One of the main reasons why I'm considering PA...

[BenRRT]

As a sophomore biology major, I'm having a difficult time deciding what path to take. One of the main reasons why I'm considering the PA route is the option of switching specialties. Is this a good reason for wanting to pursue the PA route? Right now I could finish my biology degree and try to get into med school. However, I hate the fact that once I match into a residency, I will be stuck practicing in the same area of medicine for the rest of my career. Is it common for docs to want to switch specialties? Another option is switching my major to nursing or respiratory therapy, working for a few years, and then apply to PA school.

[BenRRT]

As a sophomore biology major, I'm having a difficult time deciding what path to take. One of the main reasons why I'm considering the PA route is the option of switching specialties. Is this a good reason for wanting to pursue the PA route? Right now I could finish my biology degree and try to get into med school. However, I hate the fact that once I match into a residency, I will be stuck practicing in the same area of medicine for the rest of my career. Is it common for docs to want to switch specialties? Another option is switching my major to nursing or respiratory therapy, working for a few years, and then apply to PA school.

[EMEDPA]

if you do a specialty like family medicine as a physician there is a lot of flexibility. you can work in clinic, work as a hospitalist, work in a rural er, do low risk ob, do a variety of procedures, etc.

lateraL mobility in the pa profession is likely going to decrease over time as pa's are required to have advanced certifications to practice in a given specialty. as an em pa if I wanted to do ct surgery I would have a hard time finding a job unless I did a residency. even if I found one I would start at the bottom of the seniority pile and have to work my way back up. not a very easy thing to do.

 

as a sophomore in college it's a no brainer at this point. go to med school.

[EMEDPA]

if you do a specialty like family medicine as a physician there is a lot of flexibility. you can work in clinic, work as a hospitalist, work in a rural er, do low risk ob, do a variety of procedures, etc.

lateraL mobility in the pa profession is likely going to decrease over time as pa's are required to have advanced certifications to practice in a given specialty. as an em pa if I wanted to do ct surgery I would have a hard time finding a job unless I did a residency. even if I found one I would start at the bottom of the seniority pile and have to work my way back up. not a very easy thing to do.

 

as a sophomore in college it's a no brainer at this point. go to med school.

[BenRRT]

Emed,

 

Thanks for that info. I was not aware of the different options that came with family medicine.

[BenRRT]

Emed,

 

Thanks for that info. I was not aware of the different options that came with family medicine.

[charmedj7]

I think it's a good reason, but I would be cautious. There certainly ARE PAs that work in a variety of fields; I know a neurosurgery PA who also works in an ED for instance, but I don't know how common it really is to make large jumps. Certainly you could say, switch within surgery specialties pretty easily, but it might be a hard sell to go from say, urology to pediatric outpatient even if you're technically certified to do both. I have heard that urban areas are very likely to require more specialization than more rural areas.

 

As a note, if flexibility is really what you're after, consider nursing. Nurses can definitely switch between specialties very easily, I work in the ED at the moment but I used to work Surg onc and I work with people now from L&D, ICU, etc and I saw a lot of people from my old floor go to pediatrics. Generally the more responsibility you have the less flexibility you will have, which is probably as it should be.

 

I will also say I DO know Drs who have switched specialties. There's a surgeon at my hospital who's double boarded in psych, and I've seen surgeons go to general practice. However, it requires redoing residency, so it's not common for obvious reasons. I definitely do think being wary of being stuck in the same thing is legitimate for being a Dr, it can easily become a lot of the same and it is harder to switch. That said, it's not impossible to switch, and midlevels get stuck too.

[SharkTank]

As a sophomore biology major, I'm having a difficult time deciding what path to take. One of the main reasons why I'm considering the PA route is the option of switching specialties. Is this a good reason for wanting to pursue the PA route? Right now I could finish my biology degree and try to get into med school. However, I hate the fact that once I match into a residency, I will be stuck practicing in the same area of medicine for the rest of my career. Is it common for docs to want to switch specialties? Another option is switching my major to nursing or respiratory therapy, working for a few years, and then apply to PA school.

 

This has been one of the top reasons for me choosing PA over MD as well.

 

In addition, I have been told by two family practice MDs that "it all comes down to lifestyle". While I am a hard worker and dedicated, I don't want my life to be consumed by my profession. I would like to get a sense of the actual difference in lifestyle, work/life balance, whatever you want to call it, between PAs and MDs.

 

I realize that both are demanding, challenging careers. I am in no sense looking to hear that being a PA is "easier", so please don't reply with that idea in mind.

 

Thanks for your ideas!