bugmenot Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 tl;dr: Should I go to med school or PA school? I'm rather torn on this... I'm considering Med school like many others but is it worth it? I actually have a spot reserved at a PA program at my university so it makes the decision even tougher for me. The way I look at it, to go to med school and for it to be worth it I would have to place in a high paying specialty. Doing something like family medicine wouldn't be worth it IMO, since the pay doesn't seem that much better than being a PA. Why go through the extra YEARS just to be called a "Dr."? It doesn't make sense, however, I don't want to be a doctor's tool. Arghhh, I'm getting a headache just thinking about all this. So I made a pros and cons list: PA pros: Start life sooner Good pay Cons: Not as much autonomy and respect as a Dr Doctor pros: Better pay Respect Autonomy Cons: Waste away your 20s!!! and be extra miserable go an extended period of time Larger debt More stressful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suspirox Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hello, I am a recent grad student not enrolled in med or pa school, but i'll try to give you some help : ) First have you taken your MCAT? Is your GPA competitive for med school? Some things to consider if you haven't taken your MCAT, the last date for 2012 is Sept 11; meaning you'll have to crunch and study asap. Also you'd be applying to the entering class of 2014, so thats kinda one year down the drain. The M.D. vs PA. discussion is one that has been addressed and can go either way, for you it seems to boil down to quality of life. And quality of life means something different to you and I, but your on the right track listing the pros/cons. I work in a practice with MD's/ OD's/DO's and nurses, so the whole respect and higher degree attitude is something very real and alive in the work place. After 8 years in my practice I can tell you that it really boils down to quality of life. For example, our nurse has a family, kids, home, she enjoys her nights, summers and weekends at her shore house. Our surgeon works 6 days week, has his kids in boarding school and sadly on Saturdays they wait for him in his office to finish his round w/ pts. Now I am in no way try to disrespect or put anyones parenting or professional skills down, but he tells me himself its not easy. He makes more money and does enjoy some time off, but at what sacrifice? Remember in general the more money we have the more money we spend. Having an M.D. doesn't mean your money will be pouring from the sky, everyone has insurance costs, malpractice, employee cost, student debt etc. Take into consideration your life goals and what a meaningful life means to YOU. Its not black or white, its a whole spectrum of colors. I hope I have helped and not further confused you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Be careful before saying "doctor's tool" on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Go to med school Give your PA school seat to someone who wants it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugmenot Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hello,I am a recent grad student not enrolled in med or pa school, but i'll try to give you some help : ) First have you taken your MCAT? Is your GPA competitive for med school? Some things to consider if you haven't taken your MCAT, the last date for 2012 is Sept 11; meaning you'll have to crunch and study asap. Also you'd be applying to the entering class of 2014, so thats kinda one year down the drain. The M.D. vs PA. discussion is one that has been addressed and can go either way, for you it seems to boil down to quality of life. And quality of life means something different to you and I, but your on the right track listing the pros/cons. I work in a practice with MD's/ OD's/DO's and nurses, so the whole respect and higher degree attitude is something very real and alive in the work place. After 8 years in my practice I can tell you that it really boils down to quality of life. For example, our nurse has a family, kids, home, she enjoys her nights, summers and weekends at her shore house. Our surgeon works 6 days week, has his kids in boarding school and sadly on Saturdays they wait for him in his office to finish his round w/ pts. Now I am in no way try to disrespect or put anyones parenting or professional skills down, but he tells me himself its not easy. He makes more money and does enjoy some time off, but at what sacrifice? Remember in general the more money we have the more money we spend. Having an M.D. doesn't mean your money will be pouring from the sky, everyone has insurance costs, malpractice, employee cost, student debt etc. Take into consideration your life goals and what a meaningful life means to YOU. Its not black or white, its a whole spectrum of colors. I hope I have helped and not further confused you. Thank you very much for your reply. The question about entering med school is more of a should I, rather than could I, I have the grades/ability for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugmenot Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Go to med schoolGive your PA school seat to someone who wants it I don't know if I want it or not. I don't know about med school either. I'm looking for some input here! Be careful before saying "doctor's tool" on this forum. I meant no offense. You are essentially working to make the doctor/clinic/etc more money though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted June 23, 2012 Administrator Share Posted June 23, 2012 There are plenty of good reasons to go to med school. If you can, I would advise you to do so. I finish PA school in seven weeks, with my goal of keeping my relationship with my wife and kids alive... met. I've already gotten a position with a healthcare organization who values what I did before PA school and wants me as soon as I finish, and I get to live back in my own house to take it. My goal in going to PA school was to preserve what was already important to me while learning to practice medicine; if your future is open and without current commitments, I would encourage you to seek the highest level of medical practice you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugmenot Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 There are plenty of good reasons to go to med school. If you can, I would advise you to do so. I finish PA school in seven weeks, with my goal of keeping my relationship with my wife and kids alive... met. I've already gotten a position with a healthcare organization who values what I did before PA school and wants me as soon as I finish, and I get to live back in my own house to take it. My goal in going to PA school was to preserve what was already important to me while learning to practice medicine; if your future is open and without current commitments, I would encourage you to seek the highest level of medical practice you can. Thank you for your input rev. I would say my biggest concern is that I may regret "wasting" my youth. Going to Med school is a big commitment (not that being a PA isn't either) so I've been going between the two back and forth in my head. TBH I'm not a very social person with any real commitments either but that is the point. I feel as if I will kill my chances at starting a family of my own and interacting with friends or family if I go to med school. Anyways, I appreciate the advise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Argh..... GO TO MED SCHOOL! You will have a pretty busy first couple of years (just like PA school). The 3rd and 4th years are not too bad. If you want to have a good quality of life, place in FP. The first year of residency is busy (just like your first year of PA practice), then the next couple aren't so bad. Then get out of school as a MD and make bank. If you really don't want to spend your entire life at work, then don't. You can find a practice that will hire you part time and still make more than most PA's. Think about it, 100K a year for 3 days a week worth of work. I know a couple of Doc's who are doing this. Their quality of life is awesome. Don't limit yourself. PA is NOT the easy way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 The older you get, the more difficult it will be to return to medical school. From the sounds of it, you are only in your early or mid 20s. You're young. Go to medical school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suspirox Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 No one can you tell what you should do. If your young apply to med school and PA school see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 No one can you tell what you should do. If your young apply to med school and PA school see what happens. You say nobody should tell him what to do......then tell him what to do. Apply to both????? Horrible advice. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkels Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 You keep saying "wasting your twenties". What is it about attending med school that is wasting your life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScienceisAmazin Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I, too, was going to take the MCAT and apply to med school just to "keep my options open". Then, after long consideration, I realized if I got accepted to both med school and PA school, I'd choose PA anyway. If you're split between the two, here's a decent blog that might make your decision clearer: http://www.mypatraining.com/physician-assistant-career-wrong-for-you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugmenot Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 You keep saying "wasting your twenties". What is it about attending med school that is wasting your life? A good question. I think I could be doing something more exciting in my 20s (I'm actually not 20 yet but almost!). I'm not the party type though, so I don't know what else I could be doing haha. You say nobody should tell him what to do......then tell him what to do. Apply to both????? Horrible advice. Sorry. What I think he means is that at the end no one can make the decision for me. I, too, was going to take the MCAT and apply to med school just to "keep my options open". Then, after long consideration, I realized if I got accepted to both med school and PA school, I'd choose PA anyway. If you're split between the two, here's a decent blog that might make your decision clearer: http://www.mypatraining.com/physician-assistant-career-wrong-for-you Thanks for the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted June 23, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 23, 2012 Argh..... GO TO MED SCHOOL! You will have a pretty busy first couple of years (just like PA school). The 3rd and 4th years are not too bad. If you want to have a good quality of life, place in FP. The first year of residency is busy (just like your first year of PA practice), then the next couple aren't so bad. Then get out of school as a MD and make bank. If you really don't want to spend your entire life at work, then don't. You can find a practice that will hire you part time and still make more than most PA's. Think about it, 100K a year for 3 days a week worth of work. I know a couple of Doc's who are doing this. Their quality of life is awesome. Don't limit yourself. PA is NOT the easy way to go. totally agree with this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Go for the med....docs are always protected b/c of the powerful orgs they have behind them vs our weak one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiaroscuro27 Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 My situation is similar to that of rev ronin. I wanted to practice medicine, but I had already spent so much time in school that going to medical school seemed too much of a chore. I love medicine, but I don't want to make it my life. I'm married and I have so many others aspirations. Becoming a PA allowed me to meet all of my goals. You're young, you have all the time in the world. I don't know much of your personal life, but if you're not tied down with a family and with children and practicing medicine independently is what you really want, just go on to med school. Yes, it may be trying for the first few years, but by fourth year you're as good as golden and you won't feel like you've "wasted your youth." Go for it and don't look back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briepm Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 .I meant no offense. You are essentially working to make the doctor/clinic/etc more money though. Uggg... that's not why I want to work, that is NOT all that PA's do. I think you ahould take some time between undergrad and any further education - you said you're not even 20 yet.. Go out into the world and work for a while, then make your decision. (Not saying you've never worked, just that 20 is young) If you don't know what you want, go get more experience before you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugmenot Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 I meant no offense. You are essentially working to make the doctor/clinic/etc more money though. Uggg... that's not why I want to work, that is NOT all that PA's do. I think you ahould take some time between undergrad and any further education - you said you're not even 20 yet.. Go out into the world and work for a while, then make your decision. (Not saying you've never worked, just that 20 is young) If you don't know what you want, go get more experience before you decide. I'm not trying to argue with you here but several members have said this (that PAs essentially work to increase productivity in bring in more money). I actually didn't have that idea before lurking around on these forums. Some of the senior members here express that you cover for the Dr. so they can sleep in or go on their vacation. I actually shadowed a PA and confirmed the latter. The Dr. was out on vacation and left the PA to see all the patients. The PA I shadowed was rushed the entire time since she had so many patients to see on her own!! I'm not making this up either... Nevertheless, I still respect the PA field. (Also, let me stress that I don't believe that is the ACTUAL purpose of a PA. It's just that is what it seems to ultimately come down to in the real world.) Also, thanks for your input everyone. I think will stop whining about my youth and apply to med school. I'll see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneValgene Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I see more picutures of med students on vacation than PA students... By far. I think med students get summers off. A big thing that doesn't appeal to me about med school is the residency match, and how you get stuck in a specialty. yea...your whole future determined by one single exam...step 1...with no retakes! imagine that - your whole life determined by one day of testing. talk about pressure haha with that said...go to med school! you are young! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 ^the uncertainty of residency location also sucks. This was HUGE for my decision. Med school in whatever location I got into, then residency in whatever city, then possibly a fellowship requiring another move? No thanks for me, I want a house on a lake in MI by 28 and kids by 32. It doesn't sound like the OP has concerns about moving around though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreatx Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I'll throw in my nickel. Go to med school. Time passes, no matter what. You are young. Do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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