Curious about PA

[BTR1208]

So up until now I have been set on Dental school. I was planning on taking the DAT and applying to d-school this June. The big thing that draws me to dental school is the lifestyle. Being able to work 4-5 days a week and bring in good money to support my family. That being said the debt is really scary. Looking at 400k+ if I attend a private school and i only have ONE in state school which would still set me back $200k+.

I have been looking into PA now as another option. I like the fact that it is only 2 years and the tuition is drastically cheaper. I have a 3.7 GPA with a 3.75 sGPA. I would love to be able to specialize in dermatology, plastics, sports medicine or even pediatrics as a PA. Is it possible to still live a decent lifestyle while bringing in good money as a PA in these fields and how hard is it to specialize in a certain area?

Are PA's generally looked down on? I am a natural leader and like the idea of being my own boss but know i would be giving that up with PA most likely correct? If I do choose this path is there anything specific I should be doing?

Any advice you have would be great!

Thanks!

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[W19]

So up until now I have been set on Dental school. I was planning on taking the DAT and applying to d-school this June. The big thing that draws me to dental school is the lifestyle. Being able to work 4-5 days a week and bring in good money to support my family. That being said the debt is really scary. Looking at 400k+ if I attend a private school and i only have ONE in state school which would still set me back $200k+.

I have been looking into PA now as another option. I like the fact that it is only 2 years and the tuition is drastically cheaper. I have a 3.7 GPA with a 3.75 sGPA. I would love to be able to specialize in dermatology, plastics, sports medicine or even pediatrics as a PA. Is it possible to still live a decent lifestyle while bringing in good money as a PA in these fields and how hard is it to specialize in a certain area?

Are PA's generally looked down on? I am a natural leader and like the idea of being my own boss but know i would be giving that up with PA most likely correct? If I do choose this path is there anything specific I should be doing?

Any advice you have would be great!

Thanks!

Most PA make 75-110k/year (25-75 percentile) , and PA school is not cheap either, but it's only 2 1/2 year. COA should be 120-150k if you don't get into a state school. If you can get into your state dental school, I think it might be a better choice since you probably will have more flexibility as a dentist...

 

[pamac]

I noticed when I was a predental student, concerns like you have were what everyone talked about nonstop. Money, lifestyle, and being king of the dental office were the big draw to most of us. I changed course from dental, in large part because I didn't want 4 years of intense school, but mostly because I didn't think I'd like the actual work enough to labor through 4 more years of intense study. I knew I could do it, but I also knew that I didn't want to give up what I'd have to just to dislike going to work every day and look forward each workday to my days off.

Respect looks different once you get out and see how it gets applied professionally. In a dental office, you are the god of the office. You lead dental assistants and office helpers. You lead hygienists only as long as they want to be led by you... Or else they easily pick up work elsewhere. So there's where your natural leadership gets you.... You command a very small team of young women who went to trade school. If you are wealthy, you command the respect that comes with the wealth you've gained. Fortunately, after undergrad and once out in real life, people change and realize how to really help people and make a difference, and you get more of a sense of propriety.

It seems most people don't feel they are respected as much as they deserve. Some doctors feel they aren't respected by other doctors enough, or respected by hospital administrators, or those below them on the good chain, or by their patients or insurance companies. Or their kid is a dope smoker when their practice partner's kid is going to Stanford. Or maybe their wife cheats on them with the personal trainer because the doctor works too much. Or maybe his wife isn't as hot or doesn't have a cool career like other spouses out there. Maybe a doctor in one specialty feels less respected than docs in other specialties. As a nurse, I hear all the time how people think their life will he awesome once they become nurses, and when I looked hard at PA school, I thought the same thing about that. When we look at other people and their careers, we tend to look at the best parts. I work with hospitalists who work nonstop all night on patients that tell them they don't know what they are talking about, and nurses and NPs who think they know more than the doctors, for a hospital that doesn't have enough coverage to give them a night off when they want it. Yes, they make money, but if you resent your job, it's not enough. And when you are sleep deprived and frustrated, feeling a deep sense prestige won't keep you excited like it used to. Sometimes you don't care about prestige when you want to go home and hang out with your family, or when you couldn't care less about who is offering it to you.

 

[Tiago303]

I am actually in the same boat as you! I have completed all the pre-requisites for dental school, got a 21 on the DAT, have good ECs, and have about a 3.6 GPA. Sometimes I wonder if I am truly passionate about the field of dentistry or if I'm just getting caught up in the lifestyle. If I get into my school of choice, I am looking at about 300k in loans after it is all said and done.

I catch myself thinking about becoming a nurse and then possibly becoming a NP, PNP, or CRNA. The PA route interests me as well. The possibilities seem endless, the schooling is both shorter and cheaper. I guess I just need to decide if I truly want to work inside people's mouths for the rest of my life.

 

[Tiago303]

I am actually in the same boat as you! I have completed all the pre-requisites for dental school, got a 21 on the DAT, have good ECs, and have about a 3.6 GPA. Sometimes I wonder if I am truly passionate about the field of dentistry or if I'm just getting caught up in the lifestyle. If I get into my school of choice, I am looking at about 300k in loans after it is all said and done.

I catch myself thinking about becoming a nurse and then possibly becoming a NP, PNP, or CRNA. The PA route interests me as well. The possibilities seem endless, the schooling is both shorter and cheaper. I guess I just need to decide if I truly want to work inside people's mouths for the rest of my life.

 

[joeDO2]

It seems most people don't feel they are respected as much as they deserve. Some doctors feel they aren't respected by other doctors enough, or respected by hospital administrators, or those below them on the good chain, or by their patients or insurance companies. Or their kid is a dope smoker when their practice partner's kid is going to Stanford. Or maybe their wife cheats on them with the personal trainer because the doctor works too much. Or maybe his wife isn't as hot or doesn't have a cool career like other spouses out there. Maybe a doctor in one specialty feels less respected than docs in other specialties. As a nurse, I hear all the time how people think their life will he awesome once they become nurses, and when I looked hard at PA school, I thought the same thing about that. When we look at other people and their careers, we tend to look at the best parts. I work with hospitalists who work nonstop all night on patients that tell them they don't know what they are talking about, and nurses and NPs who think they know more than the doctors, for a hospital that doesn't have enough coverage to give them a night off when they want it. Yes, they make money, but if you resent your job, it's not enough. And when you are sleep deprived and frustrated, feeling a deep sense prestige won't keep you excited like it used to. Sometimes you don't care about prestige when you want to go home and hang out with your family, or when you couldn't care less about who is offering it to you.

Well said. This is something many people need to come to an understand.