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Parents gave me a ultimatum to do Pre Med. What can I do to still be a PA?


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Hey guys, high school senior here. Earlier today, I told my parents i'm majoring in kinesiology, and that I still want to be a PA. After a long fought battle(i'm talking since junior year), my parents finally gave me an ultimatum, "Either do pre med, or your'e not getting any college money from us". There are so many reasons I don't want to be a MD but my parents are so deluded on what the profession is really like that they will completely ignore rational arguments. What advice do you have on what I should do to still become a Physician Assistant? 

 

Edit: I'm on track to be a phlebotomy tech by high school graduation. 

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Study premed. Have fun in college. Graduate. Work and play for a few years. Apply to PA school. Premed is pretty much a perfect pre-PA degree and you could easily pick up the few random classes that might not be covered under that umbrella along the way. Plus, four years is a long time and you might change your mind along the way and decide you want to become a filthy, worthless English major during that time period. Careers are for old people anyway.

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I don't think you should major in kinesiology. I would recommend majoring in biochemistry. Many of the pre-reqs required for both med school and pa school are incorporated in this degree. You may have to take a few classes on the side, but that isn't such a big deal. When your senior year comes around you can make your final decision. I think going this route will leave either option open until you are ready to commit to one. Of course going this route may require a lot of work because you'll need to be doing all of the extra circulars for both. 

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Those who have the gold, make the rules.

 

You have a choice: Do what your parents want, and get school paid for... or do what you want, and accept that they will not be funding you.  You could always double down and threaten to enlist to use GI bill money to pay for PA school since they won't...

 

Personally, I've told my kids up front they get no college money from us, BUT if they manage to earn a worthwhile degree, we'll help them with loans afterwards, or other appropriate support if they manage to pay their own way.  That way, none of my money gets wasted on getting wasted.

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In general being a "pre med" is not really a major; you can major in many different things and still complete the pre med requirements. My supervising Doc's kids are both in college in biomedical engineering and are both in pre med.

 

If it were me, I'd take what I need to fulfill the premed (and PA school) requirements but pick a degree in which -- on its own merits -- I could be a well-paying job that I would enjoy upon graduation. That way, you have some options, which is a very good thing.

 

Eventually you'll probably have to set out on your own and in your own direction. I would submit that your junior year in high school is probably too early to do that; lots to learn yet. Of course, unless you are willing to fund your education on your own. Somehow I think that -- between you and your parents -- there is a win-win solution in here somewhere.

 

Good luck!

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Personally, I would sit down with them and have a calm talk about all of your reasons for PA versus MD. But, personally, if I were in your shoes again, I might consider MD. I don't agree with actively deceiving your parents and letting them pay for college if you're deadset on PA. You may change your mind, but I feel like if you go into it knowing you're not doing what you agreed to, it can damage your relationship with them.

 

So, what to do? That's for you to decide. You're young. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I was your age. I know that some people just know, but the vast majority of us, we change our minds and our majors, some of us like we (hopefully) change our underwear. If you decide to let your parents pay for your bachelors, then tell them, I will pick a bachelors that will work for MD or PA. See if you can compromise. The universities local to me have a pre-med biology degree that would satisfy the requirements for med school or PA school (check to be sure of course). To me, that's a great compromise, though like mentioned above, it's putting all of your eggs in one basket (the basket being going to med school or PA school). It's probably possible to get a job with such a degree, but it may not be easy or something you desire.

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You have a choice: Do what your parents want, and get school paid for... or do what you want, and accept that they will not be funding you.  You could always double down and threaten to enlist to use GI bill money to pay for PA school since they won't...

 

 

 

"Threaten to enlist"

 

Come on Rev. You're better than that.

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I paid for my own college - yes ,30+ years ago..... If I paid for it - I got to choose what I do.

You are not choosing underwater basketweaving or something heinous so I am a bit confused by your parents' thought process.

 

Show them all the articles on PA as a prime career choice and the demand etc.

 

Start working now - get an MA certification or phlebotomy as soon as you can based on age. Volunteer at the hospital.

 

Show your parents you mean it and are dedicated at this time in your life.

 

Follow your heart. Your parents want stability and good things for you but - as a parent of teenagers - we get a bit protective sometimes - safe and steady is easier to recommend than the stuff that is risky or tougher. 

 

Be true to yourself.

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If they are fronting the bill, they have a say in what you do. How sure are you PA is for you?

 

When I was a junior in high school I aspired to be a musician, when I was in middle school I wanted to be a football player, and when I was in elementary school I wanted to work for Lego. Point is most people don't finish college wanting to do what they thought they wanted in the beginning.

 

My suggestion, Start "pre med". The requirements are similar to pa. With your electives take courses more pa oriented (psych, micro, etc..). Just make sure you make top notch grades!

 

And get some dang life experience along the way.. aka a job. More specifically a job that requires you to interact with angry, frustrated, entitled people. In the medical field you deal with people when they are at their worst. Sooner you have experience dealing with it the better.

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"Threaten to enlist"

 

Come on Rev. You're better than that.

I'm not sure what you thought I meant by that, but if you read it as anti-military in any way, my humor appears to have failed.

 

For the overbearing parents who are all dead-set on orchestrating their college-age child's foray into medicine to be MD-school only, then enlisting should be seen as a threat--not that it's not an honorable path, but one that is even more abhorrent to their micromanaging than going PA vs. MD would be.  Thus, it's a dig at control-freak parents, not at military service in any way.

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Is it odd that the poster's parents are demanding he only pursue a path to DO school?

 

To the poster: Do your parents understand that you may find another calling while in college, and wish to pursue a course of study and eventually a career of work that is wholly unrelated to medicine? Do they understand that even if you go to college with the intent of applying to DO school, and do well, there is still a chance you may not be accepted? Will they then demand a refund?

 

I think that if your parents are in a financial position to assist their child with higher education, they shouldn't attach such a narrow requirement to it. Seems more akin to indentured servitude if all you, as a young adult, are allowed to pursue is a path towards medical school.

 

I would take the money and pursue the major (which you don't have to declare for some time) which bests fits you. If you parents don't feel you're following their path, they're free to stop paying. You're also free to do as you please for your intellectual and personal growth as an adult human being.

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Do the Pre-Med track anyway bc it will only enhance your application. Just remember to throw in A and P and Med Term as electives. Do biology (it will satisfy your parents wishes and it will be a great foundation for PA school). Once junior year rolls around talk to them more. You will be more mature and older. Remember, this is your career NOT your parents. 

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Option E: take a year off to work and travel. It might scare your family so badly that they'll pay for anything and you'll come back a little more mature with that much more life experience

 

 

 

I wish I had done this! It may have saved me 2 college degrees and I'd have known what I wanted before I wasted an undergrad degree on pointless major!

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Hey guys, high school senior here. Earlier today, I told my parents i'm majoring in kinesiology, and that I still want to be a PA. After a long fought battle(i'm talking since junior year), my parents finally gave me an ultimatum, "Either do pre med, or your'e not getting any college money from us". There are so many reasons I don't want to be a DO but my parents are so deluded on what the profession is really like that they will completely ignore rational arguments. What advice do you have on what I should do to still become a Physician Assistant?

 

Edit: I'm on track to be a phlebotomy tech by high school graduation.

Do what you feel you need to do. This is YOUR life, not your parent's life. My parents always pushed me toward business. Got a business degree, was in sales for 6 years and now pursuing medicine as a PA because I realized I wasn't happy doing what I was doing. I agree with some other posters as well that it may be that they do not understand what a PA does and how being a PA may fit into your life goals. Do some more research, be informed, and pursue your goals wisely. Just remember, ultimatums usually only benefit the person (s) giving them.

I paid for my own college - yes ,30+ years ago..... If I paid for it - I got to choose what I do.

You are not choosing underwater basketweaving or something heinous so I am a bit confused by your parents' thought process.

 

Show them all the articles on PA as a prime career choice and the demand etc.

 

Start working now - get an MA certification or phlebotomy as soon as you can based on age. Volunteer at the hospital.

 

Show your parents you mean it and are dedicated at this time in your life.

 

Follow your heart. Your parents want stability and good things for you but - as a parent of teenagers - we get a bit protective sometimes - safe and steady is easier to recommend than the stuff that is risky or tougher.

 

Be true to yourself.

 

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pay for your own college. Pretty easy decision IMO (granted, my parents never had any money to help me with college and I'm completely self-financed).

 

Yeah no kidding. Cover your ears OP but coercing your kids into majoring in a certain thing is basically being an asshole and a bad parent. There are so many reasons why someone should not or would not want to be a physician. A lot of people who have parents like this are head-cases because of it already. Throw that in with MD being a strong RF for substance abuse, suicide, divorce. I don't understand how someone could love their child and still be more concerned with their own prestige than whether their child is happy. Sorry! In general I mean!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

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First off you're a HS student so there is no way you are 100% about which healthcare career you want to enter. Also "pre-med" is not a major 99% of the time. For med school the pre-reqs are: gen chem 1 and 2, orgo, 1 year bio, physics +some minor stuff required by specific schools. Its similar for PA school except you don't normally need physics. I would HIGHLY recommend you just take all those pre-reqs, shadow MDs/DOs/PTs/PAs/PharmD's etc. and THEN choose your career. Also if I were you I'd major in something useful like IT, nursing, accounting, etc. You can still take the pre-reqs as one of these majors and this way you have a fall back/way to make $$ during a gap year.

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