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Is it worth it? I’m about 75% there on my decision to career change into PA studies.


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First of all thanks for the resource, it’s very helpful browsing through other questions and answers.

Background:  I’m 42 years old; have a Bachelors in Marketing, MBA in Finance and 19 years in the real estate business.  Overall i’ve been pretty successful, but every year is different and there’s zero job security.  Zero.  Some years were great, others were terrible, but on average i’ve done pretty well.  I’m in my forever home and have two elementary aged kids.  Absolutely no complaints overall, except i’m tired of the ups and downs, and simply want more professionally.  This isn't it for me.  

What I want:  At this point in my life, i’m seeking job security.  I also want to continue to help others (in a different way); helping/advising clients is the part of my job I love currently.  If it weren’t for my fantastic client relationships  i probably would have changed directions years ago.  A career in healthcare has always been "whispering in my ear" but ironically I was afraid of the “scientific” schooling involved despite having an MBA in Finance.

What i’m doing:  That said, i’m currently working part time as a Physical Therapist Aide at a major hospital and really enjoy the work.  I’ve shadowed PA’s and find the work exciting and love how they help patients as much (if not more) than their MD counterparts.  I’ve taken 3 of the 9 required prerequisites (4.0 average) for PA school with 2 more coming in Winter ’22.  Ideally i’d like to gain experience for another 1.5-2 years and apply for PA school for the 2024 matriculation year.  Maybe i’ll be a practicing PA by age 47 🙂

I’m on the PA path but not 100% there.  I definitely have my doubts whether it will be worth it in the end (lost income, school debt, time away from family).

For the practicing PA's out there, if you could do it all again, would you?

Does anyone see the PA profession changing in the next 5 years?  If so for better or worse?  I’m aware of the “corporate nature” of the role these days and have many doctor clients simply burned out from the admin side of things.  I’m wondering it that trend is going to spill over into the PA practice (or if it already has). 

I’d really appreciate any feedback as I continue my pursuit.  Thanks so much.

 

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35 minutes ago, MBA1000 said:

First of all thanks for the resource, it’s very helpful browsing through other questions and answers.

Background:  I’m 42 years old; have a Bachelors in Marketing, MBA in Finance and 19 years in the real estate business.  Overall I’ve been pretty successful, but every year is different and there’s zero job security.  Zero.  Some years were great, others were terrible, but on average i’ve done pretty well.  I’m in my forever home and have two elementary aged kids.  Absolutely no complaints overall, except i’m tired of the ups and downs, and simply want more professionally.  This isn't it for me.  

What I want:  At this point in my life, i’m seeking job security.  I also want to continue to help others (in a different way); helping/advising clients is the part of my job I love currently.  If it weren’t for my fantastic client relationships  i probably would have changed directions years ago.  A career in healthcare has always been "whispering in my ear" but ironically I was afraid of the “scientific” schooling involved despite having an MBA in Finance.

What i’m doing:  That said, i’m currently working part time as a Physical Therapist Aide at a major hospital and really enjoy the work.  I’ve shadowed PA’s and find the work exciting and love how they help patients as much (if not more) than their MD counterparts.  I’ve taken 3 of the 9 required prerequisites (4.0 average) for PA school with 2 more coming in Winter ’22.  Ideally i’d like to gain experience for another 1.5-2 years and apply for PA school for the 2024 matriculation year.  Maybe i’ll be a practicing PA by age 47 🙂

I’m on the PA path but not 100% there.  I definitely have my doubts whether it will be worth it in the end (lost income, school debt, time away from family).

For the practicing PA's out there, if you could do it all again, would you?

Does anyone see the PA profession changing in the next 5 years?  If so for better or worse?  I’m aware of the “corporate nature” of the role these days and have many doctor clients simply burned out from the admin side of things.  I’m wondering it that trend is going to spill over into the PA practice (or if it already has). 

I’d really appreciate any feedback as I continue my pursuit.  Thanks so much.

 

Well, if you stick with your plan, then you'll be practicing a good 13 years before I did.

In my 15 years of practice, a lot has changed and I suspect healthcare is going to continue to evolve rapidly in the years ahead. I'm still in the first PA job I've ever had but I doubt that deciding to become a PA for increased job security is necessarily a sound reason to become one with all of the turmoil and changes. I think that, no matter what you do, you have to be willing to adapt to change and find your way through it.

So what's the turmoil in healthcare? Some of aspects include the impact of insurance changes, the rapid takeover of small practices by corporations that include large hospital and insurance businesses, the changing role of the "advance practice provider," the evolution of the nurse practitioner, changes in technologies (including telemedicine), and the evolution of the PA profession (or whatever the job may end up being called). 

I happen to really enjoy my job and like the chance to work with people in their time of need. To me, not always a bed of roses, but there is a good "tooth to tail ratio" for me: the overhead is smaller with respect to what I really want to be doing. Whether that will be true for you is an unknown.

If you want to become a PA, your exposure to the field is a good idea. If you're doing it because it's a lock on having a job for the next 30 years of your life, well then I'm not sure anyone can promise that.

Good luck.

Edited by UGoLong
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Some thoughts from someone who came from corporate America, passed through the fire service, and now has been an EM PA for 8 years:

  • Employment in medicine is not secure.  Pre COVID-19 there were some uncertainties, but COVID brought furloughs, reductions in hours/compensations, layoffs, and job losses.  Most of those have resolved, but the key message is that economic uncertainty will cause downsizing in medicine.  Employers will prioritize keeping physicians over PAs.
  • Almost all of medicine is owned by large corporations: hospitals (whether for profit or non-profit), physician staffing organizations (which are often owned by venture capitalists), and now insurance companies, drug store chains, and large employers are all getting into the business.  So, all of the things in corporate business that treat employees as just numbers are becoming increasingly prevalent.
  • The approximate 3 years of lost income while you're in PA school and getting that 1st job is very significant.  The opportunity cost of lost income is often much larger than the actual cost of PA school.  It can take you a long while to make that up.

So, especially as a person with a well paying job and a family, plan carefully.  The transition is very doable, and it sounds like you've got the healthcare experience and the academic skills to make it work.  However, you'll need to decide jointly with your family if all of you can handle the transition and the different future.

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On 11/27/2021 at 11:47 AM, UGoLong said:

Well, if you stick with your plan, then you'll be practicing a good 13 years before I did.

In my 15 years of practice, a lot has changed and I suspect healthcare is going to continue to evolve rapidly in the years ahead. I'm still in the first PA job I've ever had but I doubt that deciding to become a PA for increased job security is necessarily a sound reason to become one with all of the turmoil and changes. I think that, no matter what you do, you have to be willing to adapt to change and find your way through it.

So what's the turmoil in healthcare? Some of aspects include the impact of insurance changes, the rapid takeover of small practices by corporations that include large hospital and insurance businesses, the changing role of the "advance practice provider," the evolution of the nurse practitioner, changes in technologies (including telemedicine), and the evolution of the PA profession (or whatever the job may end up being called). 

I happen to really enjoy my job and like the chance to work with people in their time of need. To me, not always a bed of roses, but there is a good "tooth to tail ratio" for me: the overhead is smaller with respect to what I really want to be doing. Whether that will be true for you is an unknown.

If you want to become a PA, your exposure to the field is a good idea. If you're doing it because it's a lock on having a job for the next 30 years of your life, well then I'm not sure anyone can promise that.

Good luck.

I appreciate the info!  Thank you.

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On 11/28/2021 at 1:36 AM, ohiovolffemtp said:

Some thoughts from someone who came from corporate America, passed through the fire service, and now has been an EM PA for 8 years:

  • Employment in medicine is not secure.  Pre COVID-19 there were some uncertainties, but COVID brought furloughs, reductions in hours/compensations, layoffs, and job losses.  Most of those have resolved, but the key message is that economic uncertainty will cause downsizing in medicine.  Employers will prioritize keeping physicians over PAs.
  • Almost all of medicine is owned by large corporations: hospitals (whether for profit or non-profit), physician staffing organizations (which are often owned by venture capitalists), and now insurance companies, drug store chains, and large employers are all getting into the business.  So, all of the things in corporate business that treat employees as just numbers are becoming increasingly prevalent.
  • The approximate 3 years of lost income while you're in PA school and getting that 1st job is very significant.  The opportunity cost of lost income is often much larger than the actual cost of PA school.  It can take you a long while to make that up.

So, especially as a person with a well paying job and a family, plan carefully.  The transition is very doable, and it sounds like you've got the healthcare experience and the academic skills to make it work.  However, you'll need to decide jointly with your family if all of you can handle the transition and the different future.

Thanks, really appreciate the feedback!

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  • 1 month later...
On 11/27/2021 at 11:13 AM, MBA1000 said:

First of all thanks for the resource, it’s very helpful browsing through other questions and answers.

Background:  I’m 42 years old; have a Bachelors in Marketing, MBA in Finance and 19 years in the real estate business.  Overall i’ve been pretty successful, but every year is different and there’s zero job security.  Zero.  Some years were great, others were terrible, but on average i’ve done pretty well.  I’m in my forever home and have two elementary aged kids.  Absolutely no complaints overall, except i’m tired of the ups and downs, and simply want more professionally.  This isn't it for me.  

What I want:  At this point in my life, i’m seeking job security.  I also want to continue to help others (in a different way); helping/advising clients is the part of my job I love currently.  If it weren’t for my fantastic client relationships  i probably would have changed directions years ago.  A career in healthcare has always been "whispering in my ear" but ironically I was afraid of the “scientific” schooling involved despite having an MBA in Finance.

What i’m doing:  That said, i’m currently working part time as a Physical Therapist Aide at a major hospital and really enjoy the work.  I’ve shadowed PA’s and find the work exciting and love how they help patients as much (if not more) than their MD counterparts.  I’ve taken 3 of the 9 required prerequisites (4.0 average) for PA school with 2 more coming in Winter ’22.  Ideally i’d like to gain experience for another 1.5-2 years and apply for PA school for the 2024 matriculation year.  Maybe i’ll be a practicing PA by age 47 🙂

I’m on the PA path but not 100% there.  I definitely have my doubts whether it will be worth it in the end (lost income, school debt, time away from family).

For the practicing PA's out there, if you could do it all again, would you?

Does anyone see the PA profession changing in the next 5 years?  If so for better or worse?  I’m aware of the “corporate nature” of the role these days and have many doctor clients simply burned out from the admin side of things.  I’m wondering it that trend is going to spill over into the PA practice (or if it already has). 

I’d really appreciate any feedback as I continue my pursuit.  Thanks so much.

 

Hello..Was good to read your post! I am in a similar situation. Have a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering and Masters in Information Systems. Turned 41 last month and am at the phase of my life where I am not enjoying my work in Corporate IT. I am thinking of a switch to a PA Career but am lost on where to start and how to work on the pre reqs before being able to apply to schools. Have a couple of questions for you and would love your feedback.

When did you start working on your pre-requisite courses? And how long would it typically take to finish them? I have missed the boat for the Fall 2022 intake but do you think it is achievable to complete for a Fall  2023 intake?

How did you find the job as a part time Physical Therapist aide? Did they ask for any prior experience?

Thanks for any info!

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Some thoughts:

  • look at a number of PA schools' web sites to get a feel for what the pre-reqs are.  There are some variations, but in general they include:
    • Chemistry: 1 year of majors/premed level with lab
    • Biology: 1 year of majors/premed level with lab
    • Anatomy & Physiology: 1 year of majors/premed level with lab
    • Organic Chemistry (though not all):1 year of majors/premed level with lab
    • Microbiology: 1 semester
    • Psychology: 1 year
    • Sociology: 1 year
    • Statistics: 1 semester
    • Physics: 1 year of majors/premed level with lab
    • Genetics: 1 semester
    • Biochemistry: 1 semester
    • Other useful courses:
      • Pathophysiolgy
      • Cell biology
      • Nutrition
  • The above is about 3 years worth of work if done full time
  • Local community colleges can be a great way to get better instruction at lower cost than large campuses.  Some are even branches of large universities so your transcript will show the large university's name.  (this was my method).
  • It's doable - my undergrad degree is Computer Science and I did corporate IT for 29 years.
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do it!

I did PA school at 30, post MBA business world.

 

I should have gone to med school as I was still in the "young" category 

 

No way would I do med school with kids

 

I get to do 99% of what the pcp doc does, and love it (20 years in)

YEs ups and downs - yup jobs are not safe

but there are those days where you connect with a patient and nothing compares

It will be hard but PA is perfect for folks like yourself 

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Over five years ago, I also decided to make a transition to the PA profession. I was 35 at the time and could have done med school, but I owned a solid mid-sized business with over 250 FT employees and several partners I felt strong obligations towards. Further, my degree majors were finance and accounting, and the most recent science class I took was Biology 101 in 1998 at a local community college. 

Over the last 5 years, I've prepared for an exit from my org. Buying out minority partners, converting active interests to passive, winding down my commercial guarantees, and most importantly finding someone to replace myself operationally. At this point, we're 80% there, and my replacement is starting in two weeks! I will be happily unemployed by the end of February. Which is good, because I start my PA program in August of this year. I have two elementary aged kiddos, one in middle school, and one freshman in HS as well. We'll all move for the didactic year, and then come back to our home while I bounce around for the clinical year. I will also be enrolling in a DMSc bridge program that will extend my PA education to about a 2.75 year experience, instead of the typical 2 years.

There are lots of good arguments here, but for me the lost income arguments fall on totally deaf ears. This is more about what I want to do, and not what I have to do (my residual interests/investments afford me a lot of flexibility). 

Some commentors included a list of prereqs, and that list is super comprehensive and will make you eligible for almost every program out there - it's a perfect list. Your experience as a PTA will also serve you really well on your applications. However, I truncated my journey by identifying 3 programs that required a common set of prereqs there were must less than the list above: Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and biochemistry (in addition to things that even business majors take in college, like biol 101). These classes would make me eligible for less than 25% of the schools.... Tough odds, but I only need to get accepted by one. I completed the classes in 2020-2021 online with excellent grades, and then applied in Spring/Summer of 2021 via CASPA to the three programs whose qualifications I marginally met. Despite decades of post-acute healthcare experience in residential care, I was not an ideal candidate for most programs. I received one single invitation to interview, and clinched one of the first seat offers in the program. And I couldn't be more excited about it.

So, in short: GO FOR IT! If it calls to you like it does to me, and you aren't going to have issues working under a doc, then do it. I will turn 41 this year. My ONLY doubt is whether I should do med school, instead. It'd open more doors for international volunteerism, which is important to me and one of my biggest considerations for it, but otherwise I'm not sure the other advantages are worth the extra 4+ years (I'd need more prereqs before even applying).  

 

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