Newbie- Help please

[EthnicBeautiMD]

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Hi all, I'm new to the forum so please be gentle . . . 😳
I won't get into the details of my life but will keep it simple. I'm at a cc right now and will be a sophomore in spring. I just learned about the profession of a PA recently and am nearly convinced this is what I want to do. What is the path? If there is one? Should I get a BA in whatever I want like I would if I were going to med school? Then apply to PA programs? How does it work? Would becoming an RN then applying to a PA program be a bad idea?

Thanks for reading and for any advice you can lend

 

[deleted6669]

A FEW RESOURCES-
www.aapa.org for the official pa website
www.physicianassistant.net for a pa specific forum
www.appap.org for info on optional pa residency programs

now to your question-
you can major in anything as long as you meet all the prereqs for the program you are interested in. check out a few programs that are in areas that you want and try to meet all their prereqs.
prior health experience of any type is of value but the longer and more intense the better. good choices are rn, paramedic, and resp. therapist although folks enter from many different prior health careers.
best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[EthnicBeautiMD]

Thank you so much for your response, I was hoping you would because you are in the area I am considering. It's either gonna be emergency medicine or surgery, they both appeal to me equally. May I ask how you came about entering the program and what you did before?

 

[deleted6669]

Thank you so much for your response, I was hoping you would because you are in the area I am considering. It's either gonna be emergency medicine or surgery, they both appeal to me equally. May I ask how you came about entering the program and what you did before?

if you are interested in emergency medicine also check out www.sempa.org the official em pa website.
I was an er tech for 5 yrs and a paramedic for 5 yrs before becoming a pa. I have worked in emergency medicine for almost 20 yrs now and love it. great schedule, great variety of pt presentations, great pay and benefits. it's a great job. I work 18 days a month and make more than many primary care physicians.
I knew as soon as I started working as an er tech that I wanted to be a pa as I worked with a # of great em pa's. I worked as an er tech through college and went to paramedic school to get some solid experience. I never intended to be a medic long term and used it as a stepping stone to pa school. after pa school( bs degree #2) I did a postgrad masters in clinical emergency medicine.

 

[EthnicBeautiMD]

if you are interested in emergency medicine also check out www.sempa.org the official em pa website.
I was an er tech for 5 yrs and a paramedic for 5 yrs before becoming a pa. I have worked in emergency medicine for almost 20 yrs now and love it. great schedule, great variety of pt presentations, great pay and benefits. it's a great job. I work 18 days a month and make more than many primary care physicians.
I knew as soon as I started working as an er tech that I wanted to be a pa as I worked with a # of great em pa's. I worked as an er tech through college and went to paramedic school to get some solid experience. I never intended to be a medic long term and used it as a stepping stone to pa school. after pa school( bs degree #2) I did a postgrad masters in clinical emergency medicine.

It's great to see someone with an obvious passion for their profession. Thank you for that website I will check it out as soon as I get the chance (off to bed now) I actually did put some thought into becoming a paramedic through school. But the reality is I have a two year old and although I have great support I want to be sure I can at least do the majority of supporting myself. (I'm 23, recently divorced, and at home 🙁 ) What is an er tech? I'll google it anyway, just thought I'd ask because I I'm lazy at the moment

 

[deleted6669]

er tech is the way to go for entry level er positions. you can be involved in every case. work with docs/pa's/nurses/paramedics/etc to see who all the players are and what they do. it's a great job(salary sucks, but you can't have it all)
I was an er tech/emt for 5 years before medic(emt-p) school and worked my way up the ranks. after a while I was staring iv's and doing all the rn level skills. they even scheduled me to work if an rn was sick.I never made more than $7/hr as an er tech though(keep in mind this was almost 20 yrs ago). I hear er techs now make $10-16/hr or so.
basic er tech skills:
brief hx taking with vital signs
phlebotomy
im injections
splinting/wound bandaging
minor surgical assisting
cpr during codes
pt transport
urine testing
minor lab procedures(strep/mono/spinning crits/etc)
labeling/dispensing take home meds
restraining psych pts
applying o2 devices/suctioning
taking resports from ems personnel on arriving pts
performing ekg's
giving neb tx and doing spirometry/peak flow testing
vision/hearing screening

adv er tech skills:
iv's/iv meds
foleys
abg's
ng tubes

 

[Kristene9]

er tech is the way to go for entry level er positions.


If someone has a BS in biology, but no clinical experience, what would be a good job to get your foot in the door? I researched ER techs in my area and they require a year of experience. It sounds like a great job though! Is EMT the best (and quickest without much schooling) way to go to get some experience in a hospital setting? It’s been a long time since I volunteered at the hospital, and I don’t know how to get some experience.

Thanks for your help!

 

[deleted6669]

the emt basic course wopuld be a great start. it is 120 hrs and in cludes some er and some field time.
other options include things like lpn( 1 yr) or medical asst( around 6 months).
good luck-e