What about becoming a PA?

[Anonymous]

2 years of school, 100K, seems like a good deal for someone like me approaching their 40's with kids. Any drawbacks?

[Anonymous]

You need to have a lot of clinical hours before you can apply and you will also be doing rotations for different specialities while in school, so you would need to be prepared to potentially travel to alternate locations for a set number of weeks.

[Anonymous]

That and NP are both higher paying (you can get a 100k 40 hr per week job right out of school) fields, but the process of becoming a PA or NP is not easy. Both are extremely rigorous programs and you have to do practicals which can be long, odd hours while you work towards boards and certification. Once you are through the process you are pretty set as you are employable and can write prescriptions (in most states). My friend is a psychiatric NP and makes over 200k per year and sets her own hours. Will see patients at 9am-5pm after she gets her kids to school. She offers evening appointments 2ce per week as well.

[Anonymous]

I really think that's the future of health care, OP. I will not see an MD unless I have no choice. I always choose a NP or PA as our PCP. The level of care is consistently so much better. Go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really think that's the future of health care, OP. I will not see an MD unless I have no choice. I always choose a NP or PA as our PCP. The level of care is consistently so much better. Go for it!

Not to derail the OP's thread, but to respond to this post: Just be sure you recognize that the level of training of NPs and PAs is nowhere near that of physicians before you write off MD/DOs completely. Some NP programs involve online degrees for people with no prior nursing background. The total number of clinical hours required by some NP/PA training programs is less than what an MD/DO would complete in just a month or two of residency training (=3 years plus), yet in some states they can practice independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really think that's the future of health care, OP. I will not see an MD unless I have no choice. I always choose a NP or PA as our PCP. The level of care is consistently so much better. Go for it!

Not to derail the OP's thread, but to respond to this post: Just be sure you recognize that the level of training of NPs and PAs is nowhere near that of physicians before you write off MD/DOs completely. Some NP programs involve online degrees for people with no prior nursing background. The total number of clinical hours required by some NP/PA training programs is less than what an MD/DO would complete in just a month or two of residency training (=3 years plus), yet in some states they can practice independently.

I like NPs much better than MDs. I have not experienced "lack of training" translates into "lack of adequate care" at all.

[Anonymous]

I am an MD and realize that NP and PA office care will become the wave of the further. I support this and think its great. I do want to point out that NP and PA programs are significantly less education that MD/DO programs. This is leading to some tension in my industry because sometimes a PA in a busy practice can make almost as much as the physical itself if its a low paying field like peds or family med. Im a female surgeon so me dealing with pissed off old men because I am making good money doesn't bother me though! Healthcare is changing guys!

[Anonymous]

I really thought that you meant Personal Assistant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really think that's the future of health care, OP. I will not see an MD unless I have no choice. I always choose a NP or PA as our PCP. The level of care is consistently so much better. Go for it!

Not to derail the OP's thread, but to respond to this post: Just be sure you recognize that the level of training of NPs and PAs is nowhere near that of physicians before you write off MD/DOs completely. Some NP programs involve online degrees for people with no prior nursing background. The total number of clinical hours required by some NP/PA training programs is less than what an MD/DO would complete in just a month or two of residency training (=3 years plus), yet in some states they can practice independently.

I like NPs much better than MDs. I have not experienced "lack of training" translates into "lack of adequate care" at all.

Yea but I am having an NP or PA treat my gold, give me a Pap smear or do my complications free delivery. Obviously if I am getting back surgery I would see an MD but for 95% of my medical care an NO would be fine

[Anonymous]

I'm the MD who posted above. I thought of 2 more "down sides". One is like pharmacy you really maxed out your pay early on. Yes, more hours can make you more money but that becomes harder as you age. Especially pick up nights which becomes the only option if you are constantly try to work IT. Another thing is NP/PA's are caught in this strange middle land when it comes to negoations. They are not nurses so will never have a union or grouped backing but they aren't docs so they won't be offered buy ins and practice structures at the same rate either. Also I think in the next 10 yrs they will have to carry their own malpractice l.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the MD who posted above. I thought of 2 more "down sides". One is like pharmacy you really maxed out your pay early on. Yes, more hours can make you more money but that becomes harder as you age. Especially pick up nights which becomes the only option if you are constantly try to work IT. Another thing is NP/PA's are caught in this strange middle land when it comes to negoations. They are not nurses so will never have a union or grouped backing but they aren't docs so they won't be offered buy ins and practice structures at the same rate either. Also I think in the next 10 yrs they will have to carry their own malpractice l.

OT...bad auto correct. Sorry for the general typos...fat fingers, small device!

[Anonymous]

As far as I can see from a mom friend that is one at a hospital, it seems close to ideal as a "mom job" for the right personality: professional job but "shift work" in terms of stress is contained to the workplace (no taking work home, work emails outside of working hours, etc), choice of what shifts you take with the option of taking on more when there's a financial need or trading shifts when family's schedule changes, and highly portable with open positions found almost anywhere. And I don't have a lot to gauge this on, but there doesn't seem to be the ageism in the medical field that there is in private sector companies.

[Anonymous]

PA programs are pretty hard to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really think that's the future of health care, OP. I will not see an MD unless I have no choice. I always choose a NP or PA as our PCP. The level of care is consistently so much better. Go for it!

Not to derail the OP's thread, but to respond to this post: Just be sure you recognize that the level of training of NPs and PAs is nowhere near that of physicians before you write off MD/DOs completely. Some NP programs involve online degrees for people with no prior nursing background. The total number of clinical hours required by some NP/PA training programs is less than what an MD/DO would complete in just a month or two of residency training (=3 years plus), yet in some states they can practice independently.

I like NPs much better than MDs. I have not experienced "lack of training" translates into "lack of adequate care" at all.

+1 million. Non one cares about the amount of schooling you had 15 years ago if you are not providing quality, patient-focused care. I too choose PAs and NPs over doctors

[Anonymous]

Because so many internal med drs and GP docs just send folks on to specialists, I see NPs and PAs exploding as healthcare, hopefully, changes. If we aren't having serious symptoms/medical emergencies, .we can often get taken care of by a NP/PA