PA to MD?

[notthekyrieirving]

Hiya folks,

So I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. I'm interested in applying for medical school next cycle, and my well-meaning mother is pushing/forcing me to also apply to PA school this cycle. Her reasoning is that if I get into PA school I can still apply to medical school and transfer if I get in, and if I don't get into medical school, then at least I'll be a PA.

A few misgivings I have:
-I am missing a few classes required for PA school that I would have to take this semester. I had already planned on taking other classes for grade replacement purposes, so this will either double my workload (and prevent/severely limit my ability to work), or prevent me from taking the other classes I wanted to.
-PA school apps close starting in September (depending on the program, as late as December/January), and I don't have the necessary letters of recommendation to apply, including from a PA specifically. I also don't think it's fair to ask someone for a letter a) a month before the app closes and b) if I also want a letter of recommendation for medical school from them.

I am looking to see if anyone has heard of/knows/is someone who applied to PA school and then transferred into medical school. I have seen a few posts from lurking around here of the transition happening the other way around (MD to PA), and would be interested to know the reasoning behind why someone would choose this route before I dedicate a lot of time to pursuing PA.

Background: Just completed a M.S. in Biomedical Science, have B.S. in Biology, interested in Emergency Medicine (currently working as an EMT). I am interested in the DO route primarily and am using this year to work on GPA, a bomber MCAT, and volunteer experience, etc. etc.

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[mw18]

I'm not entirely positive on this being the case at all schools, but it wouldn't be a transfer insomuch as it would be you leaving your PA program with that debt to start brand new at a med school with that debt. I think your best bet is to focus on DO school by taking those classes for grade replacement, shadowing a DO, getting letters for medical school, and studying hard for the MCAT. That is unless you think you would be equally happy as a PA, in which case absolutely do PA. The route to practicing MD/DO is a long one, and if you'd be happy as a PA you should save that time.

 

[trev5150]

Applying to PA because "mommy is making me" is about the worst thing I've heard today. Be honest with yourself for a minute and decide whether or not as an adult (with multiple degrees no less) you're going to continue to allow your major life decisions made for you. If you can't strap up the courage and start making your own decisions, you're going to be a liability to yourself and any profession you might enter into. You need to get right with that before you do anything. I'm sorry but I have to call this one like I see it.

 

[Shotapp]

I am not sorry for saying this but, you are such a panzy man. You are how old and your momma is still pushing her point of view on you?

 

[esob]

I fired my mom so I didn't have to take orders from her anymore

 

[trev5150]

A few months back I had to tell my 71 year old father "Look, you either did your job and I turned out OK, or you completely failed and I'm a piece of $#1t. Either way, you're done trying to raise me. I've been out of the house for 20 years. You are relieved". He finally got that my life was no longer his responsibility. Had to happen because he was starting to get far too up in my business when I moved closer to home.

You kids have to live your own lives without your parents looking over your shoulder. I am sensing a lot of helicopter parenting occurred here because you seem to be far too comfortable with have your life run according to someone else's set if criteria. I don't know if that's her living vicariously through your accomplishments because of her own past failures regrets, missed opportunities, whatever, but it's got to stop. This is one of those cases where millenials earn their negative rep. It's started with the post baby boomers mollycoddling my generation according to whatever books were fashionable in the 70's and 80's - and then we took that to extremis because the kids I see today around campus are helpless little things. They can't handle the word no, they can't handle rejection, they can't handle failing, and they can't handle realizing that, by and large, they probably aren't as special as mommy told them the were.

You gotta suck it up and have the talk - soon - or you're going to end up doing things you never wanted to do. Example: I have an ex who wanted to go to law school. Her parents talked her into medical school. She didn't like it, hated residency - which pretty much broke her and ended us - and felt essentially "stuck" in it for the rest of her life. She was the smartest person I ever met. She actually finished an M.A. in English during her first year of medical school. Incredibly intelligent but she couldn't find the courage at the crucial moment to stand up to her parents about what she wanted to do with her life.

Don't let that happen to you.