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Editorial


Nature Medicine 13, 1265 (2007)
doi:10.1038/nm1107-1265

The long and short of it


It can take twice as long to get a PhD in biomedical sciences in the US as it does in other countries such as the UK and Australia. Are US PhDs worth more, or are there advantages to a speedier system?


Nothing illustrates the powerful lure of scientific discovery better than the choice of academic research as a career. In which other professions would you spend ten years in 'training'—working grueling hours for very little pay—with only a slim chance of securing a permanent job at the end of it all?