Already an OT considering PA

[occupationalguy]

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I am an occupational therapist, I've only been practicing for a little while. I've worked with PAs and I am drawn by the work they do: throughout OT school, and today, I am very interested in conditions. I often find that when I am ameliorating a condition with OT approaches (which is awesome, patients need that), I want to aim at the condition itself and "solve" it (or try to).

My undergrad GPA wasn't stellar. My last 60 credit hours was near a 3.8, and my pre reqs for OT higher yet. I have a few classes to take for most PA programs, and I am confident I would get near perfect grades in them. My graduate school grades are around a 3.8, and I have excellent references, and I attended a 1st tier OT program. I am aware that my graduate grades, classes and work count for next to nothing with admissions to a PA program.

Should I do this? Am I foolish to consider this? Would you just stop and settle down with OT?

 

[pamac]

I don't think you are foolish at all. I think you have the potential to shine to an admissions committee with a few caveats. Sounds like you've heard about how a lot of schools use the data regarding your undergrad grades, but the beauty of PA schools (among many) are that there is diversity in what each school looks for. Some generalities hold strong, and typically I'm a believer that looking for exceptions is like chasing ones tail, but with you as an OT, I have a hard time thinking you will fall flat everywhere you look (or possibly even most places). I have a friend that does OT, and it sounds like getting in to OT school is fairly rigorous in and of itself. My main point is that you don't really have to go hat in hand because you are basically a colleague to the PA profession. Yeah, there are some barriers you might have to navigate through, but I think its ok to start with the right attitude. So do some legwork and figure out what schools will round file your application if your undergrad gpa isn't a solid 3.0 in both cumulative and science. Do some research, make some calls, visit a ton of websites, and send emails. You won't be doing that to convince anyone to take a look at you, but to find out what schools will give you more than a brief look at what you have.

Make no mistake... you aren't in the same boat as the CNA with a bachelors in biology and a 2.6 asking what to do about the next year to get into a program. You are a person who can show up to a school interview among kids who have never worked a real job, and you will have something to say about high level patient care that will knock the socks off of an interviewer. You just have to find the schools that will let you get to that point. They are out there.

I'm curious about the transition you want to make..... I was under the impression from folks on sdn OT boards here that there were really good income opportunities and latitude for OT's. Everyone is all "I know an OT that makes $130, and does hand work....." etc. And if that's the case, are you sure you want to take on a ton of debt to go work with grumpy sick people and for physicians and specialists who make you work the hours they don't want to so that you can pay for their second home with the billing you bring in? Another issue is the debt. Since you may have to throw your hat out to a lot of schools that aren't typically the more bargain priced programs... which typically are the picky ones... you may find that PA school is really expensive. You would be looking at quitting working for a couple years while in PA school, and then the debt piled on to what you already have, and then the fact that even though PA's can make mid to high 100's, they usually have to work their guts out to do that. So I guess my question is, why would you walk away from a good career that you have in hand to go work in a job that probably has less quality of life? I'd even say that with the financial hit you would take, you will even be making a lot less when you factor in lost income, relocation, tuition... not to mention the intangibles like what you would miss out on while in training, as well as afterwards when you take on a bunch of hours to pay down your debt.