The Path To Get Accepted Into PA School?

[Muguffin]

Hi guys! I'm a 29 yr old male entering university to complete my bachelors. After leaving school for a couple of years I finally decided I want to become a PA! Now I would like some advice on what I need to do in my undergrad years in order to be competitive for PA school in California. Of course, I realize maintaining the highest GPA possible is a great first start. I also see that accumulating patient care hours is another important task, however, how is this accomplished as an undergrad? I see that most jobs that will help you accumulate these patient care hours require months of education before hand, which is extremely difficult to finish while taking a full schedule of classes. I also see that these jobs require education that are longer than my summer break.

What did you do during your undergrad to get patient care hours and make yourself a top notch candidate?

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[orthoPA81]

Get certified as a CNA (certified nursing assistant). I did this through a hybrid online/in-person course while working full time. This was in North Carolina in 2008 but I imagine there are similar courses available now.

You might not like the first job you get as a CNA but stick with it and eventually better jobs will open up as you get experience.

 

[Polocrosse2017]

A CNA is a great start. My fiancée got hers in a short accelerated summer course. She also worked with an ophthalmologist which counted. Volunteering at an outreach center or group that works with underserved communities looks good too.

 

[Apollo1]

@OP, many ppl go to EMT school for a semester to get a job on an ambulance or in an ED. I worked in an ED doing the above before school, and it was great for multiple reasons:

1. You can get the same # of patient care hrs in 1 business week doing 3 12 hr shifts.

2. Shift work is variable, and you can potentially tailor your schedule where you are working full-time but still have MTWR off for school.

3. You’ll work alongside docs and PAs, making it easier to see what their job(s) entail. You may also be able to get a letter of recommendation when needed.

4. Your pay won’t be very good, but you’ll get healthcare benefits that lots of college students don’t have.

 

[PA_dud3]

I currently am in PA School and was admitted last cycle. I would recommend also looking at things like being a Dialysis tech or a Mental Health Tech. I did the latter and it was very rewarding albeit stressful. The pay and benefits were better than nearly every CNA job in my area and I could work as many hours as I wanted often with incentive. For me it was also a better work environment than being a CNA at a SNF or something. The benefit for the MHT/Dialysis Tech jobs is they don’t really require any training other than that which is provided by the employer. Plus I think they would really stand out, at least I believe my experience made me stand out a bit. YMMV.

As far as undergrad goes, you can major in anything so long as you get the pre-reqs. I would advise you to make a spreadsheet of your top 10-15 programs and list out their requirements as far as courses and things go. That way you make sure to plan your semesters accordingly. For some perspective my BA is in History but I got all of my science pre-reqs as electives. I’d say major in whatever you think is the most interesting.

 

[Muguffin]

I currently am in PA School and was admitted last cycle. I would recommend also looking at things like being a Dialysis tech or a Mental Health Tech. I did the latter and it was very rewarding albeit stressful. The pay and benefits were better than nearly every CNA job in my area and I could work as many hours as I wanted often with incentive. For me it was also a better work environment than being a CNA at a SNF or something. The benefit for the MHT/Dialysis Tech jobs is they don’t really require any training other than that which is provided by the employer. Plus I think they would really stand out, at least I believe my experience made me stand out a bit. YMMV.

As far as undergrad goes, you can major in anything so long as you get the pre-reqs. I would advise you to make a spreadsheet of your top 10-15 programs and list out their requirements as far as courses and things go. That way you make sure to plan your semesters accordingly. For some perspective my BA is in History but I got all of my science pre-reqs as electives. I’d say major in whatever you think is the most interesting.

THANK YOU! Also, what are your thoughts/opinion on getting into scribing? It was recommended to me but I don't really see a lot of PA students/former PA students talk about it.

 

[PA_dud3]

THANK YOU! Also, what are your thoughts/opinion on getting into scribing? It was recommended to me but I don't really see a lot of PA students/former PA students talk about it.

It really depends on the school. 10 years ago it probably wouldn’t be recommended at all. A good amount of schools now accept scribing as qualifying experience, but it’s generally considered “lower-quality” patient care experience. You will learn a lot (I scribed for a bit) but it’s generally not something that PA Schools look for in terms of having contact with patients and caring for them in some way. You could get away with it (and a couple students in my program were only scribes) but there are better experiences for learning while also caring for patients and getting that high quality experience. If you like scribing you could look into a Medical Assisting position where you are doing some of that documentation while also doing some back office stuff (blood draws, UA collection, vitals, weights, initial patient questions etc.)

If you have any other questions feel free to reach out!