PA to MD someday? PA school GPA of value to admissions ppl?

[pseudoname]

This is just a hypothetical question because I couldn't find any other related forums. I graduate from PA school soon and though right now I am more than happy with this career and pretty confident I will be for a long time, I feel like maybe 10+ years down the line, I might someday want to expand my scope of practice and go MD. I just want to be aware of my options.

Of course I would have to retake some of my undergrad classes due to time limits, but assuming I did that and had a relatively good MCAT score--my main question is how much would my graduate PA school GPA affect me?

Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Will probably graduate with PA school GPA of ~3.3

I feel like my PA school GPA is on the lower side. If someday along the line, I do decide to pursue an MD, will my PA school GPA hinder me/be an obstacle from doing so? And how much value would my time of actual clinical experience/practicing medicine in the real world be given? (Instead of just shadowing like most med school applicants). More value placed on experience or GPA?

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[infectiousdisease101]

The only reason anyone would go from PA to MD is because they were focused on the money. PAs do more patient interactions than MDs, especially compared to attendings. Also, unlike MDs PAs have better work life balance.

The only noticeable difference between you and MD is you can't work independently or own your own practice.

That's just my 2 cents on it.

 

[BombsAway]

you could just set a million dollars on fire and save a lot of time/effort.

 

[infectiousdisease101]

Also, one perk to being a PA is you can switch between fields without doing residency. That's mostly because you need to work under the supervision of an MD.

 

[infectiousdisease101]

you could just set a million dollars on fire and save a lot of time/effort.

Why burn It? He can give it to me instead. I'll put it to good use.

 

[allantois]

Also, one perk to being a PA is you can switch between fields without doing residency. That's mostly because you need to work under the supervision of an MD.

Are you telling a PA student what a PA is

 

[infectiousdisease101]

Are you telling a PA student what a PA is

You're right. Should have continued roasting OP for clearly focusing on the money MDs make and apparently not being aware how much money they lose along the way.

 

[SDN]

This is just a hypothetical question because I couldn't find any other related forums. I graduate from PA school soon and though right now I am more than happy with this career and pretty confident I will be for a long time, I feel like maybe 10+ years down the line, I might someday want to expand my scope of practice and go MD. I just want to be aware of my options.

Of course I would have to retake some of my undergrad classes due to time limits, but assuming I did that and had a relatively good MCAT score--my main question is how much would my graduate PA school GPA affect me?

Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Will probably graduate with PA school GPA of ~3.3

I feel like my PA school GPA is on the lower side. If someday along the line, I do decide to pursue an MD, will my PA school GPA hinder me/be an obstacle from doing so? And how much value would my time of actual clinical experience/practicing medicine in the real world be given? (Instead of just shadowing like most med school applicants). More value placed on experience or GPA?

While it is important to maintain a good GPA in PA school, having a 3.3 vs a 3.8 probably doesn't make a tremendous difference for this hypothetical (but I wouldn't let it go any lower). A school will be more impressed that you can make it through PA school and enjoy the practice of medicine enough that you want to be a physician.

But I would echo others; an average PA can make great money and not have the same headaches as a physician. Why go through the years of pain and expense for minimal ROI?

 

[frosted2]

I know that there are certain schools that have pathways specifically for PA-Cs who want to make the transition to MD/DO.

Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway - LECOM Education System

 

[infectiousdisease101]

Just an FYI, once you make above a certain threshold, making any more money won't make you happy. Long as you make enough to pay the bills, put a roof over your head and a little extra to toss into your savings, any more will not make you any happier. And you'll have more time on your hands to hang with friends.

 

[mimelim]

The only reason anyone would go from PA to MD is because they were focused on the money. PAs do more patient interactions than MDs, especially compared to attendings. Also, unlike MDs PAs have better work life balance.

The only noticeable difference between you and MD is you can't work independently or own your own practice.

That's just my 2 cents on it.

Every statement here is wrong.
The only reason anyone would go from PA to MD is because they were focused on the money. Completely False
PAs do more patient interactions than MDs, especially compared to attendings. False
Also, unlike MDs PAs have better work life balance. False
The only noticeable difference between you and MD is you can't work independently or own your own practice. Completely False

For starters, you throw around groups like MD or PA like they are a single entity, not an entire profession of of over a million people (or 100k in the case of PAs). Completely ignoring the fact that there is tremendous variation within each group, especially physicians. Given the word choice and arguments made, you sound like someone early in your training and someone that has never set foot outside of medicine in an academic center, ie not the arena where the bulk of physicians practice. There are plenty of reasons that someone might want to go from PA to physician that don't revolve around money. Further, in many instances, the opportunity cost would severely reduce the difference.

 

[pseudoname]

Thank you all for your help! Of course this is a hypothetical situation, but I feel like someday I may have the desire to open my own practice, which I cannot do quite as readily as a PA. I am sure I will have a long and happy career as a PA regardless. I have no doubt that I had the grades and application to be accepted to medical school instead of PA school, but I actively made the decision for many of the reasons you all stated to go to PA school instead. Being able to switch between specialities being one of the big reasons--as an indecisive person, I would absolutely hate to be stuck in one role for the rest of my life and it would suck if I ended up hating whatever I chose to specialize in.

 

[darkjedi]

The only reason anyone would go from PA to MD is because they were focused on the money. PAs do more patient interactions than MDs, especially compared to attendings. Also, unlike MDs PAs have better work life balance.

The only noticeable difference between you and MD is you can't work independently or own your own practice.

That's just my 2 cents on it.

Don't listen to anything this guy has to say on this forum. This is not the first time he's said completely false statements pretending to know more than he does.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Yes you can make the switch eventually, but there are very few programs that are PA-MD/DO specific, i.e. LECOM (maybe the only one? I don't know). You would most likely have to go through the 4 years of medical school and then residency. People do it, but it's a very long road.

 

[boogiecousins94]

What if you're a PA and want to do research eventually? I'm curious if there are PA/PhD people out there. Idk much about PA school but can you do research during it?