Hello,

I know we just had an over 40 thinking about becoming a doctor post but mine is slightly different. I'm thinking of being a PA in peds.

Currently I am a content manager at a major healthcare association. For 16 years I've been on the business/communication side of healthcare. I was in medical publishing for 2 years, jumped to editorial staff at an infertility clinic, then jumped to being a copywriter for pharmaceutical advertising (writing those lovely detail sheets for pharma reps), then off to content/project manager/web producer for a major healthcare association. I've always found medicine/healthcare interesting.

I never went to medical school or anything healthcare related for a few reasons. One being major low self esteem. Two parents paid for my college so medical school would have killed them. I went to an art college studying science writing (BA/MA).Three--life happened/didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I jumped from publishing to advertising to web just because I do have a creative side. And I would say for web, I do like my job but here's the thing.

Throughout my entire career I was never satisfied. Content, design, etc. are all based on what the client and your boss wants even if the result is really crappy. I mean seriously, stage IV NHL where the drug extends FOUR months of your life and you want to put two people riding bikes, smiling on a beach? I'm not seeing four months to live and people having the energy to ride a bike. It's just so ridiculous and unrealistic. But hey, that's what the boss/client wanted. Not saying we should have a morbid pic but it's just unrealistic.

And now in my current job I have a coworker going back to school for human interaction (web usability) and my boss compares me to him. He's 27, unmarried (engaged), no kids, no mortgage. He's getting reimbursed by the company. This is his first job out of advertising school. He's done nothing with websites, etc but boss is giving him opportunities. That's all fine and dandy until she tells me with 16 years experience that I'm "useless, no talent and see your coworker is going back to school." Nice. I see people freak out over fonts, design, powerpoint, and ridiculous deadlines (reason for high turnover) and I'm sitting here thinking I've seen my child on oxygen, I've dealt with an Apgar score of 1, our friend's 3 year old just came out of 3 years of treatment of neuroblastoma.....you want to yell and get out of shape over a font????? Yell because you lost your patient over someone's medical error. Push a deadline because you have to get that kid's oxygen above 80.

I think in short, the logic of what I am dealin with in my career is just making me sick. I've been in and out of doctors this entire year due to stress and newly discovered hypothyroidism so it's making me really, really analyze what is important and all of this happened after giving birth to my son (he's 3 now). Going through what we went through (almost losing him) with his severe RSV infection at 6 weeks made me see that peds and making a difference is far more satisfying and impactful than my idiotic posting of a PDF that only 7 people read in a year.

So I was looking at various medical options to make a difference and I saw that Northwestern University Med School has a 2 year, $63k program. I have a BA/MA. I would need to take some additional prereqs since art school sure doesn't teach you microbiology. But I do have peer reviewed studies/pharma experience per sey (even if it was only read and write ads about them).

I just turned 40 and our son is 3. My DH has his own business that fluctuates in income. I'm currently making close to six figures and get great benefits. Giving it all up is a significant impact on our financial life---how will the mortgage get paid ($1,700), how will we afford insurance (his biz doesn't have any; I bring it home), and then of course the $63k to pay for school.

Is this just some crazy pipedream I need to move on from and focus on doing my best in healthcare communications? I was even looking at various volunteer jobs but none of them seem like I can make a true difference. I know that sounds crazy because any pediatric volunteering is appreciated but I want to do something more. I thought perhaps PA in peds was the way to go.

Crazy?

Oh and here is one other issue. I am TERRIBLE in math (why I went to art school). Will this alone kill the whole idea as well? I'm good in science, biology, anatomy, etc. but give me a math problem and forget it.

Don't let the math get in the way. All you need is the pre-req's required for PA school which should be basic. I don't do math either but somehow was able to get through the first semester of calc with a tutor and lots of help from the math lab. Once you get through that, there really isn't that much math in day to day medicine. You will get it in pediatrics determining antibiotic dosing.

So say amoxicillin for otitis media is 80mg/kg/day

2yr old is 14kg so their daily dose is 14kgx80mg 1120 mg/day

Amoxil comes in different strengths but usu you use 250mg/5ml (1tsp)

So for this child they would get 2 1/4 tsp (562.5 mg) twice a day to give a total dose of 1125mg/day ~1120mg/day you are shooting for

That is t he extent of all the math I ever do. Plus the med books have a cheat table to use.