docd2788 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caleb_jo Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Your Corpsman experience should be more than enough. If you plan on applying next cycle, I would say to just continue to take more sciences (keep your GPA up!) and shadow some PAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cop to pa Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Fellow Corpsman here as well. It's enough. Two offers from three interviews with a low GPA. Look at programs that are older/ state they like vets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HM2toPA Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docd2788 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPAinCA Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I hear Stanford likes to admit veterans. You should look into them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ugamini Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 EVMS, University of South Alabama, Pacific University, Drexel University, South University, and UNC are additional schools that are vet friendly. Good luck with your application cycle. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caleb_jo Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/veterans/paprogramresources.html http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/search/healthcare-nursing-jobs/physician-assistants-job.html http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/veterans/physicianassistants.html http://www.alliedhealthworld.com/physician-assistant-programs-post-911-gi-bill.html http://www.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=a/GetDocumentAction/i/133825 http://www.corpsman.com/forum/showthread.php?120196-Military-Medic-Corpsman-to-Physician-Assistant http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Physician-assistants.htm http://www.lynchburg.edu/content/military-friendly#.U0VYoLHn_IU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyPig Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docd2788 Posted August 12, 2017 Author Share Posted August 12, 2017 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 ??. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenAloe Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenBrule Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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