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Is a PhD an option for me?

Embarking on a PhD: A Key Step in Your Healthcare Career

Pursuing a doctoral degree is a major milestone in the professional development of healthcare practitioners. It entails a significant commitment of time and effort, and demands the ability to mobilize internal resources to navigate unfamiliar and often unpredictable challenges.

Drawing on the extensive experience gained over the years, the PhD Program in Health Sciences is committed to supporting prospective candidates by highlighting key considerations that can assist in determining whether a doctoral journey is the right path for their professional growth.

 

Some questions to reflect on

What is my professional goal for the next 5 years??

Is Clinical Practice Your Primary Career Focus? Or Are You Considering Combining It with Research?

Do you see your future in academic work? Is your goal healthcare management? Or perhaps you are more drawn to the healthcare and pharmaceutical R&D sector, international health organizations, or NGOs?

The value of a PhD varies significantly across professional settings. It is essential to assess whether pursuing a doctorate will be a strategic asset within the context in which you plan to develop your career in the coming years. If the answer is yes, then a PhD may be the right choice for you.

Undertaking a PhD is not necessarily a step to be taken immediately after completing a bachelor's or master's degree. Each professional follows their own path and timing. Ideally, you should begin your doctoral studies when your motivation and life circumstances align in a way that allows you to fully dedicate yourself to this demanding academic stage

Are you passionate about research?

Are You Naturally Curious? Do You Question Clinical Practice or Seek Deeper Understanding?

An interest in exploring topics beyond what is strictly necessary for clinical work, a strong inclination toward reflection and critical thinking, a desire to find alternative approaches to problems, a methodical way of working, and the ability to learn from mistakes—these are common traits of individuals drawn to research.

If you recognize yourself in these characteristics, a PhD may offer the ideal environment to develop and apply them in a meaningful and rigorous way.

Do you know which skills are acquired in a doctorate?

A PhD is not just about "Learning to Do Research"

Throughout the doctoral journey, you will develop a wide range of key competencies that go far beyond research methodology. These include data management, project organization, writing grant proposals for research funding agencies, public speaking skills, assertiveness, scientific communication, and the dissemination and outreach of research findings.

Equally important are the personal attributes you will cultivate—resilience, the ability to navigate uncertainty, and sustained critical engagement. By the end of your PhD, you will have achieved a level of professional and personal development that transcends purely research-focused skills.

Do you know how you "learn" in a PhD??

Doctoral Training: A Different Learning Experience

Unlike earlier stages of education, a PhD does not follow a structured timetable of classes. Self-organization becomes the primary driver of your activity throughout the doctoral period. Experiential, supervised learning, regular interaction with your supervisors, constructive feedback from reviewers and evaluators, critical discussion and reasoning, and learning to manage periods of uncertainty and waiting—these are all integral to the doctoral experience and require early adaptation.

You will also be expected to engage in a minimum of five training activities each academic year to enhance your research competencies and meet annual evaluation requirements. These activities may be selected from the training calendar offered by the PhD Program or completed through other research training institutions

What could lead me to make the wrong decision when starting a PhD?

 

When a PhD May Not Be the Right Choice—At Least for Now

Do not pursue a PhD if your sole motivation is to enhance your CV. The level of commitment a doctoral program demands is not comparable to that required for other types of professional training you may have undertaken.

Another common but misguided reason for starting a PhD is doing so simply because colleagues or peers have done it. If your doctoral studies are likely to coincide with other major life projects that will require significant time and energy, it is important to assess whether this is truly the right moment.

Finally, if the PhD is not going to be a key priority among your immediate professional activities, it may be worth considering postponing it until a more suitable stage in your career.