An opportunity to chase your dreams…an opportunity for people who are passionate about medicine…it’s all about opportunities and accepting the challenge.
The Physician Associate programme structure is very demanding and requires a good degree of resilience to see yourself through it, I guess the challenge is to be prepared to adapt to changing situations.
In my mid-thirties with a family and two children, I decided to enroll for the programme as career progression. It was a difficult decision, but I saw it as the only opportunity at this age to return to University to pursue my dream. My advice to people who have a family and wish to pursue this programme is to ensure you have a supportive family who understand the level of commitment required to successfully complete the programme. It also requires efficient planning to manage your finances, especially if you’ve been the main person supporting your family so far. Be prepared for the unexpected family commitments that may arise. I’m sure as a parent you’ve already been in such situations and have handled these stressful periods to the best of your abilities.
The key is to be flexible and ensure you keep up with the programme as the year is hectic and goes by before you realize it. Enjoy the learning opportunities, remembering that you are not expected to know everything at this stage so should not feel too pressurized and stressed with the busy time table of lectures and clinical skills initially - it all makes sense as the programme progresses and you start making connections between the different teaching sessions.
The other question that arises for someone with a family intending to take up this programme is, if it is worth the stress, time and money to enroll for such a demanding programme? Who better then yourselves to answer this question…the only advice I can give based on my experience so far is to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
If you believe in yourselves don’t let fears push you around…age is just a number, be led by the dreams in your heart!
Hamza Godhrawala, First Year PA Student
Hello Hamza,
I'm in the same situation you are.
I want to study more but confused about which programme should I choose ? If I choose physician associate then will it be worth to study at the age of 35? Kindly guide me on this.
Thanking you.
Hi, Dr Ganesh, thanks for your enquiry. A member of our PA team will be in touch with you today to help with your questions.