Hemegroup Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 My passion for medicine and helping others began about 20 years ago, when I started volunteering making hot meals for people with AIDS. It was a continuation from then on into Alzheimer's, peds ICU, ER, anything and everything I could learn. I'm now working my first gig and loving it. I have an awesome SP and work with genuinely amazing people. Most of the patients just want to be heard ... if you listen with an open ear, you've conquered half the battle. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. Science and taking care of peoples lives? Sign me up. Oh wait, already done and done :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesscbv Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Deeply in love with medicine--so much so that I am one of the crazies moving on to med school in 2 mos! PA has been a great career for me--a great first career--but I need to learn what I don't know and do more than I do now as a PA (and I do quite a lot). What more will you learn in Med school, and what more will you do as an MD? As someone who is applying to PA school currently, I am expecting to be asked "Why become a PA? Why not MD?" I have my own reasons, but I'm curious why you went through school and then worked as a PA only to change your mind in the end. Or, was this your plan all along? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillycibin Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Remember that all the whiny docs/residents who say they wouldn't do medicine again don't actually have any real idea what the other options are like. Sure residency can be a nightmare, but it ends. And then you're making $200,000+ a year. I can't believe how much whining about student loan debt docs do when all they are is taking on the equivalent of one years salary. Docs also seem to forget they are in control of how much they work. They don't have to work 50 hours a week to make that $225,000. How about 33 hours and $150,000? Anyway, most jobs suck. Medicine is stimulating and rewarding most of the time. Plus there is currently, and for the foreseeable future, great job security. Have you thought about being an RN? Little to no loan take on. The local hospital here is advertising for over 20 positions paying about $60,000 a year. Versus the 2 mid-level positions paying $75,000 a year (minus my $18,000 a year loan payment puts me at the equivalent of $57,000 a year. Hey, less than an RN!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acozadd Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 What more will you learn in Med school, and what more will you do as an MD? As someone who is applying to PA school currently, I am expecting to be asked "Why become a PA? Why not MD?" I have my own reasons, but I'm curious why you went through school and then worked as a PA only to change your mind in the end. Or, was this your plan all along? You will learn biochem and immunology... IMO if you want a deeper understanding of something, there are more than enough resources available to educate yourself. To each their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookspa Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 move south, lots of things you would like to change, but thats anyplace you go....but the PAY is better and it some times plunges into the 20s for a day or two. and the beach, either one, is only 1-2 hrs away. just sayin. the PA life is a good one I am blessed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjli Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) Hey! You're not alone. I'm 25, 2 BA's in Art History and English, working an office job (but I don't hate mine lol), feeling I'm not accomplishing my true potential and helping people. I'm itching for a career change, too. Here are some thoughts: Is it the money? Do you feel somewhat slighted by the fact that many with AA Community College degrees are making double your earnings (ie: Dental Hygienist)? If money, then remember that the economy sucks, after 2+ years experience and 2+ job-hops you'll start to even out soon enough. Is it the "making a difference" part? Volunteer - that's what I'm doing at a hospice and mentor program for kids - to see if that helps. It might be all you need to feel happy and useful to the world. Is it the idea of slaving away for "big business?" Don't forget that medicine is REALLY BIG BUSINESS so you won't escape. Nowadays even people are commodities. Try to figure out why you need to change careers. It's so much time and money to do so. The worst thing would be to end up $50k+ in debt for a new career you hate even more! And to answer your questions: My wonderful boyfriend's brother just finished his 4th year in med school (U of Mich.) and tells me that being a PA is great (great money, fun career, less time in school than MD, less debt). He's friend's with PA's who he calls cool, awesome people. This guy is a funny, nerdy, athletic, pizza-gorging guy that's going to be an MD - wouldn't be bad working for him and I'm sure most doctor's are cool (I know 2 others). The only way you'd feel kicked around is if you end up working for an a**hole...but hey, you could end up working for an a**hole in any profession! Good luck! Update...let us know how is goes! Edited May 11, 2011 by kjli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm123 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Regrets yes sometimes. In fact after 8-10 years of working long hours for low pay in the 1980s, I tried other things but always came back. Comparably speaking on a per hour basis, it was less than a hospital based RN. PAs have only started making a decent wage since medicare re-embursement came into being somewhere around 1998, I think. Pay seems to be escalating with health care cost cutting measures continue to put pressure on the system to cut costs. Baby Boomers are adding to the demand side of health care too. I really am astounded at the number of PA programs out there now and graduates are getting employed. Some online sources are calling it one of the best carrier moves a young person can make. Use Goggle and you can verify. Something else, if you once catch something previous examiners missed, doctor or not, it makes up for a whole lot of crappy days. I did a breast exam once on a kind of heavy lady in the hospital a found small lump that ended up being Cancer. She called me a gift from the Lord. It doesn't get much better than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gidget144 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I agree. I'm a Pre-PA, and if I absolutely had to choose another profession, I'd pick DO. DO training is much more in line with my personality and nature. I know quite a few pre-med (MD hopefuls) students who are absolutely unhappy with themselves and their work right now- and just think about how they'll be as doctors. They also tend to be prestige chasers, which is good or bad, depending on how you slice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittryn Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 It's complicated. There are a lot of reasons, some good, some bad. The very, very short version is that law will allow me to be a professional, have a versatile career path, will be intellectually stimulating, will let me help others (providing service to others is important to me), and will only take 3 years. those are the same reasons that propelled me into PA school 7 years ago -- !! I hope it works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFarnsworth Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Primadonna, CONGRATS! Please post how things are going as you go through school if you have the time. To the OP: I love working in the medical field. Can't imagine doing anything else. And I love working part time just because I want to. I have worked in almost all surgical fields, Urgent care, Emergency Medicine, FP, Occ Med, and am taking a part time gig in derm/cosmetic med. Yes I have my bad days and patients that sometimes I wish I didn't have to see. But overall, it's great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 No regrets...curiosity sometimes. I played with a fairly popular heavy metal band while in undergrad (been a guitar player since I was 12) and that was probably the only job that brought me pure joy.....(and lots of wild, wild nights) I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had stayed in economics. I am transitioning in my career now. I still enjoy some patient care, but after 20 years of direct patient care, 12 of them as a PA, I'm getting crispy. I can feel it. I'm far, far more interested in policy, research, and administration. I shouldn't admit this, but I need to be honest, on some shifts I feel like I am just going through the motions and barely paying any attention to the patient. Like a robot. "What brings you in?" monotone.... For example, when I see a patient, I often find myself thinking about how to fix the system to make the patient encounter better instead of thinking about the medical aspect of care. It's a sign. I know it. I'm really thinking of moving into a healthcare administrator role. I'd like to keep some clinical contact, but I do know that I have no desire to work full time clinically anymore. Ideally, I would work about 1/2 administrative, 1/4 research, and 1/4 clinical. We'll see where things go when I am done with my doctoral. Also trying to create a "Senior Policy Fellow" position here. THAT would be perfect for me. Who knows? I may leave patient care altogether too. Still want to stay connected to healthcare, but ready for a new challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happiness Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 SDN is seriously a pit of despair. Abandon hope, all ye who enter there. No, but seriously...a lot of those guys/gals entered the medical world for all the wrong reasons. Parental pressure, a fragile ego, money. I'm not saying it was all of them, but it is for sure a chunk of the population large enough to be significant. Then reality smacked them in the face with the force of a c. diff ostomy bag. Medical students do get shat upon by almost everyone else in the hospital. Assuming they make it to the match, they then have to deal with not really having any choice in where they spend the next 4-7 years of their life. They have immense student loans. They drown in paperwork. Every decision they make - or don't make - could be the one to get them sued. The respect they thought they'd get just isn't there (that isn't something solely for the MDs - a lot of people really don't respect any healthcare worker, from the aide up to the medical director) and it's far, far too late to back out. On top of all that, unlike PAs, they generally join medical school fresh out of undergrad. They have nothing to compare their lives to, so they can fill their fantasies with what they imagine their life could have been and what they imagine other peoples' lives are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwells78 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Money is good; challenge is there. There is a great market for PA's and that means something in a crappy economy. No regrets going into medicine, just wish there was a little less red tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankea4 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 SDN is seriously a pit of despair. Abandon hope, all ye who enter there. Wise words. Statement sounds hyperbolic but its fairly accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I don't know. SDN isn't too bad. I've spent a fair amount of time over there, and compared to many of the political discussions I am engaged in frequently, they are rather tame. I actually enjoy the site. But, YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm123 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 What's SDN? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMSArtist Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 What's SDN? Student Doctor Network... place full of loud obnoxious premeds (and I'm sure some rather reasonable lurkers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemedic13 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 What's SDN? You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.... IMO, of course. But unless you are: a pre-med or a pre-med pretending to be a med student, or a med student, or a profoundly unhappy resident, or a physician who has too much time on their hands, and interested in pre-med, with a 3.7 or above, and a 30 MCAT or above, and a desire to be mean and awful to anonymous people on the internet.... well, you just won't fit in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob77 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Im kind of Bipolar when it comes to regretting about going into medicine. On one hand the last 5 1/2 years of being a PA have been very good to me. I have a good job, as much autonomy as one could possibly have and I make good money with plenty of time off and Im able to essentially come and go as I please. On the other hand there are times when I absolutely despise my work, it's not that I despise medicine as much as I at times despise my profession. At times I wonder "so this is it"? I dont see any upward mobility and deal with obstacles that are there simply because of my title. The worst part of it is that you begin to feel trapped. Where else and what else could one do and make as much money and have as good of a schedule? These are the things I go back and forth with. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Im kind of Bipolar when it comes to regretting about going into medicine. On one hand the last 5 1/2 years of being a PA have been very good to me. I have a good job, as much autonomy as one could possibly have and I make good money with plenty of time off and Im able to essentially come and go as I please. On the other hand there are times when I absolutely despise my work, it's not that I despise medicine as much as I at times despise my profession. At times I wonder "so this is it"? I dont see any upward mobility and deal with obstacles that are there simply because of my title. The worst part of it is that you begin to feel trapped. Where else and what else could one do and make as much money and have as good of a schedule? These are the things I go back and forth with. Rob Rob, have you considered an additional degree? Like this one: http://www.drexel.edu/physAsst/programs/postProfPhysicianAssistant/ I know some who go on for various reasons, but many because they too feel they reach a 'ceiling' of sorts. Me, I still want to take physics, since I never had time in my schooling to take it ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystaltide Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I know some who go on for various reasons, but many because they too feel they reach a 'ceiling' of sorts. Despite wanting to be a PA in every other way, this is the one thing giving me doubts right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browndog Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Smells a bit like a DNP curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted June 8, 2011 Moderator Share Posted June 8, 2011 Im kind of Bipolar when it comes to regretting about going into medicine. On one hand the last 5 1/2 years of being a PA have been very good to me. I have a good job, as much autonomy as one could possibly have and I make good money with plenty of time off and Im able to essentially come and go as I please. On the other hand there are times when I absolutely despise my work, it's not that I despise medicine as much as I at times despise my profession. At times I wonder "so this is it"? I dont see any upward mobility and deal with obstacles that are there simply because of my title. The worst part of it is that you begin to feel trapped. Where else and what else could one do and make as much money and have as good of a schedule? These are the things I go back and forth with. Rob open your own clinic - then (as long as successful) can laugh at everyone else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TerryF Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I am a ex-navy PA. I got out of the navy and went to seminary and retired from the army as a chaplain. I had a great career both in the navy and in the army. However, I wish I had stayed in the navy and remained a PA. TerryF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayla2013 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 what exactly is the upward mobility of being a doctor? i seriously thought about this after reading it the other day... money of course but i can imagine there are PAs out there who pull over 100K and i think i saw once 200K (how? is the question :) but besides that...title? im asking because i genuinely want to understand how working PAs feel about their place in the medical world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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