Georgia Tech Undergrad, PA School, and Medical School

[Gatech2020]

Hey you guys,
A little about me to start off- I’m a third year undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I’m a Biology major with a Pre-Health concentration (we don’t have Pre-Med). My original plan was to do my best in undergraduate studies and attend Stanford’s PA Program and become a PA as my career. I come from a relatively poor area, and have always had an above average drive to push myself to accomplish my goals and support myself financially. I currently have a part-time job (non-healthcare related) to pay for school.

All the time, I get asked, “Why PA? Why not be an actual doctor?”. The reason I always told myself and others is because the extended schooling of medical school (PA school ~30 months vs. minimum 4 years of medical school, plus residency) and the debt (~$50000 for PA and ~$200000 MS), and MY understanding of the rigor of MS, as opposed to PA school, deterred me. I do, however, truly think working in healthcare is my passion.

With all of that being said, PA schools strongly emphasize experience as well as academic success. My original plan to get into Stanford was to do my best to graduate with a minimum of 3.5 (actually challenging at GT), volunteer at Grady Memorial in a medically underserved community to be around Stanford’s admitted student profile average of 800 hours, use GA Tech research opportunities to have around 700 research hours (Stanford average) by graduation, and finally, gain clinical experience. Stanford’s PA admitted student average is 3000 clinical experience hours. I am getting EKG Technician certified this summer, and plan to work as a part-time EKG Tech for my last 2 years (1000hrs/year * 2yrs = 2000 hours). Obviously these aren’t the only things taken into account, but I also am in the beginning phases of trying to start 2 businesses (one online business and the other a biomedical product company, currently I’m doing my own reasearch into cooling substances for a knee brace. Perhaps more details on that another time.)

I was going to apply to PA Schools after I graduate. However, it’s been my dream to attend Stanford, so if I don’t get in, I’m not sure if I would opt to choose another one of my top 5 options (assuming I manage to get into at least one), or take a year off and go full-time as an EKG Tech to have roughly 4000 hours to strengthen my chances of getting into Stanford the next year. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Anyways, I was recently really looking into if I would really want to go to Medical School or PA School. Obviously the pros of medical school are you make a ****-load more money, and have the ability to work independently. The pros of PA School, to me, are less debt and less schooling, while still pulling above 6-figures annually (although damn near 200k less a doctor). These are just what I know. What else should I be looking at? What are some other advantages/disadvantages/advice/anythingIShouldKnow anyone has to offer between the two career paths?

Another thing I was looking into is rigor. Upon investigation, it seems like I had a misconception about MS rigor- it might actually be comparable to a hard undergraduate university’s rigor. As mentioned earlier, I go to Georgia Tech, in undergrad university that is very rigourous as compared to most other universities. I usually have my head in my ass with studying when I’m not at work. I transferred into GT from another smaller college. At the old college, I almost never studied and easily managed As and Bs. The learning curve when I got here was ridiculous, and a wake up call. I butchered my first semester and had a 2.77 institutional GPA. The second semester (this past Spring) I reflected and made vast improvements, and brought up my GPA to a 3.0. Hopefully, by the end of summer, it’ll be a 3.19 and I’ll work my way up from there. My improvements may seem small, but I have truly changed my study habits to conform to what is needed to succeed at GT and don’t see myself falling off again. Anyways, how is Medical school rigor vs PA school rigor vs GT undergrad rigor (For those unfamiliar, GT isn’t quite on the level of MIT, but maybe comparable to UCLA or Berkeley)? The answer to this may help sway my decision between attending MS or PA.

Now comes the debt. Should I be worried about it at all? Meaning, should this factor into my decision at all? Would debt be a problem in the future with how much money I’d be making as a PA or a physician?

I really do appreciate any input! Blessings to you all!

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[getdown]

@Gatech2020 Sorry, the wall of text deterred me from reading everything, so I'm just going to jump directly to your last question.

Yes, debt burden should ALWAYS be a consideration into your decision but should NOT be the ONLY consideration. Every single attending that I've talked to has mentioned their annoyance with trying to pay off their med school loans. And since I'm in the process of it right now, I can tell you that it's definitely a stressful thing. Don't listen to the people who'll say "oh, don't worry about debt. You can easily pay it off with a doctor's salary". They either have no ****ing clue what the hell they're talking about or forget that those loans accrue massive amounts of interest during the X number of years in residency training since during residency they don't pay you enough to be able to make any substantial payments towards your debt. Why? Because cost of living (rent, mortgage, kids, sickness, family).

That being said, you have to follow what's best for you. I have no idea what stage of life you're in or what your social situation/obligations are. Maybe a shorter training schedule via PA school is much more worth it in terms of time commitment and earning a paycheck faster. PAs easily make 100K which is good for the level of training. Best part? Minimal liability since the physician is still technically on the hook. If you want the autonomy of a physician then you'll have to commit to the process. Best way to do it is to go to a school that offers the biggest scholarship or an in-state school with the reduced tuition. Your ability to match into any specialty will not be hampered by which medical school you attend. It'll ultimately be decided by your own work ethic and capability.

You cannot compare med school's rigor with that of a PA school or even, laughably, undergrad. Full stop. If a PA school's rigor is equal to medical school, why the hell do we even need physicians? PA school may cover more material over a shorter period of time but that's because it's not in the same depth as medical school. The superficial understanding a PA has on a subject vs the depth and breadth a physician is expected to have is what differentiates the two.

 

[ciestar]

Im very confused..
you want to be a PA but ONLY if you can go to Stanford?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

1. Having your sights set on any one particular school is a recipe for failure, PA or medical schoolwise.
2. A 3.5 won’t be competitive for Stanford PA
3. Medical school difficulty >> PA >>>> GT
4. No one gives a rip that it’s hard to get good grades at GT. Sure it might be difficult but no one is going to know or care.
5. You need to decide if you want to be a PA or be a physician. Go shadow both and figure it out.

 

[Means]

if you only want to go to PA school at Stanford, you are leaving yourself open to the very probable possibility of a very rude awakening. If you want to get in with a 3.5 gpa you are going to need much more than their average research/volunteer/PCE hours and accomplishments. This holds true if you want to go to and MD school as well.

 

[892002]

As a former GA resident who has taken multiple classes at GA tech, I can tell you that the classes there are not that hard (even compared to many other undergrad institutions), and nothing compared to what you'll experience in medical school. If you're barely making a 3.0 there, than I think you'll struggle in medical school. People often use the analogy that medical school is like drinking from a fire hose; if we extend that analogy, than GA tech undergrad (and undergrad in general) is like drinking from a water fountain with low water pressure.

The pros of PA School, to me, are less debt and less schooling, while still pulling above 6-figures annually (although damn near 200k less a doctor). These are just what I know. What else should I be looking at?

I think you should spend some time shadowing an MD/DO. Physician/PA are two extremely different career paths, and $$$ should definitely not be your only consideration.

 

[raiderette]

Your desire for only Stanford makes me question your thoughts on the future. When Stanford or State U, once you graduate from PA school, the job will be the same. School is only a short time; your career is significantly longer.