I am interested in pursuing the career of Physician or Physician Assistant. As long as the science courses that are required to take the MCAT or PANCE are fulfilled before graduation, any major can be pursued. I’ve had shadowing opportunities at places like Lehigh Valley Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, and more. When speaking to an ER physician at Lehigh Valley Hospital, he expressed to me that any undergraduate major is sufficient before medical school, as long as the pre-requisite courses are completed. He conveyed to me that I should major in something that I am passionate about, even if it isn’t science, because that is what I would be doing for the rest of my life if I do choose to pursue a career in the medical field. Next semester, I am going to take Intro to Psych to test the waters and see if I really do want to major in Neuroscience. Intro to Psych is the course required to get into the more advanced Neuroscience courses.
Two challenges Physicians face include: lack of a work-life balance and burnout. If I do decide to go to medical school, I would take a gap year between undergraduate and graduate school in hopes of preventing burnout. Physician Assistant challenges include dealing with HIPAA regulations and workplace hazards. I already have some experience with HIPPA regulations through my shadowing opportunities senior year of high school. I followed the HIPPA laws after observing in healthcare every week.
