Advice for someone considering PA school

[Cideous]

Easy, get your BSN then your NP and enjoy the benefits of hanging out your own shingle in almost every state while PA's struggle to find a "supervising physician" in a society of employee physicians.  This is a no brainer.

[sas5814]

On 9/9/2022 at 8:07 PM, SedRate said:

An inquiring mind wants to know what you ended up saying?

I told her to look at the profession clearly particularly the trends that are driving the market place and what they seem to be indicating. There are probably better choices in health care for someone starting new. 

[Farafish260]

On 9/1/2022 at 9:21 AM, EMEDPA said:

GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL. 

AGREED! 

[CAAdmission]

On 9/1/2022 at 9:21 AM, EMEDPA said:

GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL. 

 

13 hours ago, Farafish260 said:

AGREED! 

 

This is a worthwhile consideration. One thing that gives me pause is that the vast majority of physicians I know are miserable people. It's a ton of money, blood, sweat and tears to get into it, and they still wind up like everyone else: as a tiny cog in some big corporate machine.

For whatever reason, most PAs I know enjoy life much more than the docs I know. 

 

 

[EMEDPA]

9 hours ago, CAAdmission said:

 

For whatever reason, most PAs I know enjoy life much more than the docs I know. 

 

 

My anecdotal observation is the opposite of this in EM. Most EM docs I know are happy and chilled out, work 10 12 hr shifts a month, while most of the EMPAs I know work 16-20 12s. Docs make 350k/yr, PAs make less than 1/2 of that.

Doc vacation in New Zealand for 2 weeks. PAs go to vegas for a weekend...

[Farafish260]

20 hours ago, CAAdmission said:

 

 

This is a worthwhile consideration. One thing that gives me pause is that the vast majority of physicians I know are miserable people. It's a ton of money, blood, sweat and tears to get into it, and they still wind up like everyone else: as a tiny cog in some big corporate machine.

For whatever reason, most PAs I know enjoy life much more than the docs I know. 

 

 

Yeah that's true...I've thought about why that is as well...but I have no idea 

[Farafish260]

11 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

My anecdotal observation is the opposite of this in EM. Most EM docs I know are happy and chilled out, work 10 12 hr shifts a month, while most of the EMPAs I know work 16-20 12s. Docs make 350k/yr, PAs make less than 1/2 of that.

Doc vacation in New Zealand for 2 weeks. PAs go to vegas for a weekend...

 

11 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

My anecdotal observation is the opposite of this in EM. Most EM docs I know are happy and chilled out, work 10 12 hr shifts a month, while most of the EMPAs I know work 16-20 12s. Docs make 350k/yr, PAs make less than 1/2 of that.

Doc vacation in New Zealand for 2 weeks. PAs go to vegas for a weekend...

EM docs are really happy! The PAs seem pretty satisfied as well....I've noticed out patient like UC or FM everyone seems to be pretty content with their situation...my FM PA teacher made 200K...since he works for a state university his salary is public...I have no idea how or why he did 

[ventana]

On 9/1/2022 at 9:21 AM, EMEDPA said:

GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL. 

 

On 9/1/2022 at 9:44 AM, CAAdmission said:

Or into the nursing/NP route. 

I fear we have an expiration date. 

 

 

On 9/1/2022 at 1:02 PM, VentiMacchiato said:

this. 

 

On 9/10/2022 at 12:27 AM, Cideous said:

Easy, get your BSN then your NP and enjoy the benefits of hanging out your own shingle in almost every state while PA's struggle to find a "supervising physician" in a society of employee physicians.  This is a no brainer.

 

On 2/24/2023 at 9:25 PM, Farafish260 said:

AGREED! 

 

On 2/25/2023 at 10:31 AM, CAAdmission said:

 

 

This is a worthwhile consideration. One thing that gives me pause is that the vast majority of physicians I know are miserable people. It's a ton of money, blood, sweat and tears to get into it, and they still wind up like everyone else: as a tiny cog in some big corporate machine.

For whatever reason, most PAs I know enjoy life much more than the docs I know. 

 

 

See above. 
 

oh yeah and I would look for a 3 yr Med school then match into a residency that is unionized.  Easy.  
if I were 20 years younger I would do thus but on 5-10 yrs left in workforce. 

[Farafish260]

I would never go the NP route the training is subpar 

[Farafish260]

On 2/27/2023 at 10:02 PM, ventana said:

 

 

 

 

 

See above. 
 

oh yeah and I would look for a 3 yr Med school then match into a residency that is unionized.  Easy.  
if I were 20 years younger I would do thus but on 5-10 yrs left in workforce. 

I was young enough when I started my journey to go to PA vs MD school.....but I had no idea the limitations to being a PA at the time and I chose PA...in hindsight I'd do MD if I knew what I know now..although I'd be doing the exact same job I do now there are significantly more career options and the pay is so much better. 
medical school isn't as bad as people say. It's a lot slower than PA school and there are significant overlaps between PA and MD...my MD friend and I compared curriculums at the time..plus there are med schools only 3 years...my PA program was 2.5 years and if you count the amount of time I spent building my volunteer and patient care experience I could have been done with medical school smh....intern year in residency is tough...the other two years are doable...especially in hospital med...also...the 4th year of medical school is chill 

Edited March 4, 2023 by Farafish260

[EMEDPA]

Agree with above. The hardest part of both med school and PA school is getting in.

[UGoLong]

Now in my 17th year of a PA practice that I started very late in life. I feel that I made the right choice.

It's a personal choice, which is probably why we aren't all living the same life.

[Farafish260]

1 hour ago, UGoLong said:

Now in my 17th year of a PA practice that I started very late in life. I feel that I made the right choice.

It's a personal choice, which is probably why we aren't all living the same life.

We all made that personal choice. However, it's extremely difficult to know with 100% certainty that you'll love or feel completely fulfilled with the profession you choose if you have never practiced that profession prior to starting it. No matter how much shadowing or research you do it's not the same as actually doing the job. In every profession there will be a percentage of people who have regret or unfulfillment. The PA profession isn't independent of that. 

[UGoLong]

10 hours ago, Farafish260 said:

We all made that personal choice. However, it's extremely difficult to know with 100% certainty that you'll love or feel completely fulfilled with the profession you choose if you have never practiced that profession prior to starting it. No matter how much shadowing or research you do it's not the same as actually doing the job. In every profession there will be a percentage of people who have regret or unfulfillment. The PA profession isn't independent of that. 

True. Life seems to be a game of "halftime adjustments." While we probably shouldn't bolt at the first sign of problems, there are lessons to be learned and maybe course changes to be made.  

[EMEDPA]

On 3/4/2023 at 8:26 AM, Farafish260 said:

 it's extremely difficult to know with 100% certainty that you'll love or feel completely fulfilled with the profession you choose if you have never practiced that profession prior to starting it. No matter how much shadowing or research you do it's not the same as actually doing the job.

This why why prior health experience is so important. The profession we all entered is medicine.  Students who previously worked in health care side by side with PAs for years have a much better understanding of the profession than someone who shadowed a PA for a few hrs to check a box on an application. I worked with PAs who worked solo in small departments and knew they didn't need a doc looking over their shoulders. I understood cosignature requirements and saw PAs and docs interact as colleagues.

[ohiovolffemtp]

3 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

Students who previously worked in health care side by side with PAs for years have a much better understanding of the profession than someone who shadowed a PA for a few hrs to check a box on an application. I worked with PAs who worked solo in small departments and knew they didn't need a doc looking over their shoulders. I understood cosignature requirements and saw PAs and docs interact as colleagues.

To Emed's 1st point about the value of prior healthcare experience: "yes, but ....".  I had 30+ years of pre-hospital EMS experience before I became a PA and I've practiced EM since I got my license.  I had a far greater understanding of medicine than did many of my classmates, but only a tiny fraction of the broader practice of medicine, even of EM, vs what I gained over the 1st few years of my practice.

To Emed's 2nd point about the value of cosignature:  Dead on.  Again, my need for teaching and review were high when I started.  Now, I essentially practice solo and use docs as consultants, probably talking to hospitalists 10-20x the times I talk to an EM doc (except for ED => ED transfers).

[EMEDPA]

On 3/5/2023 at 2:00 PM, ohiovolffemtp said:

 

Now, I essentially practice solo and use docs as consultants, probably talking to hospitalists 10-20x the times I talk to an EM doc (except for ED => ED transfers).

for the most part, I rarely consult ED docs any more at my double coverage positions. The vast majority of the time they can't answer my question and I end up calling a specialist anyway. 

[SedRate]

19 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

for the most part, I rarely consult ED docs any more at my double coverage positions. The vast majority of the time they can't answer my question and I end up calling a specialist anyway. 

I use this as my gauge on how well I'm progressing -- if I ask my doc colleagues a question and they're also not sure, I take that as a good sign.