Medicine is ever-growing and healthcare teams are becoming larger by the second. The more medical breakthroughs there are, the more personnel are needed to get the job done. But with so many career options that play similar roles, how is one expected to narrow it down to just one? Well, take it from me; it is not easy. These are the major factors that I had to take into account when making my choice.

Job Outlook

Physician assistant has been named as the “#1 most promising job for millennials” by Forbes and is estimated to grow 30 percent by 2024. As medical teams expand over the next few years, more physician assistants are going to be in need. Physicians are expected to grow by 14 percent, which although is still considered fast, it is less than half of the growth of PAs.

However, in 2014 there were 708,300 jobs as a physician and only 94,400 jobs as a PA. This discrepancy could also be due to the fact that physician assistants were only created in the 60s. One must take into account the likelihood of employment when making their decision.

Personality

One of the biggest differences between physicians and physician assistants is their roles in the healthcare team. A person that is interested in being a PA has to be able to but their ego aside for the sake of everything running smoothly. PAs need to be able to take direction from their supervising physician without feeling inferior. Because PAs are a relatively new idea, they have to be ready to face confusion—and even rudeness—from people that don’t quite understand the career, patients and physicians alike.

On the other hand, physicians also require a set of their own specific qualities. Doctors need to be able to give orders and run the show without hesitation because the entire team is counting on them. Being a physician also requires an immense amount of responsibility for yourself and your team should anything go wrong. Which career you would excel at depends greatly on whether you prefer to be a team player or the leader of the team.

A characteristic that should factor into your decision is your decisiveness. Personally, I struggle with committing to one thingand always find myself craving change and different options. Being a PA, you do not have to complete a residency program; therefore you are not confined to a certain specialty. You have the freedom to work in an ER one year and work in an OR the next year. Physician assistants receive the majority of their training on the job, so they can work in virtually any field with an open position.

However, if you believe you will fall in love with one field of medicine so deeply that you have no desire to look elsewhere, being a physician may suit you. You must trust yourself and be confident enough in your decision to fully commit yourself. That being said, it is definitely not impossible to switch specialties, it is just significantly more difficult to. So if you do want to be a doctor, make sure there is not a bone in your body that says otherwise.

Schooling

The amount of schooling is also a huge factor that sets apart PAs and physicians. You must mentally and financially prepared according to which program you attend.

One of the aspects that most attracted me to the PA field was the length of schooling it required. After receiving a bachelor’s degree with all of the prerequisite courses, you would move on to a 25-27 month master’s program—half didactic based and half clinical based. Although the short schooling period seems easier, keep in mind that students are still expected to learn the same, enormous amount of information in only half the time. Also, PA programs usually have more requirements than medical schools, including additional classes and thousands of hours of prior paid patient care experience. If you’re the kind of person that wants to spend the least amount of money and time being inside of a classroom, PA is the better option.

Being a doctor is one of the most respected careers one could have, possibly because they have devoted an average of 14 years of their lives to get to where they are. Unlike physician assistants, doctors require a residency after graduating to specialize that can last from 3 to 7 years. If you’re interested in becoming a doctor, you must be prepared to make a huge sacrifice of time, money, and possibly relationships. But if you believe you are up to this challenge, being a physician could be for you.

Pay

For both of these careers you need an internal motivation of deeply caring for people and wanting to heal them. But in our money-driven world, the salary of a career is definitely a factor you must consider.

In 2015, the average yearly pay of physician assistants was $98,180 while for physicians it was $187,200. Although both offer a relatively high salary, doctors clearly make significantly more, but for good reason.

Physicians spend much more time and money to get their career than PAs, so of course it makes sense that they would be compensated accordingly. The average total cost of medical school is around $243,000 while the average total cost of PA school is about $70,800. Including undergraduate studies, becoming a PA takes about 6 years while becoming a physician takes about 11 years.

Doctors justifiably receive a higher salary, but it is important to consider the price of schooling and future debts. It is critical to decide the extent that salary matters to you and use this information when picking the career you prefer.

These are only two of the many careers healthcare has to offer. If you are still unsure even after considering these factors, shadow someone in both careers to envision yourself in the one you feel the best in. At the end of the day, you are saving lives regardless of which profession you choose.