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PA school
A doctor that I shadowed actually tried to persuade me to go to PA school but I didn't even consider it.
I thought about it after talking to a few PAs that i worked with if all fails and i dont get in to medical school i may go the route or be a perfusionist...
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How come?
Would it have changed anything?
Those are both great options. Perfusionists know their stuff! Interesting that you bring up perfusionist...I'm impressed actually.
I'm curious as to whether the notion that PAs = residents for life is really a fact
Are you doing floor work and discharges for the docs? Yes.
Are you staying late to finish up work, rounding on weekends, taking call? From what I've seen, no.
Are you making twice as much as a resident? Yes.
Do you have significantly less time involved in your training and less debt? Yes.
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Knowing what specialty I want to go into and the outcome of match at this point, I'm glad I went the MD route. But I wish I knew about it since it is actually a good option as well.
Most PAs I've encountered had a lot of experience in the medical field though. I was in college when I applied, and I don't think I was qualified to apply to PA school at that time.
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The scope of training and responsibilities for PAs are unquestionably much smaller than that of residents. But the concern is that by working as a PA, you are always under the supervision of a physician, and i'm not sure whether that's really a valid concern.
I was originally pre-pa and switched. All PAs that are < 5 years out loved their jobs. All the one > 5 years out seemed to hate it. They would work up patients and have the diagnosis and be ready to roll. BUT because they're a PA, they have to run it by the supervising doc. When a PA consults a doc, the doc always asks them to order some random lab and/or imaging. It never changed diagnosis or treatment. It always just wasted time and charged the patients more. I knew I couldn't stand an entire career of my diagnosis being challenged every day.
Also, I want to practice medicine for a lot of reasons. One of them is to stimulate my brain. I would hate to have to see only the BS and even then ask the supervising doc for help with even that.
It's nothing to do with pay, prestige, etc., and everything to do with a limited scope of practice.
Edit: go check out the PA forum. It's just thousands of pages of regret. Although, unlike NPs, they all seem to acknowledge that there is a difference between them and docs.
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Also, I want to practice medicine for a lot of reasons. One of them is to stimulate my brain. I would hate to have to see only the BS and even then ask the supervising doc for help with even that.
It's nothing to do with pay, prestige, etc., and everything to do with a limited scope of practice.
Edit: go check out the PA forum. It's just thousands of pages of regret. Although, unlike NPs, they all seem to acknowledge that there is a difference between them and docs.
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Being under the constant supervision of a physician is a very valid concern if you want to be in control of the pt diagnosis. And FWIW I don't we should be comparing resident responsibilities and pay to PA because residents will ultimately become doctors. Physician assistants are still gonna physician assist.
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