Required Medical Experience

[Conejo70]

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Here is a question for someone who is knowledgable concerning the medical experience requirements for application to Physician Assistant programs.

I have spent the past 19 years working as a Correctional Officer in prisons and jails. I have seen a fair share of seizures, drug withdrawals, drug overdoses, suicide attempts, heart attacks, strokes, abscess drainage and packing, STD treatments, etc...

My role has been primarily that of security and supervision during these scenarios. However, I have witnessed the medical treatments administered by the medical staff (Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics) over the years and am familiar with many of the regular procedures for these treatments.

Would any of these experiences be considered valid as "medical experience" when applying for admission to P.A. school? I understand it would not receive the same credit as someone actually pereforming these procedures but wonder if it would be considered something akin to volunteering or shadowing.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Here is a question for someone who is knowledgable concerning the medical experience requirements for application to Physician Assistant programs.

I have spent the past 19 years working as a Correctional Officer in prisons and jails. I have seen a fair share of seizures, drug withdrawals, drug overdoses, suicide attempts, heart attacks, strokes, abscess drainage and packing, STD treatments, etc...

My role has been primarily that of security and supervision during these scenarios. However, I have witnessed the medical treatments administered by the medical staff (Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics) over the years and am familiar with many of the regular procedures for these treatments.

Would any of these experiences be considered valid as "medical experience" when applying for admission to P.A. school? I understand it would not receive the same credit as someone actually pereforming these procedures but wonder if it would be considered something akin to volunteering or shadowing.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

I really doubt it. Usually, they want you to be the clinician involved. However, I think that may be the answer to your "So why do you want to be a physician assistant" during the interview.

Welcome. There are about four of us in law enforcement that I know of on here.

 

[Conejo70]

I really doubt it. Usually, they want you to be the clinician involved. However, I think that may be the answer to your "So why do you want to be a physician assistant" during the interview.

Welcome. There are about four of us in law enforcement that I know of on here.

Thank you for responding. Have you gone through any interviews yet? I am currently doing pre-reqs but I may have overshot in that area. I initially thought to get all the pre-reqs that most schools require before applying. Now I am thinking I may just go after those classes required by the schools I am most likely to be accepted by. Specifically, I am looking at limiting my choices to those schools which do not require experience.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Thank you for responding. Have you gone through any interviews yet? I am currently doing pre-reqs but I may have overshot in that area. I initially thought to get all the pre-reqs that most schools require before applying. Now I am thinking I may just go after those classes required by the schools I am most likely to be accepted by. Specifically, I am looking at limiting my choices to those schools which do not require experience.

I haven't interviewed for anything so I'm just like you. You're doing what I think is best though. Taking the prereqs for the schools you're most likely to go to. Focus on those, in my opinion.

Have you checked out the physician assistant forums? They're a little nicer than SDN.

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