Hey guys, I recently applied to PA school but I'm also heavily considering optometry this cycle as well. I know this has likely been beaten to death but I was looking to gather some opinions as to which may be the better choice.
My GPA is a 3.2 (3.4 with post-bacc science work at a community college). I have not taken the OAT yet.
The greatest draw for optometry for me is the fact that unlike a PA, you can be autonomous as a doctor. The issue with this though is that it's sounding more and more like private practice is a thing of a past and you'll likely be working corporate for a good chunk of your starting career, if not the entirety of it. I don't mind doing corporate for a few years after graduating but I would eventually like to be my own boss, which there is zero chance of as a PA.
I also like that the life of an optometrist seems more relaxed and laid back. No emergencies, less likely to be sued, patients likely aren't anxious or in pain, just overall a more easy going day to day job. That greatly appeals to me.
Finally, my biggest issue with PA is that you're perpetually "just a PA." There's no upward mobility.
But there are two aspects of being a PA that seem to far outweigh OD and are what's pushing me more towards that direction even though all things being equal I think I would probably choose OD. First is the job availability. Optometry seems to be nothing but negativity with job saturation and people not even being able to find full time work, let alone wondering where the profession will be in 30 years. PA's are exploding right now and likely will be for the next 20 years. Jobs are everywhere for them. That's huge.
Also, I feel a PA is a more altruistic profession in which I can care more directly for patients. I feel like I'm "helping" them more as a PA than as an OD, although I would also have that satisfaction as an OD on a smaller scale.
I don't know. All things being equal (mainly, the peace of mind that optometry actually is a stable profession and not going anywhere anytime soon) I would choose OD over PA. That said, I feel like the smarter choice is PA even though it's probably my second choice.
Do you agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear opinions from people who have more invested in this than I do. I have not done any Optometrist shadowing yet so I only have what I've read on forums to go by.
My GPA is a 3.2 (3.4 with post-bacc science work at a community college). I have not taken the OAT yet.
The greatest draw for optometry for me is the fact that unlike a PA, you can be autonomous as a doctor. The issue with this though is that it's sounding more and more like private practice is a thing of a past and you'll likely be working corporate for a good chunk of your starting career, if not the entirety of it. I don't mind doing corporate for a few years after graduating but I would eventually like to be my own boss, which there is zero chance of as a PA.
I also like that the life of an optometrist seems more relaxed and laid back. No emergencies, less likely to be sued, patients likely aren't anxious or in pain, just overall a more easy going day to day job. That greatly appeals to me.
Finally, my biggest issue with PA is that you're perpetually "just a PA." There's no upward mobility.
But there are two aspects of being a PA that seem to far outweigh OD and are what's pushing me more towards that direction even though all things being equal I think I would probably choose OD. First is the job availability. Optometry seems to be nothing but negativity with job saturation and people not even being able to find full time work, let alone wondering where the profession will be in 30 years. PA's are exploding right now and likely will be for the next 20 years. Jobs are everywhere for them. That's huge.
Also, I feel a PA is a more altruistic profession in which I can care more directly for patients. I feel like I'm "helping" them more as a PA than as an OD, although I would also have that satisfaction as an OD on a smaller scale.
I don't know. All things being equal (mainly, the peace of mind that optometry actually is a stable profession and not going anywhere anytime soon) I would choose OD over PA. That said, I feel like the smarter choice is PA even though it's probably my second choice.
Do you agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear opinions from people who have more invested in this than I do. I have not done any Optometrist shadowing yet so I only have what I've read on forums to go by.
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