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I am a 1L now, and have always wanted to also earn and MD for various reasons. I feel like I am familiar with what one can do with each of the respective degrees separately but I am not sure what people do with them together.

Any insight?

The knowledge could help in some tangential way, but these are terminal degrees for two very different professions. Do you want to be a doctor or a lawyer?

Rambiggler wrote:I am a 1L now, and have always wanted to also earn and MD for various reasons. I feel like I am familiar with what one can do with each of the respective degrees separately but I am not sure what people do with them together.

Any insight?

Super Medical Malpractice?
Associate at Wachtell?
Edit: Dont know why the link isnt working, but there is an associate at WLRK with an MD
Patent Law?

on the medical side, hospital administrator

She did it. She was one of the best darn doctor/lawyers around.

starsong wrote:The knowledge could help in some tangential way, but these are terminal degrees for two very different professions. Do you want to be a doctor or a lawyer?

i want to be both. i've also been a mechanic and an engineer... these things are not all mutually exclusive. i plan on pursuing this...

but i am wondering if anyone has any insight as to what people do with such a combo (if there are other people that do it at all)

dreman510 wrote:

Rambiggler wrote:I am a 1L now, and have always wanted to also earn and MD for various reasons. I feel like I am familiar with what one can do with each of the respective degrees separately but I am not sure what people do with them together.

Any insight?

Super Medical Malpractice?
Associate at Wachtell?
Edit: Dont know why the link isnt working, but there is an associate at WLRK with an MD
Patent Law?

thanks for your input... nothing came up on the link at Wachtell, what is it supposed to be?

Watch interest on your loans accumulate.

erniesto wrote:Watch interest on your loans accumulate.

I sometimes see commercials in which a doctor/lawyer discusses his expertise and knowledge and advertises his legal services. It's a tough road to get both a JD and MD, and I give big props to anyone who can do it. Obviously, it says something very good about your intelligence and motivation.

However (and I find myself thinking this whenever I see these commercials), how can he possibly be very good at either? These two professions require a lot of work and effort on their own; doing both, I can't imagine being able to put in the necessary time and gain the necessary experience to become very talented at either. Of course, this is just gut feeling and I could be wrong. But it seems to me that if I want a good lawyer, I'm going to go to someone who practices law (and only law) full-time. Likewise, I'm not sure I would trust my life to a doctor who splits his time between medicine and law when I could see a doctor who practices only medicine. Just my two cents.

*This applies to any attempt to practice in both fields. Obviously, combining the two degrees into a single job may reduce these troubles.

erniesto wrote:Watch interest on your loans accumulate.

ummm... not when you get 75% scholarship from ur law school and saved up a fat stack of cash from working....

sluguy14 wrote:I sometimes see commercials in which a doctor/lawyer discusses his expertise and knowledge and advertises his legal services. It's a tough road to get both a JD and MD, and I give big props to anyone who can do it. Obviously, it says something very good about your intelligence and motivation.

However (and I find myself thinking this whenever I see these commercials), how can he possibly be very good at either? These two professions require a lot of work and effort on their own; doing both, I can't imagine being able to put in the necessary time and gain the necessary experience to become very talented at either. Of course, this is just gut feeling and I could be wrong. But it seems to me that if I want a good lawyer, I'm going to go to someone who practices law (and only law) full-time. Likewise, I'm not sure I would trust my life to a doctor who splits his time between medicine and law when I could see a doctor who practices only medicine. Just my two cents.

*This applies to any attempt to practice in both fields. Obviously, combining the two degrees into a single job may reduce these troubles.

you make some good points... i would disagree on ruling that a person wouldn't be good at both or either because first off, i've dealt with plenty of lawyers and doctors who split their lives between mistresses, investments, real estate, travelling, personal problems.... life, and they do just fine. and secondly because i think what makes one good in either profession depends on the person and not just a lack of distraction(s).

you do bring up a good point from the client/patient's standpoint. i wouldn't go to that person either, probably... but i am assuming that with both degrees you will be doing something on a slightly higher level where people aren't coming to you for one or the other... they would be coming to you because you have both. maybe i am wrong... that's what i am trying to figure out.

Rambiggler wrote:you do bring up a good point from the client/patient's standpoint. i wouldn't go to that person either, probably... but i am assuming that with both degrees you will be doing something on a slightly higher level where people aren't coming to you for one or the other... they would be coming to you because you have both. maybe i am wrong... that's what i am trying to figure out.

As dreman510 noted earlier, technical knowledge is key for Patent Law. That may be a "higher level" you're thinking about. But...medicine? Why not simply a science degree?

Rambiggler wrote:i want to be both. i've also been a mechanic and an engineer... these things are not all mutually exclusive.

Were you a mechanic and an engineer at the same time? You could be a lawyer one day, a doctor the next.

An MD may give you a minor credibility boost in medical malpractice, but beyond that...hard to see how it would give you a leg up...like I said, patent law seems like the only legal field where technical knowledge is necessary.

Having both degrees would allow you to become an insanely rich bamboozler who is surrounded by beautiful women, and who evades the authorities by posing as a PanAm pilot

Frank W. Abagnale worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline - all before his 21st birthday.

FYI: He "went to" Harvard Medical School and UC Berkeley Law (Boalt).

--ImageRemoved--

you generally need both degrees to be a medical examiner

bfinlayson wrote:you generally need both degrees to be a medical examiner

Nice, didn't think of that.

starsong wrote:

Rambiggler wrote:you do bring up a good point from the client/patient's standpoint. i wouldn't go to that person either, probably... but i am assuming that with both degrees you will be doing something on a slightly higher level where people aren't coming to you for one or the other... they would be coming to you because you have both. maybe i am wrong... that's what i am trying to figure out.

As dreman510 noted earlier, technical knowledge is key for Patent Law. That may be a "higher level" you're thinking about. But...medicine? Why not simply a science degree?

i appreciate the concern. i guess it does sound a little crazy.

i started my JD, am happy with law school, but also want an MD (i'll spare you the personal stuff about wanting to help people etc., and making money is not the biggest thing for me).

without too many boring details, i have now been able to see both professions inside and out (for the most part) and am not so enamored with the law firm lifestyle or the constant competition/fighting for job security. based on what i know now, i would rather be a doctor than a lawyer but am not going to drop my JD.

you may disagree with me, but med school is easy. i am thoroughly convinced of this, and willing to make life changes based on it. it's not a breeze, but it's not that hard. it's certainly less work than busting your ass as a new associate in a big firm and trying to get to the top... and all of us on this forum are ready to do that anyway.

-study hard for two years (or don't and you're still fine because GPA doesn't matter and med schools won't fail you out and you are guaranteed to at least get some 'undesirable' job like family medicine/psychiatry where you can work 30 hours a week and still make good money)
-then do rotations for two years which are not hard (the only hard part is a hard schedule, like lawyers have as well, and some studying for step1-3)
-then a couple years of residency (only challenge there is working long hours like, um, biglaw maybe) and then you are literally set for the rest of your life with no stress if you want it that way. My $.02

Rambiggler wrote:ummm... not when you get 75% scholarship from ur law school and saved up a fat stack of cash from working....

I really don't understand the point of doing both. They way I see it, you have 3 options:

1. Become an attorney and subscribe to a bunch of science mags

2. Become a physician and get a library card

3. Either 1 or 2 and invest your "fat stack of cash"

I wouldn't go to a doctor that spends half his time scouring case law and I wouldnt pay hundreds of dollars an hour for an attorney with an office that bears the stench of latex and that just pulled his fingers out of a 50 year old mans ass.

Rambiggler wrote:i appreciate the concern. i guess it does sound a little crazy.

i started my JD, am happy with law school, but also want an MD (i'll spare you the personal stuff about wanting to help people etc., and making money is not the biggest thing for me).

without too many boring details, i have now been able to see both professions inside and out (for the most part) and am not so enamored with the law firm lifestyle or the constant competition/fighting for job security. based on what i know now, i would rather be a doctor than a lawyer but am not going to drop my JD.

you may disagree with me, but med school is easy. i am thoroughly convinced of this, and willing to make life changes based on it. it's not a breeze, but it's not that hard. it's certainly less work than busting your ass as a new associate in a big firm and trying to get to the top... and all of us on this forum are ready to do that anyway.

-study hard for two years (or don't and you're still fine because GPA doesn't matter and med schools won't fail you out and you are guaranteed to at least get some 'undesirable' job like family medicine/psychiatry where you can work 30 hours a week and still make good money)
-then do rotations for two years which are not hard (the only hard part is a hard schedule, like lawyers have as well, and some studying for step1-3)
-then a couple years of residency (only challenge there is working long hours like, um, biglaw maybe) and then you are literally set for the rest of your life with no stress if you want it that way. My $.02

So you want to be a doctor. That's it. Wonderful, between you and me there is far more demand for doctors than lawyers.

You're basically asking, how can I use my legal knowledge as a doctor? Well...umm...honestly not sure. You sure you don't want to drop the J.D.?

Rambiggler wrote:

sluguy14 wrote:I sometimes see commercials in which a doctor/lawyer discusses his expertise and knowledge and advertises his legal services. It's a tough road to get both a JD and MD, and I give big props to anyone who can do it. Obviously, it says something very good about your intelligence and motivation.

However (and I find myself thinking this whenever I see these commercials), how can he possibly be very good at either? These two professions require a lot of work and effort on their own; doing both, I can't imagine being able to put in the necessary time and gain the necessary experience to become very talented at either. Of course, this is just gut feeling and I could be wrong. But it seems to me that if I want a good lawyer, I'm going to go to someone who practices law (and only law) full-time. Likewise, I'm not sure I would trust my life to a doctor who splits his time between medicine and law when I could see a doctor who practices only medicine. Just my two cents.

*This applies to any attempt to practice in both fields. Obviously, combining the two degrees into a single job may reduce these troubles.

you make some good points... i would disagree on ruling that a person wouldn't be good at both or either because first off, i've dealt with plenty of lawyers and doctors who split their lives between mistresses, investments, real estate, travelling, personal problems.... life, and they do just fine. and secondly because i think what makes one good in either profession depends on the person and not just a lack of distraction(s).

you do bring up a good point from the client/patient's standpoint. i wouldn't go to that person either, probably... but i am assuming that with both degrees you will be doing something on a slightly higher level where people aren't coming to you for one or the other... they would be coming to you because you have both. maybe i am wrong... that's what i am trying to figure out.

Yeah, I was looking at it more from a client's perspective. If I'm paying big bucks for someone's services and expertise, I want them to be as dedicated and experienced as possible. While I'm sure most lawyers have a lot on their plate (outside of law), these interests (and distractions) aren't nearly as visible as the M.D. after your name.

The guy I'm thinking of (with the commercials) made it pretty clear that he's a practicing doctor (surgeon, actually) and attorney. I'm not sure if this is typical or if he's simply an exception. Again, I give him all the praise in the world for completing both degrees, but I wouldn't trust him with my life or legal troubles.

GATORTIM wrote:

Rambiggler wrote:ummm... not when you get 75% scholarship from ur law school and saved up a fat stack of cash from working....

I really don't understand the point of doing both. They way I see it, you have 3 options:

1. Become an attorney and subscribe to a bunch of science mags

2. Become a physician and get a library card

3. Either 1 or 2 and invest your "fat stack of cash"

I wouldn't go to a doctor that spends half his time scouring case law and I wouldnt pay hundreds of dollars an hour for an attorney with an office that bears the stench of latex and that just pulled his fingers out of a 50 year old mans ass.

f'ing hilarious and very wise... thank you.
this is the kind of thing i would tell someone else... lol

basically: for my own personal reasons i want to be a doctor, but am not going to drop the JD i already started... so wondering if there is any advantage to combining them.

http://www.themdjd.com/

I see his ads all the time in Orlando area. Maybe he's looking for associates?

For what it's worth, there is a reason there aren't too many JD/MDs out there. There are a few things out there that simultaneously use both degrees, but often people with both degrees end up just working mainly in one of the fields... or splitting time between the two fields.

Rambiggler wrote:you may disagree with me, but med school is easy. i am thoroughly convinced of this, and willing to make life changes based on it. it's not a breeze, but it's not that hard. it's certainly less work than busting your ass as a new associate in a big firm and trying to get to the top... and all of us on this forum are ready to do that anyway.

-study hard for two years (or don't and you're still fine because GPA doesn't matter and med schools won't fail you out and you are guaranteed to at least get some 'undesirable' job like family medicine/psychiatry where you can work 30 hours a week and still make good money)
-then do rotations for two years which are not hard (the only hard part is a hard schedule, like lawyers have as well, and some studying for step1-3)
-then a couple years of residency (only challenge there is working long hours like, um, biglaw maybe) and then you are literally set for the rest of your life with no stress if you want it that way. My $.02

I think you need to remove your rose tinted glasses. I have a ton a friends at various stages on the path to becoming a doctor (med school, residency, etc.), have witnessed their experience firsthand, and this is certainly not how I or they would characterize it.

One thing you have that is flat out wrong is that med schools will not fail you out. They absolutely will fail you out. I know people this has happened to. If you do not bust your ass in med school, you will fail out. However, you then have the option of either giving up, or finishing in the Caribbean for a shitload of money and hoping you can hustle your way into some sort of residency.

Also, I don't know any doctors of any kind that have anything resembling no stress or work only thirty hours a week. That is fucking laughable. The best gig from what I can tell is dermatology which has the least hours for the most money, but it is the hardest to get (what a shocker). You have to be in the top handful of people in your class to land a Derm residency.

As far as sources of stress your ignoring off the top of my head, you have malpractice insurance, malpractice suits, being on call, hospital politics, and insurance companies telling you how to treat patients. This is all after you've actually become a practicing doctor which is much more difficult than how you've portrayed it.

The bottom line is that both medicine and law are demanding professions. They are well compensated for a reason. I think in the end one has to choose the work that is suited to them personally and accept all that entails. I don't think that a path exists where you can just skate through and rake in tons of money with no stress while having a beautiful and positive impact on the world. That is a pipe dream.