General How do I decide if I should pursue PreMed/PrePA?

[tantacles]

Hi everyone,

So I've posted on this site a few times before. I've mentally gone back and forth between just about every pre*insert profession in the healthcare field* possible, but now I think I'm truly settling on either applying to medical school or PA school. In my last post made I wasn't all that sure of the timeline of applying to PA/medical school, but I will put it out there that I intend on applying this upcoming year for entry in 2022. But I am unsure of which route would be best for me, honestly.

To begin with, I did pretty well in undergrad. I graduated with a 3.88 GPA with honors in the major (biology), however still have outstanding pre-requisites for both PA and medical school (biochemistry and A/P labs for some PA schools, and biochemistry, organic chemistry lab, and physics II for medical school). I am currently working on some of the pre-requisites for PA school (finished stats and am currently taking abnormal psych online through my undergrad institution), and am intending on taking A/P labs and biochemistry throughout the year pending COVID. I'm not too worried about how I'll do with the pre-PA perquisites, but I hated physics I (got a B) and would be worried about organic lab because its been so long since I've taken 1 (A) and 2 (B). Considering its already July, I need to figure out quickly whether or not to go ahead and finish the pre-reqs for PA school or med school. I also had a bunch of extra-curricular activities/research in undergrad, including marching band for three years, being a member of a band service fraternity, I was a TA for an undergraduate research program for two years, and I also did research on cardiovascular proteins for a year and carnivorous plants/microbiomes for another year and a half, which I received a grant for. Post-bacc, I worked for a year as an associate cell-culture biologist so I have some familiarity with histology.

I didn't get much shadowing done during undergrad outside of my dentist (I was pre-dental for a good chunk), but am currently in a program at a dermatology clinic that is training me to become a medical assistant. It will allow me to get between 1000-2000 hours of hands-on experience with patients within a year and would also fulfill my shadowing hours for both medical and PA school. So far I absolutely adore the position and have learned so much already about surgical dermatology/MOHS, but I'm hoping to find time to shadow physicians/PAs in other professions on the weekends to learn more and figure out my likes and dislikes. I also still need to get in a ton of service hours, at least in the healthcare field.

I'm just not really sure what would be best for me. Medical school scares me just due to how much time it would take (I will be 25 by the time I'd enter). I'm also not sure if I would be the greatest candidate because I had some mishaps during undergrad that resulted in me dropping classes/not being a full-time student for a year along with having dropped completely in fall of 2018 (I have good reasons for this, however am unsure if I'd get to the interview portion to be able to explain myself). And I don't even want to get started on the MCAT. PA school sounds more appealing due to the timeline and having an easier time with the pre-requisite courses, but I'll be a weaker candidate when it comes to hands on experience and the more I watch the physicians in my clinic, the more I think about how much I'd love to have that sort of autonomy.

I guess what I'm asking is, for those who have gone back and forth between medical/PA school and settled on either, did you have a moment that solidified your choice? Do you ever regret your choice? I know I'll continue to learn more about the roles of both professions, but what do you really like/dislike about your profession when compared to the other? Also, on paper (minus exams), would it appear that i'm a better applicant for medical or PA school? My dream school for either would be UNC-Chapel Hill, but that may be a longer-shot for medical school. Thank you so much in advance for taking your time to read my post and respond.

I discovered I wanted to do medicine after my sophomore year of college. I never really seriously considered PA because I wanted to run the medical team and not be a cog in the machine.

That being said, it's hard for us to determine what's right for you. Think about these questions.

1. Would you rather be the top level manager of a team taking care of patients (who also sees patients themselves) or be someone who sees patients and always reports to someone else for a final decision? If the former, physician is better. If the latter, PA is better.

2. How long is too long for training? Are you willing to do 4 years of medical school and then 3+ years of residency before you see money and have a normal life? Or would you rather make significantly less money but only have 2 years of school? If the former, physician is better. If the latter, PA is better.

3. Are you ok with choosing a field and sticking with it or else having to do years more training to switch? Or would you rather be versatile and able to switch from internal medicine to surgery to neurology at the drop of a hat? If the former, physician is better. If the latter, PA is better.

There are many more pieces to weigh than just these, but I think these are a good start. Your GPA is great, so it won't hold you back, so you might consider just taking the MCAT and seeing how you do if physician is really on the table for you.

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[tantacles]

Thank you so much for this response. I’m going to do more research on the pre-requisites for PA school and see if I can take them at a later time so I could take the med pre-reqs instead to leave both options open. Unfortunately most PA schools won’t accept the MCAT instead of the GRE but I’d honestly much rather take the former than the latter.

And after some review some of what would be my top medical schools don’t require physics?? Which was a large deterrent for me. I know I’d have to have some knowledge of Physics 2 for the MCAT but we’ll see what happens with COVID. Again, thank you so much for your response 🙂

getting B's in physics is ok, but almost all medical schools will require physics. It doesn't play heavily into the actual coursework.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Yeah, I figured as much. Interestingly enough I've found that some of the top schools have more lax requirements for chemistry than physics which doesn't make too much sense to me, but I don't have the option to argue with them haha. UVA, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke have no actual "requirements" anymore which is interesting, but I'll def try and take physics for the MCAT. Its just so much money to take

What’s so much money? Physics or the MCAT?

Welcome to the never ending fees world. If you get into medical school wait till you start taking your national boards for the insane fees.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Was between both. Initially chose PA. Switched to med. Haven't looked back. Don't regret it. Have a colleague who is a PA who does regret it citing that he'll never be director or hold to many academic positions. Said only benefit was not having to do residency and doesn't have call. One other, but is relative, is the ability to switch fields easily. I say relative because he has always been in the same field, and does not see himself going into any other field. So for him, this is the one and only field he ever has and ever will practice. He's considering going to med school, but at the point in life he is at now, it is difficult with family and already having a stable, well-paying job. Take these opinions listed with a grain of salt. They are just opinions, and none of them are yours. You have to make your own decision. Think about your long term, professional, and personal goals. What will help you get there? And what will make you happiest?