Can I go from physician assistant to a full-fledge physician?
While some PAs do go on to medical school (and they certainly have an edge there–already can do physical exams, have a sound medical background, etc) most stay as PAs–that is the career they want (and PA school does not trim any time off of med school). I would NEVER advise going to PA school as a stop-gap career until you can get into Med school–you would be depriving someone of a scare slot in a career they truly want. On the other hand, you might really love being a PA (BTW/ if a MD is a “true” physician, are you implying a PA is a “false” one? Loose that thought–they are separate entities and PAs tend to be insulted when asked by patients about the “real doctor”.) Now, about that assistant thing…really I don’t assist anyone–I see my own patients, order my own tests, do my own procedures, make my own diagnosis. If I have questions, then I ask the MD–a wonderful resource & I wouldn’t have it any other way. And the others are incorrect, in that depending on state law, MDs do n
