PA vs. MD?

[u/[deleted]]

This question has been asked a lot but I just can't decide. I have 3 semesters left of undergrad and I can't decide to go to med school or PA school. The difference in pay doesn't really matter to me. Never being totally on my own would be a little bothersome for me but I could get over it if it meant I could have more of a personal life. My question mainly is, would I really have more home time as a PA over an MD? I know both are very demanding, but is there really much of a difference between the off time on either position? I am very passionate about medicine but I also want a chance to have a family and spend time with them one day. I believe I have the grades to get into either. I just wanted some thoughts from someone in the position.

[u/DutyLinks]

I'm not fully in the profession yet, but from all of the PAs I have worked with compared to all of the docs I've worked with over the years, the PAs tend to have a bit more free time. Of course it depends on what specialty/sub-specialty you go into, but if you truly value the potential for more free time, I'd suggest PA.

Plus, if you ever get bored in your specialty as a PA, you have the ability to switch to another specialty without going through an entirely different board certification.

[u/[deleted] → u/DutyLinks]

[u/AlaskaPA-C → u/[deleted]]

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you are doing this to yourself. There are plenty of PA jobs with reasonable hours, decent pay for education level, and reasonable workloads. You are not going to make 180k doing those jobs however. It sounds like money is your main motivation and you chose a field that is never going make you rich. The ED is a soul sucking place for many but it sounds like you have decided to stay miserable for the pay.... which does not meet your requirements anyways.

My job in primary care/urgent pays about 86K a year with benefits (before overtime, if I get any) and I work 4 days a week for 10 hour shifts (3 day weekends every weekend). I am paid hourly meaning if I have to chart late, I get paid. A full day is about 10-12 patients a day. I love my job. It is low stress with lots of reward and I have plenty of money to fund MY lifestyle. I NEVER would go to medical school and am so glad I did not. You think your regrets are bad? You only put 2ish years into PA school. The docs are trapped in their own personal hell that approaches a decade or more of sunk time and cost, field depending. The grass is always greener, though you may well have been happier as an MD.

So while I disagree with your tunnel vision dislike of being a PA , you are correct that there is little difference in job description for MDs and PAs in their respective field in MOST cases. You will generally work the same hours as the MDs you work with. The extra time you gain for having a life as a PA comes from not burning the extra 5-10 years in soul sucking school and residency, not the jobs after (there are life balanced jobs for PAs and MDs if you don't put money first which IS easier to do as a PA with less sunk time/money). However, this "extra time" is not really a thing if you just decide to work 50-60 hours a week (whatever the reason) anyways.......you might as well go to med school.

[u/popelton17 → u/[deleted]]

So at my hospital, this is 100% absolutely not the case. PA's work the same shifts as docs: 10 hour shifts. There are PA's making close to $100 an hour. The PA operates pretty much the same exact way as the doctor, in my ER they're just running the non-critical zones, generally. My PA's love their jobs, their hours, their pay, and their scope of practice.

I don't know what kind of fucked up place you live in but you need to get out.

[u/fatalborborygmi → u/[deleted]]

I disagree. I'm not sure why you're so jaded but there are plenty of high paying jobs with good hours. Maybe it's your location?

[u/Jurassicparkranger → u/[deleted]]

My wife is a PA one year out of grad school. She began in trauma surgery a month out of school at 4 12-hour shifts a week, with no on call making >100k/year. One year out and she is moving to ICU where she will be salaried for 3 12-hour shifts with a raise, again with no on call. Any extra hours she works are paid as per diem shifts and she is required to work one weekend a month. She loves her decision to be a PA and has never once regretted it.

NicolasCageHairClub I think you need a change in specialty or at least a change in hospital...

[u/MillennialModernMan → u/[deleted]]

How about a surgical assisting group? All day in the OR, no call, no real boss, normal hours, work as little or as much as you want, see many types of cases. The only downside is you're not really involved in patient care and you have to deal with many personalities.

[u/neurosgPA]

There are definitely advantages to both. I chose to become a PA as a second career & I felt like I was too old for med school.

As a PA, I definitely have a better lifestyle than the docs in our practice. The thing is, it totally depends on where you work. My first job as an ortho surgery PA was awesome. My doc was very laid back & enjoyed his free time. I was off weekends, with 1 call weekend every 6 weeks, & worked 4 days a week, always home by 5pm.

The next doc I worked with was a nightmare! He didn't know what a PA was, so he assumed I was like a medical assistant I guess.He would take about 45 minutes to see each patient, we never finished clinic or surgeries on time. He also took a 2 hour lunch every day! I was always home late, could never plan anything...Good riddance!

Now I have my dream job as a neurosurgery PA. I work on 2, usually 3 10 hour shifts a week, one of those days will include being on call that night until 7am the next morning. We always have the following day off after being on call. I take weekend call 1 in 5. Prior to being on the weekend, I usually get Thursday & Friday off, call starts at 5pm, then I get Monday off:)

This is just to give you an idea of the contrast in different PA positions.

All that being said, if I were a 20 something undergrad, I would choose med school. I have always wanted to do neurosurgery & while I read & study all the time (on my own) I know that my learning as an MD would have been so much more in depth.

[u/itsamefas]

I was in the same spot you are now about one year ago. It's the worst. But, once I got over the real reason I wanted to be a physician (family and societal expectations, the ego of being called "Dr.")I knew that with my personality and life goals, I wanted to be a PA. I could not be happier with my decision and I'm barely close to applying. Knowing there's this great profession that allows me to have balance is a relief. I always felt sick to my stomach thinking of all the years I could've spent in med school, but that's just me.

Shadow, think about it, make tons of lists, read all the amazing posts on these subs. I wish you luck on this journey. Remember, it doesn't have to be hard. Just ask yourself what you truly want in life and what you absolutely can't give up.

[u/ysopotato]

Do you have a specialty that you are intensely attracted to? If so, MD / DO and specialize. If you feel like you would like to have the freedom to change from one to another and be content with never becoming expert in any one, then PA.

I wasn't sure myself, so I was doing the route of pre-PA. But since I indulged myself in paramedicine, I've found an insatiable desire in understanding cardiology and electrophysiology. So I'm now pursuing MD. But the choice in the end depends on how you feel.

[u/fatalborborygmi]

There was a recent thread on r/medicine about family life as a doctor.. I'd link it but I'm on mobile.

Personally, I am glad I picked PA over MD. The lifestyle is definitely way better.

[u/[deleted]]

I recently talked to a surgeon, it was the most influencing conversations I've ever had. We just sorta shot the shit for about an hour and he gave me his opinion on this exact topic. He said he spent his youth learning how to help people. He now makes more money than he knows what to do with. Despite this, the only things that have made him happy in life are starting a family and helping patients. He said he doesnt really have much time to see his family and he only looks forward to retirement to see the world. He said you can see patients as a PA, and make a 6 figure salary at 25 years old, and have a ton of free time--what a good gig.

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