hello- what d u think

[jjoe00]

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hello is there anyone who started out as premed but got fustrated after so many slaps in the face and just decided to go to pa school? or who has crossed over from pa to med school. don't know it is going to work but i am seriously considering doing that while i fix my self already wasted 2yrs doing nothing - working a sorry a** job but i would like to hear your opinions on that and by the way when is the next admission cycle for pa school

 

[Jengirl18]

Hi there,

Well, I don't know how much you know about the PA application process and/or what takes to get into a program, but you might be surprised at how competitive it is. For example: University of FL PA program had 600+ applicants, interviewed between 100-150, and chose 60 students. Many of these applicants have worked years in a healthcare environment, or at least met the 2000-clinical hour requirements. When you say you have worked two years in a sorry job, that's not gonna be looked upon very favorably. (Unless it was a "sorry" job in patient care;though, ya might want to rethink your attitude toward it in the essay/interview. Even if it was sorry, u need to let them know that your passion is to help people in a medical atmosphere, but you want to do more (as a PA, NOT a doctor). You'll here again and again that PA school is not a stepping stone to medical school, and admissions committees work hard to "weed" out those who have no desire to have a career as a PA. There are those who have gone from PA-Doc and are very happy for doing so, although im not sure if there are many who have gone right from PA school to med school...that's added stress and a waste of years! My advice would be 1)Do research on PA career, PA programs, and application process (caspaonline.org) 2)Shadow a PA (its almost a MUST to get into PA school 3)Get out of the "sorry" job and into one in a direct patient contact-environment that is fulfilling to you

I hope this helps! By the way, I was one who started out pre-med who got frustrated, but then found out about PAs, and now ive found my dream! 🙂


Good luck! (Don't go for PA if u cant see yourself being one b/c u will be miserable)
Oh, I think most PA schools (depending on school start date) open up this year's application cycle in May

Jenny
PA-S Aug 2005!

 

[awdc]

If you really think you can be a physician and really want to be one, you can always try going to a foreign medical school or osteopathic medical school. But don't kid yourself that foreign/D.O. schools are somehow easier to complete... (and some pose special challenges, like being on a third-world island). If you have a GPA and MCAT score in the typical range (and even slightly below) of those accepted into U.S. schools and you are highly motivated, I highly recommend looking into this route before going into your second choice career.