I have the opportunity to start an MD program this fall. Throughout the MCAT studying, application and interview process, I took everything one hurdle at a time and didn’t get too ahead of the moment. Now I find myself with an acceptance and a big decision to make. I think I would like to go for it but I am worried about the practicality of leaving a stable, good-paying career. I am in my early 30s, single, female, no children, not terribly stressed about potentially missing out on children. If anyone has transitioned from professional to medical student, I’d love to hear how you’re making that work financially. Especially if you do not have a working partner to pay the basic bills. Also particularly interested in hearing from former PAs if they are out there.
PA to MD. Looking for advice from other professionals who went for it
- Thread starter ilsettm
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I still get emails and texts for travel ICU gigs and sometimes it really hurts to see how much is being offered. The closer I got to making a decision, the more money became the biggest factor. I'm lucky to have received a substantial scholarship and have a lot of money saved up; if either of those factors were not true, I don't know if I would make the decision in retrospect. Obviously you can take out student loans, both public and private but you obviously want to minimize what you take out - living on a budget can be tough if you have been able to live comfortably on a salary. A lot of this is school specific; are you accepted at a school with high tuition in a place with a high COL?
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I'm 28. Started med school this semester. Worked in research for 7 years. Though the pay sucked.
I don't see myself doing anything else. Do you?
Accept that you'll be 40 when you're done with school with a lot of debt. Can you picture yourself doing anything else?
I don't see myself doing anything else. Do you?
Accept that you'll be 40 when you're done with school with a lot of debt. Can you picture yourself doing anything else?
This is the same phenomenon I’m experiencing. Except I’m a primary care PA with not necessarily ample high paying travel opportunities. I don’t have a tremendous amount saved really. The tuition is on the higher end, roughly 45k but COL is pretty decent. I’m planning to apply for NHSC scholarship but as we know that’s highly competitive and far from a certain factor in the equation. Thanks for weighing in and good luck in your path!
Good thoughts. I can’t see myself retiring as a PA. Also cannot really picture myself not being in medicine. I can honestly think of worse outcomes than being a 40 year old MD, even with all the debt. Good luck to you and thanks for contributing. I’ll definitely consider those thoughts.
I'm a former PA and current OMS-1. I practiced in family medicine for 4.5 years and orthopedics for about 3 years before starting medical school. Financially, it was an easier decision for me because I am prior military and can use the GI Bill to help with some of the cost. Also, my spouse has a good job and is supportive. However, I just turned 40 so my career will be shorter than yours.
I also couldn't see myself retiring as a PA. Ultimately, I wasn't satisfied with the level of education I received and never felt like I could be the medical professional I always wanted to be.
Having made it through one semester of med school I can safely say there is no comparison in the rigor of education. We go faster and much more in depth compared to PA school. I want to emphasize this because I started med school assuming it wouldn't be so bad. What I used in practice and remembered from PA school is NOTHING compared to what I have to know now. Please, do NOT underestimate what you are getting in to.
Honestly, there were times this semester when I regretted my decision. Everything was harder and more intense than I anticipated. I can totally see how people develop mental health issues in medical school. I'm thankful that I am doing fine in that respect. I don't want to dissuade you but don't make the same mistake I did by underestimating the beast that is medical school.
Anyways, feel free to message me about more specific questions. Good luck!
I also couldn't see myself retiring as a PA. Ultimately, I wasn't satisfied with the level of education I received and never felt like I could be the medical professional I always wanted to be.
Having made it through one semester of med school I can safely say there is no comparison in the rigor of education. We go faster and much more in depth compared to PA school. I want to emphasize this because I started med school assuming it wouldn't be so bad. What I used in practice and remembered from PA school is NOTHING compared to what I have to know now. Please, do NOT underestimate what you are getting in to.
Honestly, there were times this semester when I regretted my decision. Everything was harder and more intense than I anticipated. I can totally see how people develop mental health issues in medical school. I'm thankful that I am doing fine in that respect. I don't want to dissuade you but don't make the same mistake I did by underestimating the beast that is medical school.
Anyways, feel free to message me about more specific questions. Good luck!
Congratulations on your journey and acceptance. I am not sure that I can offer you advice but I am in a similar situation. I'm a long-term PA who just received a medical school acceptance. Like you, I've taken the process one step at a time. I am older than you, single, with a teenager. I have money saved but it will still be a big adjustment financially. Can I make it work though without going into debt or draining my retirement? Yes. Does that mean it's financially practical? No....although my accountant and financial advisor have given me guidance to help me feel more comfortable about the viability of going back.
Although it's still surreal to realize I have been accepted, I am so excited about the opportunity to go back to learn more and do what I've always wanted to do and that makes the decision a no-brainer.
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Hey there, please let me know if I should PM you instead. I’m interested in your journey from PA to MD. What was the biggest obstacle you faced? How did you prepare for the MCAT? I am a PT thinking of making the switch and try for MD.
Thanks for giving me your take on it. PA school bothered me because I found it to br even more shallow than some of my upper level undergrad biology courses. I would welcome the depth but definitely understand it’s a lot at once and I won’t fully realize just how much until I’m in the middle of it.
Congratulations! I do wish I have more savings. That would make the decision easier.
I’ll just answer this here in case it can help someone else but feel free to PM if you’re interested in more detail.
Obstacles:
By far my biggest obstacle was the MCAT. I was afraid of physics and I was not confident that I could master the MCAT, especially having been out of undergrad for so long. I considered trying to study for it for a few years before I finally did it. In fact, if the isolation of the pandemic had not given me so much spare time, I’m not sure I ever would have.
The second obstacle is that some programs put expiration dates (10 years usually) on their prerequisites. I did all of the premed courses during undergrad and was not in a good situation to retake them. That limits where you can apply.
Preparing for MCAT:
I was lucky in that I had a really strong undergrad education in biology and chemistry. A lot of what I learned in undergrad stuck with me and so I had a good foundation for studying independently for the MCAT. I bought the Kaplan self-paced course and probably wouldn’t do that again if I could go back. I didn’t find the videos very useful. I used the Kaplan books to do my initial review and a variety of YouTube videos when I needed more instruction on a topic. I really like AK Lectures and I hope he will keep his content online until I can get through the first year of medical school. After I did my content review, I started working on Kaplan practice questions very early on and made a study list based on what I got wrong. I used Reddit for study tips. I used Anki decks to review micro bits of information. Leading up to the test day, I set aside some weekend days to take all of the full length exams and I would review those during the week. The whole process took about 6 months. I did well on the MCAT and what worked for me was to do as many practice questions and full length tests under timed conditions as possible. Much of the difficulty of the MCAT is just learning its quirks and developing a sense of pace so you can finish sections on time and maintain accuracy.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.
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