Should I be a physician assistant or elementary school teacher?
I'm having a hard time picking which one I should be. I'm stuck between being a physician assistant or an elementary school teacher. I absolutely love little kids and I'll be so happy doing that in life but at the same time teachers are so underpaid. This year I took a lot of high school science related classes since I was thinking about being a physician assistant so maybe it makes sense to just continue with it but I'm not sure. I can't really handle blood either but my school offers so many science classes and less education centered classes.
5 answers
Jerry’s Answer
First. The physician's assistant. As far as I know, the income is quite reasonable and the "status" in that profession is very good. You would be able to feel comfortable with a decent living standard and being very socially acceptable.
On the other hand,"getting out the door" with the qualifications and the papers is quite demanding. And can take almost as long as doing premed and then med. And in all probability, all your work will not be accomplished at one institution. Maybe yes, maybe no. And then the practicum. Off you go.
So if you're prepared mentally and physically for the long days and what may appear as the endless years and you really want to take up the profession, then off you go. And again, in the end it can be quite rewarding.
And the other choice is teaching grade school kids. How interesting. (I still remember many of my grade school teachers with great fondness.)
And at least you're in an area that offers many institutions of higher learning offering degrees in education.
And in an area that offers a wealth of opportunities to teach grade school. Public and private. Depending upon your personality and attitude you may be able to take your pick. Then there are the subjects you have to teach. And conducting the class. In my view, the proper approach would be to emphasize to the students that the class is a unit,. You are all together, You're on the inside and everyone else is on the outside. You're a single unit.
The income from teaching will undoubtedly be less than your other choice. But you, again, live in an area where the income will get you through, though not as well as the other choice.
One thing you can do is go to two grade schools. One public and one private and ask to talk to some of the teachers. If you're lucky, they may allow you to sit in on a class or two. And freely talk to you about their profession. If one school is not interested, try another. It's to your advantage to get as much insight as possible.
But be assured, staying away from becoming a physician's assistant and teaching at a grade school, will not keep you from avoiding blood.
Katie’s Answer
Laisha’s Answer
Colleen’s Answer
Hwal’s Answer
It might seem like the two careers are very different and perhaps they are in many ways, but I hope you know that you aren't the only one with this dilemma. I have also considered both career options, although not at the same time. Your concerns about teachers being underpaid are real and I can relate. As someone who is a PA and comes from Australia where the PA profession as we know it in the US doesn't exist, I can share that I would choose to become a PA if I had a choice between a k-12 teaching career and becoming a PA. PAs practice medicine in all specialties and in all clinical settings, so direct contact with blood likely won't be commonplace for you. Becoming a PA takes hard work and learning never ends, but it's a rewarding career. You might find this article about how to become a PA, on the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) websites, helpful:
https://www.aapa.org/news-central/2018/08/6-steps-become-pa/
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Hwal