P.A or RD

[Jen10]

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Well I just graduated from the University of Miami with a B.A in Biology. Since I started college I wanted to be a P.A so I did my caspa and applied to NOVA and Barry. My gpa isn't the best but its decent. I have a 3.5 and my gre was a 1070. NOVA turned my down and still no word from Barry but as of now it's probably a no since its pretty late. I'm having some doubts because even if i apply next year i still might not get in. They are looking for someone who has more hands on experience in the field and I don't have that. I was looking into becoming a Registered Dietitian bc food and health are my passion. It would be a 2 year program and I would walk out with a Masters as well. My newest idea was to apply to the RD program and when I finish apply to the P.A program. Do you think that would better my chances of getting into P.A school? And also is that just like another waste of 2 years or would it possibly help me in the future?

Thanks everyone I'm pretty confused right now 😕

 

[Bernoull]

Well I just graduated from the University of Miami with a B.A in Biology. Since I started college I wanted to be a P.A so I did my caspa and applied to NOVA and Barry. My gpa isn't the best but its decent. I have a 3.5 and my gre was a 1070. NOVA turned my down and still no word from Barry but as of now it's probably a no since its pretty late. I'm having some doubts because even if i apply next year i still might not get in. They are looking for someone who has more hands on experience in the field and I don't have that. I was looking into becoming a Registered Dietitian bc food and health are my passion. It would be a 2 year program and I would walk out with a Masters as well. My newest idea was to apply to the RD program and when I finish apply to the P.A program. Do you think that would better my chances of getting into P.A school? And also is that just like another waste of 2 years or would it possibly help me in the future?

Thanks everyone I'm pretty confused right now 😕

Wait, did u fill out ur apps in red ink??? 😕

I don't think there's much overlap b/t RD and PA, so if u ultimately want to get into PA school, RD seems like a poor choice. PA schools do want applicants with prior medical exp, so why not look into things like EMT?

Don't be pessimistic about ur chances for next yr, go out and try to get that medical exposure, volunteer, shadow etc. Also try to get feedback from the schools to see what improvements u can make. U know miami dade has a PA program (AS or AA, i think).

Are u willing to relocate, applying to just 2 schools is not very wise.

Gdluck, stay hopeful and pls don't do RD unless if that's what u want to practice.

 

[Jen10]

Wait, did u fill out ur apps in red ink??? 😕

I don't think there's much overlap b/t RD and PA, so if u ultimately want to get into PA school, RD seems like a poor choice. PA schools do want applicants with prior medical exp, so why not look into things like EMT?

Don't be pessimistic about ur chances for next yr, go out and try to get that medical exposure, volunteer, shadow etc. Also try to get feedback from the schools to see what improvements u can make. U know miami dade has a PA program (AS or AA, i think).

Are u willing to relocate, applying to just 2 schools is not very wise.

Gdluck, stay hopeful and pls don't do RD unless if that's what u want to practice.

I'm applying to Dade too but I wanted to get a Masters instead of just an associates. I honestly don't have any medical experience so would volunteering be a better choice over shadowing?

 

[deleted6669]

dieticians who work inpatient at a hospital get great exprience.
one of my prior students was a RD and she did very well and is now a surgical pa.

 

[core0]

dieticians who work inpatient at a hospital get great exprience.
one of my prior students was a RD and she did very well and is now a surgical pa.

Second this. One the PAs that works with me was an RD before PA school. The one issue is that completing RD alone isn't really going to help you. If you are looking at places that require experience you should expect to work for a couple years. This will lead to having to retake classes. Also you will have debt for the RD in addition to the debt that the student takes on for PA school.

 

[Jen10]

dieticians who work inpatient at a hospital get great exprience.
one of my prior students was a RD and she did very well and is now a surgical pa.

How many years was she a practicing RD?

 

[deleted6669]

5 yrs

 

[Bernoull]

I'm applying to Dade too but I wanted to get a Masters instead of just an associates. I honestly don't have any medical experience so would volunteering be a better choice over shadowing?

I hear u, r u prepared to relocate? I ur shoes, i'll go for something that will pays me while i gain the med exp and doesn't take long to do. Going in debt for RD for 2yrs to just be able to apply to PA school doesn't make sense to me. What's ur objection to emt or lpn and the like?

 

[drift]

I hear u, r u prepared to relocate? I ur shoes, i'll go for something that will pays me while i gain the med exp and doesn't take long to do. Going in debt for RD for 2yrs to just be able to apply to PA school doesn't make sense to me. What's ur objection to emt or lpn and the like?

I think LPN would be ideal in your situation. If you're really pressing for time, also EMT is good, but not as good experience as an LPN.

 

[deleted6669]

agree with drift. the longer and more intensive your training and responsibilities before pa school the easier pa school will be for you and the more you will get out of it.
the best pa's are almost always former medics/rn's/rt's.
in my class that group made up the entire top 25% of the class.
someone will now chime in with a story about a former candy stripper ( yes, I meant the spelling)who runs an icu as a pa but that person is an outlier and not typical.

 

[oreosandsake]

do you really want all those years of school (debt)?

same number of years, and debt load you would put into becoming a physician sans the residency.

PA's are awesome, and 2 years of schooling for great work and pay scale.

 

[gasolino]

What's wrong the PA program at dade... Associate degree = faster to finish... In the end you work and get paid like any other PA? Right?

 

[PharmBound2011]

What's wrong the PA program at dade... Associate degree = faster to finish... In the end you work and get paid like any other PA? Right?

The trend seems to show that many states may require an MS to practice in the near-future. Many already have a BS or higher requirement from what I know. Also, the problem with an associates in PA at dade in my opinion is that most people already have a prior bachelors degree before they apply to the associates program, which seems odd. The other 30-35% that don't have a bachelors generally have atleast 50-80 credits in the prereqs and gened classes which just seems ike at that point, why not just apply to a masters?

 

[gasolino]

The trend seems to show that many states may require an MS to practice in the near-future. Many already have a BS or higher requirement from what I know. Also, the problem with an associates in PA at dade in my opinion is that most people already have a prior bachelors degree before they apply to the associates program, which seems odd. The other 30-35% that don't have a bachelors generally have atleast 50-80 credits in the prereqs and gened classes which just seems ike at that point, why not just apply to a masters?

Because the OP didn't get accepted to the master programs, why not the dade program now instead of 2 yrs of RD then PA?

 

[deleted6669]

Because the OP didn't get accepted to the master programs, why not the dade program now instead of 2 yrs of RD then PA?

CERTIFICATE AND A.S. programs have the most stringent prior hce requirements and the op has little experience and wouldn't get in. these programs are full of medics, rn's and rt's(you know, traditional pa school applicants....).
ps only 2 states require an ms to practice and they are states to avoid anyway because they have lousy pa laws....several require a bs but it is easy to get a postgrad bs/ms while working full time.

 

[PSYCHNP]

CERTIFICATE AND A.S. programs have the most stringent prior hce requirements and the op has little experience and wouldn't get in. these programs are full of medics, rn's and rt's(you know, traditional pa school applicants....).
ps only 2 states require an ms to practice and they are states to avoid anyway because they have lousy pa laws....several require a bs but it is easy to get a postgrad bs/ms while working full time.

I would think that the Dade program would be just as competitive or even more so than any other PA program.

By being able to get in without completing a bachelors I believe this alone would make the program more competitive. Unless they used a waitlist type selection process.

If I were the OP I would apply to the program and hope for the best.

 

[deleted6669]

all the as/cert programs are competitive, but only for the right applicant pool.
paramedic x 10 yrs, 3.4 gpa will probably get in.
no experience, bs in biochem with 4.0, 100 hrs of shadowing won't even get an interview.(trust me on this, I work with a very similar program). no experience or less than 4000 hrs or so = right in the garbage, thanks for the wasted fees....

the as/cert programs are really the heart and soul of the pa profession at this point catering to the group who were originally intended to become pa's, that is folks who are already working medical professionals..... most of these programs will probably be gone in a decade and that's a damn shame...just pushing us 1 step closer to longer pa programs to make up for less experienced applicants and mandatory residencies for anything but primary care...

 

[Jen10]

I won't hear from dade till like March unfortunately and as easy as it might sound even Dade is really competitive. After they interview their candidates they test you on medical terminology and anatomy and depending on your score they admit you into the program. The problem is I have no patient contact experience. I've shadowed and volunteered but I'm not certified to do anything else. The reason I thinking RD is bc it's something that I like and to go back for EMT it's two yrs anyways so I might as well get a Masters and be certified to work in the hospital. I'm pretty confused right now if it's not obvious enough lol

 

[Narnian]

Why not just do an EMT basic course? It takes one college semester at some places. Take the National Registry and then all you need is to clock a lot of hours with an ambulance service. Even if you are just driving the meat wagon... you can get out on the scene with the EMT-I/P and get your hands dirty and clock that as patient contact paid HCE.