QuestionHi! I have a question related to your career. I am currently in an Nurse Practitioner program, and I have considered PA as well. I am frustrated that we have less power than doctors, and I am considering quitting the program to apply to med schools. I was a premed in college so all I need is the MCAT, and I can apply this year. I have love for nursing approach to health care, but my vanity, pride, and ambition to affect policies make me want to pursue an MD degree. Have you been frustrated as a PA or you would not regret your path? Have you thought "if only I had gone to a medical school"?
Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you very much! I know it's a very personal question.
AnswerHi Sally,
I have no regrets what-so-ever. I chose PA School as I was happy with the position I had in the medical hierarchy. I have no ego as it pertains to my career. I am well accepted in my community, have specialists refer patients to me for medical care, cover my practice for ER call, do nursing home rounds, hospital rounds (ICU patients as well as 'regular patients') and serve my high schools as team physician for football and basketball. My Doctor employer gives me independence in the office. I have my own patient schedule and do full care for them with my employer only reviewing and signing off on my charts. I have no desire to be a physician because I do everything a doctor does right now and am paid well for it. I wouldn't go to med school for the reasons you described above. Those seem wrong to me. If you want to do it simply because you want more responsibility and want to do total care, that is the reason to do it. Any career has less "power" than doctors, but I'm not in it for the power (not sure what you mean by power, by the way), I'm in it because I love medicine, plain and simple. You might want to rethink your reasons for wanting to go to med school and be sure that they are pure.
