Dear Pre-Med,
This is why I love being a physician assistant:
I was pre-med for three years and completed my prerequisites as an undergraduate at the University of Washington in Seattle.
I graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in Zoology.
While working at the campus health center as a phlebotomist, I met a physician assistant. I chose the PA career because I wanted to work in family practice and after working alongside doctors for several years I no longer envied their lifestyle. For me, PA was a perfect fit.
As a physician assistant, I get to do most of what the doctors do but did not have to complete a residency. I took out half the student loans, I don't pull call, and I can be a dad to my two kids and a husband to my wife. These are my greatest joys in life. But these are words of a man who is 35 and has found his calling.
It sounds to me like you are on the right track. I would suggest (if you haven't already) to start collecting some health care experience. This will ground you and give you the patient care experience you need to be successful: both as an applicant and in making your decision between PA and MD.
Med school teaches you how to memorize and regurgitate medical facts, life will teach you how to be a great doctor, or in your case, a wonderful pediatrician.
Nothing is better than the joy of treating children. It is one of my greatest pleasures I have at my job and continues to be one of the main reasons I have remained in my current position for ten years.
I applied for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship while in PA school and was accepted into the program during my second year. They paid all my student loans and gave me a $1,000 monthly stipend while I was completing the program. Upon graduation, my wife and I relocated to a small community clinic in Greenfield, CA where I have served since.
It is a wonderful family practice. As the saying goes - from the cradle to the grave.
A career in medicine is the most rewarding career in the world. If you love people (pediatricians treat adults as well, they are called parents) and you love medicine, you will be very happy with your decision.
Doctors have demanding schedules, extremely long hours and medical school is one of the toughest experiences you will both love and hate. After four years of medical school, you must still complete your internship and residency, and possibly a fellowship. It's a long and arduous road.
To be a great doctor, one must dedicate her life to the calling. I knew after two months as a PA student living in the hospital, sleeping 3-4 hour per night and living under halogen lights wondering about things (like the sun) that I would never have been able to make this into a lifestyle.
Of course, I know many a doctor who would have it no other way.
I am available if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to drop me a line. I wish you the best as you begin your journey. Also, I had two college counselors tell me a career in medicine was not feasible for me. I am so proud to have proved them wrong.
Loss and setbacks are part of the journey, maybe the most important part, but they are not bad words. If you want it badly enough, I am confident that you can reach any goal you hope to accomplish!
Warmly,
Stephen Pasquini PA-C
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Hi! Thank you so much for your time and help. I was wondering how it is to find a part-time job as a PA? I’m an opera singer and I just finished undergrad and I’m also seriously thinking about starting my pre-reqs in the Fall for PA school. So I was wondering what it’s like balancing your work as a PA with other interests/careers/hobbies etc.
Hi Julia, I am probably the perfect person to ask since I have been working part-time as a PA for the past 11 years. I have even applied to full-time positions and negotiated part-time status which becomes easier as you gain more experience in the field. Some specialties are made for this (such as ER and urgent care) they are often just looking for people to float and fill positions when necessary. The need for PAs is outpacing the supply, so the outlook is quite good for the foreseeable future… I guess until it’s not 🙂
Stephen
Hi Stephen-
I have been contemplating a career as a PA, but I’m not sure if it is too late for me (I’m 22 years old-so maybe a little dramatic). In high school, I loved science and was naturally quite good at it. But when it came time for college I was pressured into going down the Business path because it was ‘more practical’ and I ‘had better odds of finding a job after school’ (direct quotes from the parents). So I studied at Business school, interned for a large consulting company, graduated with a Bachelors in Business Marketing, was given a full time offer at the consulting company, and here I am about 1 year into working for this prestigious company and I hate every moment. I can’t help but regret giving in to the pressure to study Business now that I have had time to reflect on what I am good at, what I value in a career, and what I want for my future.
One of the reasons I was drawn to a PA is because I have a natural inclination to help others. I am an extremely compassionate person, and I would like to see my hard work go towards bettering others- instead of powerpoints and skype meetings. I think what I hate most is this overwhelming lack of purpose that my current career gives me.
The hardest thing for me now is taking that first step. It seems like the past 5 years of my life have been a waste- in both money, energy, and time. And I’m worried that I’ll make the decision to be a PA, give up what is a dream job for some at this consulting company, and then figure out that I am just as lost in as a PA as I am in my career now.
After this long rant- I was hoping you could provide any advice for me as I weigh the pros and cons? What are major challenges you have faced in becoming a PA, or in practice? And how from a financial standpoint did you decide to make that final decision to invest in becoming a PA?
I’ve been a PA directly out of high school rare now of days … almost 17 years and love every minute. I have done everything from surgery, in patient, ER, urgent care, occupational care, and now physical medicine and rehab. PA’s are multi trained in disciplines and that is why I joke we can change our specialties like our underwater. ( of course CME and board certified) we are a team orientated to obtain the best outcome for patients.
Amen!! I have recently gone into specialty practice myself with the goal of expanding my skill set and breaking up the monotony… being a PA rocks, and now that I have done this I plan on moving into new fields in the future. The learning curve is large but so rewarding!
Take care,
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
Thanks so much for providing this wonderful resource, and so much encouragement to your readers.
I’m 40 and have a background in the non-profit sector, and have been upgrading my GPA in preparation for a career change to an allied health field. I’m only now contemplating a career as a PA, in large part because my own MSK vulnerabilities make my first choice (physiotherapy) a bad one.
What I found appealing about physiotherapy was 1) the opportunity to apply critical and inferential reasoning to solve problems directly benefitting others (very much enjoy troubleshooting and pattern matching), 2) the idea of working with a relatively healthy population and seeing results, 3) being able to develop positive relationships with patients, and supporting them in education towards lifestyle changes, if that is relevant to their health. (As well as having a decent quality of life.)
Some questions for you, if you don’t mind.
What’s it like to work with less motivated people? And with people who are *quite* ill, and therefore maybe expressing negativity? I tend to be uncomfortable with hostile or aggressive people, for example.
Quite honestly, I also don’t know how I feel about intimately engaging with visibly sick bodies and processes of illness. Which is obviously a big part of the job. E.g., diabetics’ feet, dermatological issues, that sort of thing makes me a bit queasy. Can that kind of response be trained out of you, or is it a sign it’s the wrong field for you?
(Observing patterns, interpreting results, supporting behaviour change – that excites me. Skin stuff… Not sure.)
The other thing I’d worry about would be the level of responsibility involved in life or death issues. If I got something wrong, and someone suffered – or died – as a result, I’m not sure how I’d manage. Helping someone with rehabilitation involves much less of that risk… How do you live with that responsibility? Do you think some measure of anxiety about risk can be overcome, or are less self-questioning PAs *better* PAs?
Finally, what other roles in health care that might be suited to someone like me? (Nursing is out because of the physicality involved. OT or SW, not sure, just because result for effort isn’t always obvious in the way it can be with PT, and sometimes isn’t possible.)
Hi Jen, I will give your questions a shot:
What’s it like to work with less motivated people? And with people who are *quite* ill, and therefore maybe expressing negativity? I tend to be uncomfortable with hostile or aggressive people, for example.
We assume the role of friend and healer but in some ways it is like parenting…. i.e you may have to make tough decisions/recommendations (such as tapering your patient off her/his opioids) that may not be that well received by your patient, but will be good for them in the long run Or, maybe they are not reaching the goals that you would like or they continue to smoke 2 packs of cigarettes after just having a quadruple bypass. The key is not let your own expectations “sour the mood”. We are friends and confidants till the end and are there to support their decisions and offer advice and recommendations that they seek, balancing quality of life with their long term goals. It is a wonderful opportunity and I am humbled every day…
Quite honestly, I also don’t know how I feel about intimately engaging with visibly sick bodies and processes of illness. Which is obviously a big part of the job. E.g., diabetics’ feet, dermatological issues, that sort of thing makes me a bit queasy. Can that kind of response be trained out of you, or is it a sign it’s the wrong field for you?
My wife in an RN and she still passes out on occasions when she has her blood drawn… She can place one hell of an IV 🙂 So I guess we can surprise even ourselves. I still get nauseous when I smell vomit, and I know some PA students who couldn’t dissect in the cadaver lab. But, when duty calls you just adjust to the situation. This really is just a life skill more than anything.
(Observing patterns, interpreting results, supporting behaviour change – that excites me. Skin stuff… Not sure.) —- I get it, my advice – don’t go into dermatology 🙂
The other thing I’d worry about would be the level of responsibility involved in life or death issues. If I got something wrong, and someone suffered – or died – as a result, I’m not sure how I’d manage. Helping someone with rehabilitation involves much less of that risk… How do you live with that responsibility? Do you think some measure of anxiety about risk can be overcome, or are less self-questioning PAs *better* PAs?
I didn’t want to even get out of bed my first several weeks on the job as I couldn’t believe they were trusting me with a prescription pad and expecting me to make diagnoses. I mean what if I missed something? The key is having amazing support and ALWAYS asking for help if you are unsure of something. When you interview for a job it is important to find a supportive teaching environment where you can thrive instead of try to survive. Your confidence will go up exponentially!
Finally, what other roles in health care that might be suited to someone like me? (Nursing is out because of the physicality involved. OT or SW, not sure, just because result for effort isn’t always obvious in the way it can be with PT, and sometimes isn’t possible.)
There are so many wonderful jobs in the healthcare field I wouldn’t even know where to begin… I found my way while working in the clinic and the hospital alongside many different types of medical providers… After seeing everyone in action I was able to identify the job types that fit my style. I would recommend you do the same, you will find positions that resonate with you.
I am sure I could have answered these a bit better if I had some more time 🙂
Hopefully that at least helps some!
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
Wow, thank you so much for answering my (many!) questions, with such care 🙂 You’ve really put things into a different perspective, for me.
Your advice to get some actual experience in this sector is 100% bang on. I’ve been trying to map this out in advance, but guessing from a distance can only do so much. Thank you for filling some (many) of the gaps with your own!
I am hearing your message that collaboration and relationships – with patients and colleagues – are at the core of healthcare done right. I thought it was knowledge (and, I guess, persuasion), and it sounds like that is a mistake.
“The key is not let your own expectations “sour the mood”. ” This really brought it home… Controlling for good outcomes shouldn’t be the goal, it’s about supporting them.
“But, when duty calls you just adjust to the situation. This really is just a life skill more than anything. ” Also great advice – for queasiness and just in general.
You’ve helped much more than you probably imagine!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time!
Hey I loved your post! I wanted to know how your outside lifestyle is with your family? Family time is a huge thing for me and I want to make sure that I have enough time to have fun and enjoy my family, though i do understand this is a busy field!
I think one of the best things about healthcare in 2016 is the demand for healthcare practitioners, the availability of jobs in many diverse occupations and the sheer magnitude of available shifts and hours. This offers a significant amount of control over your time. You can work three 12’s, four 10’s, nights, weekends, just weekdays, part-time, full-time, one-time :-), per diem, as a traveling provider… etc. etc. etc. My wife has the same freedoms as a nurse. This freedom expands as you accumulate time and skills, and is even better if you can pick up a second language such as Spanish. I have been working 70% in the clinic now for some time, which has allowed me to pursue various other projects and passions both in the community, abroad, here online, and with my family. This was my priority and I took care to engineer this into my life. I have always been interested in the convergence between highly personal goals and service to others. The PA profession is at the epicenter. But remember, everyone will be eager to fill your time if you let them, so you have to guard it wisely. In this sense your career is only a small piece of the puzzle.
Stephen
Hello Stephen,
I graduated and took my gap year assuming I’d come back and apply to medical school. Only I decided to go to PA school during my travels so now I’m scrambling to get my prerecs. Do you think that the fact that I’ll be applying to schools without having taken a psychology class will put me at a big disadvantage? I’m only applying to schools that don’t require psychology (but it’s clearly a valued class).
Hi Wylder,
If it is not a prerequisite requirement then there is no reason to sweat it so long as you have the other requisite coursework and have achieved acceptable marks.
– Stephen
Do you think sororities or fraternities help build up your resume for PA school or not? Were a lot of people you went to PA students in one? I am trying to decide if I want to continue mine.
Interesting question Rebecca, I think the right sorority can help build you as a person in many ways. Although I was not in a fraternity my dad was very active in one throughout his four years in college and to this day (at age 74) he remains close to his fraternity brothers and talks about his time and leadership roles. I also have many friends who truly value their time spent in fraternity.
They can be a great source of support and community involvement. I had a wonderful network in the dorms and I even attended a Delta Upsilon welcoming lunch (because my dad was so passionate) and I could see the many benefits. Had I not had such a great group of friends on campus I would have probably considered it.
You may have noticed I didn’t mention at all how this relates to PA school, because as far as building your resume I think its benefits come in how it will help (or hinder) your growth as a passionate, kind, motivated, cheerful, giving, productive human being. This is probably a better measuring stick.
Hope you have a wonderful time in University!!! Take care,
Stephen
Hello Stephen,
I am a freshman in college, and I am having to decide what mathematics course to take. I was wondering what you took. Right now I am registered for calculus one, but I don’t think PA schools require calculus. Just wanting to check with you,
Thank you!
Hi Harley,
Since I was still on the premed track my freshman and sophomore years I completed calculus as part of the “quantitative sciences” component of my general biology major/pre-med. You can see my full 4-years of coursework here on this post: https://www.thepalife.com/prerequisites/
Calculus is usually not a required prerequisite (make sure you double check with your schools of choice) for entry into PA school. I don’t particularly like calculus and it provided very little value to my medical education/training. I am not convinced schools see a score of a “B” in calculus as particularly noteworthy, but maybe an A would show them you are in fact the “real deal”. A “B” might make them think you are willing to go the extra mile and push yourself by taking challenging coursework beyond the requirements. If you get a C it could in fact hurt you. Since this is indeed calculus and can be either wonderful or horrible depending on your instructor you will have to decide for yourself its value in your overall plan. My teacher in college was very good so I am glad I took it, this could have gone either way.
If calculus/mathematics is a weak area, it may be best to avoid it and take another mathematics track that avoids calculus but still is challenging and demonstrates your desire to apply yourself.
– Stephen
This helped me so much. I didn’t want to take it to hurt my GPA, and this made me make my choice. Thank you for inspriring and keeping me motivated to become a PA. I doubt myself occasionally if I can do it. Thank you for taking the time and replying to me. I have never talked to a PA in person, so this helps a ton.
I’ve also looked at many graduate programs, and I just see statistics. I’ve seen only one graduate program that requires calculus.
That is good to know Harley, that was the way it was when I applied and it appears things are still the same… Best of luck to you and your path to PA, keep your head up, and don’t get discouraged. It is trying at times for sure, but it is worth the effort for sure!
– Stephen
I’m a high school student currently , interested in becoming a PA. I was wondering if majoring in psychology would decrease my chances of getting into a PA program ? Psychology is something that I’m very interested in and would hate if that would ruin my chances at becoming a PA.
Not at all, psychology is a wonderful major, as long as you complete the required prerequisite coursework you will be fine. PA programs want to see that you are indeed pursuing your passions and maybe you are destined to be a psych PA! By doing what you enjoy you will also have a much better time in college and your grades will reflect a passion for the material. Hang in there and keep up the great work Miranda!!
Also, you might want to investigate the Nurse Practitioner field as well as you can pursue psychology NP which is often a better route if this is your ultimate intention.
– Stephen
Hey Stephen,
I’m currently on my first year as an undergrad . reading this and other peoples experiences was a big help. Im glad to have found this so early! So many people found this while already doing their pre-med. I was already freaking out because i didn’t know what to study for and its only my first year. Since i was a 4, i dont know how i knew about heart surgeons, but thats all i would ever talk about. I always wanted to be some type of surgeon but i was bummed out because i dont want to give up all my time to medical school and surgery. i want to have a life and still be some type of doctor. Nothing caught my attention like surgery but i just decided i’d be a nurse. I still wasn’t sure if thats what i wanted. i want to be more than just a nurse and not go to med school so when i found this i thought this would be perfect!
Can i still get a BSN and get into PA school? I still need to do a lot of research, i just discovered PA school was a thing last night. :b
im also trying to save up enough money to study abroad in Costa Rica next summer. The classes are trascultural health care and culturally relevant health promotion. We’re going to learn their types of health care and our instructors will be showing them our type of healthcare techniques as well. were basically just going to be listening, learning and taking notes. And do some types of healthcare promotion not sure exactly what that’ll be about but would this count as experience? Or at least help in making me a better candidate?
Hi Angie,
Isn’t crazy how the trajectory of your life can change in just a couple clicks of the mouse 🙂
To answer your first question – yes you can get a BSN and still get into PA school, but you may need to get some experience as a nurse before applying to PA school. Otherwise the admissions committee may question your intentions, that and nursing programs are becoming much more selective – i.e they are trying to make sure the people who enter the nursing programs do indeed want to become nurses (especially with the waiting lists becoming so long). Nursing is a great way to get healthcare experience upon graduation and then transition into PA or NP. Both are good options – in your case, since you are considering cardiothoracic surgery, PA may indeed be the better choice.
If you are looking to apply to PA school immediately upon graduation I would suggest choosing a different major. If you are thinking of working for a few years as an RN then applying to PA school this is a great route. Working as a nurse is wonderful preparation for PA school and you will have a lot of options when you graduate with a degree that allows you to “jump right in”!
As far as Costa Rica, that sounds like a wonderful experience. It won’t count as healthcare experience but it will count! It will count because of how it will change you, and make you better as a person and a future healthcare provider. Go!!!
– Stephen
Stephen!
Your website has been a big help to me (and many other aspiring MD’s/PA’s) recently. I really admire all the information you’ve put out as well as your experiences for it’s a tremendous help! However, I’m very much in a crunch about the PA vs MD route as many have posted, however I’m in the process of applying for medical school and still on the fence. I took my MCAT a few months ago and crushed it, but after seeing my score I was ecstatic yet worried all at once. I just don’t know if Medicine is the only thing I want for my life. Since the start of college, and before, I’ve been exposed to so many activities and passions that don’t involve medicine and although half of me wants the challenge of pursuing becoming an MD and being a practicing physician down the road, part of me knows that means sacrificing everything for one thing and I don’t know if that would truly coincide with me. I’ve been around patients for a good amount of time and know thats a very big passion of mine (to treat and impact their lives). However, writing, public speaking, acting, videography, are also very big aspirations I have as well as teaching. I guess a big question I have for you is would becoming a PA allow me to pursue other avenues of life and interests such as the ones I’ve listed prior? I read your article “Why my wife is happy I’m a PA” and that gave me a lot of hope. I’ve been told that as an MD you can venture to other avenues down the road, but from what I’ve witnessed personally that doesn’t seem true (shadowed many physicians). I see the responsibility that MDs have and thats something I’m mature enough to really look at and ask myself is this really what I want in the future? Can I really provide top patient care while not letting other areas of my own life suffer? Any input would be incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for your help and time.
-Eric.
Hi Stephen,
I’m currently going to be junior in Loyola University. I’m taking my pre Req’s for premed but now I’m
Thinking pa and I’ll take micro bio, anatomy and biochem and get some clinical experience as emt or cna. I want to do the ps program however my gpa is what makes me question myself, it’s around 3.3 when I will graduate. How do I deal with this situation? I do have lots of research and shadowing experience and vunterring
There is a lot more to getting into PA school than GPA alone, also, a 3.3 GPA with strong prerequisites is nothing at all to be ashamed of. With lots of research, shadowing and volunteer work you will be an excellent candidated for PA school. Don’t sell yourself short!
– Stephen
Reading this helped me make a decision. Thank you!
Hi Isabell,
What did you decide?
Good afternoon Stephen Pasquini,
I am a sophomore undergrad and I’ve always wanted to become a pediatrician in my near future. I am currently a Biology major and I’ve come to hate it. I am also scared about the MCATs already. I am kind of a bad test taker. My question to you is, what made you want to be a PA instead of an actual doctor? Did you feel as if you were not smart enough? I feel like such a loser for thinking about a different career field other than being a pediatrician. Please help .
A good portion of my answer can be found here: https://www.thepalife.com/why-my-wife-is-happy-i-am-a-physician-assistant-and-not-an-md/.
What made me want to be a PA was the pre-medical track at the University of Washington in combination with my wonderful job at the campus health center and the chance I had to meet/work with a PA in the Orthopedics department there. It was never about not being smart enough, because I believe I was plenty smart to pursue the MD track but my drive was not to make it to some proverbial top of the food chain. I wanted to work with patients, diagnose and treat common ailments and make a positive impact on the world. I also new by this time that I loved patient care. Then I met a PA, realized that I could change up my medical studies and create a course schedule I loved and “wa la” I knew I had found my calling.
Letting go of an idea of who you think your future self should be can be difficult. But once you work out what it is you really want to do with your time here in this world and find where your passion and career choice line up…. you will be on your way. For many this is MD, but for me, once I realized it was the idea of MD I was holding onto and not the actual job itself, I was free to pursue a different (and for me) better path.
Hope this helps, I am here anytime if you have more questions.
Cheers,
Stephen