Advice. Cut between two paths.

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Aloft085 said:
Are you claiming that I personally know nothing about the match? Or that your chance of not matching as a US MD student is a significant financial risk?

94.4 percent of U.S. allopathic seniors were matched to PGY-1 positions in 2014. Source: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2014.pdf .
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wow you just stated the most basic concept of the match data. again, just stop acting like you know about things you don't. I don't care if you were chairmen of the federal reserve, you don't know what you're claiming to know.
 
Aloft085 said:
Dude, just shut it. This thread was about financial advice, not medical advice. I'm not going to treated like an idiot just because my tag said "pre-med". You kids can embrace the pack mentality all you want; I certainly won't be deterred or intimidated from adding my two cents.
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"So my question, what drove you all to medicine? Is it worth it in the end? Do you have any regrets? How do you view PA? With the future is healthcare unsteady as it is what advice would you give to your own children? Thanks everyone for the help."

Ah yes, the silent plead for financial advice. It's often missed, thank you for your contribution.

The reason another poster asked you to stop calling people "kiddo" and "kids," etc. is because it makes you sound like a douche. There's a good chance you won't be the oldest person in your class, and you have no idea what age the people on this forum are. Further, they are your colleagues, and your clinical judgement is equally worthless. Not to mention that some of them will outperform you, despite being much younger.

Anyways, time to abandon thread.
 
I'm an MS2, but I seriously wish I gave PA school more of a look. Do I regret picking med school? Honestly, it's too early to say what was the best decision for me, but some days the less schooling, with still very solid pay looks very appealing and I do wonder if PA would have been better. Nonetheless I am happy with my decision for going with med school.

My reason for picking medicine was similar to what you're facing now. I was a very good student in college, and had a great application and felt I worked too hard to do something other than med school, so I followed through.

Ultimately for me personally, it came down to two things.
1) For me, having a shot at med school, if I didn't follow through and do med school, I would always wonder what if. I worked hard to have a good application, and so when it came time to apply, I wanted to fulfill that potential my application showed. Although it's been hard, I feel satisfaction in knowing I'm doing the best route I can do and not settling for anything less, and that helps me get through.
But this is a personal decision, and you have to ask if this is something important to you. You live life once, so do the one that will bring you the most satisfaction.

2) I am not certain I will like clinical medicine. I may end up wanting to do research, or public health work, or administration. I may be wrong, but I was and still am under the assumption that the MD is a more flexible degree and you can do more with it outside of clinical medicine. Thus, I went with a degree that would allow me to branch out more and do more things if I found myself getting tired of clinical medicine.

I can see you are very bright and thoughtful, so I'm certain both professions would be lucky to have you. Best of luck!

P.s. You mentioned shadowing docs who told you to do PA. Have you shadowed any PAs and gotten their opinions on this? I'd definitely try to here perspectives from both sides.
 
Lol, the fights you guys have are so childish. Why can't you guys just respect each other instead of telling the nontrad he doesn't "know anything" about the match or loans. Who the hell knows, maybe he was a loan counselor or a business exec in his old career and is much more knowledgeable about financial topics than even the most senior attending. Bottom line is that everyone has different experiences and it is good for everyone to be able to add there own perspective without five people ganging up on them and telling them they are insufferable over the internet.
 
Ismet said:
1) moving to pre-allo

2) keep it civil and on topic
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Thanks but I'd rather get advice from docs who have been through the process. Not pre meds who have not been there for obvious reasons. Thanks for the advice so far.
zeppelinpage4 said:
I'm an MS2, but I seriously wish I gave PA school more of a look. Do I regret picking med school? Honestly, it's too early to say what was the best decision for me, but some days the less schooling, with still very solid pay looks very appealing and I do wonder if PA would have been better. Nonetheless I am happy with my decision for going with med school.

My reason for picking medicine was similar to what you're facing now. I was a very good student in college, and had a great application and felt I worked too hard to do something other than med school, so I followed through.

Ultimately for me personally, it came down to two things.
1) For me, having a shot at med school, if I didn't follow through and do med school, I would always wonder what if. I worked hard to have a good application, and so when it came time to apply, I wanted to fulfill that potential my application showed. Although it's been hard, I feel satisfaction in knowing I'm doing the best route I can do and not settling for anything less, and that helps me get through.
But this is a personal decision, and you have to ask if this is something important to you. You live life once, so do the one that will bring you the most satisfaction.

2) I am not certain I will like clinical medicine. I may end up wanting to do research, or public health work, or administration. I may be wrong, but I was and still am under the assumption that the MD is a more flexible degree and you can do more with it outside of clinical medicine. Thus, I went with a degree that would allow me to branch out more and do more things if I found myself getting tired of clinical medicine.

I can see you are very bright and thoughtful, so I'm certain both professions would be lucky to have you. Best of luck!

P.s. You mentioned shadowing docs who told you to do PA. Have you shadowed any PAs and gotten their opinions on this? I'd definitely try to here perspectives from both sides.
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This is a huge driving force. Very similar. Yes, the PAs that I have shadowed are very content in their role. They are not micromanaged by a doc whatsoeevrr. I observed in critical care, orthopedics, FM, and ER. They did not want the issues that doctors face and wanted more time with patients. They all made a great salary and had a lot of time for their children And stuff outside of work. 4/8 of the PAs I shadowed had parents who worked as Physicians. From surgeons, to family medicine, to peds? If I remember correctly. They had taken the pre med curriculum or higher and had high GPAs.
 
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SnoLidz said:
Thanks but I'd rather get advice from docs who have been through the process. Not pre meds who have not been there for obvious reasons. Thanks for the advice so far.
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I understand completely, but plenty of med students and physicians frequent pre-allo and can give you great advice. The Allopathic forum is for current medical students.
 
Ismet said:
I understand completely, but plenty of med students and physicians frequent pre-allo and can give you great advice. The Allopathic forum is for current medical students.
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Gotcha no problem.
 
All of this rage at aloft because he stated some facts "he hasn't experienced yet." 🙄 You've probably never had cancer, does that mean you can't tell people what to expect if you've researched it?

The condescending "I'm further along than you so just hush little bb" is the medical hierarchy that we all hate to a T. It's worth noting that the post which started this was 100% an ad hominem against him, as it usually is. It's nothing more than PIMPing (literal interpretation) to make yourself feel more important. Aloft's input should be welcome.

f1fu5.jpg
 
SnoLidz said:
Thanks but I'd rather get advice from docs who have been through the process. Not pre meds who have not been there for obvious reasons. Thanks for the advice so far.


This is a huge driving force. Very similar. Yes, the PAs that I have shadowed are very content in their role. They are not micromanaged by a doc whatsoeevrr. I observed in critical care, orthopedics, FM, and ER. They did not want the issues that doctors face and wanted more time with patients. They all made a great salary and had a lot of time for their children And stuff outside of work. 4/8 of the PAs I shadowed had parents who worked as Physicians. From surgeons, to family medicine, to peds? If I remember correctly. They had taken the pre med curriculum or higher and had high GPAs.
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That is fantastic to hear, I wish I had done similar and shadowed PAs in college, I may have followed through on the PA route.

You sound very similar to me, work/life balance is what I want more than anything. I see the docs who let medicine consume them, their health, their families may have taken a hit and there are things I am not willing to sacrifice, I'd much rather leave the field if it came down to that.
There's no point in having a job as a doc and the salary, if you're ultimately not happy with the rest of your life.

It seems like the PAs you spoke with have a good bit of autonomy and are happy with their work and pay, while still having time for their lives. That's not a small thing, and would be a strong reason to go PA if work/life balance is important to you too.

On the other hand, I'll mention that I have read on this site that PAs can have rough hours too depending on what setting they are working in. And I have met happy doctors, who have their lives together, so, I wouldn't say work/life balance is ruled out by picking med school. Just, being a doc, you may need to wait till you get through all the training before you get the balance, and specialize in a field and have a work setting that allows for it. My guess is, PA is likely more conducive to have that work/life balance, but it's possible to achieve it in medicine too, it just may takes more effort and time to do so.

So I guess it really comes down to, where your values are personally, and being honest with yourself about it. For me, I wanted to go all out and I think it would have bothered me doing something else. And so I went with med school.
But, if that doesn't matter to you too much and PA is a better fit, then go for it and don't look back. These things unfortunately, you don't fully know if you made the right decision until you've followed through and done it.
 
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zeppelinpage4 said:
That is fantastic to hear, I wish I had done similar and shadowed PAs in college, I may have followed through on the PA route.

You sound very similar to me, work/life balance is what I want more than anything. I see the docs who let medicine consume them, their health, their families may have taken a hit and there are things I am not willing to sacrifice, I'd much rather leave the field if it came down to that.
There's no point in having a job as a doc and the salary, if you're ultimately not happy with the rest of your life.

It seems like the PAs you spoke with have a good bit of autonomy and are happy with their work and pay, while still having time for their lives. That's not a small thing, and would be a strong reason to go PA if work/life balance is important to you too.

On the other hand, I'll mention that I have read on this site that PAs can have rough hours too depending on what setting they are working in. And I have met happy doctors, who have their lives together, so, I wouldn't say work/life balance is ruled out by picking med school. Just, being a doc, you may need to wait till you get through all the training before you get the balance, and specialize in a field and have a work setting that allows for it. My guess is, PA is likely more conducive to have that work/life balance, but it's possible to achieve it in medicine too, it just may takes more effort and time to do so.

So I guess it really comes down to, where your values are personally, and being honest with yourself about it. For me, I wanted to go all out and I think it would have bothered me doing something else. And so I went with med school.
But, if that doesn't matter to you too much and PA is a better fit, then go for it and don't look back. These things unfortunately, you don't fully know if you made the right decision until you've followed through and done it.
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For sure. We really are similar! Lol long lost SDN twin. That is what the anesthesiologist told me "If you can't see yourself doing ANYTHING else, then go for it by all means". There are many positives about medical school which places me at this position. A PA who worked for him was another excellent clinician and essentially got frustrated and went back to med school (three years instead of four). However, I really hold your same mentality. I worked so hard and can have such a great application. BTW. MCATs would be fine. I was scoring pretty well on my practice exams. Very surprising especially since SATs were not amazing. Low 1300s/1600s. But alas, we shall see. More shadowing thus month and I will have a decision. Everyone thanks so much. I appreciate it.
 
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SnoLidz said:
For sure. We really are similar! Lol long lost SDN twin. That is what the anesthesiologist told me "If you can't see yourself doing ANYTHING else, then go for it by all means". There are many positives about medical school which places me at this position. A PA who worked for him was another excellent clinician and essentially got frustrated and went back to med school (three years instead of four). However, I really hold your same mentality. I worked so hard and can have such a great application. BTW. MCATs would be fine. I was scoring pretty well on my practice exams. Very surprising especially since SATs were not amazing. Low 1300s/1600s. But alas, we shall see. More shadowing thus month and I will have a decision. Everyone thanks so much. I appreciate it.
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Oh man, we really are! I struggled with my SATs and didn't do very well, everyone thought I would struggle on my MCAT too, but then did a turn around and managed to do well haha.

And yeah, best of luck with the shadowing and decision making. The one good thing of having such a strong application and potential, is that now you're in a position where you can choose between the two.
 
zeppelinpage4 said:
Oh man, we really are! I struggled with my SATs and didn't do very well, everyone thought I would struggle on my MCAT too, but then did a turn around and managed to do well haha.

And yeah, best of luck with the shadowing and decision making.
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Thank you! Best of luck to you with your medical training. Based off of your responses I can tell you are going to be an amazing doctor.
 
PA

I'm a hardworker but I cherish my personal time. I'm constantly out with friends, going out, spend lots of time with significant other, love to travel. I like medicine but not sure if taking the plunge is what I want to do. I like ER medicine but can definitely see myself in FM IM or Peds. Specialities are nice but I'm not so great with standardized testing. Not horrible but its not my strong suit. Hence, idk if I wanna ride the chance on USMLE to match me. PAs work in every specialty. Lateral mobility is extremely appealing. I can definitely see myself happy as a PA
 
^^reasonable advice from Goro, but you really have to answer for yourself whether you can accept a permanent role as a dependent provider. What was ok with me as a new grad PA at 26 was no longer ok at 35, when my new EM attending had been out of high school less time than I had been practicing. I realized I couldn't still be under somebody's thumb at 50, so I went back to med school. For me the sacrifices (and they are tremendous) are worthwhile, but it's a very personal choice. I was sometimes a happy PA, but almost never a content one. The tough thing is it's very hard to tell your 22-year-old self what your 40-year-old self will be happy with, or without.
Either way I think you're set for success. Good luck!
 
primadonna22274 said:
^^reasonable advice from Goro, but you really have to answer for yourself whether you can accept a permanent role as a dependent provider. What was ok with me as a new grad PA at 26 was no longer ok at 35, when my new EM attending had been out of high school less time than I had been practicing. I realized I couldn't still be under somebody's thumb at 50, so I went back to med school. For me the sacrifices (and they are tremendous) are worthwhile, but it's a very personal choice. I was sometimes a happy PA, but almost never a content one. The tough thing is it's very hard to tell your 22-year-old self what your 40-year-old self will be happy with, or without.
Either way I think you're set for success. Good luck!
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I appreciate the honest feedback and thanks for your kind words. So you went back to med school. I know this is rare..did you have aspirations of becoming a doctor before PA? Was medical school ever on the table when you were thinking of PA? Did you contemplate changing jobs to something where you wouldn't be dealing with a younger attending? sorry for all the questions..lol
 
Yes, yes, and...no, I don't think so lol.
Had dreams of becoming a physician at 14. Got off-track in HS and college--didn't have any mentors, didn't know any physicians personally. Married young (21). My ex-husband was not supportive of my desire to go to medical school so I compromised for PA instead. In many ways it was a very lucky compromise and I am profoundly grateful that I had the opportunity to be a PA first--medical school and residency are HARD - and I'm not so sure I would have had the fortitude to stick with it in my 20s without the experiences as a PA that shaped me.
 
primadonna22274 said:
Yes, yes, and...no, I don't think so lol.
Had dreams of becoming a physician at 14. Got off-track in HS and college--didn't have any mentors, didn't know any physicians personally. Married young (21). My ex-husband was not supportive of my desire to go to medical school so I compromised for PA instead. In many ways it was a very lucky compromise and I am profoundly grateful that I had the opportunity to be a PA first--medical school and residency are HARD - and I'm not so sure I would have had the fortitude to stick with it in my 20s without the experiences as a PA that shaped me.
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I see, so being a PA really bolstered your decisions. Like you said it's really difficult at 23 to make this life decision and hopefully my 40 year old self will be cool with it. The training is daunting. Heck, the main reason why I even switched into the pre-med coursework was due to the girl I was dating when we first went to college (mind you we dated for 8 years in total) but still..I was like "Ohh I'm doing well let's stick with it" lol. My current GF hates the idea as well. She doesn't want to lose me in this process (we have been dating for 4 years now). She's in dental school (hence was pushing me to look into that from my original post) and says she will break up with me if I decide to carry on...Can't tell if she's bluffing but regardless..On a side note, where do you personally think the PA field is heading? They are essentially the last health major health professionals without a "doctorate" per say. Nursing lobbying really is a stronger force than PA due to sheer size but still.
 
You may want to take your questions to physicianassistantforum.com
Most likely the PAs will be forced to convert to a doctorate over the next decade just like everyone else...the trouble is nobody knows what that means for a PA in clinical practice.
 
primadonna22274 said:
You may want to take your questions to physicianassistantforum.com
Most likely the PAs will be forced to convert to a doctorate over the next decade just like everyone else...the trouble is nobody knows what that means for a PA in clinical practice.
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Cool will do!
 
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