Current Job Not Considered HCE...Should I Just Wait to Apply?

[eshelton]

To give some background, I completed my undergrad in 2013. I earned a BA with a double major in Biology and Psych. I had aspirations of medical school or a career in the psych field. I found out about the PA profession my last year of college around 2013 and had it in mind since then. Only in the last year or so did I make the decision that this is what I want to do and made myself more aware of requirements of getting into a PA program and what this career path is all about. I just reached the two year mark at my job as an intake specialist for addiction recovery. It is a call center position, so I have no direct contact with potential patients. We do however assess the needs of the callers to determine if our treatment programs are suitable or if they need to be referred elsewhere. We obtain PHI such as demographic info, medical history, and the specific drugs they are addicted to. From there we schedule the callers for appointents at the appropriate clinic location. I am planning to start volunteering for a hospice in my area and have been contacted by a couple of them. I realize this may not be satisfactory, as there is no certificaton needed for volunteers since they do not do much of the direct patient care portion. The schools in my state and the neighboring state have more "lax" requirements for direct pce hours than most others. Before anyone makes assumptions, no I am not trying to be lazy or take the easy way out. I realize how important it is to get necessary exposure to patient care before entering the program. I have several months before applying this cycle, but I also don't want to seem like I rushed into it. My eagerness and to be honest, impatience, is getting the best of me. The ultimate question is this - would it be best for someone in my situation to put off applying until the 2018 cycle or would I still seem competitive enough to even be considered?