Physician Assistant VS Physician: Which is Right for You?

Post by **PaulK** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:02 pm

We've devoted a whole section of the blog to the deliberation of whether PA or physician is the proper career for you. To enhance this, I thought it would be good to start a forum thread where readers to could express their deliberations on the issue - what factors they take into account when they make the decision of applying to PA school and (MD) medical school, how they weigh them, and their feelings about the process. Please: give us your thoughts! -P

luckhutch33 · Post by **luckhutch33** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:06 am

I guess the final factor for me was that I don\'t want to spend the next 10 years in training before I can actually practice medicine. Also, I have many interests outside medicine. Thus, PA seemed like the logical fit and where would the world be without logic?

ncsouthernbelle · Post by **ncsouthernbelle** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:27 am

luckhutch33 that is my thoughts exactly. It will be worth is but I dont want to put my entire life on hold waiting to practice and pay off alot of loans.

Post by **PaulK** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:13 pm

So for you two, the desire to become a PA began with NOT wanting to become a physician. Do you get fired up/psyched about being a PA?

rkgPA · Post by **rkgPA** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:30 pm

I agree with all of you, being a female I would eventually like to start my own family and watch my kids grow. Another reason why I choose PA career path over MD was because of the great flexability. One of the PAs I shadowed worked for an MD on the weekdays and on the weekends picked up few shifts in ER, and to put cherry on the top, she was right out of school. How many MD\'s can do that.
But on the other note, I give tremendous amount of respect for the MD\'s for going through all that schooling and putting hardwork into something they truly enjoy doing.

GO TEAM PA!!!

ncsouthernbelle · Post by **ncsouthernbelle** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:52 am

Once I looked into different careers after deciding not to become a physician I realized most of the people I come in contact with at clinics and doctor\'s offices are mostly PAs. I love that the hours are semi flexible. I love that you can specialize in different things you are interested in and not have to go to school for a extra three fours years per specialization. I am interested in a couple fields that go together and would love to experience them all in my career.

Post by **PaulK** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 11:19 pm

Yes. From my observations, being a PA offers you more flexibility in a number of areas. MDs are highly regulated, usually must stick to one specialty, and have large amounts of debt that limit their options. Of course there are perks, but flexibility has always been highly valuable to me - I need variety in what I do, and having it makes me perform better, and enjoy what I do. I guess that\'s one of the reasons I enjoy urgent care so much.

luckhutch33 · Post by **luckhutch33** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:39 pm

My father is a surgeon. I never saw him growing up. His father was a surgeon and he never saw him growing up. He almost never leaves the hospital. I happen to work at the same hospital and these are some of the only interactions that we have besides an occasional Sunday dinner or two. Dont get me wrong, he is one of the most brilliant people I know, bias aside, and he absolutely loves what he does. But he is the type of person that comes home after doing a 12 hour surgery and sits down in his study and reads a physics text book or buffs up on the latest surgical technique. It truly takes a special type of person to become and physician and especially a surgeon. I think this is something alot of pre-med college kids dont get. When they think of physicians the images that come to mind is sitting in an office with Dr. House muddling over possible diagnoses from 9 to noon and then going to play a round of golf a lunch and then maybe coming back to do a quick operation and then heading home to the mansion on a lake. If this is your image of a physicians life, you might need to do some reassessing. Not to mention that if you want to be the hot shot surgeon, your looking at nearly a decade or more of training depending on your specialty before your officially start practicing. At this point your up to your ears in debt and your still working 12 hour days. You must really want to do this is the bottom line. I realized that this was something I couldnt see myself doing. The two year education and then on the job training with the ability to float btw specialties is something that is much more suited to my liking.
p.s. funny story my dad just hired a new PA and he is apparently so green he barely knows up from down. But my old man is understanding. He doesnt expect a young twenty something recent PA grad to know the in\'s and out\'s of neurosurgery. He knows there will be a training process and he even lent the guy some neurosurgery text books to get him started!

Post by **PaulK** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 11:16 pm

Great point, Luckhutch.

My dad was a physician too. He was one of the greats, and I always wanted to be a doctor like him. But growing up with one gets you clear fast about just how much of your personal life needs to be put on hold to make it in the field. I remember my dad taking me to the hospital with him many times, and I loved it. I would meet his patients (if they were willing and it was appropriate), talk to the nurses at the nurses\' station while he read charts and wrote orders, and get \"insider\" tours of OR, ICU, radiology, etc. I have great memories of my dad calling up xrays in the dark of radiology and having me look for what was wrong, and then teach me. How cool is that?

When I got a little older, he told me that he enjoyed it too, but that one of the biggest reasons he did it was that it was a way he could be with me even when his patients needed him.

I hope this makes it clear just how much respect I have for physicians. He passed away as I was in the PA school application process, and I know that he thought it was a smart move.

luckhutch33 · Post by **luckhutch33** » Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:08 am

Paul-

Wow. First of all, I\'m very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you were able to spend some quality time with your dad seeing the difference he made. I only got one such opportunity. I was able to observe/shadow my dad for a day, early doing rounds and then later in the OR. I have to say that this was one of the coolest and most awe-inspiring events of my life. Prior to this day, the most I knew of my dad\'s career was that he saved lives. Growing up, my brothers and I would occasionally fight while my dad was on the phone with the ICU or talking to an ER physician about an incoming trauma and we would get the obligatory, \"shut the hell up dammit!\" We would stop fighting for a second thinking, whats the big deal? Well, it was a big deal, his role in the situation was a big deal. This was something that all came to fruition that day of observing him in his environment. I too have the utmost respect for physicians.

That is so awesome that he would look at x-rays with you and discuss and teach you his profession. He was instilling the seed in you! On the day that I shadowed my dad he showed me an MRI brain scan, prior to my taking any basic anatomy or anything of the sort, and asked me, \"what wrong with this picture?\" Uhhhh...a tumor? Yup, a tumor. Just a wild guess, but it did happen to be a tumor which I later watched him excise. It. was. awesome.

Well, in the OR watching these surgeries, I got to meet and observe one of his PA\'s. To my surprise the PA was as involved in the surgery as my dad. He was most definitely hands on. To me he appeared as an equal; spreading muscle, fixing tiny plates and screws to the removed piece of skull, cauterizing, etc. It was incredible. After learning more about the PA profession, prior to this I was dead set on MD, I decided that this was the direction I was to take. And this is where I find myself now, GRE this summer, followed shortly by applications and hopefully culminating in a successful and happy career as a physician assistant/associate where I can make a difference.

Thats awesome that your father appreciated the direction you decided to take in medicine. Mine is still hesitant as he want to see me continue the family lineage (he\'s old school). However, he still highly respects his PA\'s and wouldn\'t be disappointed to see me take this path.

-Luke

buffchic · Post by **buffchic** » Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:48 am

Luke and Paul--

Wow, powerful stories about your father\'s and your choices to pursue PA. So many good observations there about the differences it makes in family life.

My mother, who left medical school when she got pregnant with me, recently passed away during my PA school application process. She was very supportive of my pursuit of becoming a PA -- though she died before my first acceptance.

(She chose to go into research after leaving med school and earned her pHd in biology. And my takeaway message from being a child during that process for her--is never go for a pHd! It was a grueling time for her and took seven years.)

My uncle is a small town family practice physician. I shadowed him when I was a teenager for a whole summer. I still remember watching him deliver babies, perform surgeries, and see his patients. He is a big booster of my pursing PA school now.

These family connections and experiences can really color our choices of MD vs. PA in a very authentic direction. I feel fortunate to have first hand experiences that help me choose which path is indeed the best for me.

Post by **PaulK** » Sat Feb 11, 2012 5:58 pm

Wow, Buff. I didn\'t think anyone could have that experience as well. Sorry she didn\'t get to see you practice - but I\'m guessing (like my dad did with me) - she had no doubt that you would get in.

Great examples of why both careers can be great paths, and similar, but not quite the same.

Thanks for sharing.

sammyjacobs · Post by **sammyjacobs** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:29 pm

Hi Everyone

I want to work in medicine I'm 28 years old and the road to become an MD is too long for me at this point; I want to become a PA. My mom was a radiologist for 35 years and says I should just do the MD because as a PA i'll feel always 2nd class to doctors. What does everyone think of that?

Also, I heard the schedule is much better for the PA's!
This is true right, no overnights and weekends?

Best,

Samantha

Post by **PaulK** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:30 pm

In some ways, she is right; as a PA, you'll always be second to doctors - you're being supervised by them.

But she's not right in the way that she thinks. Though you're supervised by doctors as a PA, that usually is a very loose kind of supervision. Most people picture the doc doing all the medicine and tell the PA what to do, when in reality, this is only rarely the case. Once you know what you're doing, you will likely only consult with your supervising doc as you need it, and you may be running the clinic on the doc's day off (they need to be reachable, but not on site).

Once in medicine, you start to see what and enormous field it is. There aren't enough hours in a lifetime to learn it all, no matter what kind of student you are. So after a few years of school, having someone else to confer with is reassuring, not limiting. The more you learn, the more you will see that thinking you know it all is dangerous and totally unfun.

FaithCLH · Post by **FaithCLH** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 5:27 am

I am so glad I found this forum. I'm sure it will be helpful. I've been feeling called to the field of medicine for some time now, and I finally decided that PA is more realistic for a few reasons. Most of them which you all mentioned already, mainly less time in school and flexibitily. I just need to find a program and get started. I also need some patient care experience.

Carol

mgholm · Post by **mgholm** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:35 pm

Trust me, I get it, the PA route is faster and you get almost all the good. However, I was talking with my own doc (endocrinologist) and although he agrees that PA would be best for me, he said he thinks it's easier to get into med school (especially D.O.) now days than to PA school—probably to all the good press and the #2 career ranking. I'd love to be a PA, but if I can't get in, it's irrelevant. I'm considering an accelerated BSN and on to Nurse Practitioner OR D.O. I've got all the prereqs I need for the BSN, still need organic for PA, and would also need Physics I and II for D.O. application. I have a 4.0 science GPA and 3.87 undergrad. Thoughts?

Joana10 · Post by **Joana10** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:05 pm

Flexibility is kind of the one big attractive thing about being a PA, that's what I think. It gives huge room for anything else I might want to do; personally, i'd prefer that over any regulated job..

Samantha · Post by **Samantha** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Hi All!

This subject has been a struggle for me. I'm 28, I've always been interested in medicine and the PA profession suits me best. I would love to be a PA for the amount of training, the scope of practice, the possibility of being part of a team (under a MD), school is less expensive and I love the flexibility.
I grew up in Chile, got my B.S. here in the US and I would like to have the option of going back. Part of my family is also in Australia. My main problem is that the PA profession is completely unknown in Chile and in South America, for the most part. In Australia, however, the PA profession was introduced in 2008 (I believe). Credibility toward PAs in Australia is still in test. As a PA, my credentials in Chile would mean nothing, but the situation in Australia might be more promising. However, as a MD I would have great recognition in both places. My second concern is that if I go the MD route, most my time (10 +/- years) will go to intense studying and work. I will not see my family and most buy life would go to others. I like balance.
I feel like I'm in a tough spot, but are there any ideas out there?

-Samantha

PD: Sundance interview sold me on the PA profession when she mentioned the word "balance"

Post by **PaulK** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:25 pm

I guess it depends on where you hope to practice. Yes, the PA profession was introduced in 2008 - with the help of one of my PA school instructors, in fact. It's new there, but there's excitement to that. Chile would be another matter. I suppose it depends how much the decision is about the prestige from others vs. the enjoyment of what you do.

knuckleheadpc · Post by **knuckleheadpc** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 1:55 am

I have very much enjoyed reading your thoughts and perspectives on this topic. Here is a thought I have wrestled with for a while and would like to get your take.

The more i have researched the PA profession the more I understand that the profession is still evolving in its job description. PA's are handling more and more responsibility as the years pass and the profession grows. Understanding that I might be jumping the gun on my interest (having not yet begun a PA program), I have taken a liking to emergency medicine. My understanding is that PA's are excepted in the ER but with limited rolls.

1st: please correct my observation if it is wrong

2nd: if the limitations are there, will it cause a decline in interest over the years given that you might only see minor cases that walk through the door?

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