Originally Posted by Lindisfarne
Just for the record, although getting an MD and going through residency is demanding, getting a Ph.D. can be equally, and in some cases, more demanding. (How demanding your residency is depends on where you end up. Some people don't put in more than 50 hours/week, whereas others are doing 70+).
Yeah, I definitely know PhD students who work as hard as med students, except that they are in the doctorate program for five or six years instead of four. And some who don't.
And then PhDs usually have to do a postdoc, which for some people can be as demanding than a residency.
I'm a PhD student though and I personally wouldn't compare my level of work to that of my MD student friends, but it just varies by the lab and institution you're in.