Am I Being Reasonable, Or Am I setting myself Up For Disappointment?

[JustinSane]

Hey, everyone. I was hoping to get some options on my perhaps nontraditional plan to enter the PA feild.

I'm a 22 year old, who is about to start junior year for my bachelors of science in respiratory therapy. I actually have an associates of applied science in mental health/human services which I just obtained in 2016. This was because when I first entered (community) college thought I wanted to be a therapist. However after getting a clinical associate job at a level one trauma center, I knew I wanted to work in a hospital.

The reason I went to a CC was because I did not do well in high-school (2.1 GPA got expelled in middle school) and my family cannot help much money wise. However, I really turned things around and have kept a 4.0 (currently done around 83 credits) and will likely keep in while finishing my degree program. I feel confident that I have a strong work ethic and a passion for learning.

Right now, I'm doing what classes I can for my bachelors at the CC, such as micro, A&P 1,2, medical terminology etc.

My goal is to eventually become a PA. I want to do this my using my RRT and gain the clinical experience necessary to apply for PA, along with making sure I can handle difficult clinical experiences such as codes, decision making, bedside manner, time management etc.

I'm planning on retake/taking the PA school prerequisites at a four year to make my application more competitive while working as a RRT. I'm also planning to start shadowing a PA at the hospital I work at during this time.

I keep being told to avoid getting my RRT and instead get a degree which will cover all prerequisites classes and then apply straight away. For examples my bachelors does not require any chemistry classes, but as I said before I would take those at a 4 year later on.

The reason I wan't to get my RRT first is that I'm not 100% that I can handle PA school. While I have a high GPA, I've not taken much science and math classes. While my CC is respected in my area, I'm still worried that it will not prepare me for a four year schools pace or expectations. I'm also lacking in a support network. I feel like someone going into PA school needs a "mentor" and I've yet to find anyone who believes in me. I'm hoping to build some professional relationships while working as a RRT. My hospital the RRTs are well respected by doctors and have a high degree of autonomy.

I also keep getting the vibe from people that because I'm going into respiratory knowing I want to become a PA,.it will make me come off as resent of my position and not do well in forming connections. However I'm working to not allow this to happen. Because I feel that way somewhat working as a CA. I will admit I'm envious of doctors and PA's, who have the knowledge and training to treat and understand the illnesses that the patients are experiencing. However, I don't let this effect my job and do well.

During my time working I also plan on volunteering in my community. Because I LOVE GIVING BACK!

Thank you!

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[pamac]

I wouldn’t hesitate to get my RT degree and take pre PA classes as electives or later on. You have the right idea. The world is littered with folks that didn’t get into PA school with their biology degrees. RTs that don’t get into PA school their first time have good paying jobs and less stress about re applying. If you get experience as an RT, it opens up more opportunities for you to apply to the few schools that place a really high emphasis on health care experience, and they are usually the best schools. I don’t see you regretting it. If you are new to being a good student, I can see how you’d want to be sure you have it down before taking a risk. Where I’m at, RTs get paid about 35k less than PAs, but they also work 3 days per week, and have a good quality of life and work environment. As a nurse, I currently love my position, and when I’m finished with NP school, I think the transition might not be completely awesome once I have to enter the NP market and work more days per week and have less downtime.

So my advice... do RT. Use it as a nice checkpoint so that you can enjoy life as you work to your goal. If you go the other route and don’t get in to PA school, that’s when the stress really gets overbearing. If you don’t get in to Pa school as an RT, the you soothe your pain before re applying by going on a good vacation that you can afford to go on because you are an RT and have an income. None of the folks telling you to skip RT school are going to foot your bills for you if you don’t get into PA school the first time. They are doing the equivalent of gambling with your money for the fun of gambling. They literally have no skin in your game, so they can say things like that with no consequences. Everything changes when it’s yiur life that has to be lived.

The confidence you’ll get by being an RT is going to be life changing for you as well. PA school isn’t going to forge you into an awesome provider. You’ll be far less than a physician. But as an RT, you’ll have the experience of keeping someone alive, or even saving lives. That will make you sharp.

 

[JustinSane]

Wow, that last paragraph...

I really needed to read something like that.

Thank you so much.

 

[pamac]

When people go out and do work, it does soemthing to them that provides more inner strength and growth than what they can gain just by sitting in class. It’s not a perfect comparison, because obviously folks like physicians, PAs, etc need class time too. But if you have an option that gets you out there making decisions, experiencing stress, and accomplishing things, then why sit in class wondering if you have functional critical thinking skills. Even if you don’t have those skills right now, why not choose the path that will develop them?

When I graduated with my biology degree, I had no worthwhile jobs waiting for me unless I went back for more school. When I graduated from nursing school (which would be analogous to RRT for you), I had my pick of where to go work. Yes, a biology degree is a very fluid way to get your prerequisites for PA school, but that’s basically it. And in the meantime, you also need to take courses for the biology major that are not as pertinent, and are very hard. The folks I know that seemed to do the best were folks that took the PA prerequisites as electives, and did some other major where they did well and got a good gpa. There really aren’t that many majors that encompass all the premed prereqs anyway. I’m thinking biology, and that’s about it. Exercise science may have a bunch, but ultimately, you’ll use your elective slots to take things like biochem, etc. my GPA suffered because I was bound by my major to take really hard sciences. My friend was an art major that took one or two premed prerequisites each semester, and now he’s a doctor. So the point there is why not do a cool major like RRT that gives you a job and a backup plan, and take prereqs that you need along the way? But keep in mind RRT school will be very challenging. You may have to chase the pre PA prereqs later.

There’s not really a perfect answer. But I can say for certain that there is always a new challenge to face no matter what path you take or what successes you have. Life doesn’t get awesome once you become a PA. You’ll get there and then you’ll have to face going to work every day, and the challenges that come with that. My physician friends have a lot of debt. They make very good money as well, but so much of it is spoken for that it really doesn’t seem like it’s theirs. Taxes take a bunch, the loans take a bunch. Like the rest of us, they are like sharks... if they quit swimming, they drown. You’ll have a similar taste of that as a PA too, since PA school isn’t cheap. So enjoy yourself along the way. I’ve found it’s easier for me to do that with some stability along the way that my careers have provided. RRT folks seem to enjoy themselves.

 

[DizzyJon]

I agree with PAMAC. Continue with your path and complete the RT program. It will help you gain the much needed HCE that many PA programs require and will set you up with an excellent career if for some reason you don't get into PA school. I think you are making a great choice and will stand out being an RT over just another applicant with a BIO degree.

On a side note, and I'm sure others will disagree, but I don't understand what the problem is with taking classes at a community college. Are there studies showing that mirco is more difficult at a university then at a CC? I say this as someone who did most of my undergrad at a CC and also as an admissions committee member. I don't care where the applicant took their prereqs.

The confidence you’ll get by being an RT is going to be life changing for you as well. PA school isn’t going to forge you into an awesome provider. You’ll be far less than a physician. But as an RT, you’ll have the experience of keeping someone alive, or even saving lives. That will make you sharp.

Uhh, what does that mean? PA school, med school, nor NP school forge anyone into an awesome provider. You become an awesome provider after you graduate and have hands on experience in practice over years.

I think if I would say "NP school isn't going to forge you into an awesome provider. You'll be far less than a physician" that many a NPs would not read such a statement as a positive. Likely they would tell me off.

 

[JustinSane]

On a side note, and I'm sure others will disagree, but I don't understand what the problem is with taking classes at a community college. Are there studies showing that mirco is more difficult at a university then at a CC? I say this as someone who did most of my undergrad at a CC and also as an admissions committee member. I don't care where the applicant took their prereqs

I guess I'm buying into the cultural stereotype that CC's offer less rigorous classes then four year university. While I personalty don't agree with this, I would think that the competitive natural of PA would take into account everything about an applicant, including CC credits. If for example I was asked, "why did you choose a CC" my only response would have been "I cannot afford to attend a four-year uni" coupled with "I made poor choices in high-school that prevented me from being accepted into a four-year". However, I'm feeling less shame about this due to the overwhelming opinion that CC pre-reqs are not important in admission to PA school. I posted this on r/prephysicianassistant and everyone said they did 90%-100% of pre-reqs at a CC.

 

[pamac]

Uhh, what does that mean? PA school, med school, nor NP school forge anyone into an awesome provider. You become an awesome provider after you graduate and have hands on experience in practice over years.

I think if I would say "NP school isn't going to forge you into an awesome provider. You'll be far less than a physician" that many a NPs would not read such a statement as a positive. Likely they would tell me off.

In the context of the specific conversation of what the benefits of getting a degree and experience as an RT vs just doing undergrad and jumping in to being a young PA, yes, someone will be far less acquainted with working with patients than a residency trained physician or a PA with experience from another career like RT. The OP mentioned that one of the reasons they were considering RT for himself was to see if he himself had the ability to handle the clinical environment. That being the case, a medical school pathway has a built in means to ensure that. A PA approach lacks that robust exposure the OP stated they would like to have. If your feelings were hurt, I guess that’s your business because my response wasn’t directed to you, it was directed toward the person asking for input on their particular situation. PAs are good providers, but if you wonder about how you’d handle yourself in a stress in a clinical environment before going to PA school, then getting a biology degree and going through PA school sidesteps those goals. Doing a direct entry NP program does that a bit too, I guess. But for someone that comes to the table ready to function well, it’s not as big of an issue.

I’m not of the opinion that NP school does much to forge someone into an awesome provider on its own.