From stay-at-home parent to PA?

[Eastern]

I'm a new member and have been reading the forum for the past few weeks. I would love your opinions on my prospects as a future PA school applicant.

 

I'm 44 years old, and for the past 20 years I've been out of the workforce, raising and homeschooling my children. It's been a wonderful adventure, but as my youngest approaches high school age, I'm looking forward to beginning the next chapter of my life. I enjoy research and problem solving, and having always been interested in health and medicine, I'm looking into the feasibility of becoming a physician assistant.

 

A hypothetical five to seven year plan includes volunteering at the local free clinic and hospice, becoming certified and working as an MA, and finishing my degree at a local liberal arts college (did I mention I dropped out of college in '94?). I'm fairly confident that I can earn a high gpa and gre score.

 

I've read enough on this forum to know that my age by itself will not necessarily be a problem as a PA program applicant. But as you can see, I've had zero experience in any field for twenty years. Even my hobbies and interests have been very home-centered. My time at home has been invaluable to me, but I'm wondering if, as a 50+ year old with such a gaping hole in my resume, I will be at all competitive against younger applicants and older applicants with years of experience in tech, business, the military etc.

 

It's also worth noting that I would, potentially, need to attend PA school locally, and there are only two PA schools here in upstate SC.

 

What do you think? Am I crazy for heading in this direction?

[BruceBanner]

Definitely do-able, just know you have a long, hard road ahead of you. Harder than you think it will be.

 

If indeed you make it through a PA program, you may experience a hiring bias, but that's just a guess. We had 2 people over 40 in our class, one made it through and the other did not. PA school is a lot of rote memorization and the pace can be harsh. It's tough for a brain not used to those rigors.

 

What makes you think you'd like being a PA? Are you comfortable with the amount of debt you will incur, possibly forcing to work well into your 60's? 

 

Not trying to talk you out of it. Maybe you'll love it. But for me personally the grass seemed greener on the medicine side of the fence than it really is. If you just want to help people in a medical capacity, there are less stressful and costly pathways available.

[DogLovingPA]

Only you can know what is right for you.  I suspect from reading prior posts that I have had an experience very similar to BruceBanner in how I feel about medicine and debt.  I went back to PA school at 33.  Knowing what I know now, would I do it in my 40's/potentially 50's?  No way.  But that's me.  I definitely had some classmates in their 40's and 50's and they were all very successful.  For me, it's totally a financial thing.  As Bruce pointed out - let's say you graduate at age 50.  You'll be paying off loans until 60 theoretically (or longer).  It that worth it?   Only you can answer that.  Also, are you willing to relocate?  I don't know for sure but from what I understand, SC is a fairly unfriendly state when it comes to working as a PA. 

 

Best of luck whatever you decide. 

[south]

I'll point out the bad stuff first...

 

-  Almost 100% of that battle is eliminating distractions.  Are you prepared to have essentially zero time for family obligations and other stuff for the first year at least?  As I've said before, we lost our "mom your age" when she was expected to get off at 5 and run home and take kids to activities and cook dinner and otherwise put it away until the next morning.  

 

- There being only 2 programs in your state...with competition being more keen every year, who knows what it will look like in 5-7 years?  There could ...probably would...be a very slim chance of getting into one of those.  If you are going to do it, be aware that you may get no love near home and would have to go somewhere else.  I did.

 

- The money thing.  Be prepared to spend at least $80k, much more if you can't live at home.

 

- Best case is you would be graduating around age 50.  Occasionally a problem in and of itself...and there's the fact that you have not punched a clock.  It would make them wonder...can this person deal with a boss, show up to a job, want to run out when one of the kids gets a sniffle or has a bad day?

 

That is a long road.  Long and long and long.  But with the main differences that I had already finished college, I am older, and my spouse suddenly decided to seek services from an alternate vendor, I did it, took me seven years.  It can be done.

 

There's a middle ground here.  You could set your sights on finishing college.  Just happen to take the classes that are used for pre-reqs in PA school along with whatever degree you like.  See if you like it and find it doable.  One of those two things may cause you to fall by the wayside and change your mind.  If not, go from there.  

 

If you quit, you've finished college and only spent a few thousand dollars.  And the kids see you accomplish a goal by working hard and studying.  Not a bad deal.

[BruceBanner]

Let me tell you a little story that might illustrate this better.

 

When I was a young guy I knew I was smart and I wanted to do something that validated that, proved that. I was always an underachiever. I had an interest in science and I saw medicine as sort of an 'elite' applied science, with excellent pay and professional respect. So I pursued med school. I studied and studied and sacrificed fun time with friends and even relationships. I did every extra-curricular I could get my hands on. I did a 2-year research internship at a prestigious hospital making $12 an hour. I applied to med school and got wait-listed, applied again a year later and got 5 interviews right off the bat. Then it dawned on me that at 28, I was looking at a long, expensive, sacrificial road to become a doctor. So I applied to PA school, thinking I'd get to do the same work in less time, and got in right away. 

 

Two stressful years and many close calls later, I got out and started working. An obtrusive dose of reality hit me---this was nothing like what I imagined, even different than my rotations. I have a ton responsibility, people are expecting me to do things I wasnt taught to do, patients never stop coming in, and my job is on the line with student loans looming ominously on the horizon.

 

5 years in, I'm better at my work and I know I'm a good PA, but often burnt out and still saddled with the financial burden. If I didnt have this anchor, I could easily mitigate my stress by working part-time and pursuing other work, or just reinventing my work life again. But these are the choices I've made, and now it's on me to dig my way out. And i'm 35, not 55!

 

Dont get me wrong, it's not like every day is miserable. Many PAs love what they do and we enjoy good job security, good pay, and some satisfying moments. But knowing what I know now, I wouldn't advocate it to my younger self.

[Eastern]

Thanks so much for the responses.

 

To clarify, by the time I enter PA school around the age of 50, I will have an empty nest. It will just be dh and I, and we are fortunate to be able to live on one income. I figure that I will be able to pay off my loan within a year or two of employment. Also, dh works at a liberal arts college, so I will be able to complete my degree tuition free. Incidentally, his college is in the processs of developing a PA program in addition to the pharmacy program they already have. Classes are slated to begin in 2018 (though there will not be tuition remission for this program).

 

How do I know I'd like to become a PA? Why not another health field? Let me tell you, I have been trying to talk myself into nursing, as it would be a much easier road at this point in life, but I just can't do it. It's not me. I absolutely love to study, to research, to problem solve. But I also would like to work helping patients directly, rather than in a research environment.

 

Thank you for the advice to really understand what a I would be getting into. I plan on looking for shadowing opportunities sooner than later to help in that process a little. I suppose that to some degree, it can be hard to know exactly what you are getting into until you're actually there doing the work for yourself.

 

I do plan on finishing my degree whether I end up pursuing PA school or not. I'm actually really looking forward to taking most of the prereq's.

[ventana]

Honestly. Do three year direct entry NP

A lot easier, basically same job and pay. WAY more bs to get through school (nursing theory classes)

One trick, do a residency to have one more year of accelerated learning.

[south]

OK then I think you should start tomorrow.  There are risks for when you arrive to PA school time, which include but are not limited to 

 

- nest could be maybe not so much empty (hi grandma) (ouch, sorry, but reality) 

- dh could be not working there no' mo'

- pa program there could be no' mo' (or you don't get in, or it could suck or not get accredited) 

  (there have been a large number of cases where the pa program finds resistance, does not accredit, and the school says just forget it)

 

but I'm sure you are aware of these.  

 

One thing at a time for now with the goal in the distance.  Start planning how to finish that degree with some flying colors and the classes you will need.  Once you get comfortable on how to student, a year or so, start looking into HCE hours and shadowing and all that other crap.  

 

Make sure you ARE comfortable.  I say this a lot - programs are looking for good students who are good at studenting that they don't have to mess around with or help them out.  Professors are just as lazy as students, maybe more so.  If you present as potentially high-maintenance, you are done. 

 

Don't get discouraged; my undergrad degree is totally irrelevant so I had to take like chemistry 070 first.  Couple of years later, finishing biochem and molecular genetics. 

 

Still Team PA.  I would have hated myself doing nursing to NP.  Others have different opinions, I respect these but let's all keep in mind that people that don't agree with me are wrong, I mean obviously.

 

Good luck, keep us updated.