ERgirl Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I am currently PA-C with BS degree, and after many years of practice, I finally went back to school to get MPAS which I am expected to finish at this end of this year. Since I have already into routine of going school while still working , I would like to go on and get Ph.D. I would appreciate to get your feetback regarding the type of Ph.D programs that PAs attend and the schools that offer those programs? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdavis Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Ae you looking for a doctorate just to have a doctorate? DSc, EdD, ND, PsyD, TheoD. Or are you considering academic specialization (PhD), in speciality areas ( exercise physiology, renovascular physiology, molecular biology, radiation physics, 17th century English literature)? Right now, there is no doctorate level PA program.. PA is its own terminal degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I am currently PA-C with BS degree, and after many years of practice, I finally went back to school to get MPAS which I am expected to finish at this end of this year. Since I have already into routine of going school while still working , I would like to go on and get Ph.D. I would appreciate to get your feetback regarding the type of Ph.D programs that PAs attend and the schools that offer those programs? Thank you There are no specific PhD programs for PAs. The DSc degree completed at Baylor with their EM residency is probably the closest. Otherwise, PAs choose doctoral programs (DSc, PhD, DHSc, DrPH, EdD) based on their interests. A PhD isn't really generic. It is focused. You have to ask yourself, what do I want to do with the degree? Research? Education? Etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 This is a rather simple, but pretty apropos explanation... http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotaskimmer Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 It really depends on what you want to get a PhD in. If you are looking at the biological sciences, you can probably forget about getting a PhD while working, unless you find a degree mill type school. I am entering PA school next year, but I just spent two semesters in doctoral program in neuroscience. While I did learn a lot about the current state of knowledge in neuroscience, it was a more-than-full-time endeavor. Classes for 2-3 hours in the morning, 8 hours in the lab. Prospects after graduating are also abysmal for most PhDs, compared to the amount of dedication and effort you must expend (typically 6-8 years of doctoral and post-doc work before qualified for a career). I honestly can't think of a reason why you'd want to get a science PhD at this point in your life. It's far too much effort for a resume padder, and if you just want the knowledge, get some textbooks and buy access to the papers on pubmed that you're interested in. Want to be a Primary Investigator? Good luck. You'll have long hours, unpredictable funding, constant competition with your peers, and very little hands-on work as most of your time will be taken up with grant-proposal writing and various other non-science time-wasters. This might be way more than you wanted to hear, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator True Anomaly Posted September 24, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 24, 2012 My program had tried a pilot of a PA-PhD combination- there was someone who a couple years before me who did a PA-PhD combo, and so they tried it again with two students who were in the class under me. Both of them started their PhD a couple years before PA school, and the idea was to do PA school along with still doing their doctorate work, and completing the PhD after the PA program portion ended. I don't know why this wasn't continued beyond that one class- quite possibly because there was no one who was interested enough to take on that task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted September 24, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 24, 2012 Wake forest has a pa, phd program option. 5-6 yrs i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ERgirl Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Thank you to all of your advices. Honestly, I have no specific purpose of getting Ph.D. except to advance my education. I was trying to get advice from those of you who hold Ph.d. to see if it is something worth to be achieved, and also if it is achievable while still working without sacrificing too much of family time. I am a mother of 3 young childern and working almost full time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Thank you to all of your advices. Honestly, I have no specific purpose of getting Ph.D. except to advance my education. I was trying to get advice from those of you who hold Ph.d. to see if it is something worth to be achieved, and also if it is achievable while still working without sacrificing too much of family time. I am a mother of 3 young childern and working almost full time. It's a different way of thinking. There is definitely a change in your worldview. After I completed my DHSc, a friend who is close to retirement called me to ask about it, as he plans on completing his. When I asked him why? He replied that he had always wanted to complete it, and would like to have it before he retired.....Admirable goal I guess. Personally, I just wanted to do research, and now all kinds of doors are opening and opportunities are knocking. I was just emailed today about helping a physician with a study regarding physician/provider prescription of exercise in different patient populations. This is in addition to multiple other projects....but that was my reason. Many want to teach. I think EMED wants to use his in a global health manner...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted September 25, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 25, 2012 yup, I want to use mine to secure a high level overseas medical position either teaching or as a clinician or both. the state dept pays pa's considerably more who have a doctorate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 yup, I want to use mine to secure a high level overseas medical position either teaching or as a clinician or both. the state dept pays pa's considerably more who have a doctorate. How's school going for you E? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted September 25, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 25, 2012 It's going well. About 1/3 of the way through. Taking comparative international health systems this term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgblumm Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I'm still trying to learn where to write a new thread on any subject. Can anyone help. surgblumm@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdavis Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I'm still trying to learn where to write a new thread on any subject. Can anyone help. surgblumm@gmail.com instructions sent just now by email. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgblumm Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Thanks PA Davis. I managed to post two new threads. This was an interesting thread itself and there are obvious reasons for obtaining a doctorate but being a clinician in an ER or on a hospital unit, is not among them. strive to obtain the highest degree that they willpay you for and shoot for the stars if you have bigger dreams. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialMedicine Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I am a PA PhD and can provide some ideas. If all you want is further education I would pick up a book or take some part time classes/seminars at a local university. An atual PhD is designed to train someone to do work in research .... a professionall doctorate is designed to give someone skills to advance their career. The time, talent, and finances put towards either of these degrees is daunting. Also, like many PA schools, a final project or paper is required before a doctoral degree is awarded. This is the equivalent to writing a book or conducting a research study and then writing a smaller book on it. Alot of work to just learn something new. Especially since alot of doctoral degree time is spent doing and learning research methods. Feel free to message me ... I would recommend taking some to evalute what you want to learn and what you hope to do with that knowledge. If all you want is some exposure to new ideas Im not sure a PhD degree is the best move .... or even a professional doctorate such as an EdD or Dr. PH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.