Falling Out of Love With PA

[GatorGirl]

I worked in health care for over 10 years before I went to PA school. I did this because I went to get my HCE and I ended up loving the job I did, making great money, getting promoted and needed to take care of my family. The time finally came when I could go to PA school and I got in. But the point is that in that 10+ year time period I learned a LOT. I learned that I still loved medicine. I learned about other professions in medicine. I learned that midlevels/allied health professionals that make a LOT more money that PA's exist (CRNA's, Echo techs, perfusionists, OR neuromonitoring techs to name a few). All too often I hear of young PA's dropping out of clinical care. They move on to research, pharmaceutical sales, teaching, etc. There is nothing wrong with this I'm just pointing out that I am PA to be a clinician. However, there are other opportunities in the long run if one so desires. I would just think if you wanted to do sales, go ahead, don't waste your time on PA school, for instance. The other thing I have noticed is a LOT of MD's saying how much they hate their jobs. And for them it's really too late. They have a lot invested. They can't even make a lateral move (unless they go back for another residency, blah blah).

So, all of this said, perhaps a year or two of full time work in a hospital to find out if this is what you REALLY want to do.