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6 year Navy Corpsman got out last September, need some PA advice.


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Good morning everyone, 

 

I am currently new here so pardon if this question has been asked or if I'm not in the proper thread. So lets get down to the root of my question. As stated above I spent 6 years in the Navy reserves as a Hospital Corpsman, and two years in the civilian side as a Pharmacy Tech. I am currently in my senior year finishing my undergrad with all my pre-reqs completed for PA school. I was just wondering if I don't get into the first cycle that if it would be a good idea to get my paramedic cert and then re-apply or if my being an HM is sufficient enough for myself to look good on an application? I want to keep working in the med field so I don't loose my skills but I really don't want to waste my time after I graduate with my BS. My GPA is average 3.0 . The main goal is to go to PA school and get back into the Navy as I miss it very much. Thank you for your help.

 

Respectfully,

 

Drew

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Drew,

 

have you considered MEDEX in Washington state? I applied there because they are huge on accepting veterans, second oldest PA program in the country, and the prerequisites were not too hard to meet. I have taken all online classes since I've been on AD, and MEDEX is fine with those. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for the delayed reply Orgo and Cell Bio has been killing me. I appreciate all the responses and have looked into some of the older programs. Unfortunately, Connecticut's programs a very difficult to get into because of the amount of applicants. I will continue the search!  

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Sorry for the delayed reply Orgo and Cell Bio has been killing me. I appreciate all the responses and have looked into some of the older programs. Unfortunately, Connecticut's programs a very difficult to get into because of the amount of applicants. I will continue the search!  

Truth is, any PA school is hard to get into.. The average PA school has over 1200 applicants for 50 slots. Places like Drexel have over 2000 applicants with 80 slots. The average percentage is 3-7% acceptance..Its tough but very doable. Being a Corpsman (or any prior service) is huge but it won't get you into PA school alone. You still have to have good grades and interpersonal skills (for interviewing). Prior military you can look as the icing on top. Don't limit yourself in applying to PA schools! Don't apply to only a couple of schools just because you think they are "easier" to get into. I've seen people accepted into Duke, but denied from other schools. Keep your options open.  Don't forget about the military scholarships if you decide to come back in

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Apply broadly if you can.  I would dare say that all schools pretty much value military medic experience even if they don't advertise it.  

 

The rub is your GPA.  The schools that folks suggested are known to overlook GPA a little bit in favor your experience, but GPA is still a huge deal.  Concentrate on your science GPA.  

 

Paramedic school is a good plan if you don't get in this cycle.  If you go to P school at a accredited school that assigns real grades (not an academy), you can use it to boost your GPA.  My Paramedic school was like that and I had a 3.8 GPA....which definitely helped my overall GPA.

 

Good luck

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I recommend you consider taking several easy online science classes to bump up your science GPA some. Also, make sure that all of your prereqs are a B or higher. Like others have said, military experience is big, but GPA is even more important for most schools. There are some schools that will automatically screen you out if you are below a certain GPA, such as 3.25 (or whatever they determine). Good luck!

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  • 1 year later...

Thank you for all the responses. I finally finished my BS back in December and was able to keep my GPA at a 3.0 retook a bunch of science classes but still don't think my Science GPA is up to snuff. I did however, submit my application a couple of days ago for the 2018 cycle. Here's to hoping I make it, if not back to the drawing board ??.

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  • 2 months later...
On 8/12/2017 at 2:42 AM, docd2788 said:

Thank you for all the responses. I finally finished my BS back in December and was able to keep my GPA at a 3.0 retook a bunch of science classes but still don't think my Science GPA is up to snuff. I did however, submit my application a couple of days ago for the 2018 cycle. Here's to hoping I make it, if not back to the drawing board ??.

Hey mate if you don't mind me asking. I am planning on joining the Navy as a corpsman kind of similar to the path that you have done and was wondering about your asvab score and how you built rank while in the navy. I know a lot of things go into account. But being that I will be finishing my under grad by next year. Any tips would be helpful. Thanks again. 

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  • 4 months later...
On 10/16/2017 at 8:28 PM, StevenAloe said:

Hey mate if you don't mind me asking. I am planning on joining the Navy as a corpsman kind of similar to the path that you have done and was wondering about your asvab score and how you built rank while in the navy. I know a lot of things go into account. But being that I will be finishing my under grad by next year. Any tips would be helpful. Thanks again. 

Considering you're looking to join with your undergrad, you'll get points toward advancement.  There are a lot of factors that go into advancement but it primarily boils down to evals and most recent test score.  Study for those exams and you'll be fine.  your first and only concern should be the the ASVAB, which is cake.   

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