If money wasnt a question and I was in my twenties and think I could pull it off (grades wise) I would go to medical school. I dont regret being an NP at all but I do sometimes yearn for that education and structure. Plus NP autonomy, salaries vary from state to state something that really gets annoying when you work 3k miles away from your family, friends. Yes med school requires a huge committment and a lot of sacrifice but I think it's worth it. At least I think it would have been to me. I frankly did not have the confidence in my twenties to pursue med school seriously. This is a completely personal decision and you have to decide for yourself based on your situation. Good luck and let us know what route you decided!
There are less residencies than there are medical school graduates. As a result, residency programs choose first from those with MD's then with DO's, then Caribbean (if you're lucky). Most of the time if you go Caribbean (or any foreign school except Canada) these days you have to take a year off to prove yourself, get good internships in the US and pray for the best.
There are less residencies than there are medical school graduates. As a result, residency programs choose first from those with MD's then with DO's, then Caribbean (if you're lucky). Most of the time if you go Caribbean (or any foreign school except Canada) these days you have to take a year off to prove yourself, get good internships in the US and pray for the best.
I used to work with a doctor who was a despicable human being but a very good cardiologist. He went to a Caribbean medical school because no US school would take him (age discrimination, I think). There are some good people coming up through the non-traditional schools.
If I could do a Ctrl+Alt-Delete I wouldn't go the NP route again. Its not what it used to be. The fly-by-night NP schools have cheapened and diminished our profession. Everybody and their mother is an NP now, and the labor market is beginning to see th fallout.
I am seriously considering medical school but pause as I watch the advancement that NP's PA's and CRNA's are making. I don't want to go into medical school and finish finding my job displaced for the "cheaper, more cost effective" alternative that hospitals and clinics are clamoring for.
I am seriously considering medical school but pause as I watch the advancement that NP's PA's and CRNA's are making. I don't want to go into medical school and finish finding my job displaced for the "cheaper, more cost effective" alternative that hospitals and clinics are clamoring for.
Dude you are a baby and should totally do medical school. Unless you wanted to be a GP, in which case NP or PA is a better choice, it is my opinion that not in our lifetime will specialty Drs be reduced to the NP/PA level or pay scale especially not when someone is as savvy as you will be with regard to negotiations. It is a crap ton of time and money but the job security, respect and knowledge imo would be second to none. PS definitely moonlight during residency to offset some of the lost income. :)
gp docs still make quite a bit, I wouldnt want to do it really but we get graduates coming in pumping 250k first year from most places but the coastal cities. sometimes less but its not a ridiculous schedule.
hospitalist gigs arent that bad either really. 7 on 7 off 250-300+K etc.
Dude you are a baby and should totally do medical school. Unless you wanted to be a GP, in which case NP or PA is a better choice, it is my opinion that not in our lifetime will specialty Drs be reduced to the NP/PA level or pay scale especially not when someone is as savvy as you will be with regard to negotiations. It is a crap ton of time and money but the job security, respect and knowledge imo would be second to none. PS definitely moonlight during residency to offset some of the lost income. :)
Thanks Jules I've put a lot of thought into it. I copied an excerpt from the BLS projections here and was hoping maybe you could provide me some of your thoughts on the following. I know the BLS can prove inaccurate but it still makes me wonder if it's a better decision than the APRN route.
"Although the demand for physicians and surgeons is expected to continue, some factors will likely temper growth. New technologies will allow physicians to treat more patients in the same amount of time, thereby reducing the number of physicians who would be needed to complete the same tasks. In addition, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can do many of the routine duties of physicians and may be used to reduce costs at hospitals and doctor's offices.
Demand for physicians' services is sensitive to changes in healthcare reimbursement policies. Consumers may seek fewer physician services if changes to health coverage result in higher out-of-pocket costs for them."
A thought: When I was a new grad RN a year ago, a fellow grad raised his hand and asked our CNO if our hospital hires CRNA's. She said currently, no. However, she then went on to explain that our hospital system will not be renewing the Anesthesiologist contract when it expires in X amount of years, and that CRNA's will fill the void. She said that this is making headway as a national trend and mentioned cost effectiveness but with equal quality/outcomes.
So you see where I'm going here? I used to be naive and think physician was such an invincible career, in many cases it still is, but in the example I listed it shows that really hospitals will back the almighty dollar and save. So that makes me concerned on really how rock solid of a career choice it may be.
Also, I feel like I may be a bit on the older side to start medical school? I am currently 25. Aromatic if you don't mind could I inquire your approximate age when you began med school?
Its true that physicians make more money, however, most also work considerably more hours, and unlike yesteryear, most physicians now are just employees. I couldn't imagine going to medical school right now with the goal of going into a primary care role; the debt is too high for the payoff (exceptions aside).
I do think there will be a shift in our lifetime to a NP-driven model of primary and preventative care, I think we have already seen it start. I don't think physicians will ever be replaced and I don't think NPs will ever make a salary that approaches physicians on average, though the net may come close in primary care (I am on the same pay scale as my physician partner).
If I was 20 years old again I would consider medical school if I thought I could make a plush specialty like dermatology, otherwise, I wouldn't consider it right now, I wouldn't have the same quality of life.
"Although the demand for physicians and surgeons is expected to continue, some factors will likely temper growth. New technologies will allow physicians to treat more patients in the same amount of time, thereby reducing the number of physicians who would be needed to complete the same tasks. In addition, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can do many of the routine duties of physicians and may be used to reduce costs at hospitals and doctor's offices.
Demand for physicians' services is sensitive to changes in healthcare reimbursement policies. Consumers may seek fewer physician services if changes to health coverage result in higher out-of-pocket costs for them."
I would agree with the above but I'm not picturing you as a garden variety GP MD. I'd picture you as young, for the love of God you are 25!, bad ass specialist who is bright and motivated to embark on an exciting complicated area. I can't imagine there will ever be a time when NPs will be the overwhelming majority of a specialist practice especially not without some MD presence. Many of the more complicated specialties still use NPs as a physician extender, gasp, and I don't see that going away in the more complex areas. Even if the demand for physicians slows they are rather savvy with how many new docs they put out every year so I don't see that really becoming a problem. If it does and push comes to shove you could always hire a bunch of NPs to run your practice while you oversee the business and rake in the dough.
The lifestyle thing that BostonFNP references is worth consideration but for me that would not be a concern and actually in my experience the younger Docs I work with late 30s early 40s are more concerned with that work life balance and are setting boundaries with regard to the 24/7 expectation. In my area psychiatrists are not working weekends any longer, love that and take full advantage of scooping up their left overs at a premium rate lol. ED docs work 4-10s. The pediatrician I know rotates nursery duties with his 5 partners so they aren't taking call as often.
If I could go back in time I would never ever ever ever has become a nurse. We pick a career when we are 17-18 when are brains are still all jelly right out of HS. I would go back in time and give the younger me a good swift kick in the butt and tell her to aim higher and think outside of traditional roles. That being said I would not have taken the medical path at all. But this is the path my younger self selected and I am here to make the best of it until I am too old to give a SHXt..or too old to get out of bed.
NPAlby
231 Posts
If money wasnt a question and I was in my twenties and think I could pull it off (grades wise) I would go to medical school. I dont regret being an NP at all but I do sometimes yearn for that education and structure. Plus NP autonomy, salaries vary from state to state something that really gets annoying when you work 3k miles away from your family, friends. Yes med school requires a huge committment and a lot of sacrifice but I think it's worth it. At least I think it would have been to me. I frankly did not have the confidence in my twenties to pursue med school seriously. This is a completely personal decision and you have to decide for yourself based on your situation. Good luck and let us know what route you decided!