I always wanted to do a gap year before medical school. Going straight through college to med school seemed like a daunting task, especially when I really wanted to enjoy my senior year and reflect on my undergraduate years without the application process hanging over my head. However, I also didn’t want to feel like I was just treading water during a gap year. The Master of Science in Law offered me the chance to learn something new, and something that was incredibly relevant. It is no secret that medicine intersects with government and law in really interesting ways. Medical schools are not only interested in training great clinicians, but they are also looking for people who can become advocates for their patients and for the field of medicine they pursue.
I think that the MSL program was a major asset for me in the medical school admissions process. Most medical schools look at grades, MCAT scores, volunteerism, and leadership potential, and successful applicants usually have all of these things, but often, schools are looking for “something extra.” Because many medical schools want to expand and further the research mission of their institution, they care a lot about biomedical and translational research, and they are also increasingly interested in quality improvement, enhanced health care delivery, and administrative issues. With the MSL degree, you can sell yourself as being an asset in these important areas. You’ll really want to work on selling this angle when you are interviewing. On my interview trail, I got universally positive feedback about the MSL program.
The MSL is a major asset for any of three general career paths: academic medicine, quality improvement and administration, and leadership and advocacy. If you choose to pursue a career in academic medicine, the degree can help you develop research interests and procure support from your department and other funding sources. This is particularly true if you are interested in ethics or conflict of interest questions, which are expanding fields in the academic literature. From a quality improvement and administration standpoint, the MSL is a major help. This is a massive unmet need in academic medicine, and departments are looking for physicians who care about these issues. As a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, the MSL helped me get an internship with the Chief Quality Officer at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and I worked closely with the Office of General Counsel on projects like real-time text messaging services for patients, and optimizing surgical workflows. You may not realize that knowledge of the law is required for projects like this, but legal considerations are essential to any project where personalized medical data is involved. Finally, the MSL really benefits those interested in leadership and advocacy. As an example, one of my mentors at Penn in pediatrics has been actively involved with the issue of child abuse legislation in the Pennsylvania legislature. I will be pursuing Ophthalmology in my own career, and my MSL degree has helped me become involved with the congressional lobbying efforts of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Aside from these concrete skills and knowledge, the MSL degree also serves as an important credential that will open doors for you. And should you choose to pursue a full time research career, the MSL provides opportunities to focus on technology licensure and transfer, which will help you become an effective liaison with pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders.
The MSL can also help you down the line when you are applying for residency and beyond. It will always serve as a unique credential to set you apart in an increasingly competitive applicant pool. It also provides important “soft skills” that will help you excel in medical school once you get there. This might not be so obvious, but so much of medical school is learning how to give a compelling presentation of a medical case. The MSL prepares you well for this – you will gain important skills in public speaking and data synthesis, which is half the battle as a medical student on the wards. And on the other side of your medical training, when you are reading through contracts for private practice or academic jobs, you will have important skills in contract interpretation and negotiation strategies.
Even aside from the MSL’s benefits related to medical school, Northwestern’s Law School is a very enriching academic environment. I loved being able to go to lunch talks, panels, and guest lectures. I feel that I really developed as a critical thinker during my year at the Law School, and have not regretted my decision to get an MSL degree for a minute!
– Samuel Tadros (MSL ’18)
Fourth Year Medical Student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Incoming Ophthalmology Resident at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
