Patient Care Hours prior to Matriculation or Application?

[RemiSig]

Hi all, 

 

I am not a pre-PA student myself, but am asking this question for another and hope that someone who has been through the process or similar situation can provide some insight!

 

 Do all direct patient care hours have to be finished prior to matriculation or prior to submitting an application? I have only been able to talk with two schools about the process, but both have alluded to that admissions is very strict with this being done prior to application submission. I just want to hear if anyone has heard different or if there is any kind of loophole around this. 

 

I had looked around on the forum and did not see this asked previously. I apologize if I have missed it.

[AliB]

Ultimately, it depends on the program.  However, if a program requires a minimum number of hours of health care or patient care experience, you can pretty much bet that that minimum is needed by the time the application is submitted.  Although some programs allow one or two of the pre-requisites (or degree completion) to be in process, that commitment is more likely to be met by an applicant than experience hours.  

 

If the program has experience requirements or recommendations, it's because they want applicants who have truly gotten their 'feet wet' and have some exposure to working with people who are sick and not at their best.  Keep in mind as well that most successful applications significantly exceed most of the minimums (GPA, GRE scores, hours, etc.).