Family planning and career change
I’m a 32F PA living on the West Coast, married, and have been working in a pretty niche specialty for the past 2 years. I’m grateful to have a job, but honestly I’ve been feeling increasingly dissatisfied because I don’t really feel like I’m practicing “real medicine” anymore or growing clinically in the way I hoped I would as a newer PA.
I recently got an opportunity to transition into emergency medicine. I don’t necessarily know if EM is my dream specialty long term, but I’m really craving stronger medical experience, broader knowledge, and the chance to develop skills/confidence that I feel like I’m missing right now. The job market where I’m at has also been pretty rough (I’ve been applying for a year with no luck), so part of me feels like this could be a really valuable opportunity even if it’s challenging.
My biggest hesitation is timing. My husband works a demanding job and we were trying to have a kid sometime this year. The idea of starting in the ED as a relatively inexperienced PA while also potentially being pregnant or having a newborn honestly feels overwhelming. I worry about shift work, stress, sleep, training, burnout, schedules never aligning, etc.
At the same time, I also worry that if I pass this up and stay where I am, I’m going to continue feeling stuck and unhappy professionally.
For those of you in EM, especially women with young kids or who were pregnant during training/onboarding, how realistic is this? Did EM feel manageable with a family? Did starting in EM significantly improve your confidence/skills overall? Or would you recommend continuing to look for a different type of job transition instead?
Would really appreciate any brutally honest perspectives