Pros and Cons... Shoot your Opinion

[MexicanDr]

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What would you say are the Pros vs Cons of attending PA (combined PA/MPH programs or master level one) school instead of an MD/DO Program?

-Age or grades will not be an issue

I mean, have you considered doing this and why did you stop considering it or still considering it?

One of the obvious is the time spent on each program, which PA school even doing a 1yr residency offered for PA grads will still save you 4+ yrs from being a practicing MD/DO.

What other things would you consider here, pros/cons?


Eddie

 

[Janieve]

What would you say are the Pros vs Cons of attending PA (combined PA/MPH programs or master level one) school instead of an MD/DO Program?

-Age or grades will not be an issue

I mean, have you considered doing this and why did you stop considering it or still considering it?

One of the obvious is the time spent on each program, which PA school even doing a 1yr residency offered for PA grads will still save you 4+ yrs from being a practicing MD/DO.

What other things would you consider here, pros/cons?


Eddie

Pros:
More patient interaction
Less debt
More predictable hours

Cons:
More patient interaction
Career placement vs pay
The "Whatifs" and "couldabeens"

I thought about doing it when I first started volunteering with the Red Cross (my introduction to the idea of health care), along with considerations about phlebotomy and nursing school. I ended up spending a day at a hospital to learn about organ donation and other cool stuff, and by the end of it I was THINKING about becoming a doctor.

When I tried to shelf that idea (I am NOT good a science and I was a linguistics major at the time to boot), it kept me awake at night. I knew that if I didn't at least try to become a doctor, I'd spend my whole life regretting it. And I knew that if I was going to work in health care, especially, not being a doctor meant that every single day I would contemplate "whatif"s and "couldabeen"s. "What if I'd made it to med school", "What if that was my diagnosis", "I could have been the one to help that boy", "I could have been the difference in that case."

I think, rather than weighing out pros and cons (especially since when you get right down to it, so many of them overlap), you have to try to see life without becoming a __________. At least, that's how I make my decisions.

I can't wait to see other answers to this. 🙂

 

[Procyon]

What would you say are the Pros vs Cons of attending PA (combined PA/MPH programs or master level one) school instead of an MD/DO Program?

-Age or grades will not be an issue

I mean, have you considered doing this and why did you stop considering it or still considering it?

One of the obvious is the time spent on each program, which PA school even doing a 1yr residency offered for PA grads will still save you 4+ yrs from being a practicing MD/DO.

What other things would you consider here, pros/cons?


Eddie

Pros:
- Less debt
- Less likely to have to deal with malpractice kind of things. The doctor in charge usually gets the blame if you screw up, or so I've been told.
- Probably less stressful than being a doctor, on the whole. And like someone noted above, the hours are probably much better.

Cons:
- If I asked myself, "Have I pushed myself as far as I can go?", I'd have to answer no.
- The extra years of hard work involved with becoming an MD/DO would just feel very rewarding. Accomplishing all that must be a feeling that you can't really beat. Plus, medicine is the academic field I'm actually passionate about, so getting to spend more time delving further into it will be worth it.
- PAs don't get the final say with patients. If I felt like I knew the best course of treatment for a patient, but the doctor in charge didn't and wouldn't listen to my advice, I'd be awfully frustrated. Of course, you can also turn this into a pro if you look at the opposite extreme; if you have no clue how to treat a patient, you have a doctor to fall back on.
- I suppose I can't adequately explain why, but I feel like I'd have more of an ability to make a difference as a doctor than as a PA.
- Being a PA wouldn't be as meaningful for me, for personal reasons.

 

[shiftingmirage]

Lots of places, CVS, walgreens, target, have started some form of clinics at the store. The clinics are run by LPN, other nurses, and PAs. The clinics have regular hours, and someone said that they treat 80+% of the patients fully. The remainder are referred to a doc, the hospital. Working at these clinics give nurses and PAs more autonomy than a hospital would.

Why not for me? I grew up thinking I wanted to be a physician. I had absolutely no idea that a PA existed when I was younger. When you've spent 10 years chasing a profession, it's hard to change the plan, especially since it's not like you're making a 180 to a different direction.

 

[rosebud1]

Pros of being a PA:
-Less schooling
-Less debt
-Better hours (more free time to spend with family and whatnot)
-Fewer malpractice type issues to deal with, and less bureaucratic BS to put up with
-Pretty good pay ($90-100k in most states, I believe)
-You still get to practice medicine and write prescriptions
-There is a belief that many hospitals will shift their hiring practices to hire more PAs and fewer doctors, so the job prospects may be better
-PAs typically get a good deal of respect, both with patients and within the medical community

Cons:
-Less autonomy and you don't have the option of being your own boss
-The pay, although good, is still less than you'd make as an MD
-There are always at least a few things that you can't do

The "Whatifs" and "couldabeens"

I actually disagree with this one. I'm not doubting that it's a con for you, but it seems that most PAs are actually happy that they're not doctors. They like their role and the lifestyle it allows them better than they would like being an MD. Although the "what ifs" could be a factor for those who are deadset on being doctors, the people who actually become PAs are usually happy with their choice and wouldn't list it as a con for them.

 

[Daedra22]

Pro: Closer patient relationships
Con: Little opportunity for research

I would really like to do research or at least have that option, and it was one of the prime reasons that I decided against PA.

 

[7starmantis]

Another pro that a good friend of mine (PA) really thought highly of was the opportunity for lateral movement in specialties. As a PA he spent 5 years in surgery and then decided he wanted into radiology. He quit surgery and in a week was working in radiology. An MD would have to take a huge pay cut, go back to residency for the same benefit.

I have absolutely nothing but respect for PA's most are better than the doctors they work for, I just personally want to be a physician. I think one con could be the big difference in pay when (at least in a lot of cases) the work isn't all that different.

 

[FIREitUP]

my understanding is that PA's generally do work that MD/DO's do not want to do, i.e., busy work, and don't really get as engaged in diagnosing and troubleshooting. it's a similar job with much less responsibilities, and possibly one that you would not enjoy if you had your heart set on being an MD/DO.

 

[7starmantis]

my understanding is that PA's generally do work that MD/DO's do not want to do, i.e., busy work, and don't really get as engaged in diagnosing and troubleshooting.

I dont think that would be the norm, certainly not in my experience.

 

[Janieve]

I actually disagree with this one. I'm not doubting that it's a con for you, but it seems that most PAs are actually happy that they're not doctors. They like their role and the lifestyle it allows them better than they would like being an MD. Although the "what ifs" could be a factor for those who are deadset on being doctors, the people who actually become PAs are usually happy with their choice and wouldn't list it as a con for them.

Yeah, I'm thinking that if someone outright wants to be a PA, then it's not so much a con, but it's a huge one for me. And frankly, it was the deciding factor in my case.

👍 Go decisiveness!

 

[MexicanDr]

Good responses, anyone else?

 

[anonymousername]

what the hell is a PA?

.....physicians assistant?

 

[bnp07]

I dont think that would be the norm, certainly not in my experience.

Theme of the post: it all depends on the job.

I've talked with PAs (yes, poster before me, physician assistants) who are doing PC and have 9-5/6ish hours, and I've talked with several PAs who do work more than the docs. A lot of times they are the ones doing weekends and/or call. It really depends on the job. Some places PAs do have more times with patients, some places they are just an accessory to a patient mill. Some PAs have to run EVERYTHING by their SP (supervising physician), most experienced PAs only refer to them infrequently. One of the PAs I shadowed saw her SP once a month (he was still on site, just in a different building). Some surgical PAs will do bilateral surgeries with their SP, usually after completing a surgical PA residency. You CAN do research as a PA, but those opportunities are fewer than in the MD world. Someone mentioned the PA profession being "less stressful," when (CNN Money?) just named it one of the top 8 most stressful jobs. Although I don't place much faith in rankings such as that, yes, there are some jobs as a PA that could be less stressful than certain MD jobs, but some could definitely be more. It really depends on the job.

You're right about being done with school earlier, although it's a tough two years (a couple days off for Christmas and one week off between year one and two is all I'll get). The amount of flexibility though in terms of specialties was the pulling point for me. It is a ton easier as a PA as opposed as an MD.

One con that I don't think has been mentioned: patients not wanting to see you because they don't understand your role...they see "assistant" in your title and think of a medical assistant.

Personally, I had to think long and hard about my decision between MD and PA. Debt was the #1 factor, as I have no financial support from family, undergrad loans, and with no in-state school, would be stuck paying private/OOS tutition (I want to go into primary care and don't want to be forced to specialize to handle debt). #2 was the laterability of the PA profession, #3 was the amount of doctors I talked to who said "YES GO PA," as opposed to not meeting any PAs who were dissatisfied with their choice. Like one person mentioned above, PAs don't really have to deal with malpractice, and also the hassles of managing a business.

It's definitely a tough decision though. I struggled with the fact of why I would go PA when I know I could easily get into med school (based off of my GPA, health care experience, LORs and ECs, and assuming I did well on the MCAT). I came to the conclusion that it's not settling at all, it's a separate profession that does have a helpful place within health care.

If you want to hear pros and cons from people actually working in the PA profession, check out this thread on common myths about being a PA:

http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24088

Good luck with your studies!

 

[MexicanDr]

Theme of the post: it all depends on the job.

I've talked with PAs (yes, poster before me, physician assistants) who are doing PC and have 9-5/6ish hours, and I've talked with several PAs who do work more than the docs. A lot of times they are the ones doing weekends and/or call. It really depends on the job. Some places PAs do have more times with patients, some places they are just an accessory to a patient mill. Some PAs have to run EVERYTHING by their SP (supervising physician), most experienced PAs only refer to them infrequently. One of the PAs I shadowed saw her SP once a month (he was still on site, just in a different building). Some surgical PAs will do bilateral surgeries with their SP, usually after completing a surgical PA residency. You CAN do research as a PA, but those opportunities are fewer than in the MD world. Someone mentioned the PA profession being "less stressful," when (CNN Money?) just named it one of the top 8 most stressful jobs. Although I don't place much faith in rankings such as that, yes, there are some jobs as a PA that could be less stressful than certain MD jobs, but some could definitely be more. It really depends on the job.

You're right about being done with school earlier, although it's a tough two years (a couple days off for Christmas and one week off between year one and two is all I'll get). The amount of flexibility though in terms of specialties was the pulling point for me. It is a ton easier as a PA as opposed as an MD.

One con that I don't think has been mentioned: patients not wanting to see you because they don't understand your role...they see "assistant" in your title and think of a medical assistant.

Personally, I had to think long and hard about my decision between MD and PA. Debt was the #1 factor, as I have no financial support from family, undergrad loans, and with no in-state school, would be stuck paying private/OOS tutition (I want to go into primary care and don't want to be forced to specialize to handle debt). #2 was the laterability of the PA profession, #3 was the amount of doctors I talked to who said "YES GO PA," as opposed to not meeting any PAs who were dissatisfied with their choice. Like one person mentioned above, PAs don't really have to deal with malpractice, and also the hassles of managing a business.

It's definitely a tough decision though. I struggled with the fact of why I would go PA when I know I could easily get into med school (based off of my GPA, health care experience, LORs and ECs, and assuming I did well on the MCAT). I came to the conclusion that it's not settling at all, it's a separate profession that does have a helpful place within health care.

If you want to hear pros and cons from people actually working in the PA profession, check out this thread on common myths about being a PA:

http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24088

Good luck with your studies!

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