In my mind the biggest two things to consider are autonomy and time. If autonomy is something you need to feel content, go to med school. A PA, by definition, has a limited scope of practice and limited autonomy. The upsides to becoming a PA are basically that you don't have to go through med school or work for 80 hours a week for several consecutive years during residency and will earn a comfortable income, while being able to practice medicine to a limited extent (before I get flamed, I know PA school is still a lot of work... but it is less work than med school, and a lot less work than residency). The most obvious downside is basically that you'll only be able to practice medicine to a limited extent. Since your father was a PA, you probably have a pretty good idea of what kind of autonomy you can attain as a PA.