Question need help advise

[Jim Kennedy]

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Hello everyone,
I'm a sophomore at a community college studying biological science and environmental science and I have always wanted to go towards the medical path but I would like someone out there that has experience and knows what there talking about to help. I want to know if it is worth going to medical school and doing the 4 years plus and what it's like going to med school and all. I'm 23 right now kinda got a late start on school but it happens. I am trying to decide if I should go down the route of med school of PA. But there's a lot of arguments and this and that about the two on how they differ and how being a PA May not be the same fulfillment and all as an MD. And for someone who has been in mess school or has experience how do you know what you will end up in or how did you make your depiction. And also what sort of things should I be looking into doing for experience and such to put onto not only resume but also for academics. I'm looking into an emt course for clinical experience but not sure if that's all I should do. If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it, because I'm pretty interested in pediatrics, critical care, emergency, and that type of area. But I'm just not sure what to do or think or how to evaluate everything to know what to do and not waste anymore time. I would really appreciate any and all help.

 

[Winged Scapula]

This forum is for high school students considering a career in medicine. I'll move your post to the premed forums where it belongs.

 

[ThunderBear]

Hello everyone,
I'm a sophomore at a community college studying biological science and environmental science and I have always wanted to go towards the medical path but I would like someone out there that has experience and knows what there talking about to help. I want to know if it is worth going to medical school and doing the 4 years plus and what it's like going to med school and all. I'm 23 right now kinda got a late start on school but it happens. I am trying to decide if I should go down the route of med school of PA. But there's a lot of arguments and this and that about the two on how they differ and how being a PA May not be the same fulfillment and all as an MD. And for someone who has been in mess school or has experience how do you know what you will end up in or how did you make your depiction. And also what sort of things should I be looking into doing for experience and such to put onto not only resume but also for academics. I'm looking into an emt course for clinical experience but not sure if that's all I should do. If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it, because I'm pretty interested in pediatrics, critical care, emergency, and that type of area. But I'm just not sure what to do or think or how to evaluate everything to know what to do and not waste anymore time. I would really appreciate any and all help.

I was in a similar situation as you, and working directly in healthcare convinced me that I needed to be a physician and being a PA wasn't enough for me. I worked, and am still working, as an emt-b doing inter facility transport and it really helped me gain a lot of valuable clinical experience on top of helping me make my decision. Just getting your EMT cert isn't enough BTW, lots of premeds have the cert and never worked. If you have questions, feel free to Pm me

 

[Nena01]

Hello everyone,
I'm a sophomore at a community college studying biological science and environmental science and I have always wanted to go towards the medical path but I would like someone out there that has experience and knows what there talking about to help. I want to know if it is worth going to medical school and doing the 4 years plus and what it's like going to med school and all. I'm 23 right now kinda got a late start on school but it happens. I am trying to decide if I should go down the route of med school of PA. But there's a lot of arguments and this and that about the two on how they differ and how being a PA May not be the same fulfillment and all as an MD. And for someone who has been in mess school or has experience how do you know what you will end up in or how did you make your depiction. And also what sort of things should I be looking into doing for experience and such to put onto not only resume but also for academics. I'm looking into an emt course for clinical experience but not sure if that's all I should do. If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it, because I'm pretty interested in pediatrics, critical care, emergency, and that type of area. But I'm just not sure what to do or think or how to evaluate everything to know what to do and not waste anymore time. I would really appreciate any and all help.

Constructive criticism: It may be easier to answer your questions if you organize your post into paragraphs and avoid so many gramatical errors..

To answer your question, the path to medical school is long and difficult. You should first make sure that medicine is what you want, because you can be a healthcare professional in other areas as well, and they don't require as much schooling. In order to find out if medicine is truly your call, you should start by shadowing many doctors in different specialties. Simply find a hospital near you, and find doctor's emails from their website. Shoot them a nice email telling them of your interest in medicine and if you could possibly shadow them sometime. This is a great exposure to the field, and it's strongly recommended for premeds.

As far as other extracurriculars, find activities that you are passionate about and pursue them. Medical schools like to see that you're passionate about something. It may be especially advantageous if this is a volunteering activity, although it could be anything. The EMT job would also look good on an application, as it will give you a great perspective on patient care. Get good grades, clinical experience, rock the MCAT, and you should be on your way to med school in a few years! Just make sure it is what you really want.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Hello everyone,
I'm a sophomore at a community college studying biological science and environmental science and I have always wanted to go towards the medical path but I would like someone out there that has experience and knows what there talking about to help. I want to know if it is worth going to medical school and doing the 4 years plus and what it's like going to med school and all. I'm 23 right now kinda got a late start on school but it happens. I am trying to decide if I should go down the route of med school of PA. But there's a lot of arguments and this and that about the two on how they differ and how being a PA May not be the same fulfillment and all as an MD. And for someone who has been in mess school or has experience how do you know what you will end up in or how did you make your depiction. And also what sort of things should I be looking into doing for experience and such to put onto not only resume but also for academics. I'm looking into an emt course for clinical experience but not sure if that's all I should do. If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it, because I'm pretty interested in pediatrics, critical care, emergency, and that type of area. But I'm just not sure what to do or think or how to evaluate everything to know what to do and not waste anymore time. I would really appreciate any and all help.

No one can tell you the answer to such a long commitment. It is not exactly a "should I order a chocolate or vanilla shake" kind of question. I would say your best bet is to shadow. I was in your exact same shoes a few years ago. I found answers by shadowing nurses, PAs and Docs. Only after giving all of them a fair shot could I with full faith say doc 100%. Do not consider money in the argument, there is too much discrepancy between PA and doc and variability depending on field of practice etc. especially with the changing healthcare system.

I would say go in, get some time carefully watching them then in a clear fashion think about what you like about one that you dont like about the other etc. Compare the PROFESSION and all that entails with that. Do not worry about the money or hours or what it takes to get there. The majority of your life will be spent BEING that profession, not getting there. So focus on the work that occurs for both jobs.

For instance I am somewhat interested in being a clinician, teaching, doing research, and large scale healthcare administration. Realistically I will only dabble in one or two of those things down the road, but I wanted the options OPEN to me so I could make the choice as my path was unfolded and I got further experience and learned more. So for me the path became clear after a few times shadowing... being a doc will give me all of these options, being a PA wont. You do not see PAs teaching at colleges or med schools. You dont see as many PAs doing research. You dont have PAs running hospitals (at least not the ones near me). What I personally found was that PAs are clinicians day in and day out. They have the bonus of having quick and affordable training and have the extra bonus that they can jump around to different specialties without another residency which can be a huge factor for people who like variability instead of specialization. But that is about it. Spend some time getting real experiences (not just word of mouth) and categorize your personal pros and cons once that is done. That is the best advice I could personally give.

 

[DokterMom]

If you don't need to be the boss --
If you're bright but not necessarily top 2% brilliant --
(Or already have a college GPA <3.0 or really have to work for A's & B's at your CC)
If treating patients is what motivates you --

Then go PA. It's a great career where you get to treat patients, can have a lot of autonomy, can make a real difference in people's lives. etc.

If you're not 100% committed to being a doctor, then you're right -- the path is too long and hard. If you are 100% committed, then the path itself is part of the journey and you'll find plenty to love about the trip.

Shadow a few PAs as well as a few MDs and see if it's something you can be happy with.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

If you don't need to be the boss --
If you're bright but not necessarily top 2% brilliant --
(Or already have a college GPA <3.0 or really have to work for A's & B's at your CC)
If treating patients is what motivates you --

Then go PA. It's a great career where you get to treat patients, can have a lot of autonomy, can make a real difference in people's lives. etc.

If you're not 100% committed to being a doctor, then you're right -- the path is too long and hard. If you are 100% committed, then the path itself is part of the journey and you'll find plenty to love about the trip.

Shadow a few PAs as well as a few MDs and see if it's something you can be happy with.

I dont want to ruffle too many feathers but I do not agree with a lot of this...
This is the kind of attitude that I had PRIOR to actually spending a lot of time with PAs and Docs. I have met some PAs with wayyyyyyyyy better grades than a lot of people who are MDs or were trying to get to medical school. Assuming that PAs have worse grades or are not as bright as docs is slightly wrong. I would say the significant chunk of PAs and PA students that I know are absolutely smart enough and have the grades (and in some cases many took the MCAT and had the MCAT scores to back it up) to become docs. They simply wanted a different job. Because at the core of the matter... they are two different jobs... They chose PA because of other professional reasons, not because of not having a "brilliance" factor. I would say DO NOT try and go to med school just because "you can" or have the grades for it or are top 2% brilliant... same as if you are not brilliant or top 2%, that does not mean that you should do PA instead. Just because someone has big muscles doesnt destine them to be construction workers the rest of their lives and just because you are smart does not destine you to go one path or the other. You choose the path you WANT and then work for it, simple as that. Not to mention many PA schools are becoming ridiculously competitive, like more so than some med schools because of some of the professional bonuses of being a PA have attracted a ridiculous amount of applicants. Some of these schools have higher gpa ranges and MOST have clinical experience and research REQUIREMENTS (sometimes in the thousands of hours range) to even be considered on an application. This is again another hint to not choose a profession based on the path it takes to get there, but instead choose it because the final job at the end of the road is what you want.

Both should be motivated by treating patients....

I do agree with the 100% commitment though and the recommendation to shadow. Those I believe are very good recommendations.