worth the wait??

[Tranquility]

So...I want to be a PA..im sure of this...
I already have my degree in medical lab technology, ASCP certified and ive worked at a hospital for over two years. Im about to finish up my BS in Public health. Unfortuntately, im told that I cannot get into PA school with patient care hours.....which..i have like..100...
i hear people entering have a minimum of 6500 hours! it would take me 2-3 years to gain that much
what do i do in the meantime? I dont want to sit idle...? Is there any chance of getting in with what I have??
I was thinking of getting my masters in public health in the meantime.....but...of course, that costs money and time...
advice????

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[core0]

So...I want to be a PA..im sure of this...
I already have my degree in medical lab technology, ASCP certified and ive worked at a hospital for over two years. Im about to finish up my BS in Public health. Unfortuntately, im told that I cannot get into PA school with patient care hours.....which..i have like..100...
i hear people entering have a minimum of 6500 hours! it would take me 2-3 years to gain that much
what do i do in the meantime? I dont want to sit idle...? Is there any chance of getting in with what I have??
I was thinking of getting my masters in public health in the meantime.....but...of course, that costs money and time...
advice????

Take a look here on the PA forum:
http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13564
Also take a look in the pre-pa section. There are a lot of good answers there.

There are tons of schools that do not require medical experience. There are also schools that require minimal ~ 100 hours. Some schools will credit med tech for patient care hours. Yes there are students with more than 6000 hours but there are many with less. As long as you have decent grades and decent GRE there is probably a PA school for you. Some schools put a high value on med tech. We had two in our class and they did well. One is working in EM and the other in Heme/Onc.

Good Luck.

David Carpenter, PA-C

 

[jwk]

So...I want to be a PA..im sure of this...
I already have my degree in medical lab technology, ASCP certified and ive worked at a hospital for over two years. Im about to finish up my BS in Public health.

I was thinking of getting my masters in public health in the meantime.....but...of course, that costs money and time...
advice????

If you want to be a PA - remember, you're saying you're SURE of this - then start working towards THAT goal and quit messing around with multiple degrees in other fields.

 

[Chronic Student]

I am a PA whose undergrad degree was as an MT (bloodbanker). You will not regret going to PA school. As a med tech I knew a lot more than most of the docs (although in an extremely narrow area and not including hematologists) but all of that knowledge was technical and not really applicable to anywhere outside of the lab.

Do you want me to explain the minutiae of PEG adsorptions and acid elutions ad nauseum. Its great to understand but only your medical director realizes that you're really good at what you do and in the end your result is all anyone sees.

In addition, there is such a disconnect in-between working on samples and what is happening to real live patients.

Did I mention the pay sucks for a four year degree that requires biochem, hematology I and II, clinical chemistry I and II, immunohematology, Coag I and II, molecular biology, pathogenic micro, immunology, mycology, parasitology, etc.

Find a program that does not require all of that clinical experience. Your MT degree does count to the admissions committee if they have a clue. All of the med techs in my class did extremely well in the didactic portion. The caveat is that lab folks are not known for their social skills. However, if your looking to get out then your a probably not the typical lab person.

I got my degree and have never looked back and to be honest with you doing neurotrauma is not nearly as stressful as working the blood bank of a major trauma center at nights by yourself.

Just do it.

 

[zenman]

The caveat is that lab folks are not known for their social skills.

ROFLMAO...that explains the doc I work with, a former MT.

 

[lapelirroja]

I'm graduating from an MT program this spring and will be attending PA school in the fall. It's a shame that many programs do not appreciate the field of laboratory medicine and what being an MT means. But I do agree with the rest that there are some programs that will view your experience as great! Just keep applying--maybe work part time as an MT to get okay pay and work part time as a CNA or something like that to get core patient experience.

Although I'm leaving the field, I wish MTs and MLTs were more respected and compensated better for the work that they do 24/7. They should make AT LEAST as much as nurses! All MTs have Bachelor's degrees--the same cannot be said for RNs-- many of whom have AS degrees! That doesn't stop them from calling us "lab girl" and "stupid" over the phone...

 

[derhoy1]

I got my BS in MT (1994), worked as a generalist (mostly chem/hemo) in a large teaching hospital with a level one trauma center and burn unit. Moved into forensics for a couple years after that.

Accepted into PA school in 99, graduated in 2001.

My med tech experience counted. I suggest you check with the individual programs you are applying to. Med tech was an incredibly helpful background to have for PA school and I find my background in it is valuable to me now.

PM me if you want to chat further.

Good luck and have a great day.

 

[Tranquility]

i gotta say thanks to everyone who responded to me..im SO happy to have learned these things..

**downside...you MTs are MTs...i only graduated as an MLT and not im about to finish my BS in Public health...
But thanks to awesome SDN..i also just learned about post bach prgrams which should help....

i will def be PMing some of you guys....i hope you dont mind..!!!

Thanks again!!!