Going to PA school because its easier than med

[Vg993]

I was at one point in your shoes as well.l was debating PA versus MD for awhile. I’ve been working in healthcare since I was 19;  I’m turning 26 next month just to give you an estimation of my time line. I did my first application this cycle, my stats at 3.75 sciences, and cGPA: 3:85.  When I first started I was die hard med school. But as I worked more with the doctors and PAs I realized the lifestyle I desire was PA. I never thought one path was easier than the other just there’s the length of each program that varies. PA school is highly competitive, the acceptance stats are very similar to  med school i.e limited seats average program accepts 50 students or less and gets around 3,000-4,000 applicants. Granted you see students get accepted with low GPAs don’t be fooled as these peeps have some stellar PCE with decade long services. Med schools actually have bigger classes. I will be real with you, even the biology courses I took at Berkeley barely scratch the surface of what I’ve learned at my current position in an icu. As a PA you are trained as a generalist. You go on through your career and add skills to your toolbox, that’s why I picked this route because I align with this method of teaching/ philosophy whatever you want to call it. You will learn as you go, versus MD programs you’re taking exams that will decide your fate on match day. If you’re great at exams this is a plus for some people.

 I can’t stress the importance to realize that PAs are treated like the stepchildren in bigger healthcare organizations unfortunately. Not saying they don’t advocate but there are more physicians and nurses especially in administrative roles, that PAs ultimately get their voices muted out. PA is an awesome career when it comes to flexibility; there is push for more autonomy, but different states have different regulations. PAs are a unique subset of healthcare providers that come from all types of backgrounds. I think it’s good to do a lot of researching why you want to be a PA rather than how rigorous the training is.

The bigger picture is if you do not like to be under the supervision of someone; dealing with patients that only want to see an MD thinking you aren’t qualified enough, not having a shiny MD/DO badge with access to the physician lounge, and parking, I would not recommend this field to anyone who wants these goals because you will always wonder what life would be like as an MD. I suggest you bite the bullet and see if you get into a MD/DOprogram, or podiatrist programs. It might take more than one cycle but you seem qualified and your work experience is a bonus since not many med students have actual patient interactions. Also long term is the cost of the program of a PA program is around $100,000 versus med schools $250,000. Doctors live comfortably with their debts. It’s a difficult decision to make, read more on the forums about arbitration rates at PA versus MD, and even the PA students who dropped out because they couldn’t handle it or realized that this wasn’t what they envisioned and applied to med school.  The warning I do have if you do go into PA school be 100% devoted, nothing less than a B-  because that’s failing in majority of PA programs. Many programs automatically reject applicants who have failed out of a program. Only you know what is best for you. I hope my lengthy response has helped.