Strength and Nutrition in Healthcare- Job prospects

[MarineTom]

Jordan,

Just want to say thanks for the forums and all the good content you put out. Congrats on residency. I'm a current undergrad in NYC studying biochemistry and looking to work in health care after. Right now I'm an EMT, plan to do paramedic after school for a few years because I've always enjoyed working in the field, and then onto Physician Assistant school when my knees want a break from pt's needing transport out of a high rise! I was wondering if you have any advice, thoughts, etc on someone who wants to do work in a similar capacity as I imagine you are working towards i.e. combining strength training, nutrition with conventional healthcare.

-Tom

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

It's going to be very hard to do anything in the S/C field unless you're in the S/C field coaching for some amount of time. My recommendation would be to get certified now and start coaching people, since this is the most time you'll have while still in academia. Then, based on your listed plan I'd skip working as a paramedic and either go straight to PA school or not go to PA school at all. Would be easier to get through that the younger you are with less other stuff going on (that presumably builds as you get older). I would continue to coach during this and then would try and get into some sort of sports med provider role with an ortho and/or primary care doc. Problem is, you won't get reimbursed by insurance for coaching or doing anything in the S/C field (or nutrition really- though the training on nutrition you get won't be very good either), so then that begs the question why PA school if you really want to be in the S/C field in some capacity?

I chose to get my MD because I need to be in control of what I am doing professionally and be able to set up the business model I want to. It'd be very difficult to do that as a PA, if not impossible. If you want to work in healthcare, however, then sports med or similar would be a way to go.