Concerned PA Candidate

[kylek11]

Hi,

 

I graduated from from my undergrad last May, I have been working as a medical scribe since graduation in the ED of four hospitals as a part of Lifespan Corporation. I have accumulated 1400 hours of experience to date. After working and meeting many different types of PAs through work I have decided that PA is the perfect fit for me, but this is where things start to worry me. I graduated with an overall GPA of 2.47 with a BS in Biology and minor in chemistry. My four years at School were plagued by a few miss fortunes, such as learning I have ADHD half way through and others, that lead to me to not excel as well as I had hoped. I am currently getting my EMT-B license which I plan on using when I return home this upcoming fall and end my stint as a medical scribe. Now I know my GPA is not nearly as competitive as it should be, so when I return home I am going to retake 6 science courses as well as add on A&P 1/2 and a year of spanish. So my first question is, is there a difference where I take the retakes whether it is community college or a local university? Is one better then another when looking at candidates? Also when I return home I have 2 PAs in different specialties that I plan on shadowing throughout the year. I am just concerned that when I go to apply to schools next summer I won't be close to being a competitive candidate since it would take an immense course load to bring my GPA up to where it should be. Do you have any advise for me as I have had little to no guidance on where to go next or what to do in order to make my self a better candidate.

[FrankB]

The type of school shouldn't matter whether it be CC or university, as long as the grades improve dramatically. 

Once diagnosed with ADHD did your grades improve?  I would work on this first, if you can't figure a way out to deal with prereq's academically it will be impossible to figure out PA school.  

Don't take this as discouraging at all, we have several people in our class with ADHD who are doing well, but they had to figure out how to make the academic side work.  

You might have to turn this into a 2+ year process.  If you cram too many things together and the grades don't dramatically improve you won't be doing yourself any favors for admission.  If you just finished college, I'll assume you are in your early 20's. Many people starting PA programs are in their 30's, so  don't be discouraged if it takes a while.  If it is what you want to do, you may have to work a little longer to get it.  But the experiences while you are earning it will make it worth it.

 

I'm just student in his mid 30's, so take my advice with a grain/pile of salt.  

[Rocksteady]

I would be shocked if you were able to get into a PA school with a 2.47 GPA. I am not trying to be mean, only realistic, I dont think I have even seen a school with a minimum GPA req lower than 2.5. If you want to be a PA I suggest first starting by either retaking all prereq's and nailing a 4.0 to boost your GPA or getting a second degree with A's to boost your GPA. 

[PAtoB]

If you can master your ADHD tendencies and rock your pre-reqs/course retakes, you can find programs that'll strongly consider your last 50-60+ credits completed as much or more than your overall GPA. I went from being a 2.8 GPA undergrad student as a 23 year old to getting a 3.97 in 56 pre-req credits 15 years later. Your level of maturity, ability to focus/think clearer will change as you age.

[PA-S Zoidberg]

It can be done, and in less time than you might think, but prepared to bury yourself. This alone will show a lot of programs that you have what it takes, but don't be afraid to emphasize things like "excelling while juggling two jobs and 17 credits". That said the important thing is that moving forward you EXCEL. Referencing my own experience, feel free to scroll through my posts on this matter.