Physician Assistant Information

[DP4life]

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Hello everyone,
Sorry if there's a thread already like this. I'm new to the site and I could not find a PA forum so I thought this would be the best place to ask my question. I'm currently a undergrad studying medical sciences. I was looking into my future jobs, and became very interested in the Physician Assistant job. I know that they require at least a 2.8/3.0 for entry, but would anyone know what would make me competitive; or what the median GPA is. Any and all information about this profession would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

If I'm correct there is a PA fourm somewhere at allied health area. Regardless I'll attempt to help, since PA's have become a very popular career field there requirements for competitiveness have gone up. I wouldn't be surprised if the medium for a accepted student would be somewhere around 3.4 gpa.
Other then this I would like to mention that even if you've reached a competitive level you should still aim to be above it.

I would have to say that a PA program is a very great alternative to getting a MD/DO. They spend 3 years in school and have much better hours and less responsibility then doctors. This being said PA's can specialize also in fields like surgery. However the downside is that the PA field is relatively new and your not a doctor =p. So you'll forever be MR/MRS ______.

 

[chman]

Here is a better forum than this one for your question;

http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/forum.php?

I have used it before when I was considering PA instead of MD.

That being said, here is what I can tell you;

-PA school is competitive. You will need a GPA much higher than 3.0, more like 3.5-3.7 to have a good shot.

-Most schools require a significant amount of "medical experience." This really depends on the school and can range from volunteering to years of paid medical experience (like nurse or emt).

-The pre-reqs are usually a bachelors degree of any kind and certain pre-reqs. The pre-reqs are usually roughly the same as medical school +/- a couple classes. If you don't know what those are they are 1 year of chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, English, and math. Like I said, it varies by school as far as PA is concerned.

That is about what I know. Good luck.

EDIT: For the pre-reqs, a lot of schools require anatomy a physiology instead of a full year of organic chem.

 

[Caesar]

as pointed out above, we don't really cater to PA and pre-PA students. There is a forum out there, not as cool or large as ours, but my friend used it.

 

[Catalystik]

Here is the link to SDN's Clinicians>PA Forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=113

 

[chman]

Here is the link to SDN's Clinicians>PA Forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=113

When I was considering PA I used to go down to that one, but it seems like it always turns into a p****** match of some sorts, so I started to avoid it.

 

[Catalystik]

When I was considering PA I used to go down to that one, but it seems like it always turns into a p****** match of some sorts, so I started to avoid it.

I'll bookmark your site then, since you've compared them, as similiar questions seem to come up with regularity in WAMC. Thanks for posting it.

 

[rHinO1]

I was looking at the requirements for a PA school near me just out of curiosity and I found that they actually had several more requirements than most medical schools including: genetics, microbiology with lab, anatomy with lab, physiology with lab, pyschology, and sociology.

 

[Squeal]

If I'm correct there is a PA fourm somewhere at allied health area. Regardless I'll attempt to help, since PA's have become a very popular career field there requirements for competitiveness have gone up. I wouldn't be surprised if the medium for a accepted student would be somewhere around 3.4 gpa.
Other then this I would like to mention that even if you've reached a competitive level you should still aim to be above it.

I would have to say that a PA program is a very great alternative to getting a MD/DO. They spend 3 years in school and have much better hours and less responsibility then doctors. This being said PA's can specialize also in fields like surgery. However the downside is that the PA field is relatively new and your not a doctor =p. So you'll forever be MR/MRS ______.

I agree, except with the bold above. I know the PAs at my local ED consistently work 80+ hour weeks like the docs do.

To the OP: if you think this is an easy way to become a doctor, then you might need to find another career. A lot of PA schools are very competitive and require large amounts of paid healthcare experience (nurse, EMT, CNA, medic, etc.)

 

[rHinO1]

I agree, except with the bold above. I know the PAs at my local ED consistently work 80+ hour weeks like the docs do.

To the OP: if you think this is an easy way to become a doctor, then you might need to find another career. A lot of PA schools are very competitive and require large amounts of paid healthcare experience (nurse, EMT, CNA, medic, etc.)

I agree with this. The PA's work long hours. It is often the PA that gets called in at night and on weekends for minor stuff while the doctor they work for sleeps or plays golf. Being a PA is like being a resident for your entire career.

 

[morning]

If I'm correct there is a PA fourm somewhere at allied health area. Regardless I'll attempt to help, since PA's have become a very popular career field there requirements for competitiveness have gone up. I wouldn't be surprised if the medium for a accepted student would be somewhere around 3.4 gpa.
Other then this I would like to mention that even if you've reached a competitive level you should still aim to be above it.

I would have to say that a PA program is a very great alternative to getting a MD/DO. They spend 3 years in school and have much better hours and less responsibility then doctors. This being said PA's can specialize also in fields like surgery. However the downside is that the PA field is relatively new and your not a doctor =p. So you'll forever be MR/MRS ______.

They also do a lot of scutwork though, especially in specialties (EM, FM) where there's so much scutwork even the physician does some of it. Less time spent in school is probably appealing to some people, but doing a resident's job (even for more money and fewer hours) is not. PA job satisfaction seems high, though, so what do I know.

 

[chman]

They also do a lot of scutwork though, especially in specialties (EM, FM) where there's so much scutwork even the physician does some of it. Less time spent in school is probably appealing to some people, but doing a resident's job (even for more money and fewer hours) is not. PA job satisfaction seems high, though, so what do I know.

It probably depends were they work. I imagine the ones who kind of do their own think at clinics and just check in with the doc once a day or something probably have the highest satisfaction.

 

[smarty666]

It probably depends were they work. I imagine the ones who kind of do their own think at clinics and just check in with the doc once a day or something probably have the highest satisfaction.

I agree, unless they are working in hospitals, like the ED or inpatient floors, the ones at my urologist's office, cardiologist's office, and neurosurgeon's all see patients just like the physicians and don't seem to do anything more than give needles, EKGs, blood pressure, do examinations, etc.

I think it really depends on where they are working though. Personally, all the PAs I have seen over the years have spent a lot more time listening to what I had to say and examining me then the majority of the MDs that I've seen. Not all but most.