General Should I chose MD or PA?

[Mr.Smile12]

ive taken
Bio 1 and 2 with lab
Chem 1 and 2 with lab
Physics 1 and 2 with lab
Orgo 1 and 2 with lab
Genetics with lab
Psych with lab
Sociology
Calculus
Statistics
Anatomy with lab (only one semester. No physiology)
And I will most likely take bio chem over the summer.

I want to go to medical school or PA school. I cant really decide yet. As a senior I will have all possible pre med reqs shortly after i graduate. However I would need to take physiology and microbio for PA school. If i already took a semester of anatomy do I just need to take one semester of physiology?

I lean more towards medical school but at times am really interested in PA school. How would i Be able to apply for both. Can someone help me explain the process I would need to go through to applying for each one separately. I would probably get a masters degree before applying to medical school but also need to do more volunteering.

If i am graduating in the summer of 2020. should i volunteer for a year (maybe take a few cc classes to boost gpa) and apply to masters programs at the end of the year so i can start a masters program august or september of 2021? then when would i be able to study for the mcat and apply to medical school as early as possible.

Have you shadowed physicians or PA's? How about surgical assistants or anesthesiology assistants (specialty PA's if you will that you can get training directly after undergraduate)?

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[BC_89]

How many hours have you shadowed a PA? How many hours have you shadowed a physician? Have you considered Assistant Anesthesiology Schools? Have you considered being a scribe within a hospital to get more of an evaluation of what the day to day is like?

What is your cGPA vs sGPA? How many hours of volunteering have you done? Have you or will you consider a research project with your degree? Have you considered the time and investment for the MCAT? Have you looked into the required Health Care Experience (HCE) and Other Health Care Experience (OHCE) hours that are mandated by specific schools within your state or region for the PA program (ie 1,000 hours vs 2,000 hours or 500 hours vs none needed)?

Would you be ok putting off family obligations and sacrificing the best years of your life for medical school + residency + possible fellowship specialties vs PA program and going right to work being under a physicians license? On the flip side, would you be ok being a 55 year old PA working under a newly licensed physician fresh off of residency? Are you concerned with a ceiling cap with medical diagnoses or are you ok taking on more liability with the multiple patients you visit on the daily?

These are just a few examples that you need to ponder when making this comparison. Based on your current information no one can really evaluate or suggest what would suit your personality and lifestyle. I've worked with both and many MDs wish they would've gone to PA school while many PAs went on to go to Med School. I would focus on the questions on here and try to answer them to the best of your ability. Both are great career choices for a specific group of people. Find out which group you think you belong in by volunteering, shadowing, and working amongst each profession.

 

[MusicDOc124]

If i already took a semester of anatomy do I just need to take one semester of physiology?

Yes.

How would i Be able to apply for both. Can someone help me explain the process I would need to go through to applying for each one separately

MD = AMCAS
DO = AACOMAS
PA = CASPA

The process is nearly identical for each of the 3, just with their own systems.

I would probably get a masters degree before applying to medical school but also need to do more volunteering.

Why?



How much healthcare experience do you have? PA requires hundreds to thousands of hours of direct patient care.

What is it about PA that you like that makes you want it?
What is it about MD/DO that you like that makes you want it?

Are you aware that PA can switch fields at any time, whereas med school is followed by a residency which keeps you in a single field without completing yet another residency? This comes with "at a price" in that PAs are not specialists in the same way MD/DO are that flexibility you get as a PA is essentially linked to a lower income. Some prefer this, and its a viable reason. The length of time in school is different and one doesn't require a residency.

What are you cGPA and sGPA?