I am in PA school now, and love Emergency Medicine. However, the scope of practice for a PA in an ED can be widely variable, from being the main provider (Idaho, Montana, Alaska etc) to only fast track/urgent care type cases (Ohio, Florida) I want to work Main, and handle acute cases. So now I am contemplating going to medical school after PA school. If there are any PA to MD/DO's out there, can you give some insight into the transition? Schools that like to pick up PA's? I am especially interested in LECOM's APAP program.
PA to MD/DO
- Thread starter 68W2PtoMD
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It's the hardest thing I have ever done--can't lie to you--take your PA didactic experience and triple it, easy. Nothing is off the table in terms of pathophys, Biochem, genetics, histology, anatomy, molecular bio of pharm...for example, today's clinical neurology exam covered 38 hr of lecture over about 6 lecture days. Imagine everything you need to know about CNS tumors, infections, developmental/congenital anomalies of CNS, movement disorders, dementia, migraine & other HA, stroke/ischemia, MS and less common demyelination disorders, and a few others I can't recall cuz my brain is fried. And we're not talking PA school exams that are high-yield what's-gonna-be-on-PANCE, but every little enzyme and quirky histopath finding you didn't learn because it really isn't important for clinicians 
Perhaps if you are closer to the average age of medical students you won't find it as hard to adjust to being a student again like me. I spent the greater part of first semester (core) and part of 2nd retraining my brain to STOP thinking like a PA and start thinking like a PhD lol....
Now that we're into systems it's a beautiful thing that I get to think like a clinician again, but I still have to keep my mind open to "what are the PhDs gonna ask me about this disorder?" when studying. It is an adjustment for sure.
There are 7 of us in the LECOM APAP experiment. I happen to be the only woman and at the upper end of experience as a PA (one guy is older than me and has about 14 yr I think, I have 12). We are all hanging in there. I think the 3 PBL guys are doing fantastic. One of our smart cookies is a DSPer and at the top. I tried DSP, couldn't do it. WAY too stressful. I went back to lecture in January and it was a wise move for me. I probably should have been PBL but I chickened out. Doesn't matter ultimately as I just want to do well on boards and graduate and match for residency
My best advice to you? If you are in PA school now, finish it. Learn as much as you can and READ EVERY DAY. Work for at least a year, or a few. Be SURE you really want to do this to your financial life and personal life. Make money but save it--don't get too used to spending and enjoying the fruits of your labor that's the 2nd hardest part of going back to school--giving up a 6-figure income to take on more debt and earn nothing for a minimum of six years!
Good luck
Lisa
Perhaps if you are closer to the average age of medical students you won't find it as hard to adjust to being a student again like me. I spent the greater part of first semester (core) and part of 2nd retraining my brain to STOP thinking like a PA and start thinking like a PhD lol....
Now that we're into systems it's a beautiful thing that I get to think like a clinician again, but I still have to keep my mind open to "what are the PhDs gonna ask me about this disorder?" when studying. It is an adjustment for sure.
There are 7 of us in the LECOM APAP experiment. I happen to be the only woman and at the upper end of experience as a PA (one guy is older than me and has about 14 yr I think, I have 12). We are all hanging in there. I think the 3 PBL guys are doing fantastic. One of our smart cookies is a DSPer and at the top. I tried DSP, couldn't do it. WAY too stressful. I went back to lecture in January and it was a wise move for me. I probably should have been PBL but I chickened out. Doesn't matter ultimately as I just want to do well on boards and graduate and match for residency
My best advice to you? If you are in PA school now, finish it. Learn as much as you can and READ EVERY DAY. Work for at least a year, or a few. Be SURE you really want to do this to your financial life and personal life. Make money but save it--don't get too used to spending and enjoying the fruits of your labor
that's the 2nd hardest part of going back to school--giving up a 6-figure income to take on more debt and earn nothing for a minimum of six years!Good luck
Lisa
Thank you for the post Lisa. I have a military background, but I am still young (25) I finished my degree on active duty taking night and online classes, and got out to attend PA school. The GI Bill is covering the cost of PA school, and I will still have 12 months of benefits when I graduate. So if I went back to med school the GI bill would give ~24K for tuition for MS1 & 2. Plus 1K for books/yr, 2K for tests and licensing exams, and ~1,200/month housing allowance.
Your post confirms what I assumed (but you know what they say about ass-u-me) med school would be like for a PA. We would get pimp-smacked by basic sciences in yr 1, in yr 2 we would have a good foundation for pathologies that we would expand, and yrs 3 & 4 would be more clinicals. I definitely plan on finishing PA school strong and working for 2 or more years before I try for med school. I took the GRE instead of the MCAT for my program. I am not completely sold on the idea of going back to med school at this moment, just kicking it around.
Your post confirms what I assumed (but you know what they say about ass-u-me) med school would be like for a PA. We would get pimp-smacked by basic sciences in yr 1, in yr 2 we would have a good foundation for pathologies that we would expand, and yrs 3 & 4 would be more clinicals. I definitely plan on finishing PA school strong and working for 2 or more years before I try for med school. I took the GRE instead of the MCAT for my program. I am not completely sold on the idea of going back to med school at this moment, just kicking it around.
