GPA Forgiveness after 5 years

[ArmyMPMedic]

I'm 25 and have considered the PA route to practicing medicine over the past 2 years. An MD i worked with suggested PA over MD/DO after talking about family and career goals esp. family time and more patient/practitioner interaction. I have my BS in Psych and a PhD in Partying. I was uninterested in college, rarely studied or went to class. I only stayed enrolled for my parents sake. That said I graduated in 2010 with a 2.67-ish after graduating HS w/a 3.7. Should've stayed an extra year but I couldn't take anymore and now I have my regrets as friends are finishing law school and med school. I worked 2 years as a Mental Health Technician, which does count towards HCE.

 

My course prereqs I have/will take are:

All psych courses (2006-10) A-B and 2 Cs

Bio I (2007) - C

Bio lab (2007) - D

Molecular Bio (2008) - D

Bio I w/lab (2012) - A

Chem I w/lab (2012) - A

Bio II w/lab - TBA

Chem II w/lab - TBA

A&P I & II w/lab - TBA

MicroBio w/lab - TBA

BioChem - TBA

 

I plan to apply to the Army's PA program, and considering Civvy programs. Are there any programs that are forgiving with GPA since by the time I apply my science undergrad grades would be 5+ years old? I am doubtful the remaining courses will raise my GPA above a 3.0 but hopefully close. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

- ArmyMPMedic

[EMEDPA]

An MD i worked with suggested PA over MD/DO after talking about family and career goals esp. family time and more patient/practitioner interaction.

this is one of the great myths of the pa career field, that we have more family time and more time with patients. sure, you have more time up front due to fewer years of training but once in practice many PAs work MORE than the docs they work with. remember docs hire PAs to do the work they don't want to do at the times and places they don't want to do it so they can be home with their families early in the morning, late at night, on nights/weekends/holidays.

the docs in my group work 120-140 hrs/mo with very few >125.

the PAs in my group work 140-220 hrs with very few below 160.

PAs are expected to be as productive as their physician colleagues in terms of pts/hr and RVU's/hr. we don't get a break just because we are PAs. PAs in my group have been fired for seeing fewer pts/hr than the avg for the group. no docs have. even those who move at a glacial pace. because they are docs and we are employees of docs.

become a pa if you want but don't do it thinking you will have lots of free time and more time with patients unless you are willing to either work part time or in a position with fewer pts(say an inpt psych facility or nursing home setting where the your pt load is whoever is there.)

[G. Davenport]

Wowzer EDEMPA, my friend. I almost cried reading your post. You forgot BB who works 220 hours or more a month. I remember working 22 ten hour shifts one month. But on the flip side I WAS one of the highest paid PAs in the US.

 

Odd. I reflected on an FP job I had 20 plus years ago. Making half the income but starting at 9 AM, 2 hour lunch from 12 to 2 and usually heading home at 4:30. Great family job but rural and poorly paid. I think those home friendly jobs are out there but not with the pay most new graduates want.

 

How was Florida?

[SSG2PA]

Need more information to help you out here battle.

 

Are you still serving? AD, NG or USAR (Only way you will qualify for IPAP)? How much TIS do you have, deployments/mobilizations, total AD time?

 

When you say Mental Health Tech, are you saying you were/are a 68X? Did you get the MOS back when we used to send 68X/P/V to cross train as medics first?

 

Are you a commissioned officer? Since you did graduate 3 years ago, I have to ask.

 

- SSG Rod.

[EMEDPA]

Wowzer EDEMPA, my friend. I almost cried reading your post. You forgot BB who works 220 hours or more a month.

reread my post. BB is the 220 hr guy I meant when I said "140-220 hrs". he also just got another per diem job at SJ. way too many hrs.

I think that is 6 jobs for him now.

right before coming out here I worked 12 out of 13 days doing eleven or 12 hr shifts in a row.

still in florida for a few more days. doing ok in stats. I will pass but can't say I am wild about the material or the associated computer program we have to use(IBM SPSS). the math is straightforward. the computer program we have to use is not. it is neither user friendly nor intuitive. great instructor though and one who makes the material easier to understand for those of us who didn't take differential equations(nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

[MedicinePower]

I am having a similar situation as to the OP. I didn't do well my first few years in college (circa 2004) but I completely turned things around in the past 2 years. Got As in Bio I & II, Orgo, Microbio, Biochem, Cell Bio, A&P I (A) and II (B+), Drug Calc, Med Term, and am an EMT-Intermediate with phenomenal LORs, published in a major medical journal, and the best volunteer medical experience ever. That said I am getting rejected from programs because of my low science GPA (2.7) as they are still factoring in classes that I did poorly on 8+ years ago while my post-bacc/recent science GPA is 3.8.

 

It's a bit maddening that there isn't much of a second chance for those of us who have matured and turned our lives around. What would this world be like without second chances?

[ArmyMPMedic]

SSG Rod thanks for responding. I actually ship out for BCT/AIT in a couple weeks w/no prior service. I enlisted as a 68W in the USAR (I chose USAR for personal reasons but I do plan to change over to AD someday).

 

My job as a Mental Health Tech was not w/ the military rather at a psych hospital in Dallas.

 

I chose to go enlisted first to be a medic and have some sort of medical experience. OCS was possible but I wanted to stick with the medical field and the only medical MOSs I saw for officers required one to already be an RN, MD/DO, PA, etc. Also I chose enlisted to become an NCO before getting my Commission as a PA.

 

Are you enrolled in IPAP? Is there a mandatory TIS before applying? Also shadowing hours for IPAP are mandatory now. Do you know if the PA must be military or just any PA (that's my biggest concern to applying)? Anymore tips/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

- SPC Tyson

[ArmyMPMedic]

Bstone sorry to hear about your rejections. That's total be IMO...8 years ago?!? If somebody is still pursuing a goal and has improved such as you have I feel it speaks volumes compared to a 21 yo fresh out of college. They go straight into PA school with amazing grades and no medical experience only to regret their job 5 years down the road and then go to Med School...or used being a PA as a stepping stone to Med School.

 

Hopefully things go better for you bro.

[cinntsp]

I am having a similar situation as to the OP. I didn't do well my first few years in college (circa 2004) but I completely turned things around in the past 2 years. Got As in Bio I & II, Orgo, Microbio, Biochem, Cell Bio, A&P I (A) and II (B+), Drug Calc, Med Term, and am an EMT-Intermediate with phenomenal LORs, published in a major medical journal, and the best volunteer medical experience ever. That said I am getting rejected from programs because of my low science GPA (2.7) as they are still factoring in classes that I did poorly on 8+ years ago while my post-bacc/recent science GPA is 3.8.

 

It's a bit maddening that there isn't much of a second chance for those of us who have matured and turned our lives around. What would this world be like without second chances?

 

 

Many of us get in the second time, or third, or...

 

Make sure you're applying to the right programs, where they consider the most recent coursework more heavily or use pre-req GPA for interview screening. The biggest thing is to keep taking classes and hit that 3.0 mark. It can take a long time but it's doable.

[SSG2PA]

SPC Tyson,

 

The Army is a great place for life experience, and an even better place for HCE if you are AD or deployed.

 

From what I've seen in the USAR: USAHs are all TDA, which means they have no equipment, and serve as augmentation for filling deployment rosters so they never deploy as a unit. You will do allot of sitting around. CSHs in the USAR spend lots of your time doing inventories on your “GO TO WAR” milvans (shipping containers) and equipment. I've never seen them deploy as a battalion, but rather in small detachments always attached to an AD CSH. Company, and detachment sized units are okay as long as they are MTOE units, but still count on lots of down time.

 

Unless there is a military hospital close by, or you deploy you will likely be acquiring ZERO HCE while at home station during BTAs. You will have lots of mandatory training (non-medical), briefings, occasional UAs, and massive amounts of company business that will likely carry on from one BTA to the next. This will be nothing like being in an active duty unit that trains everyday of the year, and where everyone is full-time (you will see what I mean when you meet your AGR FT staff). Also consider that CONUS mobilizations and even deployments are getting harder and harder to come by. As combat operations slow down, the Army downsizes and the money tightens up the USAR will assume a garrison posture which will further limit your potential HCE.

 

To answer your questions; I am decided to REFRAD in 2010, and have been in the USAR since then. I did not apply to IPAP, because my wife and I decided to both get out and complete our undergrad full-time. We are both PA-S now.

 

I would suggest getting a hold of your nearest AMEDD recruiter to ask them what trends they have seen in IPAP selection. All I know is that you have to be squared away, and the board is very selective meaning that it is not easier to get into than any civilian program. You have to submit a packet that includes awards (which are hard to come by in the USAR), LOR from immediate supervisor/you commander (getting to know a CO isn’t easy when you’re a new Soldier that only sees them two days a month)/Army PA (preferred), evaluations (NCOERs/OERs) for NCO and Commissioned Officers, GT score >110, SAT score (within 5 years), Secret clearance, etc. Beware that your packet will look incredibly skimpy compared to most AD medics, and those that have been deployed or have been AD.

 

Check your Inbox.

 

- SSG Rod.