LSUtiger Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I'm currently a sophomore at LSU pursuing my B.S. in Kinesiology. I hope to attend PA school following my graduation and work towards becoming a PA-C. I'm entirely dedicated to this path and have a steady job as a medical scribe to assist me in getting my patient contact hours. However, I'm having some difficulty with my family regarding this career path. Some of my close family members don't seem to grasp the concept of PAs, instead misinterpreting them as literal assistants to doctors and a profession more along the lines of nursing. I've tried explaining to them what they are, what they do, where they work, etc. but they can't seem to get the whole picture. They also see this path as me giving 50%. "Why don't you just become a doctor?" and "You'll eventually pull around and get your MD" are common phrases I hear all the time. I don't want to be a doctor. I don't want to go to med school. I want to be a PA, but my family doesn't understand their role or importance. I was wondering if anyone else has been in this situation, and if you guys have any suggestions on how to convince my family that this is a respectable career path and that I'm making a conscious, adult decision not to pursue my MD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Im really not trying to be rude but if you know that you have clearly explained it, maybe given them links to AAPA website and they still dont get it...they probably never will. My thing is, if you know what you want.....does it really matter that much if everyone else cant grasp it? I mean if they never come around to your thinking and accept your choice, will that make you change your mind? If not....if you are 100% that this is right for you, then no need to keep explaining over and over. Its not your job to convince anyone whats right for you--family should see that youre serious about this for yourself and be willing to support you. Sometimes to make people understand that your choice makes you happy, is to just follow your plan and they will come around by seeing you do what you love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 This is something you'll deal with most of your career. There are a plethora of threads here regarding the title and public perception based soley on our title. What I recommend is scrolling through those threads and see how others explain our job function and where we fit in the healthcare model. Regarding the confusion regarding med school.. There is a thread that should be a good read for you thats titled something like college graduates being discouraged. It gives some insight on the debate of young college graduates going to med school vs PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUtiger Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 I hadn't thought about giving them literature.. I'll print out some stuff to give them next time they bring up the issue. Thanks. And thanks Timon. I'll check that thread out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM2PA Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Inb4 someone tells you to go to med school because you're young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I think all PAs, students and those aspiring to the profession have run into this exact issue. Just the other night at Christmas eve dinner I had to try and explain to my 85 y/o grandpa that I wasn't going to be a doctor...to which he replied in his thick portuguese accent, "oh so you're just going to assist the doctor then?"...(sigh)...yeah gramps, something along those lines...pass the gravy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliskin Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 This profession is overdue for a name change. Some advertisement to educate the public sure wouldn't hurt either. So many misconceptions could be avoided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applicant Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I am running into a similar issue with my father. He even thinks that I will have trouble finding a job once I get certified because his girlfriend has a hard time finding a job as a certified medical coding personel. Two completely different paths but he lumps it all up as health care and thinks that way about every health care profession (when we all know that is not the case for PAs at least). Anyway, I think some people - like my father - are not educated enough to really know what PAs do, what they are capable of, and how much it is growing. My father also thinks education is too expensive (which might be the case) but then again he never went to college himself. I am a first generation Hispanic American and first to attend college so I understand your hurdle. It is best to educate them (and yourself) on what PAs are and what they can do and how vital they are to the medical field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUtiger Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 I appreciate the replies, thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 This profession is overdue for a name change. Some advertisement to educate the public sure wouldn't hurt either. So many misconceptions could be avoided. Name change is needed and I encourage all pre-PA and PA students to become active in your student PA organizations to modernize the PA name, and to be active in modernizing PA practice laws. Consider joining pasfortomorrow.org , an organization that is working for modernization of the PA laws, marketing, supervision language in state laws, title change and studying the profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 ^^^ classic song that will be forever loved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnsmith20 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I don't think my father fully understood what a PA was until I took him with me to an information session at one of the schools I applied to. That's when it clicked for him. Now everytime he goes to the doctor (at the VA) he's always asking about if they have PAs there...lol smh it seems (in my case) like when the info is coming from a 3rd party source, family tends to be more receptive. Just my 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 My parents still think I am MA....or a "higher level MA." My in laws think I just play around with pts giving them information that the doctor provides. I still get flak from referral docs wanting to speak with my SP on pts he saw once and I mostly follow. You can't win em all. You kinda have to develop thick skin pretty quickly as a PA, methinks. One positive, when I worked in PM&R I saw a lot of WC pts. When it came time for peer-to-peer calls for auths for tx, I usually got a nurse vs a doc or PA/NP. I usually won those ;) Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I find that if someone doesn't get the "assistant" thing, and you use title "associate", people tend to get it better. I only use it in social situations where no harm can come from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead Pipe Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 haha I don't think I've told anyone that I plan on becoming a PA without them saying "But you eventually want to be a doctor, right?" or "but you're smart enough to be a doctor." I hope the name change comes soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sartort Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 My mom works with PAs as a nurse so I've been lucky enough to not have to deal with this from my parents. My aunt encouraged me to be an MD instead, but I think she isn't familiar with the profession and I just let it go after giving a few reasons why I prefer PA. Considering I'm the only one in my family to go to a university, I expect that a lot of them don't really know what I'm talking about because they sound slightly disappointed when I tell them I'm going to be a physician assistant and not a physician. Everyone I know who has been a patient of a PA understands though. In addition to giving them a good description and literature, I recommend suggesting to your relatives that the next time they make an appointment to see their usual doctor that they ask if they can see a PA instead. Getting the same care from a PA as they do from an MD/DO should drive it home. If that's not possible and you have worked/volunteered with or shadowed a PA they might be willing to let a relative shadow for a few hours as a favor to you. If one of your relatives can help explain how cool of a job it is to the others it could help. We can't be upset with people for their lack of understanding. I was told I had to wait 3 months to see my gynecologist last year and when I asked if there was a PA I could see sooner I found out that there were openings that same week. The office personnel should be suggesting the option when scheduling if the doctors is all booked up and the doctors should be mentioning to patients that they have a PA, especially if they know their patient waited for months to be seen. It's difficult for PAs to do all the advocating for the profession when they don't get to meet the patient. I'm sure the doctors and the office staff have their reasonings though- its time consuming to explain the profession to some people. In the end you'll practice medicine and if they still think you have an inferior career, so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScienceisAmazin Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I know not all PAs have Master's degree, but when people ask, this is my best explanation: Y'know how physicians have a doctorate in medicine? Well, I'll be getting my Master's. I'll be doing about 80% of what they do, including hands-on procedures, diagnosing conditions, and prescribing medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I know not all PAs have Master's degree, but when people ask, this is my best explanation: Y'know how physicians have a doctorate in medicine? Well, I'll be getting my Master's. I'll be doing about 80% of what they do, including hands-on procedures, diagnosing conditions, and prescribing medicine. Fail.... You aren't getting a "masters in medicine." And as a PA I do 100% of what my SP does....try again. Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorRRT Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I've put it like this to family/friends: As a PA, I'll be practicing medicine with a degree of physician oversight. If they still don't get it, I go deeper; but most people seem to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marktheshark89 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Fail.... You aren't getting a "masters in medicine." And as a PA I do 100% of what my SP does....try again. Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk Some programs do actually offer a Master's in Medicine/Medical Sciences, so some PAs do actually have this degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Some programs do actually offer a Master's in Medicine/Medical Sciences, so some PAs do actually have this degree. That is still not a "masters in medicine" and not by any means a masters version of the MD. Some of my classmates got this through St Francis (MMS) and it is more of a research masters more (exactly) like the MSPAS which we get as PAs from MSPAS programs. I get mine in July. It is NOT a masters in medicine like some kind of masters version of the doctorate docs get... Eh whatever..my point was to not explain what we PA-Cs do by describing a degree...It's not altogethe true. I'd rather explain it by what I do instead of some catchy gimmicky explanation like the MS vs MD notion. I'd rather not have to explain it at all but hey we are all out of rainbows and unicorns Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUtiger Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Considering I'm the only one in my family to go to a university, I expect that a lot of them don't really know what I'm talking about... I know this feeling too well. When I came back home for winter break, I visited my grandmother and she ended up asking me if I was still majoring in that "weird religious thing." I was a bit confused, and she elaborated by explaining that it's the thing Tom Cruise does. Apparently she thought I was majoring in "Scientology" - not kinesiology - the entire time I've been at my university. I can't and don't want to begin to imagine how many people she's told, "My grandson is majoring in Scientology." I felt completely discredited that she thought I was taking classes on Scientology rather than biology, motor development, biomechanics, physics, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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