PAPrincess2018 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Hi everyone! Im looking for extensive advice! Im currently 22 and attending a local community college to complete my gen-ed. I do 100% for sure know that I want a career in medicine. I am intrigued by biology, the science of medicine. Most importantly I love people, I like being able to hear each individuals stories and try to make an impact in other lives. I currently work in the veterinary medicine field with the previous intention of becoming a vet. However after 3 years in the field I realized i like the medical aspect of the field and I do not want to pursue a career with animals. Im currently at a loss. I am 100% undecided wether to pursue PA or medical school. I do know that with which ever career I pursue I would like to have the ability to diagnose, prescribe and oversee. I have done extensive research on both professions and spoke to a few MD's and PA's, but I have not shadowed yet. I will be shadowing in a peds ER next week. I have a wonderful (non-medical) girlfriend who is very supportive of which ever career I choose. However she thinks that with all factors considered, I should just aim for medical school. My largest concern is time and residency. I know at 22 I am still young, however I still have 3-4 years of undergrad left. I want to be able to purchase a house or have children before I'm 30. How much will residency affect that? I also know that medicine is one of my passions in like, but I don't want to make medicine my life. I want a successful career, but I also want to enjoy my life. One other major concern of mine is that I won't be 100% fulfilled with being a PA. Working in the veterinary industry has taught me that I know I like 3 things. Emergencies, hard to treat cases, and babies. I personally have been medically treated by both PA's and MD's, some PA's seem like they have the ability to handle more extensive cases, while others do not. And finally Im pretty undecided as to what to major in for my undergrad. Both a PA and NP suggested that I earn my BSN so that I can gain medical experience as well as have a stepping stone career. My concern is that I know I won't be completing all the requirements to get into PA or med school. I just know that with the extreme competitiveness of med school, I want another option. I know more than one bio/health science major working weird jobs because they were not able to get into professional school. I know this post is extremely long in length and thank anyone that takes time to read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Get ready for everyone to say "go med school you're too young".. I just turned 24 and will finish PA school next year.. couldn't be happier! I'll be finished up and starting life at 25 without a residency, doing what I've wanted to do! Shadow some PAs, more exposure may help your decision. "I want to be able to purchase a house or have children before I'm 30.".. both possible with either route.. which one would be easier? PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPrincess2018 Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 Get ready for everyone to say "go med school you're too young".. I just turned 24 and will finish PA school next year.. couldn't be happier! I'll be finished up and starting life at 25 without a residency, doing what I've wanted to do! Shadow some PAs, more exposure may help your decision. "I want to be able to purchase a house or have children before I'm 30.".. both possible with either route.. which one would be easier? PA school. Ive heard that a lot haha. I realize Im young but with still have 7+ years of school to be a MD, its along time. If I was 18 fresh out of high school I think it would be a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted June 11, 2016 Administrator Share Posted June 11, 2016 Get ready for everyone to say "go med school you're too young".. Go to med school, OP, but not because you're too young to be a PA, (even though you are) but because you have a whole life ahead of you, and a career as an MD offers the headroom and income to make up for the hell that is residency. I just turned 24 and will finish PA school next year.. couldn't be happier! Come back and talk to us about how you like the professional limitations in 10-15 years. The 30's is a decade where most professionals are reaching their maximum earning potential and making an impact in their organization or career field. But not you: you will be an assistant and have already peaked in your compensation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 If you already question that you wouldn't be fulfilled as a PA - go to med school. While some PAs have great autonomy and it is the goal for many, it is not guaranteed. I realize that today your goal is to have a house and family before 30 but keep in mind that that might not even be realistic via the PA route. You're 22, have 3-4 years of undergrad, have to apply and get accepted to PA school (can take more than 1 cycle), have 2-3 years of PA school depending on the program, and will likely want to start working a little before you have a child. Once you see the debt you have from PA school you may decide to work on paying that down before buying a house, depending on the housing market you are in. The stars would have to align with the lowest possible denominator for your personal life timeline to work out. I'm not trying to be harsh - just realistic. When I was 22 and graduating undergrad I thought I would absolutely be married with kids and settled by the time I was 30...but life didn't have that plan for me and I regret nothing! Life happens, roll with it. At this point, it's still too early for you to NEED to decide. Go shadow. Go work in healthcare. Take pre-reqs for both while at a university so you're prepared in 4 years to apply to either route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPrincess2018 Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 One other concern is I do have a few WF on my transcript from my first few semesters when I was 18. Since then I have retaken classes and earned an A in everything I have retaken. Will this affect my chances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianamendoz Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 One other concern is I do have a few WF on my transcript from my first few semesters when I was 18. Since then I have retaken classes and earned an A in everything I have retaken. Will this affect my chances? I was watching a YouTube video and she says that schools that go through CASPA will take the average of both of your grades and use that to make their decision https://youtu.be/ovULUjlA-3o Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianamendoz Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 I was watching a YouTube video and she says that schools that go through CASPA will take the average of both of your grades and use that to make their decision https://youtu.be/ovULUjlA-3o https://youtu.be/2hbauJrBuxs Think it might've been this one instead Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuxedosheep Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Here's how I see it: If you go NP, you will at least have already gotten your BSN, and can work with good pay while simultaneously getting lots of healthcare experience. Depends on if you want to be an RN though. I personally knew nursing wasn't for me, but you can still become a practitioner. It's worth looking into the differences between NP and PA, though. The disadvantage of pursuing PA is that healthcare experience is preferred by most programs, and it is typical for a lot of applicants to work 1-2 years of direct healthcare experience before attending PA school. This is just the way the field is currently is, ya know. The prereqs for PA school align with a biology major/minor with some extra classes, perhaps, and in my own personal experience, have learned that a biology degree is not good for providing income while you gain experience. I'm sure if you know you wanted to be a PA from the start, you could strategically get all your prereqs and perhaps get an applicable degree in the meantime, but that wasn't my experience. I didn't know I wanted to be a PA until I actually worked in the healthcare field full time (in low-paying jobs such as medical assistant and diet technician). So it has been tough, income-wise at least, but the experience I have gain has been invaluable in learning what I truly want to do. MD/DO: this is my original plan before I knew much about PA school. Again, this is my opinion: consider medical school only if you are willing to sacrifice a good bit of your sanity for longer, and depending on which specialty you choose, even longer. If you want good income and you are comfortable with sacrificing... go for it! But I have had a chance to talk and work with many doctors and residents, and I don't envy them. I only understood it until I worked in the healthcare field. I respect them, but you must know what you're getting yourself into, cause it is a much longer road than PA school, so you have to endure and sacrifice longer. Didn't align with my priorities--I also want to have a better chance of having good work/life balance. That's part of the reason I chose to pursue PA. The money wasn't an issue for me, neither the professional ceiling. Echoing what others have said before me--the best way to know is to get out there and work in the field. Volunteering and shadowing didn't give me a clear enough picture, personally. But that's just me. Unfortunately, this can be hard to accomplish on a financial level, as I previously discussed. Anyways, I typed this up quickly, but I wanted to share what I've learned in my journey to figuring out what to do. Figure out what your priorities are, what your financial standpoint is, and get some real experience. Again, this is all my opinion-- and I'm obviously PA biased. But I understand it is a strange road to PA school. Hope something I blathered helped. Good luck! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieR Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 I would get your BSN. At least at my school, the BSN degree covered all of the requirements for PA school (except for biochemistry). I majored in biology and was not required to take anatomy, physiology, genetics, med terms, micro, nutrition, psychology.....etc. I had to take all of these courses in addition to my heavy load as a bio major. The only advantage to the bio major is that I had to take physics (hardly any PA schools recommend this), biochem (most schools require this) and upper level organic chemistry. I also minored in psych and I know a lot of school require psych classes now. Also as a BSN you can work as a nurse and cam get the HCE you need for PA school...or med school! As for PA vs. MD, I struggled with this as well (I am 23). I just could not justify the time of the residency and I did not feel 100% about medical school. If the passion was not 100% there, I knew that it was not the right choice for me. I also knew I would most likely want to go into primary care, and that a salary as a primary care doc is not as lucrative as that of a specialty. Many docs go into specialty because they are after that higher salary so they can pay off their loans. People say "oh you're young, go to medical school," however I really wanted a balanced life style; this is more important to me than any salary. A lot of people say go to med school simply because you get paid more...but there is so much more to life than money. I know this is annoying, but I think this all depends on the type of person you are. If you feel that you need a career where you are in charge and handling the most complex cases, then you will probably be unhappy as a PA! Good luck! I know it is a very stressful and difficult decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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