Personal PA Experiences/Opinions

[jibbs]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new here and looking for more direct experiences, informations, and opinions.  I am looking to become a PA and of course have some questions.  I've scoured the internet for information, but would like more information/opinions from experiences rather than basic information.  This is going to be a lengthy post, so I thank anyone who takes the time to read it and respond.

 

Here's some background information on me.  I'm 24 years old, graduated from college just about two years ago with a Bachelor's of Science in Applied Psychology.  My cumulative GPA is 3.42. Not sure what my science one would be, though I would think it is slightly lower.  My senior project was a research study- Effects of Tattoo Type and Placement on Perceptions of Service Providers.  This was later accepted for poster presentation at the 25th Association for Psychological Sciences annual convention.  After graduation, I applied for grad school and was accepted in a Masters program for Behavioral Neuroscience.

 

While that all looks swell, here's my two problems: 1) I have always hated school and never knew "what I wanted to be when I grow up".  I went to college after graduating high school in liberal arts because I didn't know.  I switched over to the Applied Psychology program late in my second year.  While in that program, I went from mental health counselor to marriage and family therapy, to behavioral and cognitive as what path I would pursue as a career.  I love learning about the brain-its function, its anatomy, its mystery, and all the abnormal psychology as well as normal that goes with it.  So behavioral neuroscience sounded perfect.  And it may have been, but I had to withdraw from my masters program a month into the semester.  I was having trouble with my loan and my job would not accomodate my school schedule, therefore I was broke.  The college was also a far commute and I just didn't like it. So I withdrew and have just been working at a radiology facility as a receptionist.

2) I am a bad student.  Not bad academically, but not a good student.  In high school I never tried.  Yes I did all my homework but I never studied, and I never had too- made honors every quarter, finished relatively high in my class.  It got worse in college, and by that I mean attendance.  Started off well going to all my classes, but by the end...not so much.  But I still excelled, finishing with the Dean's list for my cumulative years.  I always took notes in class, was never one of the students on my phone, but never participated much. Basically, I didn't "work" or "try" for my grades, and have poor study habits.  I know I need to change that for PA school and I hope you can help me learn how.

 

As I sit currently at my job I want to do so much more.  I feel as if I am wasting away just sitting there.  The proudest moment of my life was getting the research I did with my professor accepted into the APS, followed closely by getting accepted into graduate school.  I can do so much more and I want to.  My current job introduced me to PA, as they send a lot of patients.  After learning you can specialize, it grabbed my attention much more.  Of course I thought about MD, but for the lifestyle I want PA suits me better.

 

I need to go back to school to take courses in chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and some other courses depending on schools I will apply to.  I only took a couple of biology classes to satisfy my BS.  So in 2015 I will be going back to take those classes and start my HCE.  I know my current job is insufficient for that, but I will be able to shadow PA's.  I used to be an extremely shy person, and although I can say I am more outgoing now, I don't know if its enough.  I think my demeanor may need help, but I dont know how to change that or if I really need to.

 

And now for some questions:

1. I do have one C grade in a biology course...should I retake that course?

2. How heavily is the GRE looked at?  I took it before I applied to graduate school and did poorly.  I can't remember my scores exactly but both the math and english were in the 140's I believe.

3. I don't think my GPA will change too much since I only have to take a handful of courses.  Is this an acceptable GPA? I feel it is on the lower side for acceptance.

4. What steps can I take to change my schoolwork ethic?  Besides just doing it. Any tips?

5. How do you go about specializing?  Is it a separate program for a speciality or just working in that speciality to gain experience?

6. Neurosurgery vs Neurology vs Pyschiarty specialities (in regards to daily routine, what each entails, any information). I know I will have a psych rotation, neuro not so sure.

7. Is this the correct path to take? 2015 take remaining courses and HCE, apply to PA in 2016. What more can/should I do?

8. Is just shadowing PA's (may have an opportunity to shadow several, some in specialities) acceptable HCE?

 

I sincerely appreciate anyone who takes the time to read and respond to this essay of a post.  I was so distraught earlier in the year feeling like I was wasting my education and potential in a dead end job.  PA is an exciting opportunity to learn, practice medicine, and help people.  I also love in this career that it is forever changing and you are forever learning.  It truly seems like such a fulfilling career and I cannot wait to get started, though my two problems up there pose fear and worry in me. But hey, you never know until you try right.

 

Thanks again :)

 

 

[Guest MedLib42]

Typically, you'd want to retake any course you got a grade of C or below in. However, you'd have to achieve an A for the retake to really matter, and if it's just one class, it's not going to pull your GPA up much, and is probably not going to concern the ADCOM too much either, so I wouldn't bother. Just make sure, if it's a prerequisite class, it meets their minimum prerequisite GPA - some schools require a 3.0 for prereqs.

 

The GRE is essentially the least important part of the application process. However, you still have to meet the minimum they set in order to have your app considered, which varies, but is usually something like a 300 combined or 50% percentile. I'd retake it if the schools you're applying to have a higher minimum than what you've got. But also keep in mind there are plenty of good schools that don't require the GRE.  

 

Your GPA isn't bad, I've known plenty of people who have been admitted with a GPA in the mid 3.0 range (3.4-3.6). I would make sure you get A's on your prereqs, though, and you should be fine. 

 

Specializing used to just require applying for a job in the specialty you were interested in and getting trained on the job. Now, it's gotten more difficult and often requires more extensive experience, so you might need to do a residency after graduation.

 

HCE and shadowing are two separate things, and most schools require both. For the schools that don't require both, it's still strongly recommended to have both shadowing and HCE experiences anywhere you apply, so I'd recommend at least 50 hours of shadowing (try more than one PA if possible) and make sure you exceed the minimum HCE required by the schools you're applying to - in some cases that's over 1,000 hours (although it varies quite a bit by school). It's actually also really hard to make the decision that PA is absolutely the right path without significant, direct-care HCE and shadowing, so this is important in that aspect as well.

 

Your plan sounds good, just make sure you have enough time to accumulate the quality and amount of HCE needed. The best types of HCE usually include professions like EMT, ER tech, MA, CNA, etc. and these usually require certification and/or training before you can start. The type of HCE isn't limited to these professions only, they're just usually universally accepted so I'm using them as examples. For some programs (especially if you want to be competitive) you'll need at least a year of working full time to accumulate the hours you'll need, so make sure you have enough time to do this so that you're not rushed.