karebear12892

That's too bad. I'm in South Carolina and would love to do a residency close by. Guess I'll have to stick with NC, VA, MD, and FL. Sure would be nice if they resurrected this program!

Also wondering if this residency still exists. Can't seem to find any trace of it on the internet beyond this forum.

I showed this study to an ED attending physician, who began adopting this practice as well. Unfortunately, he ran into a problem with nurses coming to him and complaining that it was a pain (no pun intended) to give only 15 mg when the medication comes in 30 mg vials. Eventually, so many nurses were asking him if they "could just give the whole 30 mg" that he went back to what he (and the other providers there) have always done. Oh well, I tried. :)

Hire a medical scribe.

I was advised to write about a memorable patient encounter from my healthcare experience. I talked about why that particular patient experience was meaningful to me and what I learned from it. It gave me something compelling to talk about and showed that I was invested in the patient's outcome, which they like to see. I also mentioned my short-term and long-term goals as a PA.

You bring up an interesting point. I'm in PA school now and we have been taught to always introduce ourselves as "physician assistants." However, in my clinical experience, none of the PA's I've worked with EVER do this. They always do what you've described. I've been wondering how common it is for PA's to completely omit mentioning their job title when introducing themselves to patients. Granted, this is in the emergency department, so it isn't like you have an ongoing relationship with these patients. I can understand why it would might be more important for patients in a longer-term relationship with their provider to understand their role.

Before my interviews, I was advised NOT to wear a black or gray blazer/skirt/pants because that's what everyone else would be doing, and there is something to be said for standing out. However, make sure you choose something professional, not too revealing, and shoes you are comfortable wearing for long periods of time. You don't want to be limping into the room for your interview because you just spent two hours walking on a campus tour in new shoes and now you have blisters! I wore a bright blue sleeveless dress (obviously with wide straps/decent length) for all of my interviews with gold/red jewelry, and I received lots of compliments. And yes, I got in. :)

I feel very confident that I learned more than enough as a scribe to succeed in PA school and make an informed decision about my career choice. Agree to disagree, I'm just sharing my personal experience. The point is that the OP should consider some type of HCE/PCE, even if the school does not require it.

Current PA student here. First off, to answer the OP's question, healthcare experience is essential not only in the admissions process (regardless of what the school's website says), but it is also necessary in order to succeed in PA school. If I hadn't worked in the ER between undergrad and PA school, I would be having a much harder time comprehending and applying what I'm learning in the classroom. Besides, you want to be 100% sure about your career choice, and the best way to make an informed decision is by spending time in the field. Honestly, I'm surprised more medical schools don't require some sort of clinical experience to be considered for admission for that reason alone. I also want to (respectfully) disagree with the advice above and share one of my posts from a different thread. I was a medical scribe for two years prior to PA school. If I had to do it all over, I would hands-down be a scribe again. This was the best pre-PA school job I could have ever asked for. As a scribe, you gain insight into the medical decision making of a healthcare provider that no other experience offers. Just like any other job, as a scribe, you get out of it what you put into it. I told the physicians I worked with that I wanted to learn as much as possible --- so they taught me how to interpret labs, EKG's, x-rays, etc. After the physician looked at the EKG, they would hand it to me and ask me what I thought. If a patient was wheezing, they would say, "come over here and take a listen to this person's lungs and tell me what you hear. What tests do you think I'll order?" For two years, I strived to learn something new from every patient encounter, and I never hesitated to ask questions if I didn't understand the provider's train of thought. By the time I started PA school, I already had a basic knowledge of differential diagnoses for just about any complaint. I already knew the doses and indications for common drugs. After spending literally thousands of hours attached at the hip with an ER doctor, I had already been exposed to the presentation, work-up, and treatment for a variety of diseases and injuries. Yes, I still have plenty to learn. But I have a very solid foundation on which to expand my knowledge. I am not saying that hands-on experience isn't valuable --- it certainly is. I agree that there is something to be said for "feeling the stress of taking care of patients," but you will begin learning this during your clinical year and grow more comfortable under pressure with experience. I firmly believe scribing can be outstanding preparation for PA school if you're willing to make the most out of it.

Couldn't agree more! I was accepted to multiple PA schools the first time I applied with a GPA of 3.15. Anyone who says it can't be done is lying to you. Grades are important but they aren't everything.

What state? Urban, suburban, rural? What are the folks on day shift making? I agree $60/hr for night shift seems low.

Look at schools that aren't on CASPA. Their standards aren't any lower, but they tend to attract a smaller applicant pool.

SOUTH CAROLINA Francis Marion University - https://www.fmupap.com University of South Carolina - http://pa.med.sc.edu North Greenville University - http://www.ngu.edu/pa-medicine.php Charleston Southern University - http://www.csuniv.edu/pa/ Presbyterian College - https://www.presby.edu/academics/graduate-professional/physician-assistant-program/

1. The OP is 2.5 years old, I doubt they're even active on the forum anymore. 2. Why does this thread still exist?

You must be ready, willing, and able to deploy if you want to be in the military. This is especially true for physician assistants; since we are able to transition between specialties, PA's tend to deploy more frequently than physicians. Doesn't matter if you've received postgraduate training in a particular area of medicine. The military's needs will always come before yours, so you'll need to be flexible.