PA or DO/MD?

[Macadoo12]

Fellow SDN users,

I'm looking for some guidance on what path I should take for my future. I know I ultimately will make a decision what to do but I just want to share a little about me and get some of your opinions. I am 23 and I just finished a BS degree in Nutrition (dietetics). I like nutrition and originally wanted to be a dietitian but later realized it lacked challenge and a hands on aspect to it that I craved. In my upper level courses we learned about diseases and the diets as well as treatments patients received for their disease. I liked this and I really wanted to know more. This set off a spark in me, one that got me think about being physician assistant. So I took two extra class I needed to fill the prerequisites. Intially this was enough for me. However, now I am wondering if should go on and become a doctor. I wonder if down the road I will regret not going far enough and not achieve my potential. But at the same time part of me wonders if I am trying to do too much and it will make me unhappy. See I have depression and really struggled with it in undergrad and I don't want it to worsen. I want to be happy and have time to date and travel and do fun stuff too. I worried that becoming a doctor would interfere with that. Anyways that was a long rant.

Here are some of my stats:
- 3.8 cGPA (Associate of Arts, just GPA at cc)
- 3.48 cGPA (BS, cum laude, just GPA at university)
- sGPA around a 3.3 or 3.4, I have not taken orgo 1 or 2 or physics 1 or 2 yet. I took fundamentals orgo for my major and got a B+
- Working on passing my cna licensing test
- Also trying to shadow a pa and physician
- I am interested in public health and completed my undergrad internship at a homeless shelter which was very rewarding

All I have to do to get i PA school is tame and do well on the GRE and get HCE hours
For med school i would have to take the classes listed above and the mcat. Looking for any and all advice you all can give me on this. Thanks!

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[bears1992]

With the way things are going, a PA in 10 years will probably be the equivalent to a primary care physician. If that's what your goal is, PA could be the better route. You'll most likely have all the same freedoms, just not the salary. If you are looking to do something outside of primary care or emergency medicine, PA might not be able to get you to where you want. Not that this rings true for all PAs, BUT most of the PAs at my ER are grumpy and unapproachable. The physicians always seem to be in a better mood.

The road to PA is much much easier but it limits your options. If you don't mind giving up your 20's for a big salary and flexibility, then med school is probably the better choice.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

As @bears1992 pointed out, many PAs are in family or emergency med, there are also OB, Ortho, Surgical, Oncology, etc. It's really very dependent on the area where you practice. While PAs don't have the salary of MDs, they do have autonomy in the practice and have lower malpractice costs depending on the practice setting. If time and freedom hold value to you, go PA.

 

[V781]

With the way things are going, a PA in 10 years will probably be the equivalent to a primary care physician. If that's what your goal is, PA could be the better route. You'll most likely have all the same freedoms, just not the salary. If you are looking to do something outside of primary care or emergency medicine, PA might not be able to get you to where you want. Not that this rings true for all PAs, BUT most of the PAs at my ER are grumpy and unapproachable. The physicians always seem to be in a better mood.

The road to PA is much much easier but it limits your options. If you don't mind giving up your 20's for a big salary and flexibility, then med school is probably the better choice.

Wow, really?

My first idea was to pursue PA school after undergrad and specialize in Cardiology or Cardiothoracic surgery. I would not be interested at all in remaining in primary care. Do you really think PAs will be pushed out of their specialties in the next decade? Now it's sounding like Med School might be the better option...

 

[bears1992]

Wow, really?

My first idea was to pursue PA school after undergrad and specialize in Cardiology or Cardiothoracic surgery. I would not be interested at all in remaining in primary care. Do you really think PAs will be pushed out of their specialties in the next decade? Now it's sounding like Med School might be the better option...

I don't think they will be pushed out, but the potential for autonomy is in primary care. There is not a physician shortage in most specialties so I doubt there will be a big push for PAs to have more freedom in Cardiology and surgery as there are already enough physicians to fill those roles. I know that PAs can still work in surgery, but the most I've heard about is getting to open and close. I don' know of any PAs that can perform an entire surgery on their own.

If you want to do cardiology or surgery, your best bet is medical school. You don't want to get through PA school and feel limited with what you can do in the cardiology area.

 

[V781]

I don't think they will be pushed out, but the potential for autonomy is in primary care. There is not a physician shortage in most specialties so I doubt there will be a big push for PAs to have more freedom in Cardiology and surgery as there are already enough physicians to fill those roles. I know that PAs can still work in surgery, but the most I've heard about is getting to open and close. I don' know of any PAs that can perform an entire surgery on their own.

If you want to do cardiology or surgery, your best bet is medical school. You don't want to get through PA school and feel limited with what you can do in the cardiology area.

Well, I was honestly fine with simply assisting during surgery. Though I was concerned about the comment many have made about the lack for vertical growth after the first few years...

It sounds as though a Cardiology or Surgery residency is very difficult (I've heard "near impossible") to match into. And a cardiologist or surgeon would have less time to spend with family and to pursue hobbies than a PA.

 

[Macadoo12]

With the way things are going, a PA in 10 years will probably be the equivalent to a primary care physician. If that's what your goal is, PA could be the better route. You'll most likely have all the same freedoms, just not the salary. If you are looking to do something outside of primary care or emergency medicine, PA might not be able to get you to where you want. Not that this rings true for all PAs, BUT most of the PAs at my ER are grumpy and unapproachable. The physicians always seem to be in a better mood.

The road to PA is much much easier but it limits your options. If you don't mind giving up your 20's for a big salary and flexibility, then med school is probably the better choice.

Thanks @bears1992 for the input! This gives me stuff to think about. Right now I'm mainly interested primary care (Family, IM, or Psych). I like these because it gives me the opportunity to build more of a relationship with patients and to watch them grow. Also, the normal work hours for these specialties are appealing to me. I don't think I would get to do this in many specialties. The only specialty I am somewhat interested in is gastroenterology. I think the GI tract is really fascinating. However, I would be just as happy in primary care. As far as money goes, either would be plenty for me. I would make the same if not more than both my parents combined either route I take. My main concern is if PA will be challenging enough for me and if I will be happy with it. I don't want to be bored 5 years down the road. I like working and I want to do it as long as I can.

 

[Macadoo12]

With the way things are going, a PA in 10 years will probably be the equivalent to a primary care physician. If that's what your goal is, PA could be the better route. You'll most likely have all the same freedoms, just not the salary. If you are looking to do something outside of primary care or emergency medicine, PA might not be able to get you to where you want. Not that this rings true for all PAs, BUT most of the PAs at my ER are grumpy and unapproachable. The physicians always seem to be in a better mood.

The road to PA is much much easier but it limits your options. If you don't mind giving up your 20's for a big salary and flexibility, then med school is probably the better choice.

Also, I meant to ask is my GPA/experiences competitive enough for either? If not what should I work on?

 

[V781]

Also, I meant to ask is my GPA/experiences competitive enough for either? If not what should I work on?

Your GPA is competitive for PA school but your HCE is not. GPA - not too competitive for Med School.

 

[bears1992]

Also, I meant to ask is my GPA/experiences competitive enough for either? If not what should I work on?

Your GPA is ok for medical school. You'd probably be ok for bottom tier MD and all DO. The downward grade trend is what might hurt you with the middle tier MD schools.

 

[Macadoo12]

Your GPA is competitive for PA school but your HCE is not. GPA - not too competitive for Med School.

Even when the two cGPA's are combined? I did 2 years at cc and 3 years at university about the same amount of hours. It would be closer to 3.65 combined but I haven't done the math for certain. Also, with pa school I am fixing to get my cna license. How many HCE hours should i get before apply if I choose that route?

 

[Macadoo12]

Even when the two cGPA's are combined? I did 2 years at cc and 3 years at university about the same amount of hours. It would be closer to 3.65 combined but I haven't done the math for certain. Also, with pa school I am fixing to get my cna license. How many HCE hours should i get before apply if I choose that route?

Also, I have no C's and only two B-'s. I have a lot of B - A- grades though. Not sure if that makes things better.

 

[V781]

Even when the two cGPA's are combined? I did 2 years at cc and 3 years at university about the same amount of hours. It would be closer to 3.65 combined but I haven't done the math for certain. Also, with pa school I am fixing to get my cna license. How many HCE hours should i get before apply if I choose that route?

Here's a table showing common acceptance rates with certain GPA and MCAT scores: https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/factstablea24-4.pdf

In your gpa range, there was a 35% acceptance rate.


For PA school, I've seen HCE of around 1000-2000. Many schools require a minimum of 500 but most applicants have more than that...thus, to be competitive you need more as well. But if everything else is excellent, 500 might do.

 

[steve-o-matic]

What kind of life do you want to live in 20 years?

From my personal observations working in healthcare administration:

NP/PAs - less control over their own practice (TX) but much better work/life balance. Go through clinics like water (it's a very buyer's market). Freedom to change their specialties and pursue different angles of medicine. Don't know what HSP is? Take it up to the doctor.

MD/DO- you set the pace and tone of the clinic (it's basically your baby) but there's a lot of responsibility to your practice and your patients. You are the subject-matter-expert in your field and you get to explore the intricacies of your specialization. Don't want to do call coverage for a nursing home? Have your NP/PA do it for you.

The job market is flexible for both.

 

[0beron]

Here's a table showing common acceptance rates with certain GPA and MCAT scores: https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/factstablea24-4.pdf

In your gpa range, there was a 35% acceptance rate.


For PA school, I've seen HCE of around 1000-2000. Many schools require a minimum of 500 but most applicants have more than that...thus, to be competitive you need more as well. But if everything else is excellent, 500 might do.

Their total cGPA (CC + UG) is ~3.65 for a 51% acceptance rate.

OP, you actually have a pretty similar story to me. My undergrad was public health, started out in nutrition but felt the same about the level of challenge and ended up changing my concentration. I had this same internal debate about a year after graduating. After getting a lot of clinical experience and interacting with physicians and midlevels I realized I just was not going to be satisfied in the long-term as a PA. I'd recommend shadowing like you're planning and when you are working as a CNA try to observe and interact with the different providers. Keep an open mind to both but be honest about your personal goals. Also you should probably go ahead and take Orgo 1, as a lot of PA schools require it (if memory serves).

 

[Macadoo12]

Their total cGPA (CC + UG) is ~3.65 for a 51% acceptance rate.

OP, you actually have a pretty similar story to me. My undergrad was public health, started out in nutrition but felt the same about the level of challenge and ended up changing my concentration. I had this same internal debate about a year after graduating. After getting a lot of clinical experience and interacting with physicians and midlevels I realized I just was not going to be satisfied in the long-term as a PA. I'd recommend shadowing like you're planning and when you are working as a CNA try to observe and interact with the different providers. Keep an open mind to both but be honest about your personal goals. Also you should probably go ahead and take Orgo 1, as a lot of PA schools require it (if memory serves).

Thanks for the advice @steve-o-matic and @oberon! I will make sure to sign up for that class and do some shadowing here soon. In the meantime, I have been wondering if the tier thing applies to PA schools too? Does anyone know? I just wonder cause I'm live in NC and A lot of the med schools here are considered top tier (Duke, Wake Forest, UNC) and from the way it sounds it would be difficult for me to be accepted into them. I didn't know if that applied to PA school too.

 

[bjwbell]

Thanks for the advice @steve-o-matic and @oberon! I will make sure to sign up for that class and do some shadowing here soon. In the meantime, I have been wondering if the tier thing applies to PA schools too? Does anyone know? I just wonder cause I'm live in NC and A lot of the med schools here are considered top tier (Duke, Wake Forest, UNC) and from the way it sounds it would be difficult for me to be accepted into them. I didn't know if that applied to PA school too.

PA-C is all that matters. And the expense of the program.

 

[0beron]

Thanks for the advice @steve-o-matic and @oberon! I will make sure to sign up for that class and do some shadowing here soon. In the meantime, I have been wondering if the tier thing applies to PA schools too? Does anyone know? I just wonder cause I'm live in NC and A lot of the med schools here are considered top tier (Duke, Wake Forest, UNC) and from the way it sounds it would be difficult for me to be accepted into them. I didn't know if that applied to PA school too.

I'm sure there is a varying level of competition which probably depends on how established the school is: for example Duke being the first PA school is probably harder to get into than a newer school. In many cases these older schools are likely to have better resources and relationships for rotations and such. But as far as I know, once you are done, no one really cares where you went to PA school (though I could be wrong, and that might change in the future). You may find it helpful to check out the website Physician Assistant Forum for better PA-specific advice