Trouble Deciding

[randomperson22]

Hello All!

Going through this application cycle I was unsure between PA or MD/DO, so I applied to both... and have been accepted to PA and DO schools. I am unsure as to which route I should pursue. 

I know there are many discussions about it already, but I feel pretty split down the middle and wanted to write out my reasoning for each, hopefully to see if there is something I'm missing or if there is some other insight out there that someone with more life experience could offer as I'm only 24 years old. 

 

Since I was young I had the dream to be a doctor, but was unaware of the PA profession until undergrad -  or that I would be married before starting school (my wife is a nurse). I've always enjoyed learning as much as I can and being a teacher to others. I don't necessarily care about prestige or being the top dog in terms of final decisions or responsibilities, I just like having the knowledge to know what I am doing, why I am doing it, and to be able to pass it on to others. I am interested in several specialties and primary care, but I don't think I'll really find my niche until I get into rotations in either program. I've heard horror stories about medical school in terms of high divorce rates and how much stress it can put on a family and am genuinely afraid of pursuing it and putting that strain on my wife and I, whereas PA's seem much more family friendly. Yet, when I search through these forums or speak with PAs, there are a substantial amount that regret not becoming a physician - I rarely see the reverse about doctors wishing they had pursued PA school over medical school. 

 

So, my thought process comes down to I want to pursue PA for my family, to be able to commit more time to my wife and my kids while they're young. Yet I'm afraid that I wont be satisfied with the knowledge I'll gain or i'll become one of the PA's wishing they had pursued medical school after several years of work. 

 

I also want to pursue DO school to gain as much knowledge and training I can, but am afraid that the strain may be too much for my family or that I would simply regret not being able to commit more time to them. 

 

I guess I'm asking if there are physicians and PA's in this forum who can shed some light on this for me, am I overestimating how much strain medical school puts on family, or if there really is a noticeable difference in the work-life balance between the two careers. 

Please any insight would be wonderful, I feel stuck in this decision as they are both such great careers. I'm not really concerned about the money or debt, they both make enough to pay off their respective debts and live a pretty nice lifestyle, so I'm trying not to consider that aspect. 

 

Thank you in advance

- Andrew

 

[MT2PA]

PA school is stressful and can also put a strain on relationships.  That said, both paths have seen plenty of successful marriages and kids survive just fine.

PA is simply just shorter than DO training.  Your two years of PA school may even be more intense than DO (some programs have mandatory attendance with little wiggle room for family related absences whereas MD/DO tend not to be that strict during didactic).

I think you're overestimating how much strain DO school would be honestly.  It's also a fairly common misnomer that PAs have more free time or better work/life balance than docs once in their career.  

[UGoLong]

I suspect, judging from your words, that you may very well regret it if you don’t choose to go to DO school.

Only you and your mate can judge the strength of your marriage, whether you’re going to postpone having children until you can participate in their lives, etc.

I suggest you find a DO resident who is married and have a heart to heart talk.

You’ll have a great career either way.


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[Mloud]

I'm in agreement with @UGoLong. If you are even considering DO school, and you have a supportive wife,  with no children,  you should strongly consider that option. You are so young. Although it seems like the med school route will take much longer, you will find that time passes so quickly. The older you get, the faster it will pass! 

[EMEDPA]

DO school then 3 year residency in FP, IM, or ER.

end of discussion. seriously. no brainer.

[keepstriving]

I 100% Feel you. 

I'm 25; although I don't have a wife + kids, I am looking to tailor my life around my family life.

I also applied to both DO & PA schools, and may face the same dilemma as you soon. 

At this current moment,  I wouldn't mind pursuing PA. 

It's so annoying but so many student docs become jaded by the weight of the work and find lifestyle specialties; Hence, competitive specialties: Anesthesia, ENT, Derm, Radiology... 

Goodluck 

[Ollivander]

On 10/7/2018 at 6:02 AM, MT2PA said:

It's also a fairly common misnomer that PAs have more free time or better work/life balance than docs once in their career.  

 I think it depends upon specialty an whether or not you're a practice owner. A practice owner's hours are going to most likely be double a normal PA or physician's hours that are just the employee, and most primary care physicians are practice owners. Other than that I think it's very specialty dependent regardless of if you're the PA or if you're the physician.