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Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. Stuff

Preface

🏖️ Summer is here, and Boston summer means rain ☔. Sometimes it rains just at night, and sometimes it rains throughout the entire day.

This week marks the start of my second year of fellowship, and my family is heading back home for the summer to visit family and friends.

My dear wife will make the travel as a sole parent to our three boys 👩‍👦‍👦👶, showcasing her superwoman capabilities 🦸‍♀️.

Over the next 6 weeks, we will return to our family Zoom calls. We’ve done it before, but it’s still difficult.

This week we’ll discuss the subject of training.

Getting more training is a hot topic among students, residents, scientists, and young doctors. So today, I will share what I learned over my 20 years of training.

Enjoy #46!

Main Article

Do More Degrees Mean a Better Doctor?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: While degrees and certifications are valuable, having more degrees doesn't necessarily make a better doctor. It's the proper training that truly matters.

🪜 In your professional journey, you might come across various opportunities for formal training, such as courses, workshops, university degrees, residencies, or fellowships. It's natural to question whether they are worth investing time and money.

🏋️‍♀️ Some argue that more training equals more competence.

They believe that each training experience acts as a stepping stone, leading to higher knowledge and skill levels.

🏌️‍♀️Others believe that personal experience should take precedence over formal training.

They believe that being out there and facing challenges alone is invaluable.

Over the past two decades, I've gone through extensive training myself.

I started with dental school 🦷, took a break to pursue a PhD 👨‍🔬, completed a 5-year residency 😷, a research fellowship in Portland 🔬, and then went back into med school 🩺. After finishing my medical internship, I went to Boston for my Head and Neck Surgical Oncology fellowship.

It's safe to say that my training journey has been quite extreme 🏋️.

Today I'll leverage my experience to help you determine whether you need additional credentials.

To decide on a training program, consider 4 key factors:

1️⃣ The core purpose of a training program.

2️⃣ The significance of credentials.

3️⃣ What does your dream job demand.

4️⃣ The time and money you have.

1. The core purpose of a training program

You need to judge what constitutes a good training program.

A good training program will provide you with the following:

🔵 Intense training.

🔵 Learning from experienced mentors.

🔵 A structured learning environment.

🔵 A deep understanding of the field.

🔵 More confidence in handling complex cases.

🔵 Real-world experience with supervision.

🤔 Now ask yourself:

Do I need a formal training program to achieve these goals?

If you already have a great mentor, feel confident in your abilities, and, most importantly - learn something new every day, you might already have what you need.

The main question then becomes about credentials and job requirements.

2. The significance of credentials

Credentials will open doors for you 🚪.

They make it easier for your future self to establish connections.

Take my credentials as an example:

Having a PhD grants me credibility when discussing research, while my MD allows me to recommend treatment plans for medically-complex patients and take responsibility for them. Could I have done it all without these degrees?

🤔 Well, yes and no.

Without a PhD, I'm uncertain if I would have been accepted into my research fellowship. Likewise, without an MD, getting accepted into a Head and Neck Surgical Oncology fellowship would have been challenging.

Could I have improved my chances by personally visiting these centers and making an effort to make myself known? Could legwork replace formal PhD and MD?

Perhaps. But that's where the significant advantage of credentials lies.

You invest time and effort upfront to make things easier for yourself in the years to come

🤔 Now ask yourself:

Do you NEED credentials to accomplish your goals?

Let’s break it into fellowship, residency, PhD, and DMD-MD path.

🟢 Fellowship - can you pursue your desired path, or are you held back due to a lack of experience? A fellowship can be the solution. It provides the necessary expertise to bridge that gap, but it comes at a price. I wrote about it in this guide: Friday's Digest #15 - My Fellowship Experience. The same goes for residency, although getting accepted into a residency is usually more straightforward than a fellowship.

🟢 PhD - you can definitely do well in research without a PhD. I wrote all about it in my guide titled: Friday’s Digest #43 - Three Most Important Research Habits Any Clinician Should Have.

If you're considering pursuing a Master's or a PhD, I prepared a guide specifically for you: Friday’s Digest #24 - Do Doctors Need a Master's or PhD?

🟢 Double credentialed OMF surgeon (DMD, MD) - Having the knowledge of an MD is far more critical than the actual MD credentials. However, it's important to note that some fellowship programs may require an MD for acceptance. I wrote about it in this guide: Friday's Digest #32 - Turning Dreams into a Reality: How to Get Accepted into Fellowship.

3. What does your dream job demand?

❗This factor is crucial in making a decision.

If you are required to have a credential, the choice becomes easier.

If it's not currently required, consider the chances of it being necessary in the future 📅.

If you’re still uncertain, assess the time and money needed to obtain the credential.

4. The time 🕰️ and money 💰 you have.

Pursuing additional credentials takes time and comes at a cost.

Consider both aspects 🕰️💰.

Investing time in another credential means less time for earning money. Some credentials also require fees, like the USMLE exams for my American MD license. They cost me over $5,000 and took away many hours that could have been spent in my private practice.

However, there are moments in your professional life when your earning potential is limited, such as the first year after dental school graduation. Utilizing that time for a research degree can be a fantastic opportunity, especially if you can obtain a scholarship.

Regarding time, with proper planning, you can shorten the duration of obtaining credentials:

🟣 I completed my research fellowship in 6 months instead of 12 by working 14-18 hours daily.

🟣 I spent 2.5 years in med school instead of 4 because I went to med school as a board-certified OMFS.

🟣 I spent 9 years in dental school while also obtaining my PhD instead of 12 years if done separately.

Stuff

🧂Shake I drink - Total Soy by Naturade. While it's often marketed as a "weight loss shake," I personally don't use it for that purpose.

Instead, I find it great during those long surgery days when I don't have a spare moment to eat for 16 hours.

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

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Have a great weekend!

Shay