jessjlstar Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I am new and do not know how this forum works (I am usually on SDN). I've heard from many people that acceptance to PA school is TOUGH. I understand that, and I am up for that challenge. However, I learned that it would be near impossible to become a PA right after undergraduate studies because of the extensive direct patient care experience PA schools look for. My question is this: if i get a job as a medical assistant/CNA/emergency department technician during my undergraduate studies, is it POSSIBLE that I could be accepted to PA school? Or would I still need more experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreasmo Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Yes it is possible.. And many people do. I'm not sure where you're at with undergrad, but lets say you work part time at one of the above mentioned jobs- 15 hours/ week for all 4 years and you'd have over 3000 hrs of experience. You'd just have to work hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossbone2007 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 The HCE requirement spans from 100 to 4000 hrs, depending on a particular school. search the school you are interested in. AND yes you could be accepted right out of undergrad as long as you are competitive enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatChecko Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I am in class with plenty of people who did exactly what you did and they all accumulated more than 1000 hours of HCE before graduating school. So it's very possible. Just make sure you keep your grades up. You have plenty of life to work, but pulling your GPA up after a rough semester takes a long time and even more hard work. School should be your top priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torshi Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Yes, and even some schools don't require any HCE. But, as you know other people applying will so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdangerous Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I am starting PA school (tomorrow actually) and I just graduated in May. It's more than doable. Life was a little crazy during undergrad--I worked midnights as a tech on a cardio/progressive care floor while taking anywhere from 18-21 credits each semester (I had no major freshman year and took some courses I didn't need, but I still wanted to graduate in 4 years). I think I ended up with around 3500 patient care hours and a decent GPA. Depending on what connections/certifications you do/don't have, it may take some work to get decent HCE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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