Pa --> do

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What do you mean by PA > DO? That is a greater than sign. Does it make sense financially? Depends on your speciality. If you go into family medicine then probably not or a lower paying speciality then probably not. You'll have another 4 years of tuition tagged on. That interest will be killer. It is a matter of wanting it for your career goals. If so, then go for it. If you're going to be miserable as a PA and can only see yourself as a doctor, then continue forward.

You probably aren't going to find many practicing PAs posting in pre-DO
 
I think he's using the ">" sign as an arrow. As in "PA to DO"
 
It depends.

If you are still paying back loans it's probably not worth it... DO will tack atleast another 100,000$

On the other hand. If you are a good PA, and did well in school, It is very feasible that you will rock your M1 and M2 years. Good class rank + good boards + good rotations = alot of specialty options.

It depends on you though.
 
I think he's using the ">" sign as an arrow. As in "PA to DO"

I know, the editing changed it. When you are scanning though, its not the first thing you think. My usability engineering training taught me to lock on obvious things. I did answer the question still. 😉

$100,000 is a very very conservative estimate. I'd say that 150,000 is much more likely with 200+ being very plausible. Tag on 6-8% interest that begins accruing during your residency and it gets to be more troublesome. Most of the people I know pay it off in 10-15 years, but that is also so they can start saving for college funds, retirement, etc. The basic idea is whether you ENJOY being a PA. I'm a proponent of the following your heart philosophy, as cheesy as it is. There are always people with much more debt than you. That debt becomes tolerable if you are doing something you love. Living with regrets sucks. There is nothing wrong with being a PA. I feel that many people end up leaving the field because they want to be the boss more than anything else. I have no idea what your finances are. I suggest you meet with someone that is good with the financial aspect and calculate the best and worst case scenarios for several payment plans in both pathways. Once that is done, sit down and really think out hard by yourself. Don't let others determine for you. Collect as much information as you can about both professions and make the informed decision that leads to you being where you see your life. I know that is a generic answer but it is what you have to do.
 
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the PA's that I know in our class are doing pretty well.
 
One of my H + P professors was a PA before becoming a DO.
 
Many other threads on this issue; many of us PAs-to-MD/DO (whoever will take us) have posted. Do a search and you'll find plenty of info.
As far as the cost: it most likely doesn't make sense. It has to be about much more than just a cost-benefit ratio.
 
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