/PhD programs and have been director of the University of Pennsylvania’s MD/PhD program for 20 years. Being a physician who is also a scientist already makes me atypical. According to the American Medical Association, only 14,000 U.S. physicians (out of nearly 1 million) consider research to be their major job, and a search of National Institutes of Health (NIH) databases in 2012 turned up only 8200 physicians who were principal investigators on NIH research grants ( Ginsburg et al. , 2014 ). To put that number in context, there were 28,000 total investigators with NIH grants in 2012. In other words, most NIH principal investigators are PhD scientists, not physician–scientists (MD or MD/PhD).

My primary day (and sometimes night and weekend) job as a card-carrying physician–scientist is overseeing an NIH-funded research team. My clinical responsibilities include taking care of patients with the kinds of bleeding and blood clotting disorders that we study in the lab. Some of these patients have medical problems that are common in the United States. Some of them are true “zebras,” the kinds of patients who get referred to a well-respected academic medical center because physicians are unsure how best to proceed or lack the resources to manage the patient’s problem. I also teach medical students and graduate students, and I direct a very large MD/PhD program. In my spare time, I talk to lots of undergraduates and recent college graduates who are thinking about becoming physician–scientists and wondering whether they should be applying to MD/PhD programs. I meet them at Penn, but also on visits to other colleges and universities. This article is a distillation of some answers to questions that I am commonly asked. If you are an undergraduate trying to decide whether to go to medical school, graduate school, or both, this article may help you. Whatever you decide, I wish you success.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MD/PhD TRAINING?

MD/PhD programs were established in the 1950s to combine training in medicine and research. They were specifically designed for men and women who wanted to become research physicians, also known as physician–investigators or physician–scientists. Most of the graduates of MD/PhD programs in the 60-plus years since then have become faculty members at medical schools and universities, investigators at research institutes such as the NIH, or leaders in in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries ( Brass et al. , 2010 ). Regardless of where they eventually end up, MD/PhD trainees are being prepared for careers in which they will spend most of their time doing research or translating that research into new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches. It is a busy, challenging, and hugely rewarding career. A study of what has happened to MD/PhD program graduates from 24 schools appeared in Academic Medicine in 2010 and is worth reading not only for the data set, but also for the discussion of what the data mean ( Brass et al. , 2010 ). An even larger outcomes study that includes data on over 10,000 MD/PhD program graduates is scheduled for publication as a AAMC report in April 2018 ( Akabas et al. , 2018 ).

HOW CAN ONE PERSON DO TWO JOBS?

When I was an undergraduate and trying to decide what to do with my life, my mentors told me that I could become a doctor or a scientist, but that trying to combine two busy professions was futile. Many years later, I know that many current undergraduates are being told the same thing. However well-meant, that advice misses the point. The goal of MD/PhD program training is not to prepare you for two unrelated full time jobs. Instead, you should think of physician–scientists as chimeras—blends of a physician and a scientist with the two parts fitting closely together. A more relevant question is: if you are going to become a physician–scientist, do you have to go through an MD/PhD program? I will try to answer that one a bit later in this article. First, I’ll provide some definitions.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN MD/PhD PROGRAM, A COMBINED DEGREE PROGRAM, AND AN MSTP PROGRAM? A BIT OF HISTORY AND A WORD ABOUT FUNDING

None. Programs designed to train physician–scientists go by all of these names. For the most part, the terms are interchangeable, although at some schools “combined degree” programs can include MD/JD and MD/masters programs as well—also VMD/PhD programs, which train veterinary physician–scientists. A list of MD/PhD programs can be found at http://www.aamc.org/students/research/mdphd/applying_MD/PhD/61570/mdphd_programs.html . The NIH uses the term MSTP (short for “medical scientist training program”) to refer to programs at schools that have been competitively awarded special training funds to help support MD/PhD candidates. There are currently 46 MD/PhD programs that receive support from the National Institute of General Medical Studies. A list can be found at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/InstPredoc/PredocOverview-MSTP.htm .

When they first started, there were only a handful of MD/PhD programs. I can clearly remember reading a small booklet about applying to medical school that had a single page at the back about MD/PhD programs. Over time, the number of programs has grown. Now there are ∼90 active MD/PhD programs that admit anywhere from a few students per year to 25 or more. The average size of an MD/PhD program in 2017 was ∼90 students in all stages of training. Compared with the many thousands who apply to medical school in each year, only 1900 (∼3%) apply to MD/PhD programs. About one-third of the applicants are accepted, which is similar to the acceptance rate for medical school. 1 When I began medical school, there were very few MD/PhD trainees—I was one of two in my entering class. That has changed considerably. There are currently ∼5500 men and women in training in MD/PhD programs.

Most MD/PhD programs provide tuition waivers for both medical school and graduate school plus a stipend to help cover living expenses. Such fellowships are exceedingly valuable for trainees and very expensive for medical schools and the NIH, so admissions committees work hard to pick the right students for their programs. Despite the high training costs, when I visit other MD/PhD programs to conduct reviews, it is not uncommon to hear deans refer to their MD/PhD program as “the jewel in the crown.” One can easily argue that the existence of MD/PhD programs is evidence of the high value that our society places on physician–scientists.

ARE MD/PhD PROGRAMS LIMITED TO THOSE INTERESTED IN LABORATORY RESEARCH?

The answer varies from school to school. Not all schools offer PhD programs in all disciplines. The majority of MD/PhD students receive their PhD in biomedical laboratory disciplines such as cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, immunology, pharmacology, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. The names of departments and graduate programs vary from school to school. At some schools, MD/PhD trainees do their graduate work outside of the laboratory disciplines, in fields such as economics, epidemiology, health care economics, sociology, medical anthropology, or the history of science. This is not an exhaustive list, and you should check before you apply to see what is actually offered at any particular school.

Although there is no fully up-to-date and reliable list of which MD/PhD programs offer training in which graduate disciplines, a place to start is at the Website of the AAMC MD/PhD section (which is a good source for other types of information as well). 2

ARE THERE OTHER WAYS TO BECOME A PHYSICIAN–SCIENTIST?

Yes. Definitely. MD/PhD programs are a great choice for people who decide early that that they want to be physician–scientists and have built the necessary track record of academic success and research experience before they apply. Not everyone does this, however, either because he or she did not learn about the option early enough, he or she did not make a decision in time, or he or she does not have an academic and research experience record that supports an application. Not finding out early enough turns out to be a common problem. In my experience, college prehealth advisors know much less about MD/PhD training than MD training—not surprisingly, since only 3% of medical school applicants in the United States every year apply for MD/PhD training. As a result, some people choose (or are obliged) to do MD/PhD training in series, rather than parallel—finishing one degree and then starting the other. The disadvantages of this approach include taking longer to finish training and the likely need to cover the cost of medical school on your own.

I am frequently asked about the strategy of starting medical school and then applying to graduate school as a medical student. Some schools will consider you for transfer into their MD/PhD programs after you have completed a year or two of medical school or graduate school at the same university. Although it is very rare that an MD/PhD program will consider accepting a medical or graduate student from a different school, it does occasionally happen when faculty move from one institution to another and want to bring their students with them. The rules and requirements vary from school to school.

Other programs worth checking out include the NIH MD/PhD program that provides support for the PhD phase at the NIH campus or in Oxford/Cambridge, with the MD training taking place at one of the participating MSTP-designated programs. Note that not all of the MSTP programs have chosen to participate, so if you have your heart set on a specific medical school, you should be sure to ask. 3

Another option is to complete medical school and residency training before doing an extended period of supervised research. A number of Nobel Prize–winning physician–scientists did just that. However, with the increase in the number of MD/PhD training programs nationwide, most people who make the decision to become physician–­scientists while still in college should think hard about doing both degrees together in an integrated MD/PhD program that combines graduate school and medical school into a joint program that currently takes 8 years on average to complete ( Akabas et al. , 2018 ).

DO I REALLY NEED A PhD TO DO RESEARCH? CAN I SAVE TIME BY SKIPPING IT?

The answer to the first of these questions is “Clearly not.” However, while medical school will put you firmly on the path to becoming an accomplished clinician, it does not provide training in how to do research. At some point you will benefit from that additional piece of your education if you intend to become a physician–scientist.

As noted above, in years past it was not uncommon to learn how to do research by doing an extended postdoctoral fellowship after (or instead of) a clinical residency. I am often asked whether it is possible to save time on the path to becoming a physician–scientist by skipping graduate school and just going to medical school. The available data suggest that the answer to this one is “No.” Physician–scientists get their first jobs in academia and their first independent NIH grants at approximately the same age regardless of whether they completed an MD/PhD program or went solely to medical school and then did a more extended postdoc ( Ginsburg et al. , 2014 ). As a result, I normally tell undergraduates that if they are ready to make the commitment before starting medical school, MD/PhD programs offer many advantages, including integrated training, mentored research training, and medical school tuition waivers. On the other hand, if you are sure you want to be a doctor, but less sure about being a scientist, then my advice is to go to medical school and figure out the rest of what you need when you know more about the opportunities that being a physician provides.

HOW DOES MD/PhD TRAINING WORK AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

The answer varies from school to school, but historically students begin with 2 years of medical school, switch to graduate school in the third year of the program, and then return to finish medical school after completing (and defending) a thesis research project. When I was an MD/PhD student in the 1970s, there was little, if any, communication between the medical and graduate phases of the program. That has changed considerably. Now most programs emphasize integration of the MD and PhD parts of the training, with graduate school courses during years 1 and 2 and clinical experiences during graduate school. Some programs allow completion of 3–12 months of clinical training before the start of full-time graduate training. Be sure to ask how things are organized at schools that you are considering. In programs leading to a PhD in laboratory science, MD/PhD trainees usually spend the summer between the first and second years of medical school working in the laboratory of the faculty member they are considering as a potential thesis advisor. Some programs also ask students to do one of these “lab rotations” in the summer before starting medical school classes as well. Depending on the number of clinical months completed before starting the thesis research, students returning to medical school will need 1–2 years to finish their training and meet the requirements for medical licensure. The stated goal is to complete an MD/PhD program in 7 or 8 years. However, numbers from across the country show that some students finish in 6 years, while others take 10 years (or more). The average currently is 8 years ( Akabas et al. , 2018 ). Note that medical education in the United States continues to evolve. One trend is away from the classic two years of preclinical education followed by 2 years of clinical education. The earlier start in clinical training made possible by shortening preclinical time enables some MD/PhD programs to offer full-time clinical experiences before the start of graduate school. However, some schools are choosing not to do this. The only way to find out what is being done is to ask, if it is not evident from the program’s Website.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE TRAINING AFTER GRADUATING FROM AN MD/PhD PROGRAM?

Corny as this may sound, the process is never really finished. Your education will continue throughout your career. A more pragmatic answer is that training will extend beyond medical school and graduate school as you complete your post graduate education. Here are some typical numbers: MD/PhD program, 8 years. Residency, 3–6 years. Postdoctoral fellowship, 3–6 years. For most people the term “postdoctoral fellowship” includes another year or two of clinical training, followed by a return to research for 2 or more years ( Figure 1 ). For example, I completed an MD/PhD program in 6 years, followed by a residency in internal medicine (3 years) and a fellowship in clinical hemato­logy and oncology that was combined with postdoctoral training back in a lab (3 years). After that I became an assistant professor and started my own lab. That timing was fairly typical when I did it. Now it would be considered fast. On the other hand, my job description when I finished included running a research team, looking after postdocs and graduate students, and taking care of sick people with complicated medical problems, so maybe all of that training time was necessary.

Paths to becoming a physician who is also a scientist. Integrated MD/PhD training programs that combine research and medical training are not the only path to becoming a physician–scientist. Alternatives begin with doing a research year in medical school (MD+ in the figure) or just doing the standard four-year medical school education. These save time at the start, but usually require a longer period of postgraduate clinical and research training to reach the point where a job as a physician–scientist in academia becomes feasible. As a result, physician–scientists often arrive at the “get a job” point at about the same age whether they began as medical students, MD+ students, or MD/PhD students, although usually with greater student debt if they have not been in an MD/PhD program. See the text for details.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE GRADUATES OF MD/PhD PROGRAMS?

Short-term, nearly all do additional clinical training. Those who do not are usually headed toward careers at research institutes or outside clinical medicine entirely. Those who do apply for residencies often find that their MD/PhD training makes them particularly appealing to residency programs at top institutions. Long-term, most program graduates end up with careers in which they combine patient care and research. The research may be lab-based, translational, or clinical. Most (75–80%) end up at academic medical centers, at research institutions such as the NIH, or in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry ( Figure 2 ; Brass et al. , 2010 ; Akabas et al. , 2018 ). A much higher percentage of MD/PhD program graduates have ended up in academia than of medical school graduates in general ( Brass et al. , 2010 ). Those who build research careers and apply for NIH research grants find that having the PhD in addition to the MD improves their chances of obtaining funding ( Ginsburg et al. , 2014 ).

Where are they working? Data from 2202 MD/PhD program alumni who have completed all phases of postgraduate clinical and research training. Adapted from Brass et al. (2010) . Industry includes the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Pvt Practice refers to full-time clinical practice outside of an academic medical center.

HOW DO I APPLY?

The process of application varies from school to school. Some schools have an MD/PhD-focused committee that will screen your application and coordinate the interview and admission process. Other schools consider MD/PhD applicants only after a decision has been made about MD admissions. Finally, some schools consider students for the MD/PhD program only after they have completed a year or more of medical school. Schools that subscribe to AMCAS will ask you to indicate your interest in an MD/PhD program and then to provide additional information as part of a secondary application.

WHEN DO I APPLY?

Most people apply after finishing their junior year in college, but a growing number of applicants finish college and work for a year or more before applying. Some people use the time after college to take courses needed for medical school admission or to gain more full-time laboratory research experience. Some people simply were not ready to make decisions about their future careers and postponed choosing beyond the finish of college. It is a mistake to assume that MD/PhD programs are interested only in applicants who have worked in a lab for a year or more after college. That is clearly not the case, and some of us who direct MD/PhD programs are concerned about the growing percentage of applicants who have waited to apply after they graduate in the mistaken impression that it will improve their resumes. My advice is that for a training path that lasts as long as this one does, it is best to get started as soon as possible.

WHAT DO ADMISSIONS COMMITTEES LOOK FOR?

The answer clearly varies from school to school, but some basic principles apply. In general, admissions committees will look for evidence of academic success, extended research experience, letters of recommendation from people who know you well, and your plans for the future.

• Evidence of academic success. This includes your GPA and MCAT scores, but is not limited to them. Admission committees use a holistic approach and will undoubtedly consider where you went to college and what types of courses you took. They will not necessarily be dismayed if you got off to a slow start, as long as you did well later. They will place the greatest emphasis on courses that are relevant to your chosen area of graduate school training. I have not encountered a program director who seriously believed that the MCAT tests your ability to be a physician–scientist. Nonetheless programs use MCAT scores in a variety of ways, including seeing how you compare with the national pool of applicants and predicting how you will do on the numerous standardized tests that all of us have to take in medical school and beyond.
• Extensive research experience. If you plan to get a PhD in one of the laboratory sciences, then prior laboratory experience counts heavily, particularly if you spent a year or more in the same laboratory. Summer laboratory experience can be helpful because they are usually opportunities to do research full time, but summers are short. Whenever possible, you should try to do research during the academic year, or at least spend multiple summers in the same lab. If you are planning a PhD outside of the laboratory sciences, seek equivalent experiences. The idea is to be sure you like the experience and to create a track record upon which your past performance can be judged and your future success predicted.
• Letters of recommendation. The most important letter(s) are from the faculty members or other senior investigators with whom you worked. The letters should ideally comment on your talents, skills, and potential for success as an independent investigator. If you are working with a senior faculty member, it is very helpful if he or she can compare you with other students with whom he or she has worked. Note that such a letter is not necessarily the most appropriate for an MD-only application. MD/PhD program admissions committees are usually most interested in your talent and ability as a physician–scientist, although they will definitely also consider whether you are likely to become a successful and caring physician. Fortunately, medical schools allow you to submit more than one letter of recommendation.
• Your plans for the future. Because training to be a physician–­investigator is so costly in terms of your time and the school’s resources, your career goals should be compatible with MD/PhD training. Becoming a full-time practitioner is a laudable goal, but does not require a PhD in addition to an MD. Your goal as a trained physician–investigator should be to spend at least 75% of your time on research. You do not need to know the specific problem you want to work on at this point (many do not, and it is likely to change), or with whom you would like to train, but your commitment to becoming an investigator should be clearly communicated in your essays and interviews, and you should have given thought to what will be required.

HOW DO I DECIDE WHERE TO APPLY?

Some applicants have decided that they want to work in a particular field or with a particular faculty member. For them, choosing where to apply is defined by where that faculty member works or where the field is best represented. Most applicants have only a general idea of what they might want to work on in the future and know that their interests are likely to evolve as they are exposed to new things. For them, choice will be defined by issues such as the reputation of the school (hopefully not based solely on U.S. News and World Report rankings!), the success of the graduates of the program (be sure to ask!), and geography. Schools vary in the difficulty of gaining admission. The directors and nonfaculty administrators of MD/PhD programs nationwide are a large pool of resources that you can tap. Most of us get e-mail from future applicants all the time. Take advantage of our willingness to talk with you. Ask questions about the things that are important to you.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I began this perspective with the confession that I am a physician–scientist and I like what I do. It is not unusual these days to encounter articles and opinion pieces that lament the difficulty of becoming and remaining a physician–scientist. I will not cite them here—you can find them on your own. Fortunately, our society is still willing to make a large investment in biomedical research through the NIH and through numerous foundations. If you want to become a physician who discovers the new stuff, there are jobs waiting to be filled. However, you will need good training and great mentorship as you learn the skills needed to be a physician and a research team leader. Good luck with your decision.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to my colleagues who direct MD/PhD programs, the NIH for supporting physician–scientist training (including my own), and the hundreds of MD/PhD candidates and alumni who have taught me so much over the past 20 years.

Abbreviations used:

DOI: 10.1091/mbc.E17-12-0721

1 www.aamc.org/data/facts/enrollmentgraduate/ .

2 www.aamc.org/students/research/mdphd/ .

3 http://mdphd.gpp.nih.gov .

• Akabas MH, Tartakovsky I, Brass LF. (2018). The National MD–PhD Program Outcomes Study. American Association of Medical Colleges Reports.
• Brass LF, Akabas MH, Burnley LD, Engman DM, Wiley CA, Andersen OS. (2010). Are MD–PhD programs meeting their goals? An analysis of career choices made by graduates of 24 MD–PhD programs . Acad Med , 692–701. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ginsburg D, Shurin SB, Mills S. (2014). NIH Physician–Scientist Workforce (PSW) Working Group Report. [ Google Scholar ]

Demystifying the MD/PhD

• November 9, 2021
• Reviewed by: Amy Rontal, MD

Somewhere in your training process you will probably encounter someone with an MD/PhD degree or someone who is in training for one.

Everyone knows that, for the most part, MDs are physicians who take care of patients, whereas PhDs are scientists who traditionally tend to spend their time running a lab with classroom responsibilities on the side.

What does an MD/PhD do?

There is no secretive, mystifying career path for MD/PhD trainees and graduates. If MDs see patients as physicians and PhDs conduct research as scientists, MD/PhDs are combination “physician-scientists.”

Often times, MD/PhD careers are obfuscated by the long training process, different residency tracks and confusing job descriptions.

Why do MD/PhDs want to practice medicine and run a lab?

MD/PhDs are interested in translational research, which is a process that brings bench top research to bedside therapeutics. The ability to treat patients and perform research gives you a unique skill set wherein you are able to draw on clinical experiences to design your research hypotheses, and apply those research hypotheses and your experimental findings directly to the patient population you treat.

Besides being a “cool” thing to do, an MD/PhD’s role is important. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that the rate at which new therapies are being developed is actually declining despite increased investment in research and development, both in academics and in industry. There are plenty of explanations offered, but a compelling one is that most physicians see patients but don’t have the research expertise to push therapies forward, while most scientists have the research expertise but don’t have the clinical expertise to implement them. Thus, MD/PhDs have a unique role in bridging this gap between science and medicine.

How do I become an MD/PhD?

The most common way to become an MD/PhD is to enroll in an MD/PhD program. MD/PhD programs exist to provide streamlined training for students to achieve both degrees in a reasonable amount of time (seven or eight years). Most programs provide a scholarship that pays tuition and fees for both medical school and graduate school on top of an annual stipend that can range from school to school.

The less common route to becoming an MD/PhD is to go to school to get an MD and then get a PhD at a later time, or vice versa.

How do I get into an MD/PhD program?

The admissions process for MD/PhD programs is very similar to that of medical school. First, you indicate you are applying to MD/PhD Programs instead of MD programs when you submit your AMCAS application.

For MD/PhD admissions, you have to write a few extra supplemental essays describing your career goals in addition to the traditional MD essays. At each school you apply to, you will then be reviewed either by the MD/PhD program admissions committees or separately by both the MD admissions committee and PhD admissions committee.

You will be invited to interview, where you will meet with faculty from the MD, PhD, and MD/PhD programs (typically, they will also wine and dine you which is more typical of PhD admissions but rare in MD admissions). Qualified students who demonstrate a commitment both to medicine as well as research and demonstrate the willingness to do both are accepted to matriculate in the coming fall.

Although there is no “cookie-cutter” MD/PhD applicant, successful applicants meet many of the same criteria that  successful medical school applicants  do, but in lieu of (or in addition to) extensive clinical experiences, they will have more research experience.

Read our blog post on  MD/PhD admissions  for more information!

What is MD/PhD training like?

For the most part, MD/PhD training is medical school and graduate school integrated into seven or eight years. Typically, students will do two years of their MD training and their USMLE Step 1 before taking three to four years (or more) to complete their PhD. Upon completion of the PhD, students will return to medical school to complete their last two years and earn their medical degree.

The unique feature of an MD/PhD program’s training is that although students are technically only enrolled in one degree program at once, they are also fulfilling degree requirements of the other program simultaneously. This means that during medical school, students are taking graduate school coursework and during graduate school, students are staying connected to the medical school through shadowing and other clinical opportunities.

After training, MD/PhDs take a variety of routes. Most go on to residency programs to become licensed physicians with research tracks to allow them to become physician-scientists. There are MD/PhD-specific residency routes that also contain research years to provide MD/PhD students with research experience to run their own lab in the future. Some MD/PhD trainees will go on to only do a residency without research, while some will go on to do a post-doctoral fellowship without clinical training. Others will begin working in industry immediately after graduation.

It may be clear then that although MD/PhD programs are intent on training physician-scientists, not everyone goes on to do this. The majority do, but career goals evolve over time and certainly MD/PhD trainees and graduates go on to do many more things besides becoming physician-scientists.

Do I really need an MD/PhD to be a physician-scientist?

No, you do not need to earn an MD/PhD to be a physician-scientist. You can do research and see patients with just an MD, and many people do this.

However, consider that as an MD, applying for research funding and academic positions will be much harder when your competition is PhDs who have several more years of experience doing exclusively research. In an environment in which research funding is becoming increasingly competitive, MD/PhDs have a unique advantage over both their MD and PhD counterparts. That being said, plenty of MDs are successful physician-scientists who achieve as much if not more than their MD/PhD counterparts.

Are MD/PhDs paid more?

Unfortunately, MD/PhDs are not paid more than their MD counterparts. Research doesn’t pay as well as seeing patients does, so MD/PhDs who spend their time doing research naturally compromise some of the salary they would make as a physician. At the end of the day, MD/PhDs are fairly compensated but do not make the salary that an equal who spent 100% of their time seeing patients would make.

The biggest advantage financially to doing an MD/PhD is to graduate without debt. Moreover, there are certainly ways to leverage MD/PhD degrees towards career paths that are better compensated financially, but these options are unique and differ on a person-to-person basis. One should not go into an MD/PhD program for a lucrative career path. Hopefully it rewards by other means!

What else can I do with an MD/PhD?

While becoming a physician-scientist to see patients and do basic or translational research is the traditional route most people will take, there are plenty of other options. Many MD/PhD graduates go on to work for large research institutions like the NIH and don’t see patients at all. Others go on to work in industry, where they become leaders in drug development and draw from both their clinical and research training.

Some graduates may become involved in startups and form their own company. A small fraction of MD/PhD program graduates will also go on to private practice. There is no preferred career pathway, although graduates are certainly encouraged to take advantage of both degrees, and not just one of them. At the end of the day, an MD/PhD will open more doors, but in the meanwhile it is important to think about whatever your career goals may be and whether they warrant several additional years of training.

To learn more about becoming a physician-scientist, check out  APSA  (the American Physician Scientists Association) and read these  articles about physician-scientists .

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[Guide] Which Physician Jobs Are Available Without Residency?

• September 2, 2022

If you’re currently a practicing doctor, you know all too well the hours of blood, sweat, and tears it took to get to where you are now. If you’re considering a medical career as a doctor, you might view the next years of your life as you would view climbing to the top of Mount Everest.

You’re not wrong — the years it takes to become a fully-fledged doctor and start practicing medicine usually means you won’t reach that peak until you’re in your mid to late 30s.

Steps to Becoming a Doctor

Here’s a quick look at the steps it takes to become a doctor and the money it takes to get there:

1.  Graduate from high school with high grades to get into a good college.

2.  Take and score well on the Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) or the American College Testing (ACTs).

3.  Get a 4-year undergrad degree.

4.  Take and pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).

5.  Attend medical school for four years.

6.  Take and pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) sometime during years 2 and 4.

7.  Take and pass board exams.

8.  Match and spend 3 to 9 years as a resident.

9.  Pass final board exams.

If that’s not enough for you and you want to get a subspeciality, you can take another one to three years doing so. And now you can start working.

Costs of a Physician Education

Time and money are probably the two most important factors to consider when deciding whether becoming a doctor is right for you or whether you could have a fulfilling and satisfying career after completing medical school.

Researchers at the Education Data Initiative report that the  average cost  of an undergrad degree in the U.S. in 2022 is between $102,828 to $173,684, depending on whether you choose to get your degree in your home state or go to an out-of-state school.

That same study lists the cost of a medical degree as between $205,856 and $231,732, again depending on whether you choose to go to a medical school in your home state or go out of state.

And it’s not just going to school that will cost you. If you need to take SAT or ACT prep courses, you could be looking at spending a few thousand dollars. Taking your  MCAT  costs $315 per test. The USMLE ranges from $600 to $1,200 per section. Applying to medical schools costs, on average, $170, and the average medical student applies to 16 schools within a given year.

Doctors must have a state medical license, and approximately 90% of all practicing doctors in the U.S. also choose to become board certified. Board certification is voluntary, and you can still practice without passing them.

The  average medical school graduate  owes six times as much as the average college graduate. They owe a median average of $200,000 to $250,000 in total debt, including debt from an undergrad degree.

Once you’ve absorbed the magnitude of that debt load, you can start to consider your next move. At this point, you can choose to spend the next three to nine years in a residency before finally arriving at the coveted position of being a doctor.

The good news is that you’ll be making money, not spending it as a resident. You won’t be making nearly as much as you will when you finish your residency, but with an average salary of  $64,000 , you’ll feel like a king (of a very small country).

Anyone who’s watched a tv show based on life in a hospital gets the picture that residency is no picnic. You’ll work 80 hours weekly, making around $16.00 an hour. While anyone can earn that much working in a fast food restaurant these days, you can look forward to making, on average,  $183,429  a year once you’ve completed your residency.

While there are undoubted benefits to spending the eight to 17 years it takes to become a doctor, it’s also worth exploring whether completing medical school and then pursuing a career in medicine without completing a residency can also lead to a fulfilling career and lifestyle.

The  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  says the job growth rate for doctors is projected to grow three percent from 2020-2030. That’s slower than the average for other occupations. Even with that low number, there are still a projected 22,700 openings for physicians each year due to doctors opting out or retiring.

Cons of a Becoming a Physician

It’s no secret that today’s physicians carry big burdens, and many battle job stress, depression, and burnout. Again, setting aside the costs of becoming a doctor, with statistics that say around 50% of all doctors suffer from  burnout , there are reasons to carefully consider whether becoming a doctor is right for you.

There will always be more to learn . The learning doesn’t end once you’ve graduated from med school. Doctors are regularly required to attend seminars to keep on the cutting edge of medicine. Not only that, but with technologies seeming to change at the speed of light, there’s a constant learning curve to just stay current.

There will always be rules and regulations to follow . In the Journal of Health Care Finance, an  article  entitled “Proven Solutions for Improving Health and Lowering Health Care Costs” reports that doctors are:

“more and more obliged to perform bureaucratic activities and undergoing a series of tasks that have nothing to do with the execution of the medical act itself…The surgeon spends at least 20% of his time in bureaucratic activities that add nothing to professional performance.”

There will always be high pressure and work-related stress . The very traits that make a doctor a good doctor are the ones that will create the most pressure and stress in their lives. Many doctors have personalities that can be described as committed, conscientious, and even obsessive. Pair that with the demanding work they do every day, and you can see that being a doctor can be a recipe for burnout.

Which Jobs Are Available After Medical School Without Completing a Residency?

So, can you practice as a doctor in the U.S. without completing a residency? While it’s not mandatory, choosing not to invest the time into one will mean you won’t qualify for a state medical license.

According to Academic Medicine ( AAMC ), you can’t get this license without at least one year of residency. The bottom line is that you’ll need to complete a residency if you wish to offer hands-on patient care.

The end game of a residency program is to become a fully independent physician, able to give patient care without supervision. You have many career options if you want to work in medicine but can imagine doing so without working on the front lines.

M.D.s Without Residency Career Options

Being an M.D. without residency doesn’t mean you can’t work in the medical field. There are several health-related jobs that medical school graduates can qualify for.

Some of them might require extra training to get the necessary certification. Still, this training is much shorter than the three to nine years residencies take. Entry into these courses typically isn’t as competitive as getting into a residency program.

The starting salaries for some of these jobs may be lower than the starting salaries of residency-trained physicians, and they may not pay as much as the average physician makes. Still, they will give you long-term full-time employment in the health care field.

Hands-On Job Options

If you’re clear you want to work directly with the patients but don’t want to complete a residency, some job options will let you do so.

Physician Assistant

While most states require a degree in a designated P.A. Program to qualify as a physician assistant, some states, like  Missouri , define their licensure as any medical school graduate who has “successfully completed Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination.”

Other states have specific requirements for whether your medical degree will qualify you to work as a physician assistant. P.A.s can expect to earn an average of $108,610 per year.

Specialist in Poison Information (SPI)

A specialist in poison information works in a poison control center. There are 55 independent poison centers across the U.S. They are currently staffed by  SPIs  who come from various backgrounds, such as foreign and domestic M.D.s, along with pharmacists and nurses. Extra training is required to pass the certification exam, but the job pays while you’re training. SPIs can make between $45,000-$168,500 depending on experience and background.

Electrodiagnostic Medicine Technician

Electrodiagnostic medicine is a subspecialty that deals with neurological, neuromuscular, and muscular systems. Technicians diagnose nerve and muscular conditions. There are specific electrodiagnostic medicine programs that you can pursue that may not require a residency program.  AANEM  offers a variety of self-assessment examinations and study guides for physicians to see if they meet the program requirements. Electrodiagnostic medicine technicians can expect an average of $63,650 a year.

Writing Job Options

Freelance medical writers who are doctors can make very good money as they charge by the hour. Assignments can be done for multiple clients, and you can write from home or anywhere you have a laptop and WiFi. Various types of writing include technical writing, scientific writing, medical editing, writing clinical trial reports, medical product safety inserts, grants, manuals, how-to guides, and journal articles. Doctor writers can charge between $100-$150 an hour, with an annual salary of well over $200,000 per year.

Teaching Job Options

If you liked the learning portion of school and loved explaining to friends and family the things you learned, you might be a perfect candidate to teach at a medical college or university or even at med school and teaching hospitals. Teaching basic or advanced level sciences, including biochemistry and anatomy, can let you earn up to $97,370 a year, while other health specialties can let you earn an average of $73,490 a year.

Research Job Options

There are several types of research career paths you can follow with your medical degree that don’t require a residency or license. Medical research scientists are involved in creating and running studies that study diseases and how to treat them. Clinical research associates (CRAs) help to complete medical research and clinical trials. A medical science liaison role includes advising and running department areas inside pharmaceutical or biotech companies. The average annual salary for a CRA is  $91,285 , while the average annual salary for a medical research scientist is  $81,066 . A medical science liaison can expect an average salary of  $152,000  each year.

Business-Related Job Options

Health insurer specialist.

Health Insurance specialists work as underwriters to help create insurance policies and review and change them if needed. There are many non-clinical jobs with health insurers in all states. The typical starting position is as an associate medical director before becoming a medical director. A good ballpark for a starting salary is $180,000-$200,000.

Medical Consultant

With healthcare making up more than 1/6 of the U.S. economy, there are tremendous opportunities for M.D.s without residencies to act as consultants. Working with technology companies lets you help them create better products for their clients. You could also help doctors and clinical healthcare facilities improve their business or management practices.

According to  Glassdoor , you will spend half of your time at client sites working to help them improve their performance. The job includes focusing on strategy and operations for these types of agencies: health care providers/hospitals, insurance companies, pharma and device companies, and government agencies. A full-time medical consultant can be paid up to $200,000 per year.

Medical and Health Services Manager

If you took (and enjoyed) any management courses during medical school, you could find a fulfilling career as a director or manager for healthcare organizations. The job includes planning, directing, and coordinating medical and healthcare services and schedules. Sometimes called medical services managers, your work can be as a  program director, compliance officer, or CEO in medical facilities . The responsibilities of a manager/director on this level are responsible for and accountable to physicians, staff, patients, vendors, and regulatory organizations. Medical service managers can expect to make an average of $99,730 a year.

Performance Improvement Consultant

Performance improvement, like quality improvement, has recently become more important in hospitals, consulting firms, and healthcare facilities. Graduates from medical school are suited for these roles as they’ve learned the specific medical language physicians and clinicians use. These types of consultants or managers are responsible for creating and leading services and programs that help ensure the facility’s services are always improving. As of August 2022, the average annual pay for a performance improvement consultant is  $95,484  per year.

Clinical Trial Coordinator

If you have above-average people skills and a medical degree, working as a  clinical trial coordinator  could be the perfect role for you. Also known as a clinical research coordinator, you’ll be the main point of contact for research participants and responsible for making sure they are safe and well taken care of during their trials. On the low end of salaries, working as a clinical trial coordinator pays  $50,720  on average per year. California, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Jersey pay the highest salaries in this field.

As you might expect, I am a fan of doctors building profitable businesses so they can live life and practice medicine on their own terms. And if that, for you, looks like pursuing a career without attending a residency program, I’m all for it!

Let me know if you know of other physician jobs that don’t require completing a residency. If you’re looking for support as you create a business or career that will empower you in your work, send me an email. I’d love to chat.

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MD/PhD without residency?

• Thread starter rain41
• Start date Feb 8, 2006

• Feb 8, 2006

if you can write grants and get nih funding , you can open your own lab and become faculty at a university....  

Full Member

• Feb 9, 2006

Dark Lord of the Sith

It sounds like you are most interested in research and not very interested in practicing medicine. The PhD route is most appropriate if you want to do human neuroimaging research. You do not need an MD for this and an MD will give you no training in doing functional imaging studies, whereas a PhD will give you extensive training. However, if you also would like to practice clinical medicine, then the MD/PhD route makes much more sense. To sluox: there is quite a bit of bad (or at the very least over-interpreted) functional imaging research published. It is important to know the strengths and limitations of such research if you plan on conducting it. An MD does not give one any such background.  

neoserenity333

Foxy fox mccloud.

sluox said: Lots of psychologists do fMRI research. How hard do you think it could be? You don't need a PhD for that sort of stuff. PhD = academic sweatshop, level 1. I would know, cause I'm doing it right now. Click to expand...

entropy2 said: if you can write grants and get nih funding , you can open your own lab and become faculty at a university.... Click to expand...

Senior Member

there is quite a bit of bad (or at the very least over-interpreted) functional imaging research published Click to expand...

Vader said: To sluox: there is quite a bit of bad (or at the very least over-interpreted) functional imaging research published. It is important to know the strengths and limitations of such research if you plan on conducting it. An MD does not give one any such background. Click to expand...

rain41 said: I'm an undergrad considering doing an MD/PhD, but my main focus is research, I 'm not sure I'd want to practice medicine. My main reason for considering an MD/PhD is that I want to be able to do research with human subjects. I'm not talking clinical drug trials or anything, but more along the lines of neuroscience research (like cognitive/behavioral fMRI studies, and studies with patients with brain lesions). Does anyone know if doing something like that would be possible without being a board certified MD? What other benefits would an MD/PhD without doing residency bring to research? Thanks for your help! Click to expand...

sluox said: A PhD in psychology is a whole different animal compared to a PhD in basic biological science. If the above poster wants to do a PhD in psychology then be my guest. But frankly whatever you need to pick up from a PhD in psychology in order to do research in neuroimaging could be easily picked up by doing a residency in neurology/psychiatry by doing a year or two of elective research. Click to expand...

Dr.Dr. said: Also, if you don't want to do a residency because of the lifestyle, I've heard that the internship is worse than residency. Click to expand...

Membership Revoked

rain41 said: What benefit is their MD/Phd serving them? Click to expand...

I know a few MD/PhD's who did not complete residencies and do research 100%. Even these PI's that did not complete residencies believe that the MD portion of their training has informed their research, although they wouldn't necessarily do the combined degree again.  

• Feb 10, 2006

Bottom line: if you know AHEAD OF TIME that you are interested in research and do not want to do clinical medicine, do a Ph.D. and forget about medical school. The additional 4 years is not really worth it and you will likely only be miserable (especially during 3rd & 4th year clerkships). It is a different matter if you are not entirely sure on how precisely you would like to divide your time, but have an interest in both clinical medicine and research.  

• Feb 12, 2006

rain41 said: But a PhD can do that too though .... My plan would be to do a PhD in neuroscience, specializing in cognitive. My major as an undergrad is neurobiology, so I'd like to stay with the biological aspect of the brain and it's functions. I'm not considering doing ONLY an MD, I will get a PhD either way, I just want to know what added benefit doing an MD with a PhD is, without doing residency. www.intransit.us says that 90% of MD/PhDs go on to residency, meaning 10% do not. What benefit is their MD/Phd serving them? By internship, do you mean the 2 clincal years of med school? Yeah ... I realize that ... but I feel if the benefit is enough, I can handle 2 years. I really don't know if after ~8ish years of MD/Phd I'd want to go through 3-5 years of residency, if I only want to do research though. Thanks for all of your responses, you've given me a lot to think about. Click to expand...

And to think . . . I hesitated

Vader said: Bottom line: if you know AHEAD OF TIME that you are interested in research and do not want to do clinical medicine, do a Ph.D. and forget about medical school. Click to expand...

sluox said: A PhD in psychology is a whole different animal compared to a PhD in basic biological science. If the above poster wants to do a PhD in psychology then be my guest. But frankly whatever you need to pick up from a PhD in psychology in order to do research in neuroimaging could be easily picked up by doing a residency in neurology/psychiatry by doing a year or two of elective research. There is a reason why most MSTPs do not support a PhD in psychology. Why not do a PhD in anthropology, or history, or write a thesis on "the post-colonial meta-critical exegesis of adiabetic power struggle between Armenia-Hispanic diaspora and the mass media"? Because any of the above does not teach you how to do scientific research. It's not necessary to have a PhD in the biological sciences to do research in history and anthropology and literary criticism or even economics. You could totally pull it off with just an MD. Franz Fanon, for instance was an MD. Freud was an MD. Seymour Ketty was an MD. Many great public health researchers were just MDs. You don't need a PhD to do psychology, it's as simple as that. Click to expand...

inert protoplasm

rain41 said: I'm not considering doing ONLY an MD, I will get a PhD either way, I just want to know what added benefit doing an MD with a PhD is, without doing residency. Click to expand...

mercaptovizadeh

Ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ ἰησοῦς.

tr said: None. Zero. It's a waste of 3.5 years if you don't do the postgraduate training. I would agree that in theory the degree you require for what you want to do is a PhD. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with Vader and Gfunk6 in advising you to do a straight PhD, because that is a road to despair. When I look at brilliant postdocs with multiple Cell papers who are in their tenth postdoc year because they cannot get a faculty job anywhere , I cannot in good conscience advise anyone to just get a PhD. The problem is that no-one will tell you this because biological bench science requires a constant supply of graduate students and postdocs to do the enormous amount of manual labor involved. However, very few of those grad students and postdocs will ever actually get faculty jobs. Academia is a tournament scheme (just like crack peddling, apparently, for those of you who have read Freakonomics). Maybe things are different in neuroimaging. I would find some neuroimaging postdocs and talk to them before you make any decisions. Click to expand...

completely agree with tr and the poster after him. that was pretty much my original point. (it was not to diss any psychology phd programs. although i maintain my thesis that in order to do neuroimaging you don't need a phd in psychology so long as you have MD. as whether the principle and practice of (much of) academic psychological research is, in fact, scientific, that's a whole different can of worms that we shouldn't get into.) in this game of life, an MD just gets you THAT much farther than a good old PhD. Maybe it's unfair, but it's the way it is.  

• Feb 13, 2006

Dr.Dr. said: The internship is a final year after all of med school is finished and the MD is awarded. It is necessary for medical licensure to see patients, though does not grant you the rights to conduct specialty work as would be done in a residency and tested for in USMLE step III (correct me if I'm wrong here SDN gurus). For most docs, the internship works out to be the first year of a multi-year resedency. Click to expand...

sluox said: I completely agree with you. Your advice is the standard official line from the MSTPs. I'm just trying to give an alternative twist to this. There is quite a bit of bad fMRI research published, ergo, there's funding for a lot of bad research, ergo, you could be poorly trained and still be funded, ergo, you don't need a PhD. A PhD in psychology is a whole different animal compared to a PhD in basic biological science. If the above poster wants to do a PhD in psychology then be my guest. But frankly whatever you need to pick up from a PhD in psychology in order to do research in neuroimaging could be easily picked up by doing a residency in neurology/psychiatry by doing a year or two of elective research. There is a reason why most MSTPs do not support a PhD in psychology. Why not do a PhD in anthropology, or history, or write a thesis on "the post-colonial meta-critical exegesis of adiabetic power struggle between Armenia-Hispanic diaspora and the mass media"? Because any of the above does not teach you how to do scientific research. It's not necessary to have a PhD in the biological sciences to do research in history and anthropology and literary criticism or even economics. You could totally pull it off with just an MD. Franz Fanon, for instance was an MD. Freud was an MD. Seymour Ketty was an MD. Many great public health researchers were just MDs. You don't need a PhD to do psychology, it's as simple as that. Click to expand...

Vader said: I think you have a very narrow definition of "scientific research". Actually, our program (UCSF) offers a PhD in medical anthropology for MSTP students. UPenn and some other top programs will also allow MD/PhD students to pursue PhDs in other fields. The general trend seems to be a liberaliziation of the areas in which students may obtain PhDs in addition to their MD. You are clearly implying that psychology, anthropology, literary criticism, economics, etc are somehow less rigorous fields that do not require the expertise garnered through PhD work. Unfortunately, this belief is quite misguided. While you may be correct that a PhD is not strictly required to do work in such fields (and also not in biomedical sciences), it provides a higher level of expertise and experience unmatched by an MD alone. While it may be possible to do "a year or two of elective research" during a psychiatry residency (more realistically less than a year), it would be quite difficult to do that much research during a neurology residency. Neurology programs are 3 years, with 2 years of required rotations and 1 year of electives. At most programs, you cannot typically take a whole year of research electives, so you would be limited in the amount of research you could do. It would be much more likely that one would do an additional 1-2 years of fellowship to be involved with research to a significant extent. Click to expand...

Vader said: I usually agree with your posts, tr, but am a bit confused at your response in this case. Are you saying that doing a PhD in general is a road to despair? Or a PhD specifically in psychology/neuroimaging? Click to expand...

So what are you advising the poster to do? He/she was asking about whether it is possible to conduct research using functional neuroimaging or on patients with brain lesions without an MD. Some of the folks I know who are in this field have MDs, some PhDs, and some both. It is certainly not necessary to have an MD, but that a PhD seems to be the most appropriate route given the poster's current interests. If not MD and not PhD, then what do you suggest? Click to expand...

sluox said: I completely agree with you. Your advice is the standard official line from the MSTPs. I'm just trying to give an alternative twist to this. There is quite a bit of bad fMRI research published, ergo, there's funding for a lot of bad research, ergo, you could be poorly trained and still be funded, ergo, you don't need a PhD. Click to expand...

You don't need a PhD to do psychology, it's as simple as that. Click to expand...

tr said: The PhD, in contrast, is all or none: either you get a faculty-level job (few PhDs) or you spend years in underpaid postdocs until you finally give up (most PhDs). I know a lot of PhD students who wish they had known then what they know now. Therefore I might suggest an MD/PhD with residency as the most practical option for the OP. Click to expand...

tr is right. there are probably things that you don't learn from a MD pathway that are necessary for successful neuroimaging work. it's funny tr mentioned stat, cause many biology people i know are really pretty bad at stat, and even in basic biological research PhD programs you don't learn stat comprehensively. I'm suspicious of the organizations of most PhD programs in the country at this point, speaking from the perspective of a 3rd year MDPhD student at a top 10 institution. PhD is one of those things where you could really get away with doing very badly. There's no quality assurance. There's nothing that says at the end of it you had to have acquired certain skills, you had to know how to "do science" etc etc. To me, to "do science" is a certain lifestytle that entails getting your research funded and manage a lab like any given PI, not simply making a hypothesis and conducting experiments. It's like to "do medicine" involves actually carrying out the LIFESTYLE of a clinician, may it be managing a practice, funding academic clinical research or otherwise, and not simply making a diagnosis and write a prescription. An MD trains you to "do medicine" and in fact has the LEGAL OBLIGATION to train you to do so. A PhD doesn't train you to "do science". In fact, many PhDs don't know how or can't or don't want to "do science". In my opinion, A PhD gives you two things, a credential for doing strictly academic research as a post-doc/industrial researcher, and time to build up your CV so you could hope for a grant eventually. The best scholars in humanities and social sciences are, indeed, very well trained...but the PhD programs for these diciplines do not necessarily train you to become an exceptional scholar in these diciplines i.e. is a PhD in English the best way to become a good literary scholar? An argument could be made (and has been, by conservative thinkers such as Allan Bloom,) that it is, in fact, not. There's a difference between what is entailed of PhD programs per se and the level of scholarship coming out of it. Similar arguments could be made about various different kinds of basic biological research. Is a PhD in biology the best training program for conducting translational research directed to bring lab results to the bedside? No, in fact it is not. (The best program is an MD/PhD.) Most of the PhD only students in the country doing research on topics ranging from cancer genetics to diabetes should, but most don't, in fact, have some training in clinical medicine. Here i'm making the argument that to do psychopathology research with neuroimaging, the most appropriate background is an MD with a psychiatry residency, not a PhD in experimental psychology. This line of research is enormously clincial in nature and could be rather importantly informed and benefitted by clincial experience and population access. I tend to believe, and you can take my opinion as it is, that a PhD doesn't train you to DO anything. What it does is to give you protected TIME so that you could determine what you want to do and move yourself along that direction. I pretty much consider the idea that a PhD "teaches you how to do..." to be a little silly at best and very misleading at worst.  

• Feb 14, 2006

sluox said: The best scholars in humanities and social sciences are, indeed, very well trained...but the PhD programs for these diciplines do not necessarily train you to become an exceptional scholar in these diciplines i.e. is a PhD in English the best way to become a good literary scholar? An argument could be made (and has been, by conservative thinkers such as Allan Bloom,) that it is, in fact, not. There's a difference between what is entailed of PhD programs per se and the level of scholarship coming out of it. Click to expand...

• Sep 9, 2006

every medical school has a person that runs the mstp... why don't you talk to one of them ?  

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Caribou Biosciences Appoints Tina Albertson, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer

-- Highly-experienced hematologist and oncologist with proven track record successfully driving global clinical development of CAR-T cell therapies --

BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRBU), a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Tina Albertson, MD, PhD, as chief medical officer. Dr. Albertson brings 15 years of experience leading clinical drug development of cellular therapies and biologics. She will be responsible for strategic leadership of the clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs functions, and provide medical and operational leadership of Caribou’s four clinical programs for hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Albertson will report to Rachel Haurwitz, PhD, Caribou’s president and chief executive officer.

Dr. Albertson was most recently the chief medical officer and head of development for Lyell Immunopharma, where she built and led the clinical development function. At Lyell, she initiated two Phase 1 clinical trials evaluating CAR-T cell and TIL therapies in solid tumors. Previously, Dr. Albertson was vice president of global drug development at Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol-Myers Squibb company, where she led the global development of BREYANZI (lisocabtagene maraleucel) from IND to filing of the initial BLA that resulted in FDA approval in large B cell lymphoma. At Juno, she led strategic development and execution of 9 global clinical trials, including 4 registrational trials of BREYANZI in other B cell malignancies and earlier lines of therapy. Dr. Albertson previously served as medical director of clinical development and experimental medicine at Seagen (formerly Seattle Genetics).

"Tina is an exceptional industry leader who brings significant experience in strategic clinical development of CAR-T cell therapies to Caribou. As a hematologist and oncologist, Tina has a deep understanding of the potential impact an off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy could have on patient treatment, outcomes, and reach,” said Dr. Haurwitz. “Her expertise in driving global clinical and regulatory strategies for cell therapies through all phases of development, including pivotal trials, will be valuable as we advance the development of our allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies in hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6816bea9-5ab8-4389-9bd6-e610f2c9e410

Dr. Albertson earned her MD from Stanford University and completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Seattle Children’s Hospital and residency in pediatrics at Denver Children’s Hospital. She earned her PhD in cancer biology from University of Washington and her BS in molecular biology from the University of Oregon.

“Allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy holds immense promise as a transformative treatment modality, offering the potential to revolutionize the treatment landscapes for patients living with cancer or autoimmune disease,” said Dr. Albertson. “I am excited to join Caribou as the company is at the forefront of developing off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapies and is working to deliver these promising treatment options to patients who desperately need them."

About Caribou’s novel next-generation CRISPR platform CRISPR genome editing uses easily designed, modular biological tools to make DNA changes in living cells. There are two basic components of Class 2 CRISPR systems: the nuclease protein that cuts DNA and the RNA molecule(s) that guide the nuclease to generate a site-specific, double-stranded break, leading to an edit at the targeted genomic site. CRISPR systems are capable of editing unintended genomic sites, known as off-target editing, which may lead to harmful effects on cellular function and phenotype. In response to this challenge, Caribou has developed CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA guides (chRDNAs; pronounced “chardonnays”) that direct substantially more precise genome editing compared to all-RNA guides. Caribou is deploying the power of its Cas12a chRDNA technology to carry out high efficiency multiple edits, including multiplex gene insertions, to develop CRISPR-edited therapies.

About Caribou Biosciences, Inc. Caribou Biosciences is a clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing transformative therapies for patients with devastating diseases. The company’s genome-editing platform, including its Cas12a chRDNA technology, enables superior precision to develop cell therapies that are armored to potentially improve activity against disease. Caribou is advancing a pipeline of off-the-shelf cell therapies from its CAR-T platform as readily available treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Follow us @CaribouBio and visit www.cariboubio.com.

Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements related to Caribou’s strategy, plans, and objectives, and expectations regarding its clinical and preclinical development programs. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks inherent in the development of cell therapy products; uncertainties related to the initiation, cost, timing, progress, and results of Caribou’s current and future research and development programs, preclinical studies, and clinical trials; and the risk that initial, preliminary, or interim clinical trial data will not ultimately be predictive of the safety and efficacy of Caribou’s product candidates or that clinical outcomes may differ as patient enrollment continues and as more patient data becomes available; the risk that preclinical study results observed will not be borne out in human patients or different conclusions or considerations are reached once additional data have been received and fully evaluated; the ability to obtain key regulatory input and approvals; as well as other risk factors described from time to time in Caribou’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent filings. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Except as required by law, Caribou undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

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