uscbigdawg

Answering the questions honestly, rather than what you think they want to hear worked for me.

1 - Low level pay of a military medic can do it thoroughly. Everything that a scribe does and much of what surgeons on down do. 2 - Low level pay of an EMT or Paramedic can do it quite well too. 3 - RN, CNAs, PCTs, MAs, Phleb's, RT's et. al. I can hire a high school kid that can type and they can jot down what a doctor/PA says. It's a completely different series of skills to put your hands on someone and have the buck stop with you on whether or not they leave your care from injured, paralyzed to dead.

You're not responsible for that patient's care and/or aren't physically putting your hands on them doing ANYTHING. The point of rev ronin's rant, and frankly the PA profession, was stated clearly summed up by the statement that the intent of the PA profession is to uplevel those that HAVE EXPERIENCE. Thank you rev for writing this because it's so true. However, as an applicant, I've seen more and more the reduction in actual hands on experience and school's advocating shadowing and volunteering as an acceptable means of acquiring HCE. You're absolutely correct that HCE hours are not paying the dues. You should be doing them and wanting to do them already with becoming a PA being a chance to move up. Finally, I cannot agree with you more with the statement that there is NO WAY you can know that you want to become a PA without having direct knowledge of what they do day in and day out. Shadowing gives you a glimpse, but then watching NASCAR on television doesn't mean you understand what Dale Earnhardt goes through driving a car at 200mph. This year, on multiple occasions, I've heard program directors flat out state that experience is neither a prerequisite of their program nor does it improve your standing in their review. Another program said that their last class had an average age of 23 and less than 200 hours of experience. You've got to be kidding me! I for one am looking forward to clinicals and thankfully feel I have likely dodged a bullet when it comes to training with those that haven't put their hands on another human being until they got to school. Rich

Took mine at American River College in Sacramento. Online and finished it in like 2 weeks. Rich

You don't join the military for pay.

If you attend the IPAP, you'll be commissioned a 2LT after the first year of school. 6 months after graduating you'll pin on 1LT. About 2 years later, you'll make CPT. That's from a totally nothing program and the Army. If you're already a PA, as others have said, it totally depends on your experience. While at Ft. Sam, we had a plastic surgeon that decided to enter the Army after 19 years of practice and his initial rank was LTC (we were walking him through the EFMB course). It's a good gig to join either the Reserves or active duty following school as they often have a HUGE student loan repayment program. It wasn't too long ago that they had a $125k repayment for like 4 years of service (I think). Not bad as you can likely negotiate 2 years of stabilization. Rich

All the way! ex-Army Airborne and Flight Medic 91WPF (MOS code change to 68WPF) Rich

All the way! ex-Army Airborne and Flight Medic 91WPF (MOS code change to 68WPF) Rich