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Yep, even computer science majors can become PA's. Never mind that this computer science major's 1st computer had 8K and used punched cards. As UGoLong said (he's a recovering engineer), it's not your major, it's whether you took the prereq's for PA school and got good grades. I've know docs who were music, marketing, electrical engineering, and civil engineering majors. The doc I've worked closest with and one of my mentors was a civil engineering major who decided it wasn't for him when he was interning on a highway project in mid-winter. He's a smart guy (and a great doc).

I took almost all of my pre-reqs at a community college - a branch of the University of Cincinnati. I agree on the benefits: lower cost, smaller class size, better instruction: faculty members vs TA's. I asked both schools I applied to and they said where I took the classes didn't matter to them.

Psyche jobs can be several things: medical management of psyche patients with the primary management of their psyche conditions coming from someone else management of the psyche conditions, with or without management of their medical conditions. The former wouldn't be too limiting, and could transition to internal medicine/primary care. The latter would be limiting. EM does a lot of immediate management of psyche emergencies: medical clearance, initial stabilization of the out of control. That's just the tip of the psyche iceberg. Any primary care: IM, family practice, etc does do some management of mental health issues. It's probably easier and better to specialize in psyche later rather than sooner unless you're certain you want it to be your entire career.

No, no experience with this. But, I think almost if not all of us as new PA's underestimate the learning curve that needs to be paid to actually learn how to practice medicine. Physicians will tell you that it's really residency that's where they learn their trade. If PA school grads don't do a residency and only a very few do, we learn our trade at our first job. The shortest physician residencies are 3 years. So, it's going to be at least that long for those who go the OJT path. You're in the steepest part of that learning curve. Also, you may not be in an environment that supports learning. So, the struggles you're having are more common than not. Please don't think of yourself as a failure.

From my experience doing EM: The pay is good. Progressing to $70/hour in 1 year is good. The learning curve typically is about 3 years. Rotating shifts and weekend coverage are the norm. The shifts have to be covered. 3 10's a week isn't unusual. 12's can be nice, but if the volume is high they can be very tough. The key is to make sure that you'll get enough shifts each month to be considered FT. Even for the big 3 national EM staffing companies, practice will vary by site. Doesn't sound like a bad offer.

The Barton & Associates chart is good, but doesn't tell the whole story. States can have other barriers, e.g. being unable to sign mental health holds, being unable to pronounce death/sign death certificates, etc.

There's a cost both in $ and in effort to obtaining a state license, usually at least $200 per state license. So, that becomes a trade off in trying to be attractive to a potential employer because you're already license vs the cost to you. Some will even want you to be credentialed by the state medicaid organization, the state workmen's comp organization, etc. Try to avoid getting your DEA for a given state until you know for certain you'll be working there. That's $888 for each state.

At least in EM, I've found contracts don't really offer much protection. The employer will change contract terms and tell you that unless you agree to the new terms by a given date, they'll stop scheduling you after that date. On a practical basis, the only leverage you have is your ability to leave and find another job. That varies by location, how the COVID-19 epidemic is doing, etc.

I attended a PA school that was affiliated with a particular faith. We were required to attend religious convocations several times a year. Cost of doing business. Not a big deal.

I've not had to supply any information about supervision on my DEA applications: Ohio and Indiana. I do have to supply my license number and whatever other "certification to prescribe" information the state requires.

There are 3 part-time PA programs and a very few online ones. With great difficulty, you might be able to make it work, if you: had no life other than school and work had very accommodating co-workers who would do shift trades when you had exams, etc during the didactic portion of the program. didn't go to a regular PA program with M-F classes during the didactic portion. I don't know how you would make the clinical rotations work as many of them are M-F and a few, like EM, will require night/weekend shifts. I worked 48 hours every weekend while doing my pre-reqs (covered the Lt's Kelly days - they had Sat & Sun Kelly's), but I doubt I could have done that during PA school as a late run would have made it impossible to get to the 1st class Monday morning. Or, if I'd been up all night Sunday, I doubt I would have absorbed much from class or rotations on Monday. All I was able to do was a few weekend shifts during PA school.

Cleveland Clinic is offering a EM Transition to Practice Training program: https://ccf.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/ClevelandClinicCareers/job/Cleveland-Clinic-Main-Campus/APRN--PA-Trainee--Fall-2020----Emergency-Medicine_96358 I don't know anything more about this. However, the Cleveland Clinic says they're the largest employer of PA's in Ohio, so it's probably worth looking in to.

I've done EM and found that the amount of actual "supervision" varies tremendously by state, site, and individual doc. I work PT at one site where the doc who owns the group intrudes himself on every patient seen by the PA's and pushes the other docs to do so, mostly for the extra 15% reimbursement for incident to billing. Some of the other docs trust us to approach them when we need them but otherwise leave us alone. At my last FT job we were usually very busy and I worked primarily with 1 doc. His usual question was "do I need to see any of your patients?". Now, I do solo overnight coverage at a rural critical access hospital and pretty much only have the doc come in for codes and thrombolytics.

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I have mixed feelings. In my late 40's I started thinking about medicine because I had grown to hate corporate America (I did corporate IT). My path was built on my start in fire & EMS. I considered DO school but chose PA school, which I started at 53, because of the number of years medical school and residency would take. Looking back, I understand way better now than then the glass ceiling I keep hitting. Even so, at the age I was, I still think it was the right choice. I've got 8 years full time in EM. I've learned a lot along the way. I've got a job I job I love, doing solo coverage at a rural CAH with a doc on call. I'm still learning. Had I gone the DO & residency route, I would have only 2-3 years of working in now. I wouldn't have the family, home, etc. I have. I might well have a different one. But, the pressure to recover financially would be massive and would keep me from slowing down when I want to. The point: it does become a balancing act between number of years to go and how big of a step to take. For me, age crossed off DO, but PA with a smaller time & financial investment was possible. I got my license at age 55, UGoLong got his at 59 I believe. We're both happy (and in Ohio). Kargiver lays out the best possible time line well. See how that timeline matches where you are in life and where you will be at various points in your life if you go that route. A caution, it could take longer to get through your pre-reqs.