Should I be a PA so I can be a mom?

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I've been browsing through SDN for a while now trying to gain some insight into my situation. I'm single female, 26, and considering medical school vs. PA school. By the time I got into med school I'd be 27 at least, so I wouldn't be done until I"m 35, which is kinda late for kids. I know that I'd be a good doctor, but don't want to rule out having a family. I know that it's possible to do both, but at tremendous sacrifice. I'm not superwoman and never will be, which is what it sounds like you have to be to make it work. I'm hard-working and persevering, but not awesome at multi-tasking and juggling tons of stressful stuff at once.
I'm considering primary care, which is not as bad as some areas but residency would still entail 80-100 hour weeks, I presume. I guess my question is, should I be a PA so that I have reasonable work loads and a manageable, family-friendly schedule?
A part of me thinks that if I were a PA I'd want more, but that might not be the case. Thanks for your help!

go to medschool. it's what you really want. folks have kids in medschool/residency all the time.

Originally Posted by annospree

I've been browsing through SDN for a while now trying to gain some insight into my situation. I'm single female, 26, and considering medical school vs. PA school. By the time I got into med school I'd be 27 at least, so I wouldn't be done until I"m 35, which is kinda late for kids. I know that I'd be a good doctor, but don't want to rule out having a family. I know that it's possible to do both, but at tremendous sacrifice. I'm not superwoman and never will be, which is what it sounds like you have to be to make it work. I'm hard-working and persevering, but not awesome at multi-tasking and juggling tons of stressful stuff at once.
I'm considering primary care, which is not as bad as some areas but residency would still entail 80-100 hour weeks, I presume. I guess my question is, should I be a PA so that I have reasonable work loads and a manageable, family-friendly schedule?
A part of me thinks that if I were a PA I'd want more, but that might not be the case. Thanks for your help!

With the 80hr/wk limit, alot of residencies are cutting back on hours, especially the nonsurgical residencies. I was with the local family residency program this past summer and the residents have all told me they usually don't go over 60hr/week (that includes overnight call). Two of the people in the program had babies in the residency (and one is pregnant again!). There are quite a few female friendly residencies out there now since half of all med students are girls.

One warning, this is a network for student doctors, so the advice you get will be biased towards going to med school. But you are about the same age as me when I decided to do med school. As a girl who would also like to have kids, I understand you reticence. But plenty of people have gone through medical school with spouses and kids. It *is* harder as females to do med school and family, but plenty have done it. It comes down to how much you would like to be a doctor. The process will entail sacrifice, but I think it's worth it.

The question you have to ask yourself is: will you regret not going to med school if you do PA now? If you think you'd be happy doing either, then PA may be the best path for you since it is the way of least resistance. But if you think you would like the expanded scope of practice, then perhaps medicine is the better option. The thing you have to realize is, many things in life requires sacrifice, especially early on in your life, but the rewards for them do come later on in life. Good luck.

PA school is not any easier than MD school. So you're really talking three years vs four. Residents are not worked within an inch of death any more, except in a few of the more toxic specialties; funnily enough, that approach proved not to be optimal for learning.

Lots of people have kids in med school and in residency. You should be fine.

Originally Posted by QuikClot

PA school is not any easier than MD school.

Surprising.

Originally Posted by QuikClot

Residents are not worked within an inch of death any more, except in a few of the more toxic specialties; funnily enough, that approach proved not to be optimal for learning.

Not surprising.

I am exactly on the same boat as you. I am 26 single female and deciding if I should go for the MD or PA/NP route. Many people on these forums are biased to medical school, but I think you really need to decide what you want for yourself. The reason to not go to med school should not just be about having kids or a family because .... why worry about something that hasn't happened. I want those things too, but those things will happen no matter what field you choose. Think more closely about the lifestyle, the kind of life you want, what type of capacity you want to help people, do you care having the title and everything that comes with it .... keep in mind: PA/NPs today do a lot of what physicians can do and with less liability/stress. I'm sure you know the risks and benefits about becoming a physician already. Instead of worrying about the sacrifice and the long path... think about the end result. How do you see yourself? Working as a physician or working as a PA/NP? What type of medicine do you want to practice?

It is a difficult decision for me too. Most of my friends are physicians or in med school. I suggest taking some time to talk to PA/NPs and comparing everything from lifestyle, happiness, stress, liability, salary and anything else you're worried about. See both sides and think about what fits you. That's what's important.

I think both are all good choices and I'm sure you'll be fine either choice you make. Good luck!

Originally Posted by annospree

I know that I'd be a good doctor, but don't want to rule out having a family.

No need to rule anything out.

Originally Posted by annospree

I know that it's possible to do both, but at tremendous sacrifice.

I'm a medical student and a mother ... my life can be tricky, but I definitely wouldn't call it a "tremendous sacrifice". Choosing to be a SAHM and missing out on being a doctor ... or choosing not to have children and missing out on being a mother ... THOSE are tremendous sacrifices. I expect life to get harder during residency and then easier once I'm done with training. I'm optimistic and am tentatively planning to have a second child during residency.

Originally Posted by annospree

I'm not superwoman and never will be.

Me neither. What I am is a good-enough mother and a good-enough medical student. And I have lots of help: my husband is an incredible father and picks up lots of slack at home. My kid goes to a great daycare. And I just hired a woman to come and clean my house once a week.

Originally Posted by annospree

I'm hard-working and persevering, but not awesome at multi-tasking and juggling tons of stressful stuff at once.

Medical school will make you better at this and motherhood wil make you much better. Don't sweat it at this point.

Originally Posted by annospree

I'm considering primary care, which is not as bad as some areas but residency would still entail 80-100 hour weeks, I presume.

Nah. You could find a community-based family medicine residency that would have pretty decent hours after intern year. Definitely no where near 100 hour weeks. More like 60.

Originally Posted by annospree

I guess my question is, should I be a PA so that I have reasonable work loads and a manageable, family-friendly schedule?

Sure, if you want. But you could probably also be happy as a doctor.

One option that many fail to consider is when one is done with training (med school and residency) is to temporarily suspend one's professional carreer for a few years while staying at home to raise one's baby. You can always return to the profession of medicine once they go into kindergarten or whatever. It is true that you will miss a few years of experience, but consider this: you won't miss your baby's first steps, you won't miss the first time your baby gives that big open mouth slobbery kiss, you'll be there to hear that first precious word and you'll be there to be excited about every tree and bird your baby points out to you. Each mother has to decide how important these things are to her, and I think that once you (the OP) decide this for yourself, the rest will fall into place.

I entered med school at 28, completed residency at 36 and had my babies in the middle of it all.

Do what you love, and age is just a number...

Go for medschool. If that's what you want, go for it.