I have no idea what medical career I want to pursue, may someone please offer advice?

[achban]

I graduated from high school at the age of 15 and completed my first two years of college at the University of Chicago. During my time there, I did well academically in my general education and pre-requisites for a Nursing degree in preparation to transfer to another school that had a nursing program. I ended up dropping out, so I could join the military at the age of 17. I was a Hospital Corpsman during my 4-year enlistment. Following this, I joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer in S. Africa for 24 months (I already knew the native language, so my 3 month requirement was cut). I'm just currently traveling the world and have recently assisted, shadowed, and observed Physicians and Nurses from a wide array of countries and jurisdictions. So far, surgical operations and primary care has garnered my interest significantly. All of the surgeons have attempted to motivate me on me to enroll back into school as I have no children, no financial difficulty, and extremely motivated in my own right.

I've figured I either want to become a primary care provider or a general surgeon.

If I go into primary care, would there really be a difference between becoming a Physician Assistant or the Physician aside from independence and pay? I understand that Physician's pay for malpractice insurance, whereas PA's do not. Also, the PA's are supervised by the doc and are limited to prescribe some types of medication? I also heard PA's toward the very end up having more of a viable life than a doctor and can switch specialization without a residency. Could someone please clear this up for me? If not, please correct me if I am wrong. Because, I am considering of entering PA instead of becoming an actual Physician.

If I choose general surgery, I know medical school is required along with the medical pre-requisites (5 years), letters or rec, Bachelor's degree etc. If I become a PA, I understand that I will only be able to assist in surgery and not really perform anything major.

For some reason, everyone advised me to stay away from Nursing. Why is this? They told me "for what you want to do, avoid Nursing."

Thank you!

[ahanu]

I think everyone is telling you to stay away from Nursing because nursing may be a serious distraction for you because once you start making money as a nurse, you may no longer want to pursue your dreams. If you want to become a surgical technician and an ekg technician while preparing for your main course, these are shorter programs with national certifications. If you ever think of pursuing any of these courses, dignity college of healthcare does good online healthcare programs. Their website is www.dignitycollegeofhealthcare.com

[curadhan74]

If you want to become a surgeon, you must be a doctor. You can assist as a nurse or PA, but you are not a surgeon. So if you are not sure if you want to be a PCP or a surgeon, your broadest option would go into medical school. But getting into medical school will be hard and expensive. Even when you are in medical school, it will be hard and expensive.

If you are sure you want to be a PCP, you have the option of nursing, PA, or doctor. The advantage of nursing and PA is that you do not need to go to residency. You get to make money earlier. Lifestyle could be better too. As a doctor, you do get more freedom. You will be in charge. But you will also pay more malpractice insurance because all the decision is your responsibility.

The first thing you have to answer is what do you want. If you want to be in charge, be a doctor. If you want a good lifestyle, you don't get that as a doctor in primary care or general surgery.

Second, how much are you willing to give up in terms of money, commitment, and time. The more you are willing to give up, the more medical school works for you.