Physician Assistant to DO

[Medical field27]

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Has anyone done the PA to DO transition ? If so how long was it and what are your thoughts on it? Thank you

 

[Makati2008]

Well it's either 3 or 4 years plus residency dependent on the bridge program. As far as being worth it, it's dependent on wants, age, financed etc

 

[primadonna22274]

11 months to go--13 yr as a PA. Worth it to me for the personal satisfaction of completing a lifelong goal but will take me the rest of my career to recoup the cost. M1 was awful and I wanted to quit until we finished basic sciences and moved on to medicine/systems then it all got better and my grades radically improved with much less effort. Not sure I would do it again if I knew how hard it would be (wouldn't have believed it anyway).
As my buddy Makati says, a very personal decision. Only you can weigh the cost-benefit and decide if it's the right choice for you.
My PA career experience (FM, EM and PA education) has been invaluable in rotations. My preceptors treat me like a resident and forget I'm a student. Notice I say my PA career experience--because I don't think my preclinical PA education made that much difference and it was long ago. Actually seeing patients, knowing pathology and being able to formulate a reasonable management plan before you ever present your patient to the attending is a wonderful place to be as med student.
I am in the first class of the 3-yr APAP track at LECOM.

 

[deleted6669]

so proud of you primma!
I was seriously considering doing the bridge as well but have a number of factors which held me back(small kids, large debt load, non-working spouse, need to take more prereqs and mcat, etc).
I opted to do the DHSc instead which is a distance based doctoral program I can do with limited time on campus, allowing me to keep my full time job, see my kids, remain married, etc.
If I was younger and didn't have kids when this option came around I would have jumped at the opportunity.
if the program had started in 2000 or so I would have jumped on it. back then I was without kids and in full blown "I'm going back to medschool" mode. was taking physics, stats, and genetics, etc.
life happens. roll with it.play to your strengths and do what you need to stay happy and sane.

 

[PAorMDhopeful]

11 months to go--13 yr as a PA. Worth it to me for the personal satisfaction of completing a lifelong goal but will take me the rest of my career to recoup the cost. M1 was awful and I wanted to quit until we finished basic sciences and moved on to medicine/systems then it all got better and my grades radically improved with much less effort. Not sure I would do it again if I knew how hard it would be (wouldn't have believed it anyway).
As my buddy Makati says, a very personal decision. Only you can weigh the cost-benefit and decide if it's the right choice for you.
My PA career experience (FM, EM and PA education) has been invaluable in rotations. My preceptors treat me like a resident and forget I'm a student. Notice I say my PA career experience--because I don't think my preclinical PA education made that much difference and it was long ago. Actually seeing patients, knowing pathology and being able to formulate a reasonable management plan before you ever present your patient to the attending is a wonderful place to be as med student.
I am in the first class of the 3-yr APAP track at LECOM.

Primma --

How many other PAs are in your class / in other classes at LECOM? Could you comment on the variety of ages of these PAs? I am considering pursuing this route as well, but like EMED has said, I don't think I could pull the trigger once "life" begins.

And, why is it that you wouldn't do it again? Mainly due to the workload or did it have to do with recouping the cost (as you mentioned)?

Just curious!

 

[deleted6669]

Primma --

How many other PAs are in your class?

she is in the first bridge program class. they are all PAs.

 

[deleted6669]

like EMED has said, I don't think I could pull the trigger once "life" begins.

I think I could make it work with a working spouse but I want to keep the one I've got....(it's not that she doesn't work, it's just that she doesn't have a regular reliable income...part of being an artist I guess....).

 

[primadonna22274]

she is in the first bridge program class. they are all PAs.

Kinda sorta. Of the 230-ish people in my class, 7 are PAs--those 7 are in the accelerated 3-yr track:
We are all doing well and on path to graduate in June 2014. No attrition yet in APAP!!
Just passed my USMLE...whew! Got my COMLEX score a couple weeks ago. So glad I don't have to hold my breath on that one anymore.
M1 was very rough, although honestly just for the 14 weeks of "core" (basic sciences). Anatomy, histology, embryology were all a breeze and very well taught...that was the first 10 wk. core started after that.
Once we finished core and began systems in Feb of first year it was much more doable.
Neuro anatomy was probably the hardest class I have ever taken in a 3-week period but it was exceptionally well taught and I learned it well.

 

[deleted6669]

how many other PAs on the regular track?
congrats on comlex/usmle!
I'm working through biostats this term, the last math class I hope to ever take. 3 text books and a computer program...

 

[primadonna22274]

No PAs on regular track in my class or the class after.