On A Confusing Road to Becoming a PA?

[Trompe l'oeil]

Hi Everyone,

 

I just joined this forum yesterday and I was literally going from thread to thread reading about everything I can about becoming a PA In the Pre-PA section. Now I can say, I am really worried. I feel as if one needs to BE a PA from the beginning to BE a PA in the end. I have doubt if all you need is "hard work" to reach your goal because there is many obstacles, some seen and some unseen. One of my biggest worries is that usually the once who get chosen to be in PA schools are those with strong background in the medical field. Is that true? I cannot understand how some people manage to get medical field experience while still going to college. I was also wondering if I should just go into another medical field (nurse, occupational therapist, radiologist etc.)then after 2-2.5 years of working, apply to PA school? Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

 

-Trompe l'oeil

[EMEDPA]

. One of my biggest worries is that usually the once who get chosen to be in PA schools are those with strong background in the medical field. Is that true? I cannot understand how some people manage to get medical field experience while still going to college. I was also wondering if I should just go into another medical field (nurse' date=' occupational therapist, radiologist etc.)then after 2-2.5 years of working, apply to PA school? -Trompe l'oeil[/quote']

Working part time in college or taking a few years after college to get medical experience is a good idea.

as to your question, many folks do a short cert course like emt or cna and work part time while in college. I worked as an er tech 26 hrs/ week while in college and 60 hrs/week summers. it can be done.

if you would prefer to take a longer course like rn, etc and use that to gain experience you have something to fall back on if you do not get into pa school the first time around.

[Trompe l'oeil]

Working part time in college or taking a few years after college to get medical experience is a good idea.

as to your question, many folks do a short cert course like emt or cna and work part time while in college. I worked as an er tech 26 hrs/ week while in college and 60 hrs/week summers. it can be done.

if you would prefer to take a longer course like rn, etc and use that to gain experience you have something to fall back on if you do not get into pa school the first time around.

 

Thank you for responding. I will look into getting a certification for EMT because I would rather go straight to PA schools after college than become a RN then gain experience then apply. Hopefully everything works out (although can't expect that all the time).

[UGoLong]

Many of us took the EMS route to gain experience. Depending on when you apply, there are different requirements for experience. One of my classmates had taken a year off between college and the program to work for an ambulance service. That is just a "for example."

 

There are many roads to becoming a PA. You don't have to be one in the beginning, but you do need to know enough about the health care system to fit into it as a decision-maker when you graduate. You also need to know enough about yourself to be sure you are going down the right road.

 

Good luck!

[Just Steve]

Thank you for responding. I will look into getting a certification for EMT because I would rather go straight to PA schools after college than become a RN then gain experience then apply. Hopefully everything works out (although can't expect that all the time).

 

First question that popped to mind was "why"? A RN is a well respected, well paid job with solid benefits such as health insurance and ample vacation time with flexible schedules. The medicine you will learn as a nurse will come back to serve you so very well as a PA, or, coming from the RN background, a NP. By being a nurse for a bit first, it gives you in-depth insight, education, experience, salary, and increases your competitive edge when applying to school. After completion of PA or NP school your resume' will have "x" amount of years of medical experience already listed on it.

 

There is so much to learn to be a proficient PA...trial and error as a new grad, figuring things out as you go along is not fair to the patients or other medical teammates. Granted, no one knows all the answers but the advantages that you will carry forward from having an indepth understanding from the start will pay off in huge dividends in quality at the end of it all.

[bgdog]

Hi Everyone' date='

 

I just joined this forum yesterday and I was literally going from thread to thread [b']reading about everything I can about becoming a PA[/b] In the Pre-PA section. -Trompe l'oeil

 

There are many people that can learn from that single statment.

 

Strong work.

[taotaox1]

Hi Everyone' date='

 

I cannot understand how some people manage to get medical field experience while still going to college.

 

[/quote']

 

Working 24-48 hours a week on an ambulance and going to school full time was significantly easier than the first year of PA school. The challenge of doing both is a good prep for the tidal wave of information and stress that is the didactic year of school. You would be surprised at what you can accomplish.

[EMEDPA]

Working 24-48 hours a week on an ambulance and going to school full time was significantly easier than the first year of PA school. The challenge of doing both is a good prep for the tidal wave of information and stress that is the didactic year of school. You would be surprised at what you can accomplish.

AGREE. long shifts is key. I worked two 13 hr shifts/week while taking 20 units/quarter at the U. of Ca.

it is doable. I didn't have much of a social life because I worked every sat/sun 8 a-9p but most of the fun stuff in college happens after 9 pm anyway...

[Trompe l'oeil]

Many of us took the EMS route to gain experience. Depending on when you apply, there are different requirements for experience. One of my classmates had taken a year off between college and the program to work for an ambulance service. That is just a "for example."

 

There are many roads to becoming a PA. You don't have to be one in the beginning, but you do need to know enough about the health care system to fit into it as a decision-maker when you graduate. You also need to know enough about yourself to be sure you are going down the right road.

 

Good luck!

 

Your right I do need to know a lot about myself and this field I wish to be in that's why I joined this forum so I can learn. Thank you for your comment. I also need to look into these "many roads to becoming a PA".

 

First question that popped to mind was "why"? A RN is a well respected, well paid job with solid benefits such as health insurance and ample vacation time with flexible schedules. The medicine you will learn as a nurse will come back to serve you so very well as a PA, or, coming from the RN background, a NP. By being a nurse for a bit first, it gives you in-depth insight, education, experience, salary, and increases your competitive edge when applying to school. After completion of PA or NP school your resume' will have "x" amount of years of medical experience already listed on it.

 

There is so much to learn to be a proficient PA...trial and error as a new grad, figuring things out as you go along is not fair to the patients or other medical teammates. Granted, no one knows all the answers but the advantages that you will carry forward from having an indepth understanding from the start will pay off in huge dividends in quality at the end of it all.

 

I actually did not expect anyone to ask me "why?". Unfortunately there is too many answers although none that will be satisfactory but no worries I will probably end up as a RN (I just hope after that my dreams of becoming a PA doesn't end like it did for half of my family members) I agree with you 100% it's not fair for the patients or medical teammates to have someone who is "figuring things out" and I promise I will not be that person. Thank you for your comment.

 

There are many people that can learn from that single statment.

 

Strong work.

 

Thank you. I just do not want to go into anything blindfolded.

 

Working 24-48 hours a week on an ambulance and going to school full time was significantly easier than the first year of PA school. The challenge of doing both is a good prep for the tidal wave of information and stress that is the didactic year of school. You would be surprised at what you can accomplish.

 

Well that is...wow that is scary. I better sign up as soon as I can for that EMT-B course. Thank you for that info.

[Trompe l'oeil]

EMEDPA Can you share your experience as a first time EMT or have any tips that you can share? If you don't want to share then that's okay. I am just asking because I am curious. This question is for everyone who was/is a EMT.

[EMEDPA]

EMEDPA Can you share your experience as a first time EMT or have any tips that you can share? If you don't want to share then that's okay. I am just asking because I am curious. This question is for everyone who was/is a EMT.

I started working as an er tech in the summer after my first yr in college having gotten certified as an emt senior year in high school.. it was a small rural er( 5 beds) . they needed me to do a lot more for them than the emt scope of practice so got me certified to do phlebotomy, IM , subq, and IV injections, neb tx, splinting, minor surgical assisting, perform ekg's, etc.

at the time in ca if a doc wrote a note to the state saying they had trained you to be a medical asst they sent you a license, so voila, I became an MA. I worked that job 60 hrs/week every summer for 3 years and at a larger facility during the school year in college 26 hrs/week. it was at this job that I first worked with pas and was fortunate to work with alfred sadler, md, one of the founders of the pa profession. probably doesn't hurt to have an LOR from one of the guys who came up with the concept of pas. ( he started the program at yale).

http://www.pahx.org/sadler-alfred-m

after the first year at the summer job they scheduled me interchangeably with the nursing staff. I made 6 dollars/hr( and blew it all trying to impress a girl who didn't know I was alive but that's a story for another day.....)

there was a very steep learning curve as I learned new meds and dosages, medical terminology, etc. any time I heard about a new drug I looked it up. what's lasix for? what is the dose? why is this patient taking it? I taught myself ekg's using dubin's book and talked to er docs all the time about patient presentations, differential dx, reading xrays, etc. I first assisted all er procedures, helped reduce shoulders, etc

I started paramedic school right after getting my bs in medical anthro, having never had a job on an ambulance. the hardest part of paramedic school for me was not the medicine part(which came easy) but learning to be a field emt. I worked as a medic for 5 years in los angeles and philadelphia before becoming a pa. I loved the medicine part of being a medic but didn't like the heavy lifting, getting lost going to calls, etc. medics today have it much easier with gps and hydraulic stretchers. If I had known those were coming I might have stayed a medic forever. my partner went on to become lead medic for the county, flew on the search and rescue team with the sherrif's dept, etc. in spite of my issues with being a medic that was probably the best time of my life to that point. great schedule, good money( 35k/yr!), and plenty of time off. the choice to go pa was really about taking the next step in learning about medicine. I didn't expect to make much more money. when I started pa school em pas were making 40k/yr, basically what a medic could make with some o.t.

while a paramedic I taught acls and phtls for several paramedic programs. the medics in my class and I actually put on an acls course for my pa program.

everyone has to start somewhere. get yourself some basic texts and any time you hear about something new, look it up. I still do this any time I hear about a new drug or a new dx.

I still miss being a medic sometimes and have gotten more involved with my local medics at some of my rural jobs now that I am medical control for them. I go to their cme talks, etc and try to make them the best they can be by talking through tough cases with them from the viewpoint of someone who used to be where they are now. anyway, I've wandered off topic. ems is a great way to introduce yourself to medicine. take it seriously and don't just punch the clock and you will go far. good luck.

[GreatChecko]

I too began as an EMT and don't want to repeat what EMEDPA said not only because he has a ton more experience than myself, but also because I agree completely.

 

I became an EMT when I was in college and volunteered a bit until I decided to change careers about 4 years later. My first paid EMT job was working part time as a ED tech and then when the time came that I needed a full time job, I lucked out and got my dream job (that I still miss) at a trauma center on the other side of town.I did many of the same things that EMED mentioned except give meds in the ER, that was not in my scope. However, I still kept volunteering in the field and could administer a few meds, so I know enough to get into trouble in that department :)

 

EMS is a great way to learn about medicine, but it also gives you a great respect for its practice. When I first became an EMT, I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn, which IMO is a good thing to always keep in mind no matter what title you have after your name. Whenever I felt comfortable, something came along to remind me of the limits of my knowledge. Medicine is a constantly changing field and in all reality that nice sheet of paper that confers your title is really only a license to learn.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the EMT job market in every city is different. Some places have too few EMTs and jobs are easy to come by and others have way too many and jobs are scarce. Also, EMT Basic wages haven't gone up too much since EMED's day, so keep that in mind if you intend on working full time as one. Also, explore the CNA or MA route as well, they might fit your situation better. I'd personally choose becoming an MA because the training is a bit more in depth and you tend to do more, but I have plenty of classmates that were CNAs, so don't discount it if that's what you like best.

 

Good Luck!

[EMEDPA]

I think er techs now make 15-20 bucks/hr with experience so it has gotten better. medics now can make 65k.

[GreatChecko]

Unfortunately, it depends on the region and the job market.

 

I lived in the mountain west in a city where EMT Basics were plentiful. As an ER tech, I started at about $13/hr and after three years was making about $15/hr. The ambulance basics averaged about $10/hr, with starting wages in the $8-9/hr range. If you were willing to drive a bit and go rural, the pay went up, but they also wanted people with experience, so the jobs were tougher to come by.

 

Now this is all base rate, no differentials. As you know, that's where the real money is made.

[EMEDPA]

Now this is all base rate, no differentials. As you know, that's where the real money is made.

YUP. when I was a medic our base schedule was 10 24 hr shifts/mo with 80 hrs of automatic overtime/mo at 1.5x. any extra shifts were automatically also at 1.5x.