Quoted:
I have a niece about to graduate with an MD/Phd (MSTP) from a major University. Her Phd is in mathematics and will begin a residency in pathlogy at a major university hospital. What's her career outlook? Kinda hard to tell from 2000 miles away, and don't want to be too nosey.
nice, MSTP programs are generally very competitive to get into. Although I will say it's kind of odd to see a Math PhD coming from a MSTP program; MSTP students typically do biology based PhD programs since the focus is on translational medicine. (maybe a small percentage go to chemistry/biochemistry).
Her career outlook? Let's start with the bright side: she won't have the $200+K worth of student loans typically associated with med school.
On the negative side, she has a LOT more training to go through before she'll start her career. MSTP programs are on average 8 +/- 1 years (4 year MD, 4 years PhD). Afterwards, if she wants to be a physician-scientist, she'll do her residency/postdoctoral/fellowship training which can be another 4-8 years. At which point she'll be potentially competitive for a tenure track professor position; another 5-7 years before she earns tenure and gains some level of stability. It's a rough path...