Will an Aide Job Help?

[fallingreason]

Hello everyone.

I have a bit of a dilemma at the moment and would be appreciative of any helpful input.

I graduated from college last May, and am planning on applying to PT school this Fall. So far I have only obtained observation hours at an outpatient ortho/sports clinic, but will be starting at an inpatient/acute care setting soon.

My issue is, I was just offered a full time Aide position at the sports clinic I am volunteering at, which would be a really fun and interesting job, however, it will only pay $12/hr, and I might not even get 40 hours every week. Since I graduated from college, I have been working as a research assistant at Stanford, which has allowed me to save money, buy a car, be financially independent, etc. It pays near twice what the Aide job would. So, obviously if I leave Stanford it would have to be for a VERY good reason.

Can anyone provide input on whether they think an Aide job will significantly help me out come time to apply to schools? Or, is the quality of my observation hours and my relationships with PT's and their letters going to play a much bigger factor than having an Aide job?

Thanks!

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[markelmarcel]

Well, that is a tough scenario. On one hand, in my area Aide jobs are hard to come by (without moving to the city), so I'd have to be pressed pretty hard to not accept.

What exactly are you doing as a research assistant? Is it something that will further you in the future? (Are you looking to also go after a PhD?) Is it related to the PT field?

I think experience with PT, before starting, is great- I would've loved an aide job, only because it would've given me so much more experience. However, I only did about 130 hours of shadowing and was accepted into 2 of the 3 schools I applied to and waitlisted at the 3rd. (The 2 acceptances were my top 2 choices). So, is a paramont of experience needed? In my opinion, no, dependingon what else you bring to the table. I had really high grades and a decent GRE score, and very strong (at least I was told so by my references) letters of reference.

So, if you are strong in all other areas, it may be easier to say no to the position.

Also, do you have the opportunity to move back home/get a roommate? I know the situation is not ideal since you are used to being completely independent, but if you have people to fall back on for help, and this aide position is really something you want more than the research position, then make the sacrifice and go for it!

 

[fallingreason]

As a research assistant I am not doing anything related to PT. I work in a biochemistry laboratory in the school of medicine. However, I do think that when the committee sees that I have been at Stanford for two years after graduation, they will look favorably upon it as an intellectual endeavor. It's not like I'm working at Macy's in between college and PT school.

Unfortunately, I do not think I will have an opportunity to pay less for rent. My parents really wanted me to be independent after college and I do not think that will change. With an Aide job I would barely be scraping by.

In terms of what else my application will have, I did graduate from an outstanding program at an outstanding university, but my grades suffered a bit because it was so competitive. (Molecular and Cell Bio @ UC Berkeley) My prereq GPA should be fine but not outstanding. I have good GRE scores (especially quantitative), and will be taking it again this summer and expect to do even better. The first time I took it I was right in the middle of one of the worst cases of the Flu I've had in a while. And, like I said, my references have all promised me great letters and know what my passions are.

I would say Aide jobs around here are not common, but I have a feeling I could find another one if I didn't take this one.

I guess what I'm wondering is, after volunteering for ~100 hours in this clinic, will working full time in the exact same setting really improve my application? Is it worth the stingy living and not being able to save money? I've heard others say that what you take from your volunteer experiences and how broad they are is much more important than the number of hours you spend.

 

[markelmarcel]

Well based on all of that, I think you are coming to the correct conclusion... I think that if you pass this aide job up it will not hurt your chances. Congrats on all the hard work so far!

 

[ptootles]

I've heard others say that what you take from your volunteer experiences and how broad they are is much more important than the number of hours you spend.

I found this to be true when when through the application process a year ago - I had a ton of experience as an Aide in an outpatient, ortho setting but that was my only observation experience and I received feedback from the schools that it was a negative on my apps (lack of variety). For this year's applications, I broadened my observation settings (in addition to continuing to work as an Aide) and have received two acceptances.

 

[PTPRo1]

In my opinion you should keep your research assistant position. I don't think that having a job as an aide will make much of a difference in terms of experience and how it looks on your application. I think the main thing to take away from getting experience in a PT clinic is knowing what you're getting into, getting used to dealing with patients, and having specific instances to talk about during an interview, which can be done through volunteering. It doesn't hurt at all to have an aide job, I did for a few years, but you already have a good job that makes a comfortable living for you. Also, the research position looks good on your application. As long as you have the experience hours required by the University you apply to, then you'll be fine. GPA is a larger factor into getting accepted.

 

[hefe]

What's your GPA? Unless it's less than say 3.3 for your pre-req and science GPA, you'd be foolish to give up the research job that pays double in a state with a very high cost of living (Cali) just to try to get into PT school. The aide job will show committment, but honestly it's not required at all to get into top schools. Nor should it be to get into other state schools. GPA is the biggest factor for admissions IMO assuming you can piece the rest of your app together.

In fact, the research job at Stanford is probably arguably more prestigious and looked more favorably to get scholarships or graduate assistantships to help finance PT school if you do research to find these opportunities.

As the others said, get good shadowing/volunteer experiences in 3-4 different types of clinics for about equal lengths of time for 30-40 hours each. Try finding shadowing in inpatient acute, inpatient (neuro) rehab, SNF, pediatrics, and outpatient ortho.

I'd say 100-120 hours will do the trick, 200 if you're feeling over-achieving... Shadow a few hours a week while you keep yourself paying bills and saving money for grad school with your research job. Get decent GPA, GRE and some EC's you enjoy. You'll be fine.

 

[PT2014]

Most programs just make sure you have the minimum hours of experience, like a weed out process.. More hours won't help you. Keep the research job and make some money before you go to school.

 

[dizzy88]

Do you think you'll get much more practical experience with this aid job? Will you do anything/see anything different from the ortho experience you do have? Are you interested in ortho as a future career? How is your resume outside of clinical experience?

^ Just some things to think about as you make the decision. Personally, I would keep the job you have now. You won't be able to work in the program, so any extra money you can save is going to count. Also, it's super important to get varied clinical experience in different settings, don't just focus in on ortho.