Yet even more on the PA vs. MD question

[deleted6669]

actually someone got in with a 1.5-1.99 and a 15-17 mcat(look at the bottom of the page).
I was answering the poster who said"no one gets in to a us medical school with below a 3.0". obviously incorrect given this chart.

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[DrArete]

Yes and no. I think many people who are considering whether to apply to PA school or MD/DO school, obviously, are interested in health care in general. If one is in that situation, it's a perfectly valid debate to have with yourself. Do you want shorter education/training, the ability to treat patients, and are content not to be the boss? Then the PA route is probably better. Or will you not rest until you are the boss, the one with whom the buck stops, the ultimate expert who takes responsibility for the patient's care when others' abilities have been exhausted? Then you'll want to become a physician.

I, on the other hand, never considered PA because I didn't get into medicine out of any particular interest in health care per se, or the human body, or helping people, or any of that jazz, but instead out of a desire to have people look up to, admire, and respect me, and to make a lot of money without having to have business acumen (i.e., I could have climbed the corporate ladder instead but didn't feel I had it in me to do that.) And if THAT'S the situation one is in, the solution is not to go to PA OR MD school, but to get over it and learn how to successfully deal with life.

Damn, at least you are honest here.

You must be a hell of a liar and quite cynical to have gotten through your personal statements and interviews.

Have you considered politics or law school?

 

[Savage Henry]

Have you considered politics or law school?

If a person actually looks up to any politician these days, said person needs an extensive amount of neuroimaging.

 

[tmacarel]

it seems like either field is absolutely filled with tools cough emedpa and Trismegistus4 cough so pursuing either career would be difficult, at least in terms of having to put up with your colleagues' personality disorders and disillusioned egos on a daily basis. unless of course you are a tool yourself, then either becoming a pa or md seems like a great career choice! that is until you are forced to adjust your attitude completely when dealing with patients and/or trick yourself into believing most of them respect you and find you personable, which it seems like a lot of people on this forum who claim to "practice medicine" have actually done, sadly enough

 

[ApacheRsePeacoc]

Wow - I can certainly relate to the confusion expressed by members of this thread! I am struggling with the MD/DO vs PA decision a lot as well. I am a female in my late twenties, 3.5 GPA at an Ivy League undergrad (but I got C minuses in the only hard science classes I attempted -- worst grades on my transcript), and have never worked in healthcare, aside from some volunteering. However, I have always been interested in healthcare and have decided that I do want to go to med school or PA school. Ultimately, I want to work in primary care or emergency med. I currently do not have children, but it is important to me to try to have one within the next 5 - 7 yrs. I also don't want to be in debt for the rest of my life. That said, I am a little "type A" and competitive, and enjoy autonomy, so I am leaning toward premed. Furthermore, I would have to get some kind of certification and work in healthcare for awhile anyway to be accepted to PA school. I have found the whole decision to be a big philosophical dilemma about the meaning of life (sorry, that's a bit dramatic.) But really, I want it all - I want to be fulfilled in my work, to be a good mother and to have time for my family someday, and I wonder whether financially, the sacrifices involved in the med route are worth it if I go into primary care. However, to go the PA route involves less prereqs and they can be taken at community college...at this point, med school prereqs are an expensive proposition alone - let alone four years of medical school and then 3 years of residency (hopefully with children.)

I would sincerely appreciate advice! I know this is my decision to make, ultimately, but I do need perspective.

 

[katiemaude]

Obviously this is an old thread you are responding to (and reviving) but it's a dilemma that keeps cropping up for non-trads. I also started on this path thinking I would apply for PA schools and instead went MD/DO, for some of the reasons you stated.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Going the PA route, however, is definitely more friendly for a woman who wants to have children. Plenty of medical students and residents have kids, yes, but I'm talking about the friendlier route. With PA, you will be out of school in two years after you start and potentially only working 40 hrs a week (depending on the position you accept, of course). Lots of women who are mothers manage this. Not as many work 80+ hours a week as a resident and pull it off but there are exceptions - those who have partners with lesser work commitments, family help, money to pay for a nanny, etc.

I ultimately chose MD/DO because I didn't have the work experience in health care at the time - though I do now, and I did well enough on the MCAT to make it feasible, as well as wanting the autonomy and in-depth knowledge that would come with more years of study and an advanced degree. That said, I did not have a partner nor a candidate for one. If I was on the verge of getting married and having kids, maybe I would have chosen differently. But that's hypothetical.

 

[Erakis]

Having been in the military for a long time (18D), I can see the allure of going PA. For somebody with a family and a few more years of age, PA is a great way to be a clinician without too big of a time commitment. Medical school plus residency is a long time.

The discriminator for me was research opportunities. I want to be a scientist and a clinician, which is why I chose the MD route.

 

[sengineer]

We hear these situations all the time and really have to realize its a matter of perspective. A single 30/ 40 year old vs a married with young kids 30/40 year old will have varied life situations. Not that one is worse than the other but you have to weigh your gains and losses for the entire process from prereq to qualifying as a doc/dentist/PA. Some people would see the end result as the ultimate reward while others get there and regret it. Look at what you want to do, why u want to do it, is there financial burden now before you even started, do u have a family and does your spouse really support this venture, do you have kids (and this is a biggie cause for some this is the most stressful part even though we love our kids more than anything), can u handle the workload, this is hard to gauge unless you take multiple classes a semester, financial requirement to pay for school etc.
good luck on your decision and best wishes.