Becoming a Physician Assistant?

[Nbar]

So,

This whole SDN thing is new to me so I'm not too sure how it works. Currently, I am a general science pre-med student at Oregon State University. When I graduate, I will have my bachelors of science in General Science with three minors in Spanish, Chemistry and Psychology. I am fully aware that I need to obtain medical hours, but I am sort of stuck. I would like to become a surgical tech to obtain those hours, but that would require more schooling right out of a bachelors that I cant afford. So my first question is; "Is it worth going to school to be a surgical tech or would the hours as an EMT or a Medical Scribe be just as beneficial?

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[Hercules]

Scribe would be my choice out of those options.

 

[Nbar]

Thank you. Another question I have; I have a middle of the road GPA, a 3.5, and I was wondering if the additional minors atop of my Bachelors would strengthen my admittance to a PA school?

 

[Birdstrike]

So,

This whole SDN thing is new to me so I'm not too sure how it works.

Okay, this is how it works. You type your thoughts, then click, "Post." Most of the time, not much will happen. You may get some responses, some helpful, many of them not. Occasionally, you'll get an absolute gem of a response that could be life changing, mixed in with the garbage posts. At some point you will be accused of trolling or posting as a Russian double-agent, foreign spy or something like that. Don't be alarmed. It's normal.

Welcome aboard.

 

[RustedFox]

Okay, this is how it works. You type your thoughts, then click, "Post." Most of the time, not much will happen. You may get some responses, some helpful, many of them not. Occasionally, you'll get an absolute gem of a response that could be life changing, mixed in with the garbage posts. At some point you will be accused of trolling or posting as a Russian double-agent, foreign spy or something like that. Don't be alarmed. It's normal.

Welcome aboard.

Haaaaahahahahaaaa.

Also, be prepared to discuss the merits of In-N-Out Burger from time to time.

 

[Birdstrike]

be prepared to discuss the merits of In-N-Out Burger from time to time.

The merits are many. And ignore that conspiratorial nonsense about elevated cholesterol, poor health effects, shortened lifespan and MI risk. Just bite, chew, swallow. Repeat.

 

[DeadCactus]

Most of the people in this section of the forum are medical students, residents, or physicians and don't know much about PA school. There is a RN/NP/PA forum on SDN which would be much more useful for the application process...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/clinicians-rn-np-pa.113/


For medical school, being a scribe is plenty of exposure. EMT-B is overkill but common and some would argue more relevant than scribe, nurse, or tech as there is an emphasis on (rudimentary) clinical assessment and (protocoled) management. I don't think I would recommend EMT-B if you're already done with school and just need clinical hours to apply as it would impose a longer delay than being a scribe or volunteer. I imagine a similar perspective exists among PA schools but wouldn't know for sure.

 

[deleted6669]

Actually scribe is considered poor preparation for PA school and many places don't accept it. EMT, CNA, or medical assistant would be better as these actually involve direct pt care. scribe is basically shadowing while working as a transcriptionist with zero independent interaction with patients. watching other people work generally doesn't impress admission committee members(myself included).
check out the pa forum at www.physicianassistantforum.com for input from over 20,000 PAs. there is a heated discussion over there about the value of scribe experience with only scribes and former scribes(many who lament not getting into PA school) discussing its merits.

 

[Arcan57]

Actually scribe is considered poor preparation for PA school and many places don't accept it. EMT, CNA, or medical assistant would be better as these actually involve direct pt care. scribe is basically shadowing while working as a transcriptionist with zero independent interaction with patients. watching other people work generally doesn't impress admission committee members(myself included).
check out the pa forum at www.physicianassistantforum.com for input from over 20,000 PAs. there is a heated discussion over there about the value of scribe experience with only scribes and former scribes(many who lament not getting into PA school) discussing its merits.

To second this (although with less authority), scribing is not considered patient care for the purposes of qualifying for admission to the PA schools in TX. While many of the scribes are premed (for whom it does seem to have some positive effect), those not going for an MD/DO either end up in nursing school to go down the NP path or have to do some clinical work first. I've seen RT and perfusionist as recent choices for scribes trying to bolster their apps to PA school. For some reason there seems to be fewer scribe to EMT to PA school people then I would expect given relative ease of obtaining the necessary training as well as the employability while applying for your ultimate goal.

 

[owlegrad]

Moving to a forum with a better fit.

 

[amppa89]

reaching out to accepted PA students or people who may know how students are selected.
I have a current GPA of 3.1. My older, first and second college years, were not so hot due to a lot of family troubles and deaths in the family etc, however my more current semesters are averaging around a 3.5. I have about 5,000 hours of emergency room experience, about 500 hours of operating room experience and now about 200 hours of pharmacy experience. I have about a 3.4 science gpa and several recommendation letters from both PHD's, MD's and PA's. I do biochemical research at my local medical school and am going on a pediatric medical mission trip soon. While I know my experience looks good, I am worried about being "weeded out" based solely on my cumulative GPA. Any wise words or advice?

 

[agbvhhhh12]

desperately looking for input:
Im a transferring undergrad, I was accepted into a Pre-psychological and Brian sciences program at UCSB and into the Psych program at UCSD. Im pursuing becoming a PA so i need to keep my gpa up. im in love with SD. however the program at SB allows me too choose between a BA in psychology or a BS in Biopsychology which was the major i initially wanted to study. Im conflicted because I really like SD and if im not mistaken its a higher ranked school however im concerned about how competitive it is and if it would be possible to switch to a science major (cognitive science possibly). however im not too certain if my major is of that much importance for PA school assuming i completed pre-reqs on the side. SB i know for sure is a great school too but i dont see myself being as happy/motivated there however i think it may be a bit easier to focus on my studies since its a college town versus a city. i know ultimately the decision comes down to me however i would really appreciate other perspectives especially coming from psych or pre-health background.