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General shadowing questions


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1. I won't be applying to any PA programs for a few years while I get HCE and better my GPA. My question is: should I start shadowing PAs now, or wait a year or two, because I would like to get a LoR from one of the PAs I shadow.

 

2. I want to ask the PAs at my university if I can shadow them. I'm fairly certain they will say no because of HIPPA and stuff, but maybe they have other ways they can help me out. My question is: do I email all of them all at once (with the same email) or no, because they work together and I'm sure they talk. Should I email them one by one once the first one replies? I'm not really sure what to do.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'd start now, especially if you have no work experience. I don't care about the number of hours of shadowing you do (8 is as good as 80 in many cases) but you should get some early exposure to the profession. If you hate it, you're early enough in the process to back out.

 

Ask one PA your questions first, and in the email ask them if they cannot help you, could they please refer you to a colleague who might have time to let you shadow. That way you're asking them to talk about you and that first person will hopefully send you to the best person in their group to help you.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Definitely start shadowing as soon as possible!  Not only will shadowing look great on an application, but if gives you and idea of what to expect in the field.  It's important to figure out if the PA field is right for you as soon as possible.  When you get quite a few shadowing experiences over the years, it shows a genuine interest in the field to people reading your application.

 

Also I agree with the advice above.  Pick a PA and ask him or her to shadow, if they say no then maybe they can refer you to someone.  Otherwise, you can keep branching out on your own.  I got turned down for shadowing probably 80% of the time I asked.   Don't get discouraged if this happens to you, just keep trying, someone will say yes...and the more the merrier.  The PA field is so diverse, so it's nice to see all of the different options out there... outpatient family medicine, hospital medicine, surgery, specialties.  As a PA, you will be able to practice in any of these areas!

 

Best of luck to you :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

The more hours (shadowing, volunteering, and especially working that involves hands on patient care) you can rack up before applying, the better. If you've been trained in HIPAA compliance, be sure to mention that in your requests to shadow. If you haven't received any training yet, find yourself an opportunity somewhere that will provide it for you.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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