licorice24 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Hi all, I've been contemplating going to PA school since I graduated college in 2009. Recently, I've noticed that I can never explain why I want to be a PA without mentioning why I don't want to go to med school or be an MD - and that scares me. In the end, my reasons sound more pathetic than anything. I just turned 24, have no children, or commitments. A PA, whom I'm currently shadowing, suggested I try for med school instead of PA school because of my latter characteristics. I truly enjoy medicine and I can't see myself doing anything else, but I lack the passion required to to pursue an ~8yr med school education and the confidence to be a "leader" in medicine. Was or is anybody in the same boat as me? I'm hoping somebody here can offer advice or comment regarding my dilemma. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob77 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Have you thought about becoming a Nurse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxbowiexx Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Your reasoning for not wanting to do ~8 years of med school is not entirely uncommon. However, you do realize that medicine is a lifelong path, and you are encourage (and expected) to continue to learn post-graduate. Don't let the length of schooling determines your path, because you will continue to learn regardless if you are in school or not. Now, as for me i decided to be a PA because it has tremendous flexibility. It's nice knowing that i can switch specialty if i wanted to. It's also nice to know that our job will help fulfill a much needed providers' shortages. On top of that, not having a tremendous debt to deal with when graduate...it's a win-win-win situation in my book. Some people my argue that there is a glass-ceiling effect to consider. But i think it's really up to where you work that determines how much you can do. There are PAs that has their own clinic, and hiring their own SP....that's pretty cool. Ultimately, you will have to make the decision as to which path you want to take. I wish you the best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Well you have the medicine aspect figured out at least. You say you lack confidence--something needed to be a PA. Maybe you should look towards nursing as a start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmAPAStudent Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 It's quite a subject "what's wrong with me" One part of me wants to say, "Pull yourself together, man!" :) (or woman) and other also wants to say that I do understand that it is a challenging and great decision-making process to consider medical careers. In other words, it's normal to be worried about what career path to pursue, as it is a commitment of time, money, focus, etc Why do you say you lack confidence? Maybe you could work on confidence-building skills? The others above are right: the nursing pathway is a great one, and so is the PA pathway. Nursing's great because it is good pay, schedule flexibility, good job security, etc and if you decide your confidence levels are better and you want to be in more of a leadership role, then you can then do either NP or PA - both also excellent career paths. Oh, and if you do pursue PA, don't use that as your reason ("med school takes too long") but that's just my opinion, and sounds like you already knew that. Whatever you decide will be great - all these options are really needed and excellent careers. Best of luck to you...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 medical school is designed to take young bright motivated people and develop them into functioning medical providers. They expect you not to be fully prepared from day one. That's part of the grooming process. Sometimes you have to trust in the process. as for 8 years...from my understanding you sit in a class room for the first 2 years, which is tough, but then by year 3 you get to start working with patients, year 4 even more...year 5, 6, 7...8 if you chose that sort of residency you are full time patient care...yes, there are more demands on the residents but it's not like you are grinding away in some microbio lab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I truly enjoy medicine and I can't see myself doing anything else, but I lack the passion required to to pursue an ~8yr med school education and the confidence to be a "leader" in medicine. I understand where you're coming from, but your comments are concerning. PA shouldn't be seen as 'doctor lite', mainly because of how that ties in with the second half of your statement ... there will likely often be times when you do have to be the "leader". Case in point, I have a wonderful SP, but I see him 5 minutes a week, if that. I have his number available in case of emergency, but for the most part I am the One and Only. You have to be ready for a position of authority, no matter MD/DO or PA. I agree that perhaps you might be better suited for RN ... not to say that they don't hold a position of authority, because they most certainly do, but their role in diagnosis and leadership is lesser than that of a provider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkechim Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I have a wonderful SP, but I see him 5 minutes a week, if that. I have his number available in case of emergency, but for the most part I am the One and Only. I'm curious, where do you practice? I know different states have different guidelines. I'm in NJ (a pre-PA student actually) and I hear that the rules are more restrictive here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I'm in California. I'm not sure it's that it's state specific, as it is group/practice specific. The federal and state guidelines are that he reviews 10% of my charts a month but he does that on his own, I don't have to be present. And I'll be moving to our rural satellite clinic soon, where I'll be on my own 100% of the time. Our 5 minutes weekly now is just when we run into each other in the hallway at the main clinic, which isn't often since he's only there one day a week (he rotates in the hospital on his other days). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittryn Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I also have had almost complete independence and autonomy, once brought up to speed in a particular specialty. the only thing I am not able to do on my own is surgery, but even with that I co-operate with the doc. I would not want the full responsibility my SPs have, and so being a PA suits me just fine. I get to practice medicine with great independence, but not be the one that has to make the final call on anything if I am not comfortable with it -- I always have an SP. if you are not a leader by nature, there is nothing wrong with that! to many leaders just cause heads to butt! agreeable followers are just as important as leaders to get a job done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Wait, you DON'T want to do 7-9 years of med school + residency?! Incomprehensible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Wait, you DON'T want to do 7-9 years of med school + residency?! Incomprehensible. Remember tho ... you also won't have their paycheck, or their authority (generally). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Remember tho ... you also won't have their paycheck, or their authority (generally). Sure (I think most people on this forum realize that), but it doesn't like OP rank those factors very highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrjames Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi all,I've been contemplating going to PA school since I graduated college in 2009. Recently, I've noticed that I can never explain why I want to be a PA without mentioning why I don't want to go to med school or be an MD - and that scares me. In the end, my reasons sound more pathetic than anything. I just turned 24, have no children, or commitments. A PA, whom I'm currently shadowing, suggested I try for med school instead of PA school because of my latter characteristics. I truly enjoy medicine and I can't see myself doing anything else, but I lack the passion required to to pursue an ~8yr med school education and the confidence to be a "leader" in medicine. Was or is anybody in the same boat as me? I'm hoping somebody here can offer advice or comment regarding my dilemma. Thanks in advance. Well, I decided to go to PA school when I was 26. I felt somewhat similarly to you. I knew that to go to med school meant that I would not realistically be done with school & residency until I was ~35, given that I needed to take the MCAT and apply. I had a LOT of contact with residents (I was a drug rep at a teaching hospital) and they were, almost to a person, miserable. The PAs, on the other hand, were generally happy and satisfied. Most of the residents had told me (I was their non-judgemental lunch-bringing friend) that they would not do it over again if they could go back. This made a big impression on me and I did not want to put most of my life on hold until I was well into my 30's for something that they all seemed to regret. But I wanted to practice medicine. Interestingly, when I began to explore career options, these same residents almost all told me I should go to med school and not PA school. When I said I didn't think I had the drive to keep at it for 7 years until I was in my 30's, then they said I wouldn't be admitted anyway if I couldn't show that determination. So in applying to PA school, I had to find reasons other than "med school is too long" to give during the interview. In truth, I was intimidated by med school and less so by PA school. I also was rather terrified of having to be in charge, whether it be of staff or of a patient's life during an emergency. I had never lacked for confidence before, but this was intmidating to me and I had never faced true challenges that required significant leadership. So I went back to the facts of the residents being miserable and PAs being happy. I also looked at the flexibility of the PA career and incorporated that into my answers. I'm now (almost) 37 and have (almost) 7 years of practice experience under my belt. I've handled patient and staffing emergencies. I function as a leader in my clnic setting and make decisions for patients, staff and the clinic on a daily basis. I'm pretty good at it and I love it. Part of this was my training, part was the support given by my organization, but I think much of it was general maturation as a person. Becoming a mother didn't hurt either. :) If you're certain you DON'T want to be an MD, then find appropriate reasons to go to PA school. I would give you the same advice as you have received though: Don't count out med school. I generally have no regrets about being a PA, it works for me. But aspects of it will always be an uphill battle of fighting for respect, compensation and practice equality. Don't fool yourself about that. MDs don't have those battles, but they have different ones. I easily work part time and always have backup and am far less stressed than my physician counterparts. I do look back and know that if I had been more mature at 21 when I finished my undergrad, I would have gone to med school. I wasn't though, and I'm a darn good PA that is valued by my patients and partners. Good luck. I'm sure you'll come to the right conclusion for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 You know...I cant really come up with any other reason besides "I want to practice medicine and why go through 8 years of MD training if I dont have to". I mean really....what reasons caan you come up with for going to med school over attending a PA program that do not sound shallow? More money, more prestige....what else is there besides autonomy? In all honesty the money as a PA can be good...not as great as an MD but then again I didnt jump through the same hoops; not really concerned with the prestige and Im looking for a ton of autonomy right out of school anyway....maybe when I feel comfortable later down the line Ill look for some rural clinic somewhere...Im sure they will give me all the autonomy I can stand... For right now...I just want to practice medicine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkechim Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hemegroup and kittryn, that's excellent. I've heard that NJ allows PAs to do less, but it's good to know you can have such autonomy while having an SP around/available if and when you need. For the most part it seems there is a great level of trust between the PAs and the MDs/DOs they work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 You know...I cant really come up with any other reason besides "I want to practice medicine and why go through 8 years of MD training if I dont have to". I mean really....what reasons caan you come up with for going to med school over attending a PA program that do not sound shallow? More money, more prestige....what else is there besides autonomy? In all honesty the money as a PA can be good...not as great as an MD but then again I didnt jump through the same hoops; not really concerned with the prestige and Im looking for a ton of autonomy right out of school anyway....maybe when I feel comfortable later down the line Ill look for some rural clinic somewhere...Im sure they will give me all the autonomy I can stand... For right now...I just want to practice medicine I meant to say "Im not looking for a ton....." it wont let me edit sorry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittryn Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Hemegroup and kittryn, that's excellent. I've heard that NJ allows PAs to do less, but it's good to know you can have such autonomy while having an SP around/available if and when you need. For the most part it seems there is a great level of trust between the PAs and the MDs/DOs they work with. cool. hrjames' point was really good, too, IMHO :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.