Trouble deciding

[randomperson22]

Hello All!

Going through this application cycle I was unsure between PA or MD/DO, so I applied to both... and have been accepted to PA and DO schools. I am unsure as to which route I should pursue.

I know there are many discussions about it already, but I feel pretty split down the middle and wanted to write out my reasoning for each, hopefully to see if there is something I'm missing or if there is some other insight out there that someone with more life experience could offer as I'm only 24 years old.



Since I was young I had the dream to be a doctor, but was unaware of the PA profession until undergrad - or that I would be married before starting school (my wife is a nurse). I've always enjoyed learning as much as I can and being a teacher to others. I don't necessarily care about prestige or being the top dog in terms of final decisions or responsibilities, I just like having the knowledge to know what I am doing, why I am doing it, and to be able to pass it on to others. I am interested in several specialties and primary care, but I don't think I'll really find my niche until I get into rotations in either program. I've heard horror stories about medical school in terms of high divorce rates and how much stress it can put on a family and am genuinely afraid of pursuing it and putting that strain on my wife and I, whereas PA's seem much more family friendly. Yet, when I search through these forums or speak with PAs, there are a substantial amount that regret not becoming a physician - I rarely see the reverse about doctors wishing they had pursued PA school over medical school.



So, my thought process comes down to I want to pursue PA for my family, to be able to commit more time to my wife and my kids while they're young. Yet I'm afraid that I wont be satisfied with the knowledge I'll gain or i'll become one of the PA's wishing they had pursued medical school after several years of work.



I also want to pursue DO school to gain as much knowledge and training I can, but am afraid that the strain may be too much for my family or that I would simply regret not being able to commit more time to them.



I guess I'm asking if there are physicians and PA's in this forum who can shed some light on this for me, am I overestimating how much strain medical school puts on family, or if there really is a noticeable difference in the work-life balance between the two careers.

Please any insight would be wonderful, I feel stuck in this decision as they are both such great careers. I'm not really concerned about the money or debt, they both make enough to pay off their respective debts and live a pretty nice lifestyle, so I'm trying not to consider that aspect.



Thank you in advance

- Andrew

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

You should consider the debt. They dont give you the money all the first week. It takes years to pay back most debt.Pa school is college plus 2 yrs. Med school is college plus 4 yrs. Avg debt for my students(college+med school) is about 350K. I know PA can start at 100K plus benefits. That was for 3 12 hr shifts a week. Do the math. 5 yrs lost income, 2 yrs med plus 3 yr FM residency, while you could be making 100K. Also, less student loans as a PA. It will take years to break even financially. I believe avg FM attending is about 220K. Sure, you can pay off loans with either, but it will take years. Dont forget to add it all up. Good luck and best wishes

 

[workaholic181]

Honestly my advice to friends who are back and forth between being a physician or having another role in healthcare is to choose the other role. I never thought about being anything else other than a physician and honestly would have rather not done medicine at all than to be pursuing a different role. If you think you'd be satisfied with either route, I'd say go PA. Both programs are going to be rigorous, though. Really comes down to whether or not you'd wonder "what if" you had had gone to DO instead.

 

[deleted729493]

Something that a friend told me last semester that I think rings true for every medical student.. we only do it because we can't imagine doing anything else.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

I highly highly highly recommend to go the DO route. Forget about the debt, and follow your dreams. There are plenty of married folks in medical school (some with kids), seek those folks out and listen to their invaluable advise

 

[Osminog]

This is essentially a conflict of personal values (family vs. career), and it's one that we've all had to face to one extent or another before embarking on this path.

Some questions to consider:

Would you rather get a career that will offer you more autonomy and responsibility — to make the tough calls based on your extensive expertise alone, or would you rather be around to watch your children grow up — to play with your kids every evening and help them with homework? How would seven or more years of being intensely busy and stressed affect your marriage? How would it affect your relationship with your children? On the other hand, twenty years from now, how would it feel to know that you didn't reach what may have been your full professional potential?

There is no simple or definitive answer that anyone on here can offer you. If anyone on here tries to give you a simple or definitive answer (e.g., "Definitely go DO!" or "PA would be way better!"), then you would be wise to ignore them. Your best bet is to devote a week or two to introspection; create a lengthy "pro"/"con" list for yourself, and have some in-depth discussions with your close friends and family members. Best of luck with your decision.