Ask a PA Admissions Director

[paadmissions]

@usf17 Thank you for your questions and I realize what an anxious time this is for many applicants. When were the Fs received? If they were received more towards the beginning of your college career, I would hope your most recent performance would show an upward trend and show more of your true potential. I see early academic hiccups a lot from non-traditional students. A lot of times a return to college usually comes with a new motivation and mind set, thus showing a strong upward trend in performance. Hopefully you may have addressed that semester in your personal statement? I think you're probably right in the middle of the pack based on the academic stats you've given, and that's without knowing what the prerequisites are for the programs you're applying to. The strong part of your application, in my opinion, is your clinical experience. As far as interviews go, our program conducts interviews over a few months (August-Feb or March). Some programs don't start interviews until the spring (depending on their start dates), so the waiting game unfortunately is part of the process. I do think it's a positive thing you've received the opportunity to fill out a supplemental application(s). I'm hopeful your patience will pay off. However, if this year isn't an option be sure to ask for feedback. Hope this helps and best wishes! 

Hello @ paadmissions, 

 

     I have recently applied to several programs and, now that all I can do is wait, I'm starting to question how competitive my application is. Here is a brief rundown of my stats:

     

     Undergraduate Institution: The University of South Florida (I graduate may 17 with my B.S. in public health)

     

     Age at time of Application:  29

 

     CASPA cGPA: 3.03 (Including a semester I withdrew and got 4  F's)

     USF UG GPA: 3.76 

     CASPA sGPA :  3.43

     Pre req. GPA:  3.39 to 3.48

     GRE: QR-144, VR-156, AWA- 4.0

 

     HCE: 14,000+ hours as a surgical tech. and surgical first assistant

   

     Volunteer: 75 hours in CME courses and fundraisers

 

     LOR: 2 from surgeons I've worked with closely for 5+ years (One is the Director of Orthopedic Trauma Surgery)

               1 from a PA-C I've also worked with for 3+ years

     

     Licences: CST and BLS/CPR/AED certifications

 

     Awards: Dean's list 2 semesters

     

      I applied to 9 programs several months before final deadlines, and I've received confirmation emails and invitations for supplemental applications from all but 1 (I've read its normal for that program). Other than that, I haven't received any invitations to interview or rejection letters (thankfully). I'm trying my best to be patient, but I'm finding it to be quite difficult.

      

      I know my GRE score on the QR section isn't great, and I'm worried about the 4 F's that dropped what would have been a 3.76+ to a 3.03 after CASPA calculation. Although, I still meet the minimum requirements for the programs I've applied for. My question is; as an admissions faculty member, would you overlook one bad semester and its impact on my cumulative GPA because of my extensive HCE, upward trends in GPA, strong LOR, science GPA, and life experience? I know you must be extremely busy this time of year, and any input, advice, or insight is GREATLY appreciated. Again, thank you in advance for any help.

[USF17]

@usf17 Thank you for your questions and I realize what an anxious time this is for many applicants. When were the Fs received? If they were received more towards the beginning of your college career, I would hope your most recent performance would show an upward trend and show more of your true potential. I see early academic hiccups a lot from non-traditional students. A lot of times a return to college usually comes with a new motivation and mind set, thus showing a strong upward trend in performance. Hopefully you may have addressed that semester in your personal statement? I think you're probably right in the middle of the pack based on the academic stats you've given, and that's without knowing what the prerequisites are for the programs you're applying to. The strong part of your application, in my opinion, is your clinical experience. As far as interviews go, our program conducts interviews over a few months (August-Feb or March). Some programs don't start interviews until the spring (depending on their start dates), so the waiting game unfortunately is part of the process. I do think it's a positive thing you've received the opportunity to fill out a supplemental application(s). I'm hopeful your patience will pay off. However, if this year isn't an option be sure to ask for feedback. Hope this helps and best wishes!

 

@paadmissions,

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, that semester was my first attempt at college in 2005 and I withdrew due to a family emergency. After going to school for surgical technology, I went back to college for my associates and pre-reqs for pa and my bachelors. My cumulative from my second attempt is 3.76 and last 30 credits taken is like 3.9. I didn't address it in my letter, but hope to get the chance in interviews. I've got a backup plan if I can't get in this cycle (more pre-reqs to up GPA, volunteer hours, new personal statement) but hopefully it doesn't come down to that. For now I'm keeping my head up and staying busy! Thanks again for the feedback

[CM2CN]

Hi @ paadmissions,

 

Just wondering what you think my chances are at getting into a PA program this cycle. Here are my stats:

 

I graduated from College of Saint Mary this past May 2016 and will be 22 while applying.

 

GRE Score: VR: 155 (67%), QR: 150 (40%), Writing: 5.0 (93%)

-So overall score of VR and QR is 305 but what I'm concerned about is the 40% percentile ranking in the QR because I've read more schools look at percentiles than raw score.

 

Overall GPA: 3.91

Science GPA: 3.91

Nonscience GPA: 4.0

 

PCE:

Teacher Assistant at Immanuel hospital Child Development Center: 1600 hours total

(Also nervous about this as I'm not sure all schools will accept this as PCE hours. The center is basically a day care but I worked here as I love children and can see myself as a pediatric PA so it was good experience for me to care for children and I did help to better their mental, behavioral and physical health. Additionally I was a college athlete and so I needed a job that had flexible hours like this one did.)

 

Clinical Research Coordinator/Clinic Staff member at Creighton Diabetes Center: 400 hours total

-In this role I worked on clinical research trials carrying out study visits and working as a clinical staff member. I took vitals, drew blood, did finger pokes, performed EKGs, and ran lab data.

 

Other Research Experience:

Research in summer undergraduate research program (SURP) at UNMC: 400 hours total

Clinical Study Associate at UNMC: this is my current position I recently began. I'm working again on clinical trials, entering data as well as carrying out study visits doing vitals, blood draws, etc. Will have 1000+ in next year

 

Job Shadow:

Physician Family Medicine shadow: 80 hours total

Surgical PA Shadow: 5 hours (observed a SUPER interesting coronary artery bypass graft surgery!!)

Pediatric Job shadow both physicians and PAs: 70 hours total

Emergency Department PA shadow: 20 hours total but could add more

Total: 175

 

Extracurricular Activities:

Hands on volunteer work with children in hospital: 110 hours total

Hands on volunteer work in emergency department: 28 hours total

Tutor volunteer for elementary math: 26 hours total

Youth soccer camp volunteer: 16 hours total

Total: 180

 

At College of Saint Mary I was also involved in student senate, green team and the soccer team for 4 years.

 

Sorry for the long message but please let me know what you think my chances are! I applied to 6 schools but am very nervous about my PCE and GRE scores. Any advice would be helpful!

 

Thanks!

Christa

[wamucc]

Hello! I'm hoping to get insight on what the "right" answer is to the "tell me about yourself" question. I've seen/read/heard a lot of different answers -- everything from "it should be like a first date, talk about stuff not on your application" to "reinforce what's on your application, tie everything into being a PA" -- what do they really want to hear about when they ask this? Thanks!
 

[mandrew1]

“Tell me about yourself”

 

Chances are very likely that you will be asked this traditional question at your interview, and trust me, the committee doesn’t want to know that you love to meditate on the beach at sunrise, or that you’re an avid runner. What they’re really asking is, why are you a good fit for our program?

 

Your answer to this question can greatly influence the outcome of your interview. The interviewer(s) wants to know that you have the necessary qualities to fulfill exactly what they’re looking for; The “Perfect Applicant”. If you’ve done your homework as mentioned above, you will know exactly the core must-haves to be accepted to this program.

 

When answering this question, you’ll want to weave a story that explains how your experiences and skill sets have led you to the PA profession, and this program in particular. Show them that you have the qualities they’re looking for.

 

Here is a good answer that will help guide you and help you build your own responses.

 

Example Answer

 

I think the best way to do that would be to tell you about a time when I was faced with a pretty serious situation while working as an EMT. In order to keep current on procedures and protocols, our squad held four-hour training sessions on Saturdays. Because our supervisor was trying to squeeze too many topics into one session, we all felt overwhelmed and anxious because we weren’t able to absorb all of the information in that short period of time. Everyone expressed concerns, but nobody came up with a solution. Because training is so important to EMTs, I came up with a solution. I suggested we use our Saturday training sessions to cover one topic at a time. I suggested that we break down the individual topics into one every Saturday, for three-month blocks of time. Everyone was thrilled with this idea, and we were able to provide an enhanced learning capacity and reduce the stress and anxiety in the squad. I bring this story up because I think it highlights two things I pride myself on; solving problems and thinking outside of the box.

 

Qualities: problem solver and thinking outside the box.

 

DO’s:

 

ü  Focus on the strengths that the program is looking for.

ü  Keep the story succinct and to the point.

ü  Keep the story focused on work accomplishments.

 

DON’T:

 

û  Don’t talk about your love for hiking or your passion for playing tennis.

û  Don’t stray.

û  Don’t focus on personal situations, keep it focused on work accomplishments.

û  Don’t recount any situation that occurred over ten years ago.

û  Don’t talk about educational or work experiences that are not relevant to being a strong PA school applicant.

û  Don’t open your answer by giving your name and where you are from.

 

visit andrewrodican.com for more info

[wamucc]

“Tell me about yourself”

 

Chances are very likely that you will be asked this traditional question at your interview, and trust me, the committee doesn’t want to know that you love to meditate on the beach at sunrise, or that you’re an avid runner. What they’re really asking is, why are you a good fit for our program?

 

Your answer to this question can greatly influence the outcome of your interview. The interviewer(s) wants to know that you have the necessary qualities to fulfill exactly what they’re looking for; The “Perfect Applicant”. If you’ve done your homework as mentioned above, you will know exactly the core must-haves to be accepted to this program.

 

When answering this question, you’ll want to weave a story that explains how your experiences and skill sets have led you to the PA profession, and this program in particular. Show them that you have the qualities they’re looking for.

 

Here is a good answer that will help guide you and help you build your own responses.

 

Example Answer

 

I think the best way to do that would be to tell you about a time when I was faced with a pretty serious situation while working as an EMT. In order to keep current on procedures and protocols, our squad held four-hour training sessions on Saturdays. Because our supervisor was trying to squeeze too many topics into one session, we all felt overwhelmed and anxious because we weren’t able to absorb all of the information in that short period of time. Everyone expressed concerns, but nobody came up with a solution. Because training is so important to EMTs, I came up with a solution. I suggested we use our Saturday training sessions to cover one topic at a time. I suggested that we break down the individual topics into one every Saturday, for three-month blocks of time. Everyone was thrilled with this idea, and we were able to provide an enhanced learning capacity and reduce the stress and anxiety in the squad. I bring this story up because I think it highlights two things I pride myself on; solving problems and thinking outside of the box.

 

Qualities: problem solver and thinking outside the box.

 

DO’s:

 

ü  Focus on the strengths that the program is looking for.

ü  Keep the story succinct and to the point.

ü  Keep the story focused on work accomplishments.

 

DON’T:

 

û  Don’t talk about your love for hiking or your passion for playing tennis.

û  Don’t stray.

û  Don’t focus on personal situations, keep it focused on work accomplishments.

û  Don’t recount any situation that occurred over ten years ago.

û  Don’t talk about educational or work experiences that are not relevant to being a strong PA school applicant.

û  Don’t open your answer by giving your name and where you are from.

 

visit andrewrodican.com for more info

Thank you for the info -- I actually have your book, so have seen that (the book is great, as an aside!). But I've talked with a couple of "PA coaches" (one of whom was on the adcom) and they said it should be the opposite: personal information about yourself that isn't anywhere on your application (e.g., hobbies and how you spend your free time).

 

Maybe it just depends on the school?

[mandrew1]

That's a separate question; "Tell us something about yourself that's not on your application?"   ANSWER: "I was a Division 1 basketball player."

 

I've studied the application process for over twenty years and worked with thousands of applicants, as well as being on Yale's ADCOM for three years. One thing I always stress with applicants is ; "It's not about you, it's about them!"

 

Just my opinion...

[wamucc]

That's a separate question; "Tell us something about yourself that's not on your application?"   ANSWER: "I was a Division 1 basketball player."

 

I've studied the application process for over twenty years and worked with thousands of applicants, as well as being on Yale's ADCOM for three years. One thing I always stress with applicants is ; "It's not about you, it's about them!"

 

Just my opinion...

 

Makes sense. I wasn't doubting your qualifications, just looking for various opinions :) Thanks!

[meaganp22]

@paadmissions I just had a quick question regarding healthcare experience. I took and was certified as an EMT this past year and the course was about 250 hrs in total. Can I put these hours in my experiences on my caspa as healthcare experience?

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[SaraMarie]

Hello,

 

Is it appropriate to contact admissions offices to express continued interest while waiting to hear back?
I applied to many schools this cycle. I have gotten rejections from a few programs, and at this point, I would like to reach out to the programs I haven't heard from. 
Is this at all beneficial? --Or does it hurt me in any way?
 

Thank you.

[cerebro]

 

û  Don’t open your answer by giving your name and where you are from.

 

visit andrewrodican.com for more info

 

 

Drew, I really want to ask about this. I fully expect this question and i'm well prepared for it. My thing is, why did you say not to open with your name and where you're from? Any particular reason? Because I don't exactly understand how you can start an acceptable response to a question about 'yourself' without mentioning your name.

I'm an immigrant and although that is on my application, it was the only one sentence that I was going to open with and then proceed to all the other things on your list.

[bassetthound]

Hello,

First of all, thank you for taking the time to do this, you are helping tons of future PA's and making them better in the process.

 

This is my first time applying, and I have several interviews coming up in the next couple weeks.  I don't graduate until May, I am currently completing 1 or 2 prereqs for the schools I am interviewing with.  A couple of the schools mention on their website to provide documentation of a plan to complete any in-progress prereqs and also my degree.

 

Since there is no template or example doc provided, I was wondering what this sort of thing should look like. I'm assuming a printed out transcript, a signature from my advisor, and maybe a brief attachment explaining everything will be completed before matriculation?

 

Thank you so much for your help, and good luck to all the other applicants!

[gomezna]

I would greatly appreciate some input as to how I can improve my stats for next years application cycle. I chose to only apply to one school this round, my #1 choice, and unfortunately did not receive an interview invite. The school I applied to does not participate in Caspa therefore the only things they took into consideration were GPA, Patient Care hours, GRE (no minimum required), and 2 reference letters. 

 

My cumulative GPA was 3.47, science pre-reques 3.53. However those GPAs are after retakes of a few classes, without averaging them out as CASPA does, since the school will take the higher grade. 

 

GRE:

Verbal 151 (51st)

Quantitative 147 (27th)

Written 4.0 (59th)

 

Paid Patient care hours:

Dental Assistant- 5925

Direct care worker in assisted living- 1300

Patient care provider in psychiatric hospital- 400

 

Voulteer:

Medical Assistant/Interpreter non-profit clinic- 150

Hospice- 25

Patient companion- 10

Medical mission trip Peru- 48

 

Shadow:

97 hours in pain clinic, orthopedic surgery, cardiology, and others. 

 

Reference letters were from a PA I shadowed on several occasions and a MD i worked with and whom had known me for the span of about 6 years. 

 

I am wondering if retaking the GRE and scoring higher on the Quant. would be of any help as they do not have a minimum requirement, and I could very likely score higher since I did a crash 3 day study session the last time I took it. Also I am considering entering a Respiratory therapy program this upcoming year in the hopes that I can get hands on experience that would look good on a PA app down the road. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you. 

 

 

[Josealga]

Dear PA admissions,

    Good morning, I have a question regarding grades. My sophomore year, a week before add/drop period in my school, I resigned out of physics 101 since I wanted to get my grades up. I have since then increased my gpa to a competitive gpa, but I am still worried. I know physics is not a pre-req and my pre-req classes have high grades, I just worry what will happen if I do not receive an A. I am on top of my game, but the last test before the final was not so good, but still 8 points above the average. I am just really concerned honestly. One part of me thinks I'll be ok since I am taking this class with all 400 level classes, but deep down it is no excuse at all. One mentor I have says that it will not look good if I do not receive an A in the course I am retaking. Thank you. Have a good day. 

[BVicAZ]

Hi! I have a question about strategizing a plan to get into PA school. There is backstory. I attended undergrad with no aspirations of going into the medical field in a provider capacity. My first few semesters were particularly rough because of personal circumstances, but I stuck it out and improved in my junior and senior year. Since I didn't plan to apply to PA school or medical school or anything of the sort, science classes weren't my focus and I received a C in literally every natural science course I took, which I was fine with. I basically C'ed my way through. 

 

Once I graduated, I went on to complete a Masters degree in Nonprofit Management with a good GPA (3.3), and then on to work for a nonprofit that provided resources to patients who were being cared for due to cancer or the need for a transplant. Doing that work completely changed my outlook and after being in that environment for a while, I decided that I wanted to go to PA school. My first venture back in was not the best, I decided to take A & P in two accelerated summer courses, while working full time after having been graduated for a while and I got a C in both sessions. I took another break to focus on becoming a better student and I think I'm doing well in that regard. I'm back in school taking the rest of the pre-reqs and doing much better in them.

 

I'm struggling with the thought of is it actually even possible for me to get into PA school. If so, what steps should I take? I'm apprehensive to try completing an entirely new degree as, to take the classes that I'd need for PA school, I'd have to matriculate into a completely different university and possibly move, not to mention adding four additional years of school. I also don't have the option of not working while I do the pre-reqs. A big difference between doing a PA program, and my other degrees is it will be the first time that I don't have to work full (+) time in order to make it happen. All in all, I'm not super worried about my potential to be successful in a PA program, but rather my potential of even getting into a PA program. 

 

Thanks for any insight!

[Kyrah1988]

Hi PA admissions

I know this is probably the worst stats for gpa ever but I wanted some suggestions.

I applied to PA school a year ago. My gpa calculated by CASPA is 2.3 or maybe a 2.1 cum and 2.5 science. I have taken many of those classes over with an A but that did not do any good. My Gre score is 149 quantitative and 150 verbal 3.0 writing. I am retaking this. My hce is well over 6200. I have really great LOR and I believe a really decent personal statement. My only flaw as you can see would be my GPA. I really want to go to PA school and really didn't know that Gpa mattered in that decision. I come from a family who is very underrepresented. They knew nothing about college or high school for that matter. But it is my fault for not researching this.

 

What would you suggest?? Don't go easy on me.

[Rock]

I currently hold a Master's degree in Mental Health and looking to apply to PA schools (versus going back to Nursing to do Psych NP).  I feel as though my prior grades may be a conflict, I currently have an overall GPA of 3.4 and my current pre-req GPA is 2.9.  I still need to take Chem 1&2, medical term, genetics, biochem, and organic chem.  What are your suggestions in making myself look better on transcripts?  I graduated from undergrad in 2011 and got my Master's in 2014.  I currently work at a hospital where I do direct patient care everyday but in terms of counseling and social work.  Do you believe that the schools i'm applying to would want more medical experience?

[moxiish]

I have a WU grade from one of my psychology classes and that class is not offered anymore so I cannot retake it. How will that affect my admission decision?

[itzsommyjr]

Hello,

 

I was recently rejected from Wayne State's PA school this past application cycle (outright rejection; no interview granted).  I had only applied to one school for this cycle because (a) it was important for me to stay local and (b) Wayne State was the only local school for which I would not have had to retake statistics (my statistics course is over 12 years old, but WSU doesn't have a time limit on this particular course).  I would have figured that with my grades, HCE, GRE, etc, I would have at least been granted an interview, but alas, I will be taking several more classes and casting a much wider net this upcoming application cycle.

 

I was wondering if you would be willing to take a look at my numbers, overall stats, and let me know where you believe I would be able to improve my application.  I think I have an idea already, however, I don't know for a fact because WSU does not discuss how to individually improve applications until January.

 

I am a non-traditional student with a BA in Psychology from University of Michigan from 2007.  I returned to school to complete prerequisite courses for Physical Therapy school in Fall of 2013, and along the way, realized that I had a much stronger interest in medicine than in physical therapy.  I applied to and was accepted to WSU's PT program, but continued to take prerequisite courses towards PA and ultimately turned down my acceptance to PT school.  I will be 33 in February. 

 

GRE:

Verbal: 162

Quantitative: 156

Written:  5.0

 

GPA:

Overall undergraduate GPA:  3.76

Post-Bacc/Last 60 credit hours:  3.98

Prerequisite GPA:  3.92

Overall Science GPA:  3.92

Post-Bacc Science GPA:  3.97

 

HCE:

3,500+ hours as a Physical Therapy Aide

 

Volunteer:

54 hours landscaping at a local Catholic Church

 

I get the sense that the biggest places I could use improvement are in getting more HCE in a different field of work (though it is not feasible to change careers in less than a year, I could feasibly pick up a shift as a nurse's aide at one of the local hospitals where they will train you on the job).  I'm planning on branching out and doing some additional volunteer work elsewhere, as well.  

 

I will be retaking statistics either this semester or next, and I will additionally be taking biochemistry and medical ethics so I can broaden the pool of schools I am applying to.  

 

Any advice you could provide would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[BubblesAAA]

I have had 5 PA school interviews at this point.  I have an excellent undergraduate GPA (3.95) and an excellent GRE score.  However, I have been rejected from all schools I've applied to.  I have followed up with each school to inquire as to why I was rejected.  Each school officer said my application AND interview were both stellar...no need to improve.  I have plenty of shadowing hours (200) and plenty of on the job medical experience (1500 hrs).  My recommendation letters came from the right sources and were all positive.   The feedback I received was that there were so many qualified applicants and so few places.  What can I do to get in?  I really want this opportunity.

[alyonak89]

Do schools have a preference for the type of volunteer work a candidate has done? For example, animal shelter or environmental.

[jdasar]

Hello all,

 

I'm in need of some serious advice, either from someone who has been in a similar situation or can help out in general. I'll start with some backstory.

 

I'm currently a medical social worker and about a month ago realized that I probably should have gone into medicine instead of social work. The hard part is what I do isn't considered hands on and I don't have any prerequisites so I have to do it all. I'll lay out my plan and if anyone could help out with it hard be great because I'm a bit nervous about the process and the fact that it'll take me a few years to complete everything since I currently work full time.

 

I plan on taking all the prerequisites at my community college since all of the classes, with labs, are offered there. Unfortunately, this will take me about 2-3 years because I simply cannot leave my job to pursue his full time. My worry is whether schools will frown upon be doing these classes at a CC. I haven't read anything stating so, but it is a concern.

 

I plan on getting my CNA in the coming months and hope to work somewhere super part time, since I'll have school on my plate as well. I also currently volunteer at a medical clinic for patients who don't have insurance and do scribing there. Once I get my CNA there is a chance I could get approved by the medical director to do flu vaccines, urinalysis and blood sugar checks if I prove that I am competent enough to do so.

 

Is CNA worth it? Will be it good enough? Should I look into emt? It's a bit It harder, scheduling wise for me :/

 

I haven't sorted out he shadowing yet, but once my ducks are in a row I'll start looking into it more.

 

My gpa from my undergrad (psych) was a 3.1 and my masters gpa was a 4.0 so I hope to maintain hat range and stay at a 3.5 for science once I start classes.

 

I currently speak Russian and intend on learning Spanish because I have always been interested in it.

 

Please give me whatever advice you can offer, I really want to make this happen but am becoming so overwhelmed at the requirements since it's been a while since I have actually had to do this kind of thing.

 

I reside in California and can't leave the state so all programs I apply to will be in ca. Im in the Bay Area so if someone is local, I'd love to talk further. I don't know if my age matters, but I'm 26. Do I have a fighting chance here? Will my current degree help me stand out?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!! I'm beyond stressed and haven't even started!!

[rettikins]

Hello all,

 

I'm in need of some serious advice, either from someone who has been in a similar situation or can help out in general. I'll start with some backstory.

 

I'm currently a medical social worker and about a month ago realized that I probably should have gone into medicine instead of social work. The hard part is what I do isn't considered hands on and I don't have any prerequisites so I have to do it all. I'll lay out my plan and if anyone could help out with it hard be great because I'm a bit nervous about the process and the fact that it'll take me a few years to complete everything since I currently work full time.

 

I plan on taking all the prerequisites at my community college since all of the classes, with labs, are offered there. Unfortunately, this will take me about 2-3 years because I simply cannot leave my job to pursue his full time. My worry is whether schools will frown upon be doing these classes at a CC. I haven't read anything stating so, but it is a concern.

 

I plan on getting my CNA in the coming months and hope to work somewhere super part time, since I'll have school on my plate as well. I also currently volunteer at a medical clinic for patients who don't have insurance and do scribing there. Once I get my CNA there is a chance I could get approved by the medical director to do flu vaccines, urinalysis and blood sugar checks if I prove that I am competent enough to do so.

 

Is CNA worth it? Will be it good enough? Should I look into emt? It's a bit It harder, scheduling wise for me :/

 

I haven't sorted out he shadowing yet, but once my ducks are in a row I'll start looking into it more.

 

My gpa from my undergrad (psych) was a 3.1 and my masters gpa was a 4.0 so I hope to maintain hat range and stay at a 3.5 for science once I start classes.

 

I currently speak Russian and intend on learning Spanish because I have always been interested in it.

 

Please give me whatever advice you can offer, I really want to make this happen but am becoming so overwhelmed at the requirements since it's been a while since I have actually had to do this kind of thing.

 

I reside in California and can't leave the state so all programs I apply to will be in ca. Im in the Bay Area so if someone is local, I'd love to talk further. I don't know if my age matters, but I'm 26. Do I have a fighting chance here? Will my current degree help me stand out?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!! I'm beyond stressed and haven't even started!!

Jdasar,

 

~3 years ago I was starting a career as a territory manager for a medical device company in the orthopedic space. I had a background in management and had never considered medicine for a career, but it wasn't long before I cared more about the patients than my quota. So, I decided to make the transition. I took 1-2 prerequisites per semester at a local community college. My particular school offered evening class times so as to not interfere with my full-time position. None of the schools to which I applied had any issue with the fact that they were taken at CC level...

While my position did involve physically fitting patients at their home with prescribed post-operative devices, this was not considered to be "direct patient contact" in the eyes of the admission boards. So, I similarly considered EMT vs. CNA/LNA. In my area, EMTs are strictly volunteer through the FD and the certification process was much longer than CNA/LNA. While it would have provided much greater technical ability, I decided that the CNA/LNA was the pragmatic route. I was able to obtain the license/certification over the course of 8 weekends, while still fully employed. This past May, upon receiving my license, I resigned from my med device position and began working at an assisted living facility comprised primarily of residents with late-stage dementia -- many of whom on palliative/hospice. The position isn't very technically-inclined, but you have a TON of patient contact and it will either reaffirm or make you reconsider your decision to practice medicine. While doing this, I took my GREs and shadowed in various settings (ED/ICU/Ortho)

I ended up applying to 9 programs in late Sept of this year, was invited to 4 interviews, attended 2, and was accepted into both. Moral of the story, it can be done. I actually believe that many programs like a non-traditional student. Good luck! 

[Enol_Ether]

Thank you for replying to this in advance.

 

I am currently a graduate student pursuing a PhD in organic chemistry.  I have a 4.0 in all 5 advanced graduate level classes  in organic/physical organic chemistry.  I have realized that this is just not what I want to do anymore and want to pursue my life long ambition of working in the medical field.  I am 28 (29 in June) and it seems that the MD is a road that I do not want to take at this point.  I have talked to 3 PA's and they all love their job.  Seems like a easy fit.  My real question is what I should do about having not taken the biology classes needed in many years?  My undergraduate classes in biology will have been 7-8 years ago by the time I apply.  Since I will leave with a M.S. in organic chemistry I think my chemistry is taken care of.  But general biology I have not taken in a decade because of AP Bio in high school (received a 5).  

 

It is worth noting that I was not a good student as a kid.

 

2.9 at community college

3.2 at a SUNY school  in chemistry

Worked for 4 years as an organic chemist

Then came back to pursue Phd.

 

Since I will already have a masters in chemistry and I can do graduate work.  Should I just retake classes at a community college?  Post bacc?  What is the move?  I say this because listed below is what I am working with for an application:

 

3.1 GPA in science as undergrad (5 years ago)

4.0 GPA during Masters in Organic Chemistry

TA for General Chemistry I (2 semesters) and TA for advanced organic lab (2 semesters)

4 years as a working chemist

2 awards for teaching as grad student

Tutor for Ochem for the last year

In the process of writing (1st author publication) a paper for journal that will be my thesis

 

 

Now....the down side:

 

Almost no patient contact but just was accepted to volunteer at a hospital (VA, Federal Backround Check).  Also pursuing being a scribe and shadowing

 

Have a DWI 5 years ago and DWAI 8 years ago...I know..bad..

 

Thank you for reading and your responses!

[PA Dexter]

Has a person's social media presence ever factored into the admissions process?