PA vs MD - advice appreciated!

[clemsongirl123]

Hey everyone!

I'm about to start my junior year of undergrad and am currently on the pre-med track. However, the whole quality of life aspect (as well as the fact that the pediatrician I grew up going to told me that if she had it all to do over again, she's 100% sure she wouldn't have been a doctor) has me questioning whether or not I should take the PA route instead. Please no backlash, but I do hope to be a mom and with that I hope to be able to attend all of my kids' events, games, etc. and it just seems like PA is more "parent friendly" profession. I understand that there are some more family friendly specialties, but on the whole, for docs is it really that bad when it comes to work/life balance?

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[deleted6669]

go MD, then you have a lot more options. want to do part time and still make 100k. easy as a doc, impossible as a pa.
want to work anywhere and be respected, have great scope of practice, MD again.
PA is a great career if you are willing to work places docs don't want to work (rural, underserved, etc). elsewhere, PAs get all the scut docs don't want.
docs hire PAs to do the work they don't want to do at the times and places they don't want to do it; early am rounds, nights/weekends/holidays, etc

 

[jeepin_beachin219]

I'm having the same problem too deciding between PA and MD, I asked my uncle today in fact, who is a internal medicine physician (has been for 20+ years) with his own private practice and still does rounds with a hospital as well, and he told me that 20 years ago he would recommend anyone to be an MD because he loved the feeling of having that special "Patient-Doc Relationship" and how great it feels when taking care of your patients and guiding them back to health.... but, he said today if he had to do it all over again, he would recommend PA. He said this because with how politics are now today, and this bull$h!t "obamacare" he barely gets enough time to speak to his patients anymore and spends more time on the computer charting what he does because that is how the insurance companies want it now, and how the government is trying to control the healthcare which is detrimental to the doctors now and how easily they can be sued, and how its "all about the money" also how due to the government now, he is required to treat these patients without being payed because that is how the insurance companies and obamacare wants it now. He said its not worth going through all that hardwork, time, and debt for how the healthcare is changing into now. But I MYSELF believe it all depends on you and your passion, and if you really want to be an MD then do it, those are just some of the things I wanted you to keep in mind!

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

I disagree with emedpa. If you want a more balanced lifestyle you should pursue the PA profession because medical school along with residency will devour your 20s and early 30s. For men it is easier, but for women it is extremely unlikely for you to start a family or have a child before you're done with residency. You think medical school is hard? (and it is extremely difficult) Wait til you enter residency because that's a new form of hell. Also, I don't agree with PAs having to work in places doctors don't want to work. Sure it is more likely but you can definitely work at a urban setting or whatever. And the respect thing? Really? Who gives a ****. I'm entering the PA profession knowing that I won't be the alpha male and I really dont care. At the end of a day it's just a job don't take it too seriously.

A common misconception of the PA profession is that it is more "parent friendly" as compared to physicians. This isn't necessarily true. There are just as many PAs who work 36hr/week as there are doctors who work 36hr/week. With health growing at this exponential rate it is definitely possible for any PA or Doctor to find a position where they can work 36hr/week. I think the reason that doctors are overworked and spend all their time working comes from the fact that doctors dedicated 8 years of their lives to medicine and it's what they know. They invested so much time into medicine that it becomes difficult for them to just work 36hr/week even though they can. That's just my theory.

Now, don't allow other physicians who are regretful of their choice influence yours because everybody is there. There will always be PAs and Doc who wish they had pursue the other profession instead. There are PA/Docs that overally wish they didnt enter the medical field so please do not let regretful people influence your choice.

 

[deleted6669]

I disagree with emedpa. If you want a more balanced lifestyle you should pursue the PA profession because medical school along with residency will devour your 20s and early 30s..

Depends on the residency. a lot of residencies have you done in 3 years. that's age 29 or 30 for folks who go straight through. A lot of folks graduate PA school at around the same age once you factor in time for prior hce, taking additional prereqs, etc. Avg STARTING age in my class was 35.
internship is tough in many fields, but there are cush residencies out there in which pgy2 and pgy 3 are not that bad. I am in the hospital more than our fp pgy 2 and 3's. I know folks (both male and female) who have kids in residency. I even know a female fp doc who had 3 kids in 3 years during residency and graduated on time. it can be done.

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

^ agreed. In OPs case she can be an IM/EM/FP physician at the age of 29/30 or she can be a PA at the age of 24/25. The only question you gotta ask yourself is: how do you want to live the 5 years of your prime? I wanted to live so i changed from premed to PA lol.

 

[Makati2008]

^ agreed. In OPs case she can be an IM/EM/FP physician at the age of 29/30 or she can be a PA at the age of 24/25. The only question you gotta ask yourself is: how do you want to live the 5 years of your prime? I wanted to live so i changed from premed to PA lol.

It's a about priorities. Do you want to give up 7years in the front end or probably the same in the long run as a PA for 1/2 the pay. My attendings slept while I covered the ED. Guess who got the holiday shaft....

As far as residency being hell, it's rough. But you have to find one that is a little more tolerable. Mine is 7-5 M-F during my off service months(minus picu) but then 20 shifts a month EM months.

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

It's a about priorities. Do you want to give up 7years in the front end or probably the same in the long run as a PA for 1/2 the pay. My attendings slept while I covered the ED. Guess who got the holiday shaft....

As far as residency being hell, it's rough. But you have to find one that is a little more tolerable. Mine is 7-5 M-F during my off service months(minus picu) but then 20 shifts a month EM months.

Yes that is true. For me, my priority was living my youth instead of stressing and being miserable in medical school/residency. I think 7 years in the front end is worth more than 7 years in the back end but that's just me.

Reason #3 from this article really enlightened me about medical school and residency: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/abinaz...go-to-medical-school-a-gleefully-biased-rant/
I've looked alot of the counter arguments for this article as well so I'm not blindly accepting whatever Mr. Ali Binazir stated. Some people can do medical school and residency with ease, but I'm quite certain I am not one of those people. I enjoy sleep

 

[deleted6669]

don't think of "youth" as just 20s and 30s. in my mid-40s I am in better shape than I was at 30, running 100 milke multramarathons, etc.