DO vs PA/NP? Is it worth it?

[MPMD]

The White Coat Investor wrote:

ifonlyFI wrote:

I sadly don’t recommend becoming a pcp or a pediatrician as a PA or NP can make the same amount of money doing the same job.

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I disagree that it is the same job. Patients may view them as doing the same job, but physicians who refer to PCPs and receive referrals from them certainly do not. My interaction with a physician PCP is far more collegial than my interactions with APP PCPs and UC PCPs. I’m far more likely to be “rescuing the patient” in those situations. I think it takes some significant education and experience to realize they are not doing the same job, not at all. Just like in the ED, the complicated cases are the role of the physician while the uncomplicated cases are the role of an appropriately supervised APP. Although I agree it is difficult for patients to tell the difference.

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I completely agree. I'm actually generally not able to get a non-physician primary care provider to call me back on a patient.

We may be headed towards more parity in these positions but we aren't there yet.

[Kamban]

MPMD wrote:

Did the person you were talking said the didn’t think being an osteopath was worth it or they didn’t think being a doc was worth it? Those are kind of 2 different scenarios. If they or you meant that MD > PA/NP > DO, that’s just… weird.

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I took it as the OP feeling if being a physician was worth it compared to NP / PA.

His relative and one other DO here felt that if you are going to be a physician, do not go to DO school; instead to to a MD school.

My take on it is if money is a primary issue and the OP does not want to take on a big student loan, going the RN and then NP or CRNA route would be less expensive and more lucrative than being PCP in an area with poor reimbursement.

As to the DO versus MD, if MD is available choose that and if not, do DO. In the end it does not matter unless you want academic position at Harvard or Yale. In fact, in PP setting once you get into residency no one cares where you even got your MD from.

 

[Zaphod]

The White Coat Investor wrote:

ifonlyFI wrote:

I sadly don’t recommend becoming a pcp or a pediatrician as a PA or NP can make the same amount of money doing the same job.

Click to expand…

I disagree that it is the same job. Patients may view them as doing the same job, but physicians who refer to PCPs and receive referrals from them certainly do not. My interaction with a physician PCP is far more collegial than my interactions with APP PCPs and UC PCPs. I’m far more likely to be “rescuing the patient” in those situations. I think it takes some significant education and experience to realize they are not doing the same job, not at all. Just like in the ED, the complicated cases are the role of the physician while the uncomplicated cases are the role of an appropriately supervised APP. Although I agree it is difficult for patients to tell the difference.

Click to expand...

However they get similar pay, less responsibility and oversight. Go figure.

[VagabondMD]

Some of this comes down to the extent that you (OP) consider being a healer, a calling vs. a profession vs. a career.

If your primary motivation is to be a healer, any option would suffice, and perhaps the less expensive option with the shorter time to entry is desirable.

If your primary motivation is to have a profession, this muddies the water a bit. An NP is certainly a health care professional, but not with the same stature of a physician. If this does not trouble you now, then perhaps the NP/PA route is acceptable, acknowledging that it might bother you later.

Finally, if you wish to have a career in medicine, with no limitations, an MD is the way to go. There are MDs that are CEOs of hospitals and integrated health care networks, who have executive jobs in insurance and biomedical companies, who have senior roles in their Departments, Hospitals, and practices. If any of this appeals to you, getting there from an NP background is extremely unlikely.

[Hatton]

My opinion is be the best you can be.  If you have good grades and MCATS go to medical school.  If you find you have to really study hard to get reasonable grades for undergraduate then do not go to medical school.

[ZB60]

There are days I wish I would have at least decided to get a BSN in undergrad. It is IMO a more useful degree than the Biology degree I received. If medical school wouldn’t have worked out, my immediate alternatives would have been much more limited. Also, the ability to do a few nursing shifts here and there would have been a nice boost in income. In the end it should all work out, but if something were to happen where I couldn’t finish school, I still don’t have a clear cut way to make money to pay my loans back.