Need advice, cold feet and changing my mind.

[ffmedic550]

Hello this is my first post here. I took the nontraditional route I never thought I would ever go to college (or could even pass classes there) and had no direction in my life for a long time. I started as an EMT then I was a paramedic for 5 years, went back to school for premed and did the whole application process. I was wait listed and didn't think I was getting in this cycle. I began to look into other options I had never even considered, such as PA and NP. Two weeks ago I got that unexpected acceptance for DO school and I was thrilled. I have about two weeks to move and find a place to live across country.

After seeing the other options that exist I am really wishing I just did the NP route because for me it would only be about 3 years start to finish, not to mention I can continue to work and have somewhat of a life while in school. I can specialize in emergency medicine as an NP or DO so I know Id be happy either way. The debt would be significantly less and in a year I could work as an RN making around $75000 (while in NP school). Plus I could stay here, keep my home and be close to friends and family. I am realizing that its going to be at least 8 years before I have a life again and will have to take out huge amounts of loans if I keep my DO seat as opposed to 3 years and less debt for NP. Another issue thats been weighing on me is Ive watched my friends get married and buy there own houses and I really would like to do that soon.

I am having a hard time actually giving up my seat for DO school because I worked so hard for it and feel that I could regret it someday. I am also embarrassed to go tell everyone that I am considering not going to medical school after I just got accepted. Plus theres the thought that I might not get accepted to an NP program. Thank you for reading all of this. I am wondering what you think about this situation and if any of you went through anything like this?

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[DocJanItor]

I think one of the major difficulties is that you realize (consciously or unconsciously) that this is an inflection point in your life. If you go down the path of becoming a doctor then you'll be moving, losing closeness with friends and family, and ultimately go down a very long and difficult road. If you're not ready to do all that then I'd emphatically state that you shouldn't go. You'd spend every difficult moment questioning your decision and wishing you were back home.

Personally, the best decisions I've ever made were the hard ones like this. I moved away from my family for college, I didn't rush to get married (I wanted to get married, but it took me a while to find the right person), and I went back to med school later in life. I think that doing the things you mentioned is more about filling a role for many people than it is a pure desire. "I'm X years old and my friends are doing Y, I should do Y as well." You shouldn't want to get married and buy a house out of obligation or social competition. You should do those things because you're ready to do them.

I can't speak to the difficulties of getting into an NP school or if you'd be able to work while doing so, but those are serious considerations to think about. I know PA school is very competitive right now.

Ultimately, you've been handed a high risk, high reward ticket that very few people are able to get. If you truly don't think you'll be happier as a doctor and/or less happy as an NP then I'd definitely say that you shouldn't go. But once you make the decision, don't spend your time thinking "what if"; just make the best of the choice you've made. If you do that, you'll be happy either way.

 

[Goro]

Take the easier path, and don't look back

 

[Sandy4321]

I think one of the major difficulties is that you realize (consciously or unconsciously) that this is an inflection point in your life. If you go down the path of becoming a doctor then you'll be moving, losing closeness with friends and family, and ultimately go down a very long and difficult road. If you're not ready to do all that then I'd emphatically state that you shouldn't go. You'd spend every difficult moment questioning your decision and wishing you were back home.

Personally, the best decisions I've ever made were the hard ones like this. I moved away from my family for college, I didn't rush to get married (I wanted to get married, but it took me a while to find the right person), and I went back to med school later in life. I think that doing the things you mentioned is more about filling a role for many people than it is a pure desire. "I'm X years old and my friends are doing Y, I should do Y as well." You shouldn't want to get married and buy a house out of obligation or social competition. You should do those things because you're ready to do them.

I can't speak to the difficulties of getting into an NP school or if you'd be able to work while doing so, but those are serious considerations to think about. I know PA school is very competitive right now.

Ultimately, you've been handed a high risk, high reward ticket that very few people are able to get. If you truly don't think you'll be happier as a doctor and/or less happy as an NP then I'd definitely say that you shouldn't go. But once you make the decision, don't spend your time thinking "what if"; just make the best of the choice you've made. If you do that, you'll be happy either way.

Well put! As a non-trad myself, I can relate to all these doubts/thoughts you're having. In fact, the reason I'm starting medical school at an older age is because I kept pushing off med school and convincing myself there were other routes for me. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that if I did not pursue medical school, I would always wonder "what if" and would always wish I had just gone for it. I'm only speaking for myself though. Whenever I have doubts now, I remind myself I truly don't think I'd be happy going any other route. If becoming a physician is truly a dream of yours, go for it. Yes the years of training are long and hard but they'll be worth it. Depending on the specialty you go for, you can have the flexibility you want and have a life outside of medicine. If you think you'll be equally as happy as an NP or PA, then by all means take that route!

 

[star.buck]

I’d recommend NP. If it’s a better life for you, do that - who cares what people will think. The hard work you put into your education so far will also help you with your NP program.

People always told me that if there was anything else I wanted to do besides med school, do that.

It may not be cold feet. It may be logic and wisdom, and it may be purely you realizing now after the fact that there are better options that you didn’t know about before. Better now than 7 years and $200,000+ debt later.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Hello this is my first post here. I took the nontraditional route I never thought I would ever go to college (or could even pass classes there) and had no direction in my life for a long time. I started as an EMT then I was a paramedic for 5 years, went back to school for premed and did the whole application process. I was wait listed and didn't think I was getting in this cycle. I began to look into other options I had never even considered, such as PA and NP. Two weeks ago I got that unexpected acceptance for DO school and I was thrilled. I have about two weeks to move and find a place to live across country.

After seeing the other options that exist I am really wishing I just did the NP route because for me it would only be about 3 years start to finish, not to mention I can continue to work and have somewhat of a life while in school. I can specialize in emergency medicine as an NP or DO so I know Id be happy either way. The debt would be significantly less and in a year I could work as an RN making around $75000 (while in NP school). Plus I could stay here, keep my home and be close to friends and family. I am realizing that its going to be at least 8 years before I have a life again and will have to take out huge amounts of loans if I keep my DO seat as opposed to 3 years and less debt for NP. Another issue thats been weighing on me is Ive watched my friends get married and buy there own houses and I really would like to do that soon.

I am having a hard time actually giving up my seat for DO school because I worked so hard for it and feel that I could regret it someday. I am also embarrassed to go tell everyone that I am considering not going to medical school after I just got accepted. Plus theres the thought that I might not get accepted to an NP program. Thank you for reading all of this. I am wondering what you think about this situation and if any of you went through anything like this?

It sounds to me like you have already made your decision for NP over all else from what you type/how I read what you wrote. There is no guarantee in this, but you could request a deferral to give you a year to figure things out without losing your seat if you ultimately decide to go the DO route. Deferrals are sometimes difficult to get and require specific circumstances, but some schools more relaxed with that.

 

[ffmedic550]

I want to thank everyone who has posted. Your advice is greatly appreciated and really helps me with this decision. After thinking about it and looking at your advice I am going to pursue the NP route. The major reason I wanted to be a doctor was to provide a higher level of care for my patients and to learn more about medicine. That was the reason I went from EMT to paramedic. As an NP it would satisfy that reason. I am going to put in for a deferral in case I change my mind.

this is an inflection point in your life...... don't spend your time thinking "what if"; just make the best of the choice you've made. If you do that, you'll be happy either way

This is so true and really got me thinking!

kept pushing off med school and convincing myself there were other routes for me

Just wondering what were the other routes you did instead before medical school?

It may not be cold feet. It may be logic and wisdom, and it may be purely you realizing now after the fact that there are better options that you didn’t know about before

This really sums up how I am thinking about this. For some reason I just never gave NP or PA a thought, In my career I never had any significant encounters with any of them.

On the other hand, ask yourself how would you feel if I told you that you will never be a physician?

Honestly I do feel somewhat disappointed but if you told me I would be a NP or PA I think I would be ok with that. I know I am always going to have that thought in the back of my mind that I could have been a doctor. Especially later in life as the years pass Ill be thinking I could have graduated already etc.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

One final thing you may want to consider - take a look at the job market for NPs in your area. A few friends in nursing have told me that the market is saturated with NPs in their metro area. Apparently a bunch of new NP programs have opened up in recent years, and graduates are having to move/go rural to find jobs.

Make sure you have a good outlook on your NP job prospects in your desired area before committing. Good luck to whatever you decide to do!

 

[Dr. Let 'er Buck]

Honestly I do feel somewhat disappointed but if you told me I would be a NP or PA I think I would be ok with that. I know I am always going to have that thought in the back of my mind that I could have been a doctor. Especially later in life as the years pass Ill be thinking I could have graduated already etc.

I took a similar path to you. I graduated high school (barely), thought there was no way I could succeed in college, so I became a paramedic for a couple decades. Eventually, making garbage pay and tearing my body apart just wasn't worth it so I made my way to medical school.

I thought through the options before deciding this. I knew/know several DNPs and PAs and have seen their complaints with the job. In our state NPs can operate their own practice, but my friends who went from RN to DNP aren't completely happy. They are constantly limited by their education. If they are a PA, they must ask to do anything. NPs have a bit more autonomy, but they also have a limited scope.

This is one of the many reasons I left being a paramedic. I HATE this weird cookbook medicine that EMS has become. I had to contact OLMC to do anything and could not deviate from guidelines that were outdated 30 years ago. Seriously, EMS still argues about backboarding efficacy and loading up hypovolemic trauma patients with saline. I wanted to keep up with the cutting edge of medicine and have the option to try new things.

To me, the difference between a couple more years of education but having a much higher autonomy made the chouce easy. I would like to do emergency medicine at some point and know that as a physician the capabilities will be greater. It sounds like NP fits your plans nicely, but I would hate to see you drop a DO acceptance and take a path that ultimately ends up being unfulfilling.

 

[IMGASMD]

It is a very difficult decision, especially if you’ve worked so hard to get here. Probably a sense of wasted time spent.


Make sure you understand the philosophy differences between a physician and a doctor of Nursing practice. Capitalized for a reason. You will never be the one making the ultimate decision “mentally” while in training, regardless how good you are or think you are. You are trained with a crutch. (At least in my state, your chart is co-signed by physicians, while inpatient)

Outcome maybe the same with healthier patients, if this is the population you want to work with, then totally fine. But more difficult cases, you will not be comfortable with.

You will be trained with “patient” centered philosophy, when physicians are focused on “diseases.” I can claim I am doing certain things to treat/cure diseases; it’s difficult for NPs to step away and ignore the patient, often.

I am biased. But food for thought.

Good luck.

 

[Gurby]

In our state NPs can operate their own practice, but my friends who went from RN to DNP aren't completely happy. They are constantly limited by their education.

Outcome maybe the same with healthier patients, if this is the population you want to work with, then totally fine. But more difficult cases, you will not be comfortable with.

Echoing this:

I just finished my first week of M3 on family medicine, and have worked with 2 different NP's so far. They do really well with the bread and butter cases, but I've been flabbergasted at holes in their knowledge bases several times when patients fell slightly outside the norm. If I'm already observing this as a brand new med student after my first week in the clinic and only having brief interactions with NP's, I can only imagine how deep the roots of the discrepancy run.

I went from EMT to paramedic because I wanted to know more and be able to do more. I went from paramedic to MD student for the same reason. I think if I had gone PA/NP instead, I'd quickly be facing the same situation I was in before - having to pass off all the interesting patients to somebody else.

On the other hand, if I had gone to PA school I'd be making 6 figures already. Instead, I have 2 more years of school and likely 5-6 of residency to go. 7 extra years of debt and compounding interest is nothing to sneeze at when you're an old fart of 31yo like me...

 

[Fidelio17]

You seem pretty set here, but I'd caution that you need to be sure that you understand what exactly an NP does. & what an RN does... because if you don't really know that you'd like nursing, then turning down your DO acceptance is a terrible idea. (I was a nursing assistant, & I know from that experience that nursing is it's own kind of difficult, & I never want to do it.) Medical training is longer, but the nice thing about it is that it actually teaches you what you need to know in order to take care of patients through the degree/residency. With an NP, I think it's more expected that you develop those skills while working as an RN or after becoming an NP. It might even take you just as long to ultimately become competent in an NP role as it would have taken you to become a doctor in the first place.

As another nontraditional applicant, I strongly suspect this is more cold feet because the late waitlist acceptance hasn't given you time to process the fact that someone thinks you can be a good doctor. And you're thinking about moving & doing all of these other things that take a lot of work & are a real pain & it probably seems quite overwhelming. (Sometimes it overwhelms me & I've had months to accept it.) It would just kinda stink to decline your DO acceptance because another path seems easier/more doable/less scary right now, & then regret it if the grass really isn't greener.