Ok so I have a rather large problem. I am currently a paramedic and RN and having a hard time at deciding at witch route to go for graduate school. Im stuck between PA and DO. I want to be able support my family to retire at some point and live a conferrable life at some point in my 60s or so (in my mid 20s now.) but as far as amount if time in school and all I dont know. The closest DO school is 4 hours away but a new PA school just opened up 30 minutes away from my current address so Im looking for some input from others
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Started by Tristan14578
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As a medic/rn you would likely get into pa school assuming reasonable grades.
for md/do you need to take the mcats and do a min of 7 yrs post bs instead of 2. you probably already know this.
pa school will probably run 50k for 2 yrs and md/do around 100k/4 yrs, maybe more for a private do program.
you can't work during either program unless you go part time. there are around 7 part time pa programs and only 2-3 md/do.
also consider as an rn(assuming you have a bsn) that there are some quality np programs out there to consider like ucsf and u.wa
it really depends what you want to do with your life.
for pa info see:
www.aapa.org
www.physicianassistantforum.com
www.appap.org(for optional residencies)
www.nationalassociationpa.com
for md/do you need to take the mcats and do a min of 7 yrs post bs instead of 2. you probably already know this.
pa school will probably run 50k for 2 yrs and md/do around 100k/4 yrs, maybe more for a private do program.
you can't work during either program unless you go part time. there are around 7 part time pa programs and only 2-3 md/do.
also consider as an rn(assuming you have a bsn) that there are some quality np programs out there to consider like ucsf and u.wa
it really depends what you want to do with your life.
for pa info see:
www.aapa.org
www.physicianassistantforum.com
www.appap.org(for optional residencies)
www.nationalassociationpa.com
It would be easier to give you some direction if you would post some more information about yourself: gpa, prereqs, etc. What are you looking for in your career: money, flexibility, autonomy?
You will be able to retire as an RN easily...so I am not sure what your point is.
As far as money goes as long as Im making around 70k-80k a year I can take care of my family without a hassle. Flexibility I guess 8-4 or 5pm Monday Friday. Autonomy enough to do decent Internal Medicine, Dermatology, or Emergency Medicine. My grades are ok they normally stay around 3.4 to 3.6 and no MCATs as of yet since Im still evaluating where I want to go and be in the future.I just really want to make
Sure I have time for my family and not get stuck working crazy hours all the time
If you haven't taken the MCAT, you are looking at about 10 years from start to finish with limited time with your family if you go the med school route. Hours can cut back considerably depending on what specialty you land, but the lifestyle specialities are uber competitive and require even more of a commitment away from your family if you want to land them. I definitely think you could best accomplish your goals of good income, flexibility, and also have the ability to practice in several areas of medicine or surgery as a PA. Only do med school if you are 95-100% sure that is what you want to do because it is a huge sacrifice and strain on almost every area of your life without the guarantee that you will make the big bucks or have a life outside of your career. Good luck.
On a side note, if you decide to go the med school route, I would definitely attend a program with either independent study or problem based learning as this allows the most flexibilty during the first two years of school. All of my classmates who attend lecture have hardly any time for outside interests, plus they gain the most weight.
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