Hi everyone,
I have been a PA for 6 years, and have practiced in CT/Vascular Surgery, Anesthesia (ran a preop testing office for the group), Emergency Medicine (per diem), and Gen Surg (including some Urology). While working for the anesthesia group, I was really intrigued with the practice of anesthesia, but was frustrated with the limitations inherent to being a PA with respect to this specialty. Since then, I've had more opportunities to be directly responsible for ICU patients in my current job in Gen Surg, and have developed a stronger interest in critical care -- this has led to my starting a per diem ICU job in the next couple of months, in the interest of getting more critical care experience/skills under my belt. So far, preparation for this has included FCCS certification, courses for central line placement and cardiac arrest simulations, etc. Recent events led me to remember how much I enjoyed many of the aspects of the practice of anesthesia, and my interests in general have seemed to coalesce, leading me to think about medical school with the goal of doing an anesthesia residency. Without getting into too much detail, some of the recent events involved the limits on respect that has always been present over the years as a PA. That plus the realization that I believe I have the talent and capacity to perform well as an anesthesia MD. As a PA, I could conceivably enroll in an AA course of study for 2 years at 1 of the only 5 or 6 programs in existence, but then there are only 15 states where AA practice is allowed, and I would still be limited given that I am not the MD. Plus, at this point in my life/career, I feel I should just not beat around the bush and just go for the MD degree and do this full-on.
Here is my background:
-Graduated in 2005 from Ivy league surgically focused PA program, lots of leadership activities at the time. Transferred in credits from state school in Miami, at which time I was a pre-med Bio major, so I had 1 year Bio and 1 yr Chem which I took in 1997-98 that was accepted at my PA program (also took Stats back then). Took Developmental Psych to beef up PA application. Don't recall my exact science GPA, but I remember A-s and B+s.
-BA in English/music minor from state school in NYC, with GPA 4.0
-Fluent in Spanish, also speak Portuguese and French
Additional info re: academic situation:
-Worked full-time and was a part-time student x10 years to finish undergrad (I graduated HS in 1991, and am 37 years old).
-Was asked to travel for work x2 wks while taking Org Chem I and Physics I (I did technical training/help desk for law firms while in undergrad), which caused me to fall behind and ended up having to drop these classes. Since I figured I couldn't get in to med school with a "W" in Org Chem, I decided to chg my major to something versatile/enjoyable, hence my English degree.
-Took Biochem in PA school, but not sure if it would be counted since I think the duration may have been slightly shorter than a usual semester given the compressed schedules of a PA curriculum.
Concerns:
-Given my age, I would obviously like to get in to med school as soon as possible, which leads me to questions like:
(1) Will most schools require me to retake my Bio and Chem courses given that they were taken so long ago? Is there any sort of centralized way to figure this out, or would it depend on each individual school?
(2) Assuming I could avoid retaking these courses, could I conceivably fast-track the Bio and Chem courses somehow or even do some self-study to be in a good position to take Org Chem and Physics, and ultimately, the MCAT?
(3) Given that I already have strong clinical experience and would have the ability to get great letters of recommendation (many of my attendings have already expressed great enthusiasm towards helping me with this), do I really need to look into some other extracurricular activities/volunteer work?
Even though I just joined this forum, I have already found a few posts by PAs who are either already in med school or who are in the process of applying, and it would be great your specific opinions on my situation. I realize I will be getting a lot of flack from a lot of people about my decision to go to med school, but that's OK. I've just come to the conclusion that I want more out of what I do in medicine, and since my interest lies specifically in a specialty that I am unable to engage in as a PA, this is the best step for me. Any advice/suggestions/input anyone can provide would be really appreciated.
Thanks!
prism74
I have been a PA for 6 years, and have practiced in CT/Vascular Surgery, Anesthesia (ran a preop testing office for the group), Emergency Medicine (per diem), and Gen Surg (including some Urology). While working for the anesthesia group, I was really intrigued with the practice of anesthesia, but was frustrated with the limitations inherent to being a PA with respect to this specialty. Since then, I've had more opportunities to be directly responsible for ICU patients in my current job in Gen Surg, and have developed a stronger interest in critical care -- this has led to my starting a per diem ICU job in the next couple of months, in the interest of getting more critical care experience/skills under my belt. So far, preparation for this has included FCCS certification, courses for central line placement and cardiac arrest simulations, etc. Recent events led me to remember how much I enjoyed many of the aspects of the practice of anesthesia, and my interests in general have seemed to coalesce, leading me to think about medical school with the goal of doing an anesthesia residency. Without getting into too much detail, some of the recent events involved the limits on respect that has always been present over the years as a PA. That plus the realization that I believe I have the talent and capacity to perform well as an anesthesia MD. As a PA, I could conceivably enroll in an AA course of study for 2 years at 1 of the only 5 or 6 programs in existence, but then there are only 15 states where AA practice is allowed, and I would still be limited given that I am not the MD. Plus, at this point in my life/career, I feel I should just not beat around the bush and just go for the MD degree and do this full-on.
Here is my background:
-Graduated in 2005 from Ivy league surgically focused PA program, lots of leadership activities at the time. Transferred in credits from state school in Miami, at which time I was a pre-med Bio major, so I had 1 year Bio and 1 yr Chem which I took in 1997-98 that was accepted at my PA program (also took Stats back then). Took Developmental Psych to beef up PA application. Don't recall my exact science GPA, but I remember A-s and B+s.
-BA in English/music minor from state school in NYC, with GPA 4.0
-Fluent in Spanish, also speak Portuguese and French
Additional info re: academic situation:
-Worked full-time and was a part-time student x10 years to finish undergrad (I graduated HS in 1991, and am 37 years old).
-Was asked to travel for work x2 wks while taking Org Chem I and Physics I (I did technical training/help desk for law firms while in undergrad), which caused me to fall behind and ended up having to drop these classes. Since I figured I couldn't get in to med school with a "W" in Org Chem, I decided to chg my major to something versatile/enjoyable, hence my English degree.
-Took Biochem in PA school, but not sure if it would be counted since I think the duration may have been slightly shorter than a usual semester given the compressed schedules of a PA curriculum.
Concerns:
-Given my age, I would obviously like to get in to med school as soon as possible, which leads me to questions like:
(1) Will most schools require me to retake my Bio and Chem courses given that they were taken so long ago? Is there any sort of centralized way to figure this out, or would it depend on each individual school?
(2) Assuming I could avoid retaking these courses, could I conceivably fast-track the Bio and Chem courses somehow or even do some self-study to be in a good position to take Org Chem and Physics, and ultimately, the MCAT?
(3) Given that I already have strong clinical experience and would have the ability to get great letters of recommendation (many of my attendings have already expressed great enthusiasm towards helping me with this), do I really need to look into some other extracurricular activities/volunteer work?
Even though I just joined this forum, I have already found a few posts by PAs who are either already in med school or who are in the process of applying, and it would be great your specific opinions on my situation. I realize I will be getting a lot of flack from a lot of people about my decision to go to med school, but that's OK. I've just come to the conclusion that I want more out of what I do in medicine, and since my interest lies specifically in a specialty that I am unable to engage in as a PA, this is the best step for me. Any advice/suggestions/input anyone can provide would be really appreciated.
Thanks!
prism74
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