Medical Should I attempt to take the MCAT for med school, or pursue PA school?

[Goro]

For background 26yo BS Engineering EMT experience. During engineering school I took a plethora of extra science classes due to my wish to continue on to med school, however, this combination of classes gave me a less than stellar GPA clocking in a 2.6.. After graduation and unable to find work as an engineer I got my EMT in which I've been working for just over two years. In this time I've also been experimenting with master level coursework in biomedical engineering.

With everything said and done my combined gpa from everything is about 2.8. After that whole reality set in I have been looking more into PA school especially since I've worked with a lot of great PAs in the last few years in emergency. But before I went straight into applying and hopefully being able to go to school to join them, I wanted to entertain the idea one last time.

I know the strict parameters med schools set in terms of requirements/recommendations but I just wanted to hear what other people have gone through or experienced. Is there any chance of leniency or special conditions? Does first hand patient experience help the application process at all? None of the docs I work with remember nor are they still in contact with anyone on the inside on a committee to answer these questions for me.

Your GPAs are lethal for either MD or DO schools.

No amount of clinical exposure or extracurriculars will make up for this. In fact no medical school will be doing you any favors by admitting you because your gpas put you in a risk category for failing out of medical school.

You're in no position now to take the MCAT. Read my post on guide to reinvention for pre-meds

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Engineering degrees are challenging and very difficult. I agree that Goro's reinvention guide is a helpful resource to help you figure out what you really need to focus on. Yes, you should get experience working in a clinical setting and shadowing, but then you have to plan to take some biomedical science classes and excel in those courses (along with prerequisites).

You could do PA if you rack up the experience hours and want to take a more direct route to working in clinic (in which case, you take the GRE). In the end, you need to pick a path and focus on it. Ask program directors for PA programs about your situation and what you might need to do to improve your chances for a PA program.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I also agree with the two posters above. Engineering is a tough major, but the truth is that medical schools really don't care WHAT your major is. For example, from my experience with applying to medical school, admissions would rather take a student with a 4.0 in an easier major than someone with a sub-3.0 in ANY other major (including engineering). Is it fair? Who knows. But that really isn't the question here.

I am not familiar with the P.A. school application process, but I would really look into what their requirements are for GPA and what the average GPAs are for matriculants. From what I have heard, P.A. school is very competitive as well and I don't think they offer grade replacement. I know that D.O. schools dropped the grade replacement in 2017 so that is no longer an option.

 

[MusicDOc124]

PA school is about as competitive as MD and DO, give or take due to the #applicant : #seats, similar to med school. Most, if not all PA schools require a 3.0 to even apply (save for maybe newer programs?), let alone to be competitive. Average stats for entering PA school is around a 3.3-3.4, whereas DO is 3.4-3.6 and MD around 3.6-3.8.

 

[Goro]

Unfortunately that is what I feared, I read through your post on guide to reinvention. Of the 15 credits I've taken at the post-bac level 12 have ended in the B- to A range, when you say "1-2 years of a DIY post-bac " how many credit hours are you suggesting or are we assuming a standard 12 cr semester?

Around 30 hrs over a year, two if finances are a constraint