Dilemma, help!!!

[sofie08]

Hi,

I am trying to decide whether to return to my caribbean med school or just come back and do PA school? I am in my second year and not sure if I want to continue anymore. I have always wanted to be a doctor, but now I am older and really don't feel the drive to be a doctor like I used to. I knew about PAs before, but never really investigated what it entailed until now and it's making me re-think my decision to continue med school.

Also, there is that uncertainty that comes along with not being able to come back to practice in the US with the caribbean route.

Any advice is appreciated!

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[deleted480308]

If you don't have an acceptance to a PA school already, you need to weigh that risk. You aren't choosing between med school and PA school. You are choosing between med school and the CHANCE at PA school.

are you at one of the big 4?

 

[sofie08]

That's true that is why I was thinking about applying to PA school first and see what happens.

 

[Mad Jack]

Apply to PA school and see if anyone will take you. If not, may as well continue.

 

[Skip Intro]

Hi,

I am trying to decide whether to return to my caribbean med school or just come back and do PA school? I am in my second year and not sure if I want to continue anymore. I have always wanted to be a doctor, but now I am older and really don't feel the drive to be a doctor like I used to. I knew about PAs before, but never really investigated what it entailed until now and it's making me re-think my decision to continue med school.

Also, there is that uncertainty that comes along with not being able to come back to practice in the US with the caribbean route.

Any advice is appreciated!

Your belief that you won't work as hard - and for far less money - as a PA is as naive as this entire post. Being a PA is somewhat like being a permanent medical or surgical resident.

(Sorry. Brutal honesty sometimes stings a little.)

If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Completely. This is very early in your medical training to be feeling burned-out.

-Skip

 

[sofie08]

No, one said PA school was not going to be hard. I think both professions require hard work and dedication. As I have said before, I am an older student and I was not sure if i really wanted to sacrifice another 6 yrs of my life before I can really start working. I know PAs that are actually very happy in their profession and they have more of a balanced lifestyle so I was entertaining the idea while it's still early.

Also, it's not about the heat. I am in med school now and I could very well stay if I continue to work hard, but I am getting older and I also have other expenses and responsibilities. I want to ensure that investing 8 yrs of my life is worth it in the end, especially going the Caribbean route.

 

[muqalia]

If your wavering now, I would suggest really determining what you want. Med school only gets more stressful. And then there is residency which is a like a mental version of "the deadliest catch"........

 

[Skip Intro]

I think both professions require hard work and dedication.

You are essentially a slave as a PA with little control over your own destiny. My wife is actually a PA (never stated that openly here before) and she works like a GD dog. She loves her job, yes. But, I see the abuse - and it is abuse - she takes from the physicians in her practice.

Truth is, she does all the scutwork relieving the docs of doing discharge summaries, dictations, entering orders, etc. and... for a fraction of the pay. They call her first at night. She works longer and harder than any of them, and they are raking it in. They bill her as 2nd assist on the surgeries she's in, and they pocket a much larger fraction of the money she should be getting.

She is basically an underpaid safety net for the geriatric surgeon she works primarily for, and who just told her that she's extended his career another 4-5 years. She's told me that he will most certainly kill her in that timeframe. Literally kill her. She can't keep it up, despite being significantly younger than myself. I've tried to convince her to go part-time or change jobs. She ain't hearing it. She's smart enough to be a physician and she's saved his ass too many times to count.

Caveat emptor.

-Skip

 

[Skip Intro]

And, just FYI... I posted this 3 1/2 years ago...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...np-and-pa-over-carib-md.749094/#post-13032626

-Skip

 

[hallowmann]

You are essentially a slave as a PA with little control over your own destiny. My wife is actually a PA (never stated that openly here before) and she works like a GD dog. She loves her job, yes. But, I see the abuse - and it is abuse - she takes from the physicians in her practice.

Truth is, she does all the scutwork relieving the docs of doing discharge summaries, dictations, entering orders, etc. and... for a fraction of the pay. They call her first at night. She works longer and harder than any of them, and they are raking it in. They bill her as 2nd assist on the surgeries she's in, and they pocket a much larger fraction of the money she should be getting.

She is basically an underpaid safety net for the geriatric surgeon she works primarily for, and who just told her that she's extended his career another 4-5 years. She's told me that he will most certainly kill her in that timeframe. Literally kill her. She can't keep it up, despite being significantly younger than myself. I've tried to convince her to go part-time or change jobs. She ain't hearing it. She's smart enough to be a physician and she's saved his ass too many times to count.

Caveat emptor.

-Skip

This is really very employer-specific. I know plenty of PAs that work sweet jobs, normal hours, and have physicians that respect them and treat them well. Maybe its because she's in the OR, maybe not, but I know people that landed easy gigs in private practice where they basically work 8-4 essentially interviewing patients and presenting to the physician.

Malignant environments exist in every profession. I'd recommend looking for another job, because they're out there, and life is too short.