Essential Question: What justification is there, for me, in becoming a Physician's Assistant, rather than the alternative of a Doctor?
When I decided on this topic, I did not know where to start my research, so I turned to my mentor. I began questioning her enough that she sent me to be with a PA at least twice a week, so I could question the source. I found that talking to a person with legitimate life experience is the best way to assume accurate information. The PA I shadowed knew firsthand why she chose to be a PA instead of a MD. She explained to me how long she went to school, where you can attend to become a PA, pay opportunities she has, and why she preferred it over a doctor. After my interview with her, I was ready to jump right into the career field of a PA, but as I went over my research I felt it was biased against doctors. That is when I decided to conduct an interview with a doctor as well, I asked all of the same question: how is pay?, what is your workload?, why did you choose to become a doctor?, but even after receiving answers and having an actual doctor tell me why getting your MD is better, I found myself receding back to a physician’s assistant. I knew more research was needed, so I began to search the internet and found out that PA’s are a hot topic. In one of the sources I documented, I found that PAs go to school for a quarter of the time a doctor does. Two and a half years of PA school compared to eight plus years of schooling and specialization in medical school. My mind was blown. This small glimpse of the process to become a PA made me question what it is like after you become one. I found more articles that addressed pay and workload. The average starting salary for a Physician’s Assistant is $90,000 per year. If you choose a specialization, such as dermatology, you can start out making $117,000 per year. When I read that statement I assumed more schooling was required for specialization, so I asked the PA I interned with. Physician's assistants do not require extra schooling to enter into a specific field. If a doctor is willing to teach you the ins and outs, you have the job. This means you can switch anytime you feel, from surgery to emergency to even children or the cardiac unit. This was the game changer for me, after I found this out, I was sold. When consulting a doctor I learned that they have less hours to work, but everything is on them. They have to have malpractice insurance and deaths are at their hands, another downside in my opinion. Questioning real Physician’s Assistant and Medical Doctors was the best way for me to acquire my information, because I wanted to have confidence in that whichever occupation I chose would make me happy. I learned there are an abundant amount of pros in becoming a PA rather than a MD, but I also learned that it is a personal preference and depends on what lifestyle would suit you best.