Potatolife

If you miss the medicine side of it, maybe you should consider PA. But also consider this: PA school costs between $60k-$105k (usually on the higher end), and most new-grad PAs come out making $90k-$105k. Your salary will most likely not be your current salary for the first few years and you'll have to pay off a huge loan. You'll probably start questioning if it was worth it then. Some PAs do make $130k+, but the more common salary is $100k-$120k. It depends on what the average salary is for PAs in your state and the COL. Financially, it doesn't make sense to go to PA school. This will ultimately have to be a personal decision

If this is what you want, go for it! You already have a degree and good patient care experience. I would recommend watching some videos on PAs and PA students, exploring the PA forum, the "physicianassistant" and "prephysicianassistant" threads on reddit, talking to a few PA students, definitely attending PA school information meetings near you, etc. If you know this is what you want to do, look up the prerequisites for each school and begin your journey as a pre-PA student

There are some holes in your explanation. It depends what the deadline is for the schools who do require those 3 extra science classes, if they let you have in-progress courses, if they're rolling admissions, etc. I don't recommend taking 3 difficult science courses the summer you apply. The application process is long and takes a lot of time. I would say at least take 1 science class this summer. I still need more information to give you a proper answer though

Why not keep PA but make it something like "Physician Associate," "Physician Extender," or "Physician Practitioner?" Medical practitioner and physician assistant both sound like medical assistant. A lot of people already know what a PA is now, so drastically changing the name to medical practitioner is getting us back to square one (having to explain our title again). Physician Associate sounds like a healthcare provider who sees their own patients and works with a physician as well. I don't know, just my thoughts, but I'm not a fan of "Medical Practitioner"

Just as the others stated above, this is a horrible offer. Do not accept it. $55/hour for an urgent care is low. No CME or PTO? Those should be a given. Apply elsewhere. You can find a much better offer

A 23 percentile is pretty low, but a 146 is okay with your stats. I would suggest going to an information session and asking them what they recommend

The salary is good, but not for the hours. You're working 45 hours a week with a $105,000 salary. If you calculate it, you'll be getting paid ~$45 an hour. I think it should be at least $50/hour. That would bring it up to $117,000 a year. I agree with the comment above. If you can get some sort of bonus, maybe it will be worth it. PTO should not be 3 days, it should be about 1-2 weeks. If the clinic wants you to work more than 40 hours a week, those extra 5 hours should be overtime (a time and a half). If you get $45/hour, and the extra 5 hours are at $67.5/hour, it will bring your salary to $111,150. That would be okay for the hours. Don't settle for less than your worth

Not sure, but they said March 21 is the last day for interviews

I'm sorry about your uncomfortable experience, but not all medical facilities are like that. You can work in a private clinic or smaller facility, but I believe you will have a better hospital experience during PA school rotations. I don't think you should take any more classes until you know for sure what you want to do. Your GPA is not great, but your prerequisite GPA is good. Your background is amazing. If you really want to be a PA, apply to programs that consider the last 60 credits. I would recommend you consider a direct entry NP program because they are less competitive to get into. I don't necessarily agree with the post above. NPs are independent in some states, but the majority of them work in hospitals and the hospital still requires them to have a supervising physician. The law might say that yes they are independent, but hospitals don't necessarily give them that full independence for legal reasons. In hospitals, NPs and PAs function in basically the exact same way. NPs do have the ability to open their own clinic without a physician in some states, but that is not very common for them to actually do so. PAs are more inclined to do competitive specialties such as surgery, cardiology, neuro, etc. NPs tend to dominate oncology, pediatrics, etc., but most have to go back to school to branch into other specialties, while PAs don't. It's because of how they were taught in school, nursing model vs. medical model. Both NP and PA are great professions. Based on your GPA, I think NP school would be less difficult to get into. There are direct entry NP programs. If you decide on PA, then go for it! Definitely take the GRE, because most graduate schools require it. Do your research, make a decision and stick with it. It's the best way to save time, money, and get your future going

Florida seems like an unfavorable place for PAs. This offer is insulting. Do not even consider it. No PA should be working full-time for under $85,000 a year, unless it's an approved residency or postgraduate program. Even if you're training, they shouldn't only pay you $20/hour. Seems like this doctor needs to be a little more educated on PAs. Consider applying for jobs an hour or two away if you have to and moving nearby

If you're absolutely set on PA, I would suggest retaking your prerequisites and earning only As! Your cGPA is low and your sGPA is very low, so you must prove to admissions that you can do really well in difficult coursework. I would suggest taking 1-2 classes a semester while working. Do not do a Master's program unless you are going to use the degree. It'll be a waste of time and money. The most important classes are the prerequisites. I also suggest doing very well on the GRE, earn at least a 300. If you use your time correctly and begin repeating classes this summer, you could apply next year. Do not rush your application though. Your GPA is not competitive, so you want to make sure everything else on your application is phenomenal. Good luck!

I’m interviewing on Monday and I applied to the 3-year program. I don’t think they called everyone yet

I received an interview for Monday 2/25! Keep your phone close, they are making phone calls! Good luck everyone

I received two emails. The first email said my application was received. The second email said they received all required documents and that my application is now waiting for review

The 5-year students are guaranteed an interview and admission if they meet all the requirements. The UDM students who did the pre-PA biology degree and met all the requirements are guaranteed an interview, but not guaranteed admission like the 5-year students. I’m being patient