Health Career Questions...?

I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm only 17 but am not really sure. All my life I wanted to be a nurse, but now I think that I may want to be a pediatric pathologist or physician's assistant. Anyone who knows anything about these jobs, pros and cons, please respond. Thanks!

Depends on where you live, maybe.
In Florida it is difficult being a nurse.
Me and some of my nursing friends have dicussed being proud that we are nurses but hope our children don't follow in our footsteps.
Nurses are the last line of defense against errors that could harm the patient. Its a big responsibility but would be less stressful if we didn't have to defend the patient from managers that seem to only care about the patient's money (or lack there of), doctors that have no compassion for the patient and have taken on so many patients that they don't properly care for them, doctors who hold grudges and try to force out the very nurses that are on the look out for their dangerous errors and inform them (in private) so that they can correct them before the orders were carried out, pharmasists that at times, make outrageous errors,...ect.

You see it is the nurse, in all these instances, that pays the greatest price for his or her mistake. No matter how overloaded with patients you are, you are the one the management and state will hold responsible for the error. You can be fired, charged and (most humiliting) stripped of you license and worst of all, you will be the one that had close contact with that person that was your patient (not the doc, pharm, or manager) so you will receive the greatest emotional impact. That I know of, I have always caught the error but I have had a few close calls.

I'm sorry to rant about this but I hope you have a safer system to work in or become a ped. path. or a P.A. (Just remember if you do to appreciate the safty net and watchful eye of your nurses).
I wish you the best.

There is no such thing per se as a pediatric pathologist (as a separate specialty); that is a medical doc who residencies in pathology and then perhaps a fellowship in pediatric path; but there are essentially a pathologist; and you would have to works in a fully dedicated pediatric hospital, otherwise you would be a pathologist in a general hospital. You know, they do autopsies, and run the lab, histology & cytology--no patient contact here.

A PA can be a pediatric PA--they do more what Docs seeing patients do; you can work in a clinic, a hospital, a private practice etc. You work with LIVE patients. The web is www.aapa.org. The training is a 2 year masters after a bachelors and some sort of experience. They make about $50.00+/hr. If you enjoy working with patients & doing procedures etc--this would be a better job.