Debating if PA school is right for me

[Phatstacks]

Im not going to talk about patient care in this post, i am interested in patient care in different facets, diagnosis and research based possibly pharmacogenomics or neuropharmcology.

 

So for a long time I was set that I would go to medical school. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I don't really want to unless I know that's what I want to do, plus I was on the border between the old and new MCAT, so may as well wait a bit for that to settle out.

 

I'm not worried about getting into either program in my home state. I've been out of undergrad for 3 years now so I have the patent care hours and everything, and I have the grades and ECs for either.

 

I've spent days, weeks, months, countless sleepless nights tormenting myself about what I should do. I guess what I have come up with is I truly want something that I can have a life. That I work my hours and come home, and have time to spend with my SO, time to travel or do whatever. My job where I work in a hospital lab now, I have call once a month and I HATE it. Why not stay in the mls field? I'm bored already, and want a job where I am intellectually stimulated and fulfilled. And making an extra 50-100+k more than I do now would be really nice, as it would for most anyone I think.

 

I guess I am torn between a lot of things. I think I could like neuroscience reseach like neuropharmacology or something in genetics, but I haven't had much luck getting a job in research so I don't know for sure. Academia is also a hard place to be, and you essentially put in the same amount of time that an MD does, and hours aren't necessarily good. Private research would be better, but you still have to get funding to do the research I am interested in, which is most likely mental health related.

 

I could see myself liking being a therapist, but they don't get paid shit, I would probably be better off staying in the lab I work at. I promise I am not only concerned about money. It's mostly what will make me the least bored and still have the ability to have a life.

 

Right now I am leaning more toward PA, probably in mental health. I hate the MD culture and the 50% satisfaction rate. I also hate the fact that you are at the fate of the match and spots in medical school are expanding but residencies are not. Not to mention the whole getting kicked out of residency (politics?), making your ability to pay back loans nearly impossible. The pimping, the 80+ hour a week residencies for minimum wage.

 

But docs can more easily get involved in research if they want. And I'm not sure how my ego feels about my classmates being called "Doctor" and I would just be their assistant. Obviously that is something I would personally have to get over and is not worth killing myself over.

 

I've talked to docs that LOVE their job, and PAs that feel the same. I've dealt with asshole docs at my job. It seems like shadowing is biased depending on if the person you shadow likes their job. I don't want to just go to med school and see how it goes, because if you hate it, there is no getting out. My SOs friend is in that position now (should have gotten a PhD).

 

So questions:

 

Are there opportunities to get involved in research as a PA?

 

The glass ceiling a huge problem for PAs? Don't you still keep up on the latest in your field so you are still ever expanding knowledge even though you arent a "expert"? Can't you close the gap on your own is some ways between you and an MD knowledge wise by studying/researching on your own? (The pay ceiling is a different story, and that isn't my concern here).

 

Do you feel like you have a better lifestyle than your MD counterparts? In terms of not living in the office? I enjoy medicine, but I don't think I am willing to sacrifice my life for it.

 

Do you feel the lower pay is worth the tradeoff of no malpractice/hopefully less stress and more flexibility?

 

I guess lastly anyone with ideas of go to pa school or go to med school for x reasons. Or go research. Idk

[MT2PA]

Couple of things:  plenty of PAs still 'live at the office'.  It is NOT going to be like your MLS job where you clock out and leave work AT work.  

 

Also, as far as I understand, you can still certainly get sued for malpractice so you're not off the hook there.  Yea, you maybe wouldn't be going it alone like a solo practicing doc, but anyone can be sued these days.  Rumor has it the colloquial flexibility PAs have is receding.  Do we have more than docs?  Sure, like you said we aren't reliant on residencies to choose a specialty field, but lateral movement isn't necessarily going to be the same as just finding a new job.  (or it might, but it's good to keep in mind that it isn't a guarantee).

 

Do PAs get involved in research?  Sure, some.  But not in the same way as docs and not nearly on the same magnitude.

 

I get the MLS not being challenging, that's why I'm here.  Honestly, though, only you can decide the route that's right for you.  If your ego already doesn't like the idea of being an 'assistant', though, I'd say there are plenty of reasons PA shouldn't be at the top of your list.  

[rev ronin]

Also, be aware that there aren't a lot of non-patient-care roles for PA.  Your job search is going to be between places that want you to see 15 patients a day and places that want you to see twenty-five.  Every. Single. Day.  If you're at all comfortable in a lab, think long and hard about whether you are extroverted enough to see that many people without going insane.

[Phatstacks]

If you're at all comfortable in a lab, think long and hard about whether you are extroverted enough to see that many people without going insane.

Honestly, I really enjoyed being a phlebo. I didn't mind being an aid, but the nurses I worked with most of the time expected the aid to do everything. Answer every damn call light even if they knew it was the IV.

 

The only real reason I'm in my pseudo MLS position is because it pays twice as much as either of those positions, and scale tops out at 3 times what they make.

[Glorious_Ignoramus]

How do you know you're not satisfied with MD culture?  And what surveys are you referencing?  There are good docs and docs that suck at life...just like with everything else out there.  The thing is, you will be in and amongst MDs most likely, especially during ojt when you land a job, and your culture will be their culture.

 

It seems like you made it through college, got to the MCAT, and are now having second thoughts about getting into medicine.  Not an uncommon story; I'm not sure if anyone here can help you find what it is you are seeking, but I can tell you that if you're having any doubts about getting into medicine then that's probably not where you want to be.

[UGoLong]

You sound like me a couple of decades ago. If you think that you can sit in a quiet room and figure all this out, based on my experience, you probably can't. I was an analytical type (being an engineer at the time) and I thought I could Kepner-Trigoe my way out of any dilemma. No I could not!

 

What worked for me was to TRY something and see how I felt about it when I was doing it. Whether it was volunteering in the ER, becoming a EMT, taking my first prereq, or whatever, those first days in the new situation either felt right or  they didn't. It led me on a path to becoming a PA  in clinical practice and ultimately adding an academic component as an assistant clinical professor. 

 

Figure out what you want to do NEXT, not for the rest of your life. Try to get a job (or a volunteer position) that gets you closer to anything that you think you might want to do.

 

Even studying for and taking the MCAT (if being an MD is still on your radar) is something you can do. You'll find out that you either enjoy the subject matter or you don't. That's what we call "critical data."

 

Good luck!

[siskiyoufire]

seeing your post was too long for me to read I say be a Doctor...

[gcox87]

Couple of things: plenty of PAs still 'live at the office'. It is NOT going to be like your MLS job where you clock out and leave work AT work.

Wait you got to clock out at the end of your shift as an MLS? I could count the number of times on both hands the days I was able to clock out on time.

 

To OP. It sounds like you are in that "confused about big life decision" phase. I'd suggest taking some time to look at your options, start volunteering and shadow some people.

 

Best of luck.

[corpsman89]

Wait you got to clock out at the end of your shift as an MLS? I could count the number of times on both hands the days I was able to clock out on time.

 

To OP. It sounds like you are in that "confused about big life decision" phase. I'd suggest taking some time to look at your options, start volunteering and shadow some people.

 

Best of luck.

 

Pff, At the lab I work at, we get a slap on wrist for clocking out after our scheduled time. No overtime! I dont mind though. :)

[MT2PA]

Pff, At the lab I work at, we get a slap on wrist for clocking out after our scheduled time. No overtime! I dont mind though. :)

 

LOL yep!  No overtime.  Clock out on time or they'll have you leave early another day so you never see more than 40 hrs.  

[gcox87]

LOL yep! No overtime. Clock out on time or they'll have you leave early another day so you never see more than 40 hrs.

I was working 60-70 hour weeks for a while. Overtime helped me pay for my wedding and medical bills for the birth of my son, but I got burnt out pretty quickly.

[ItRainsItPours]

When PAs speak of a glass ceiling I don't believe they mean in knowledge, I think they mean promotions into leadership positions and salary. There are PA's who research but it's not as common and MDs as you know. So let me ask you this, do you think you'd be happy with a purely clinical job? Because that is what most PAs do. If the answer is yes then go for PA. If you think you'd be dissatisfied not spending most of your time in research then I think you have your answer.

I personally dont think the money should be a driving factor. You will live a comfortable life on a PA salary if you are responsible with your finances. Even better if you have a spouse that works. MDs can make 2x>, but the sacrifice to get that wont be worth the salary alone. Go to medical school if you wouldnt be satisfied being a PA. Because Im telling you if your heart isnt in it you will be unhappy during those 7 years of training.

For me personally, the prestige of physicians is not worth the sacrifice when what I truly desire is clinical medicine. I am also non-trad so keep that in mind. I value my relationships and experiences more than the prestige of becoming an MD. But that is me, you are a completely different person and have to ask what it is that you want, and what you could live without.