Am i seeing this right?

[Tranquility]

I was going through prereqs for a bunch of different schools...and I notice that physics doesnt seem to be on the list of courses needed to get into PA schools....is this right?!?!! Im registered for it for the summer..but if i dont need it, im def gonna drop it...
what about socialogy..? how many people have needed that as a prereq? i havent seen it on all schools....but i have seen psych..

what other kinds of courses may not be a prereq but look really good to have?

thanks!

 

[deleted6669]

I was going through prereqs for a bunch of different schools...and I notice that physics doesnt seem to be on the list of courses needed to get into PA schools....is this right?!?!! Im registered for it for the summer..but if i dont need it, im def gonna drop it...
what about socialogy..? how many people have needed that as a prereq? i havent seen it on all schools....but i have seen psych..

what other kinds of courses may not be a prereq but look really good to have?

thanks!

correct, you don't need physics(although I took it and enjoyed it).
check with each program you are interested in as prereqs vary for other stuff.
you most likely need basic bio, general chem, a+p, microbiology, a psych course, some math/stats, etc but no physics and no calculus.

 

[primadonna22274]

I think only a handful of PA programs require physics. Mine didn't so I never took it. Did take a whole bunch of bio/chem electives though.
Now I'm applying to med school and so now I have to take physics if I want to go anywhere other than SC or Baylor (the few schools that don't require physics). I'm not likely competitive for Baylor and I'm 34 now so I will take it just to not have my app rejected everywhere. I'm not excited about it though. I didn't like it in HS and I don't think I'll like it now.
Check with the PA programs you're interested in. I can't think of any program requiring sociology but definitely a social science elective like psych.
Almost all programs require a year of gen bio, a year of gen chem, A&P & microbio.
Most programs require biochem and/or orgo. Many programs are requiring genetics.
My advice? Take all the required courses and at least biochem or orgo AND genetics.
L.

 

[Apple5]

My school required physics, but they dont require micro.. which was nice... each school is just very specific. It would also be worthwhile to compare the health care experience needed at different schools, because like the prereqs they also vary quite a bit.

I went a little backwards, since I had already finished my bachelor's degree when I started applying to PA schools I applied to the ones that fit me. For example I didnt apply to any schools that required micro, or the GRE.. I am stubborn and didnt want to take them 🙂

It does limit your options of schools, but there are always pros/cons to every situation..

Good luck!

 

[primadonna22274]

I respect your choice Apple5 but honestly I can't understand how pathophys, ID, and antibiotic choice/pharm could make sense without a working knowledge of microbio.
Just my .02 from a microbio junkie who would've been a microbio major if my school were bigger and offered it.
L.

My school required physics, but they dont require micro.. which was nice... each school is just very specific. It would also be worthwhile to compare the health care experience needed at different schools, because like the prereqs they also vary quite a bit.

I went a little backwards, since I had already finished my bachelor's degree when I started applying to PA schools I applied to the ones that fit me. For example I didnt apply to any schools that required micro, or the GRE.. I am stubborn and didnt want to take them 🙂

It does limit your options of schools, but there are always pros/cons to every situation..

Good luck!

 

[Tranquility]

I respect your choice Apple5 but honestly I can't understand how pathophys, ID, and antibiotic choice/pharm could make sense without a working knowledge of microbio.
Just my .02 from a microbio junkie who would've been a microbio major if my school were bigger and offered it.
L.

i agree with you...i would never decide to cop outta micro....lucky for me...i already got my asso. degree in medical technology and had to take Two semesters of clinical micro. For some stupid reason, my undergrad school did not accept clinical and wants me to take general micro....which is dumb..so in that case...i choose a major that didnt require micro....I just hope PA school isnt the same..but really..two semesters of clinical micro is much more significant than one of general micro...

but..no physics!! THAT i can completely be okay with..😉

thanks for the responses all......

 

[Febrifuge]

I went to a post-bacc program, where all my classmates were pre-med. I experienced a mild version of what the German philosophers call schadenfraude* in hearing them complain about the Physics and Calculus they had to do, while meanwhile I was getting into Statistics and, yes, Micro. Also they got some manner of 'comparitive vertebrate anatomy' or something while I got human A&P for a full year. Odds are good that my PA practice will never require me to dissect a cat, so I think it's okay.

I'm sure the physics class was great -- the prof was a CalTech alum with interesting work in mapping to 16-dimensional space or something. But seriously, I learned everything I need to know about fluid dynamics and the surface area and volume of irregular solids in high school... which is to say, not very much.

Meanwhile, I really enjoyed learning about stuff that would be more than tangentially related to my future medical studies. The pre-reqs are different, and that's for good reason. When you show up to day one of PA school, you're expected to have a grasp of the fundamental concepts behind the med-level A&P and pharmacology you'll be learning. There isn't time to build up to that, since you're in the classroom for about a year and that's it.


* a rough English translation is in the spirit of the phrase "sucks to be you, dude!"

 

[Febrifuge]

Oh, and keep in mind that of the 140-some med schools in the country, only about 40 still require calculus. 20 years ago, more than half of them did. And as recently as 75 or 80 years ago, the majority of med schools still required Latin, or German, because the best medical textbooks were written in those languages.

The point being, education changes over time, and one nice thing about being part of a profession that's only 35 or 40 years old is that the educational model is allowed to be more in line with the outcome-based goals of the profession, and less about traditions that may not have quite as much applicability today.

Anybody planning to practice medicine where there are no computers and no modern lab facilities probably could really use a good exploration of your more complex physcial sciences. The rest of us need a good grounding in acid-base chemistry, cellular metabolism, a little thermodynamics for fun, maybe... and... yeah, that's all I've got.

 

[Apple5]

I respect your choice Apple5 but honestly I can't understand how pathophys, ID, and antibiotic choice/pharm could make sense without a working knowledge of microbio.
Just my .02 from a microbio junkie who would've been a microbio major if my school were bigger and offered it.
L.

I agree with you completely, micro is part of our didatic series, before ID/pharm etc..
That is why I think my school didnt require it, becasue we have to take it anyway