Any pre-med student will eventually get tempted to go another path: Physician Assistant. For several months last year I seriously entertained this possibility and studied it thoroughly. It can be a very tempting proposition. Why might it be so great? As a PA you would still get to do much of what a medical doctor would do, however you only have to go to 3 years of school. On top of that there is a lot of flexibility in the profession and it is much easier to switch your line of specialty later in life. Plus you still get paid in the neighborhood of 80,000 dollars a year (varies depending on specialty). Sounds great! Not so fast though. Becoming a PA is highly competative. Just to give you an idea: about 1 in 5 in-state applicants to the University of Utah's Medical School will be admitted, while only 1 in 20 in state applicants to their PA school are admitted. That's a big difference! In addition to it being highly competative, the fact that you only need to spend 3 additional years after graduation to become a PA is also decieving. Most PA schools require their applicants to have thousands of hours of patient contact work. As a matter of fact the average accepted student into the University of Utah programs has 8,000 hours. For me that means that after I graduate I would need to spend 2 to 4 years working full time as a medical assistant, CNA, Phlebotomist, etc. in order to acrue the needed hours of experience. So in the end I might be looking at 7 years or more of post graduate work to become a PA. Suddenly the 4 years of med school plus 3 to 5 years of residency doesn't look so bad.
Here are some useful links if you are thinking about making the switch to PA:
http://physician-assistant.advanceweb.com/ Salary info.
http://consusrankings.com/2008/05/05/us-news-best-graduate-physician-assistant-programs-2007/ Ranks PA programs as of 2007
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-physician-assistant.html Article on why PA is ranked one of the most promising careers
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/overrated-career-physician-2009.html Article on why being a Doctor is rated one of the most overrated careers
http://web.utah.edu/upap/docs/upap-demographics-2008.pdf Demographics of PA students at the University of Utah. Notice especially the work-experience section.
This continues to be a decision that causes many people stress. When I originally posted this, healthcare reform wasn't in the picture. I am in MD school now (I feel this was ultimately the best route for me), but I hear rumblings from several MD specialists that things are moving towards better job security for PAs, PTs, OTs, etc. Others say just the opposite. It will be interesting to see where things end up.
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This stuff is very true and quite aggravating. I too am trying to decide which medical route I want to take: MD, PA, NP, pharmacist, physical therapist... After reading up and thinking about it for a while I was starting to lean more towards PA, but now after reading this I'm reminded that the PA track isn't much simpler or quicker. Why isn't there some plain and simple answer? It would be a lot easier that way.
ReplyDeleteHe is probably saying all these because he's a PA. You can't compare the depth of medical knowledge of MDs to that of PAs. PAs should be compared to nurses. MDs, depending on their specialties, study human medicine anywhere from 7 to 11 years, where as PAs are pretty much done with their training after only 2 years of school. You CANNOT compare the math skills of a second grader to that of a high school student... you just can't... 2 to 4 years of clinial training that this guy is talking about is basically "working for 2 to 4 years." YOu can't count that as a means of formal training. Because it is not. MDs do various forms of fellowship after their residencies, too. Just because some infantry soldier can shoot well, you can't make him a general. On another note, this guy seems to have a very poor knowledge on how hard it is to get into a med school. Let me give one example...
ReplyDeleteAvg. GPA of PA applicants: 2.98
Avg. GPA of accepted PA applicants: 3.3
Avg. GPA of MD applicants: 3.56
Avg. GPA of Accepted MD applicants: 3.72
1 in 5 vs. 1 in 20???
That is a VERY inaccurate and deceiving way of comparing the admission rate of MD schools to that of PA schools. Because MD applicants are MUCH more qualified than PA (not just GPAs, but MCAT performance, research experience...etc.). Big med schools, such as Boston U, receive almost 10,000 applicantions a year, but only accepts 100-150. And all the majority of those 10,000 applicants are very qualified. Don't get me wrong... I fully respect PAs and nurses. They are very important assets to the field of medicine, and countless hospitals won't function properly without their help. BUT, having said that, they ARE and should always be considered as mid-level health care providers. PAs and nurses can only practice medicine under the supervision of MDs. Have you ever heard of a PA opening a private practice?? Probably NOT, because PAs are not allowed to do that without the supervision of MDs. PA stands for "PHYSICIAN ASSITANCE." They are supposed to ASSIST MDs, not act like them. There is a reason why MDs earn three times more than PAs, if not more. I respect everyone involved in healthcare field who devotes their energy and time for the betterness of others. BUt, I can't stand people who only went to PA schools because they could not get into any medical school (US MD, DO, even Carib MD), then talk as if PAs are somehow superior than MDs...
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT... sorry
ReplyDeleteIf you are debating between an MD and a PA, please visit our blog, Inside PA Training, where we've just posted a video interview of a classmate of ours who has been a student in both - the PA program and MD program at UC Davis. She's fair to both professions, sharp, and articulate. Many who have seen it this week have found it helpful. You can get to it by going to http://www.mypatraining.com/pa-vs-md-meet-sundance-shes-done-both
ReplyDeleteHope to see you. -P
Thanks for the info! I'm premed and seriously, the PA thing is so tempting. But I'll always be wondering whether I could have survived the last year or so of medical school to just have the MD after my name.
ReplyDeleteI think, too, it depends on your specialty you go in to. If you want to be a GP, then you could go for the PA. However, if you want to be any type of surgeon, ob/gyn, etc, then MD is probably best. I want to be an ER doc, and I could as a PA, but having the MD after my name definetly will help me in treating and diagnosing patients on my own.
My good friend Alan is a PA for a cardiac surgical group. They have trained him to be a cardiac surgeon. Alan will often open, perform a bypass or whatever and then close. Sometimes his, "boss" will be supervising and sometimes he wont. Often Alan performs just like cardiac surgeon. That plus the $200k per year he makes... PA sounds pretty good to me.
ReplyDeletePeter,
ReplyDeleteWow. Your response is actually one reason I'm thinking PA over MD. Maaaajor arrogance. Gross.
Anyway, I have a 3.85 GPA and a 33 MCAT with a ton of volunteer and research experience, but the lifestyle of the PA is what's actually tempting to me. No, I couldn't open my own practice, but I might have a chance to have a life outside of work. And if making $250K is important to you, as opposed to $80K, then I guess MD is for you... but I believe studies show that no dollar over a comfortable $75K will make you any happier.
Alas, it's actually still up in the air for me. As one might guess based on me visiting this particular blog posting. Thanks for the advice everyone (else) gave.