Doctor vs PA vs NP | Which is Right for You?

Doctor, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant. Three different healthcare paths with three overlapping but distinct outcomes. How can you know which is right for you? I'll help you decide.

The doctor training path, whether MD or DO, is the longest by far. After your 4 premed years in college, you'll complete another 4 years of medical school followed by 3 to 7 years of residency in your intended specialty. If you want to further subspecialize with a fellowship, add one or more years after that. PA school is 2 or 2 and a half years, after which you're fully trained and can practice. NP school is between 2 and 5 years, depending on whether you go to a full time or part time program. There are also online-only programs.

In terms of clinical expertise and knowledge, physicians have far more extensive training than both mid-level pathways. Scope of practice creep is the hotly debated topic in healthcare these days, with NPs, PAs, and other midlevel providers pushing for more scope of practice. Physicians are pushing back, citing the training and expertise gap and the increased risks in patient care.

TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:58 Training Comparison
05:35 Expertise & Knowledge
07:38 Scope of Practice
11:34 How to Decide MD vs NP vs PA

LINKS FROM VIDEO:

#medicalschool #nursepractitioner #physicianassistant
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Disclaimer: Content of this video is my opinion and does not constitute medical advice. The content and associated links provide general information for general educational purposes only. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Kevin Jubbal, M.D. and Med School Insiders LLC will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death. May include affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through them (at no extra cost to you).

[mohamedaboelenin]

PA Student here! And in all honesty, this sums it up exceptionally well. I went into PA school because I'm personally fine with working as part of a physician-led healthcare team because I'll still be leaving a positive impact on the lives of patients. I don't mind taking a step back and dealing with the "bread and butter" of medical care. In my pre-PA experience, the PAs I've worked with always enjoyed working very closely with their supervising physicians. Even now (in my program at least), we're all very well aware that we aren't at the same level of depth as our physician colleagues. I have zero intention of seeking independent practice nor do I think that my current training will ever equal that of a physician's. Hoping to throw this out there to show we're not all engaging in scope creep.

[dracon]

I am loving the dip into the non MD fields. As an x-ray/MRI technologist it makes me excited that one day you may find the time to make a video on the fields.

[bibobratagbatsemi]

Being a doctor is because you love to serve and make fast decisions to save lives. I gave up everything to be doctor I’m yet to regret it regardless of the difficult path. It’s a passion that I will repeat over and over again without thinking twice.

[iBeauty]

I left the medical track for nursing when I realized that I wanted to be a mom more than anything. No disrespect to my MDs and DOs out there. Y’all are some of the hardest working people I know and I value your clinical expertise. It just wasn’t for me.

[fridge]

I'm in my BSN (graduating next year) with intentions to get my MD/DO. Many of my nursing professors are NPs and are very transparent about how different it is from being a physician; primarily, they felt way less prepared right out of NP school and had to work extra hard to be knowledgeable. That increased their anxiety, exhaustion, and depression, especially working alongside residents

[bumbumbedum]

I'm a college student, and like many other people, I have to learn everything on my own because I never learned about this. Sometimes, I just need a helping hand and I really appreciate you explaining everything so nicely. It was very clear and to the point, and you have a great narrating voice (not the monotone voice). Thank you for this explanation.

[probablystudying]

Until MD/DO schools get cheaper, or primary care physicians start getting compensated appropriately, I don’t see the primary care physician shortage decreasing. The people suffering because of that are the patients, because they deserve well-trained, talented physicians but fewer doctors can afford to go into primary care after med school because our loan payments are so extreme.

[DirtyMedicine]

I am very happy with my decision to go the physician route.

[davidthestocktrader]

I am a PA, and the comments on here by other mid levels baffle me. Lol. If you want to be autonomous without jeopardizing patient safety, got to medical school and complete a residency. I am in a PA Emed residency (18 months), and boy am I glad I chose expand my knowledge and continue learning in a supervised environment. Seeing MD/DO interns shitting their pants when a DKA patient with underlying urosepsis presents to the ED and requires pressors reminds me how Important it is to have thousands of hours of supervised training. Think patient safety, not useless titles.

Thank you MSI, great video!

[TheRealtalk]

As an NP, I think there are two major problems with the current way of training. The first being that some schools do not require hours of work as an RN prior to entry.. how is that possible? The second being that the masters and doctoral programs are not a clinical focus, but a science theoretical focus which does not help for the actual job.

[gsogymrat]

I've worked for a psychiatric hospital for 28 years and never really understood the difference between a PA and NP because they appear to do the same job. This video was helpful.

[Ony]

Being a physician is a noble passion and a calling. Requires a lot of hardwork, dedication and years, NO SHORTCUTS. I’m happy, fulfilled, occasionally stressed but will study medicine over again if I have to. ❤️

[Mushedpotatoes]

Gonna be a doctor, this is my first year at faculty of medicine... so excited!

[Michael-fdyo]

As a young NP I felt I did as good a job as a Physician. Now as an older NP, we definitely have our limitations. The training is 100% not equal.

[manofculture]

Been watching since the “How to study better video four years ago” when I was still in high school. I’ve learned so much for the profession I strive for here (MD/DO). Keep up the good work!

[BrianandGage]

Truthfully I think being an MD makes less sense every year unless you want to do surgery or just want the status of being called a doctor . When you look at the 8-15 year commitment, the cost of school, the lack of flexibility once you specialize, and lack of sufficient pay during residency it becomes abundantly clear which path most people are going to choose. Med school has become more about draining students wallets than training well educated physicians. PAs and NPs are well compensated right out of school and don’t have to put their family lives and lives in general on hold until their early to mid 30s. If we want to fill the current void of primary care doctors then something about the MD pipeline is going to have to change pretty soon.

[TheRealSkinImInMD]

I considered all... but ultimately I chose doctor all the way (even if it was a nontraditional path!)

[mpduncan]

As a PA none of this matters. I function independently in a rural community. No one wants to work rural healthcare. We will happily take an MD, DO, NP, CRNA, or PA any day. People need care. There arent enough physicians especially in primary care. We didnt make it that way, we are just trying our best everyday. We have to practice at our highest scope of practice out of necessity. Just like community health aides in Alaska. So we are waiting for you no matter what path you decide.

[benjaminhughes]

The MD route at one point in time probably made a lot of sense but unless you want to do surgery or just be at the top of the chain it doesn't anymore. By the time you factor in the debt, malpractice insurance, liability, time, and schedule it no longer makes sense. Sure they earn more but they also don't fully make it into the workforce under their own practice until 5-10yrs later than PA/NP and those routes don't have even close to the same expenses. The PA/NP can still write prescriptions, make care plans, order labs. They both make pretty good money. I don't see many situations where in modern times it makes sense to get the MD and that's why I think you'll continue to see a shortage.

[toadcommander]

Thank you so much for making these and breaking down the various career paths. As a 34M who’s hates his career in tech, the idea of switching to healthcare is absolutely overwhelming, but it’s something I want to do!