i am really confused about the differences between these two professions. the only difference i can see regarding limitations of a pa's is that they dont have full autonomy, which isnt that big a deal to me. can u guys give me a better explanation about pa's? Like do PA's have way better hours than doctors? can/do student that want to become pa's take pre-med? is choosing the path of becoming a pa the easy way for people that want to do what doctors do but dont want to take the horrific path to becoming a doctor? it seems to me that there's no point in going through the process of becoming a doctor if u can jus go to 2 yrs of pa school and be able to do most of what doctors can do... i guess im hoping that somebody here will point out the huge differences between the two that will help me feel better about my goal to become a doctor.
pa vs. doctor
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PAs do usually have better hours. You can still take pre-med classes. From what I have seen of the PA program at my school, my PA friends are basically doing the same thing I am doing to get into medical school. They're shadowing various PAs, doing ECs, and volunteering at various places. Check this out from the residency forums: (I don't know how I ended up there, haha) http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=429155
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They have less autonomy, and tend to only have roles in a handful of (mostly primary care) specialties. If neither of these things is a negative in your book, then go for it, it is an easier road and the demand for ancillary professionals is currently quite high.
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don't they make significantly less ca$h money, especially compared to specialist physicians?
also no research duties I guess, and you don't get no respect from you friends maybe....
also no research duties I guess, and you don't get no respect from you friends maybe....
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According to SalaryWizard, they can earn $70-80k, but they have significantly less debt and spend significantly fewer years training. You wouldn't compare them to specialtist physicians because they don't serve the same function.
It also depends on where you want to work. I'm an EMT in an emergency room here in Southern California. The PAs in this ER only work with minor-care patients - twisted ankles, minor lacerations, abscesses, broken fingers, etc. This may not be the case at all hospitals, but I suspect that's just how things work in big hospitals in big cities. The MDs/DOs handle all of the other patients - cardiac, abdominal pain, altered, respiratory distress, etc.
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As someone who has been a Pa now for 3 years hee is what I know:
2.5-3 years training of average after college
Masters level degree...some are actually pushing for this to become a PhD
I know PA's that work in EVERY specialty and sub-specialty
I am currently working in cardiology
We have PA's making 120-130K yearly after bonuses and call schedules
Most PA's do make somewhere between 75-90K but this is trending upward...especially with the lack of primary care providers being decreased out of medical school
Some say in years to come PA's/NP will be the primary care providers...who knows
You are required under a doctors supervision...what that means has many different variables. I personally pretty much do what I wish to do...but, with any healthcare provider you have to know when you are in over your head and when to ask for guidance.
It really is a great profession...especially if you want a nice life along with being able to practice medicine. However, if you want to go to medical school...then go to medical school. PA school is not a good substitution if your dream is to become a physician.
Ask me any other questions you may have
2.5-3 years training of average after college
Masters level degree...some are actually pushing for this to become a PhD
I know PA's that work in EVERY specialty and sub-specialty
I am currently working in cardiology
We have PA's making 120-130K yearly after bonuses and call schedules
Most PA's do make somewhere between 75-90K but this is trending upward...especially with the lack of primary care providers being decreased out of medical school
Some say in years to come PA's/NP will be the primary care providers...who knows
You are required under a doctors supervision...what that means has many different variables. I personally pretty much do what I wish to do...but, with any healthcare provider you have to know when you are in over your head and when to ask for guidance.
It really is a great profession...especially if you want a nice life along with being able to practice medicine. However, if you want to go to medical school...then go to medical school. PA school is not a good substitution if your dream is to become a physician.
Ask me any other questions you may have
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Before i actually say anything thank you for this topic it's actually helping me decide between the two.
I myself am affraid that since I didn't know I wanted to be a doctor before highschool I won't be able to get into the programs required to get my degree. I've been looking at the PA as a lesser alternative to being a M.D. I don't care about the money so much seeing as how they both make enough for me to be financially happy. So the question rose, "Can a PA become a Doctor?"
If anyone can help me out with this decision of mine please let me know, and thank you ahead of time.
I myself am affraid that since I didn't know I wanted to be a doctor before highschool I won't be able to get into the programs required to get my degree. I've been looking at the PA as a lesser alternative to being a M.D. I don't care about the money so much seeing as how they both make enough for me to be financially happy. So the question rose, "Can a PA become a Doctor?"
If anyone can help me out with this decision of mine please let me know, and thank you ahead of time.
I didn't decide to become a doctor until my last year of college, so it's definitely never too late. And yes, a PA can definitely become a doctor--you just have to go to medical school. To get into med school, you need to take pre-requisite coursework and complete an undergraduate degree (technically you only need three years of undergrad, but I haven't heard of anyone recently getting into medical school without their BA or BS).
There is no required major to get into med school. You can go to a community college and finish at a four-year institution and major in flowers or something else more-or-less unrelated to medicine.
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most doctors don't have any research duties and don't get no respect
PA's are trained to deal with most basic every day medical issues in a variety of fields. They lack some of the more advanced medical science courses and understanding, they are supposed to work under the supervision of doctors. Good PAs are able to both handle their patients and know when the problem is complex enough that a doctor needs to take care of the patient. Depending where you work determines how acute the patients you take care of are. Some places you only deal with the more mundane, some places you really are almost on your own and havemore complex patients.
If you want to be the person called in to look at the really crazy case that's very hard to figure out and may not have an answer even, become a doctor. YOu will still deal with the mundane, but you can provide a higher level of care, which is sometimes needed. If you want to take care of day-to-day cases (like in cardiology, standard CHF patients, post-MI care, atrial fibrillation if I had to guess) and have someone to go to when things get hairy, become a PA. You are still trained and capable of taking care of 80-95% of patients. Just please please please know your limits🙂 (which PAs I have worked with do. As I'm a 1st year resident, the ones I'll be working with are likely to know more than me for awhile, though)
If you want to be the person called in to look at the really crazy case that's very hard to figure out and may not have an answer even, become a doctor. YOu will still deal with the mundane, but you can provide a higher level of care, which is sometimes needed. If you want to take care of day-to-day cases (like in cardiology, standard CHF patients, post-MI care, atrial fibrillation if I had to guess) and have someone to go to when things get hairy, become a PA. You are still trained and capable of taking care of 80-95% of patients. Just please please please know your limits🙂 (which PAs I have worked with do. As I'm a 1st year resident, the ones I'll be working with are likely to know more than me for awhile, though)
