Is this a bad thing?

[EMDream]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm a PA student, but as much as I am looking forward to being a PA I do have a slight inkling that I may want to goto medical school later on, maybe even a few short years after being a PA (note I am doing a bs so not a huge waste of time). So why even bother with PA if i think i want to be an MD later? Well because im not positive about it. i know i want to be involved in medicine, but the years in medical school is a slight deter for me in case i decide to have a family and decided that i want to have a lot of time for my children rather than being in medical school/residency for a big chunk of their childhood.

so am i still wrong for doing this? becoming a md would be my ultimate career dream but im not sure it will allow me to have the family life that i may want also or that it is worth it for all those years in school, maybe i will be perfectly content being a PA.

i hope i do not ignite angered responses and people dont see me using this profession really as a stepping stone.

 

[Bandit]

of course not. One of the few "problems" with the PA profession is that when one does want to go on to md/do the rest of the community views it as trader,

go to pa school if you like. if med school is in the futur--so be it.

 

[JustaPA]

Hey a big portion of PAs were another type of medical professional before we became PAs. So don't feel bad about having plans for the future, it is your future to plan for.

 

[cjg]

EMDream - I have to say that I could've written your post myself. I know that some of the posters in the pre-allopathic forum, who are hard-core premeds, have said that it's EITHER PA OR MD, and make it seem terrible that anyone would consider going a different route. However, you shouldn't feel wrong about doing whatever you want! I already have a 3 y/o little girl and I'm married. I KNOW that I want more children, but I also know that the only career that I can do in life (and enjoy) is going to be medically-related. The MD would be wonderful, but it takes a lot of time and money, and time is precious when you consider child-bearing years and the formative ages of your children. One can definitely HAVE children while in medical school, but I am concerned with producing the best quality of life possible for my entire family at all times. Will my being in residency during my kids' early childhood be a negative thing?? I think it would, it would FOR ME, period. I am only beginning to consider PA, as I feel that I am overshooting things with thoughts of the MD --only due to time/money factors. I know that many feel that this has to be a "dream," and "life-goal," and that NOTHING should get in the way. However, many of us know that realistically, one must do what pays the mortgage, the bills, and is best for our FAMILIES as well. Many people totally give up their aspirations for their family, but I feel that with the option of PA school, I may not have to do that.

 

[Keberson]

Hey guys--I feel EXACTLY the same way. I have struggled with this topic for several months leading up to the application period. I'm only 20 years old and I'm not married so my situation is definatly different form the earlier poster but this issue is still a serious concern for me. I love healthcare and know for certain that a career in the medical field will satisfy and I know i'll do a great job. I went to college with the intention of going to medical school and here I am graduating in two months with serious cold feet. I know that I am young but I want children someday...not when I'm forty when its dangerous and a serious risk. I've looked into PA...and I've even applied to five programs just last week. In the back of my mind is that little voice that tells me that medical school is what I really want but how can I reconcile my dream career with my even greater dreams to be a good mother and have a close-knit family? It is so difficult. As of know I am at a lost. Iv'e applied to PA school and am currently working on my medical school applications but still...i wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Thanks for hearing me out 🙂

 

[PACtoDOC]

I never even thought about medical school until I had been a PA for 4 years. Then literally overnight and a few applications later, I now am in 3rd year of med school. I can not imagine not being headed toward being a physician now. I really don't know if it will make me a better provider, but I know I feel better now that I understand things much more across the board. As a PA there were simply hundreds of holes in my education where I was forced to make a leap of faith and treat somethign based mostly on incomplete learning done in PA school. My bet though is that these same gaps of knowledge accumulate in physician's heads as well after many years of practicing, but the difference is that a physician has at least once been exposed to "the answer" and technically might be a bit more competent at recalling facts that are way in the back of the unused cortex. So if you are already having second thoughts about being a doctor, then you should give serious thought to whether or not you can handle PAhood.

 

[Febrifuge]

Heck, if I wasn't already old, I'd totally take the time to do PA first, and see how I do with it. I'd love to have a life AND a career. Sure, I have a strong inkling that doctorhood is my bag, and the holes in the underlying education that PACtoDOC mentions, if they're what I think they are, would drive me up a wall. But what works for one will be utterly different for another. If you've got a situation where it's not a waste of your time to do it "step-style," more power to you.