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No Direct Patient Experience, Please respond


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Hello Everyone,

 

I am applying this summer 2014 for several Pa programs.   I have almost fullfill all the requirments.  I hava BA in Biology wiht 3.5 GPA, I have taken all the necessary prerequisites courses. I recently took the GRE , I am working on my personal statment and I can secure excellent recomendation letters from my previous professors,and my health care superviosr.

I am volunterring at Prince William Medical center/ Emergency Room . I have nearly 200hr of Indirect Patient Experience. I am hopfully will start shadwing a PA for about 4 weeks.

 

Nevertheless, I have no Direct patient experience. I work full time and I had to support my family. Hence , I was not able to dedicate any time for this purpose. I really want to apply this year cycle and I am really afraid that I do not get accepted .

 

please let me know if there are still chances for me to get in the Pa program, regradless, the lack of direct pateint experience.

 

your feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

Respectfully.

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Guest RainbowUnikittyPAC

I was offered interviews at three programs and accepted at one without direct clinical experience. It can be done, just depends on the program and what other things you can bring to the table.

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Guest RainbowUnikittyPAC

There are some programs where the hours required are defined differently. I would spend time carefully reading program websites and then calling the programs to double check what they require. Some schools specifically state that their hours MUST be clinical, where others may consider hours working in a medical setting but not directly with patients. You need to just do your homework and look at each program individually for yourself, since requirements may change year to year.

 

That said, I was offered interviews at Northwestern, Rosalind Franklin, and Idaho State. I was an AmeriCorps volunteer doing social work with medically under-served patients at an FQCHC, plus worked in the ER as a Unit Coordinator, and many hours of shadowing PA's in various settings. So I didn’t have clinical hours, but a different set of experiences that showed I understood the profession. It was interesting to some programs but not to others.

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Thank you so much for your information. I did Contact some of the PA programs that I am intrested in.  Almost all of them said that require DIRECT patient experience which involve touching the patients and having a clinical  hours.

Neverthess, I will try my best to shadow a PA  and increase my volunteer hours.

I hope It works out the best for me.

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Sarmed- There's a reason PA programs require/want applicants with at least some direct patient experience.

 

In addition to developing medical knowledge and skills, it helps you know if patient interaction is a good thing for you and your future patients.

 

I don't agree with those on this forum who think applicants need 10,000 hours to apply, but I do feel like trying to take the fast track to PA school will very likely bite you in the butt at some point.

 

Get dirty with the rest of us and get some hands on experience.

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Thanks Nethan Le, I really would love to get the opportunity to have some kind of direct patient experience. I really do not want to give mysslf any excuses;however, I am working full time and my fmaily are depending on me.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I Have been volunteering at Emergency Room where I get to interact with nurses, doctors ,and patients.  I also will start shadowing PA soon.

 

I requested to volunteer to work as an EMT or Medical tecnologist . Unfortunately, They require me to go through classes and get certifcated.

 

I know how important HOE and hopfully I will try my best find a way to do it.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks Nethan Le, I really would love to get the opportunity to have some kind of direct patient experience. I really do not want to give mysslf any excuses;however, I am working full time and my fmaily are depending on me.

PA school is very competitive, you are going against people who "have the whole package" and HCE is a very important component of that package. In addition to what people have noted above regarding the value of HCE, if you apply with no direct patient experience now your chances of getting in are not good.

 

This is where you have to decide whether or not taking a lower paying job which will give you the HCE necessary to get into PA school is worth it. I am making the assumption that what you earn now in wages is no where near what you would be earning as a PA so is it worth it to you to continue what you are doing, possibly not getting in this cycle, and losing a year of salary as a PA?

 

If money is really that tight why not just get a part-time job as an EMT, CNA, etc. and get experience that way? Especially if you say you are already done with your pre-reqs.

 

Also, have you considered what is going to happen when you are in PA school for two years and cannot work?

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There are some programs where the hours required are defined differently. I would spend time carefully reading program websites and then calling the programs to double check what they require. Some schools specifically state that their hours MUST be clinical, where others may consider hours working in a medical setting but not directly with patients. You need to just do your homework and look at each program individually for yourself, since requirements may change year to year.

 

That said, I was offered interviews at Northwestern, Rosalind Franklin, and Idaho State. I was an AmeriCorps volunteer doing social work with medically under-served patients at an FQCHC, plus worked in the ER as a Unit Coordinator, and many hours of shadowing PA's in various settings. So I didn’t have clinical hours, but a different set of experiences that showed I understood the profession. It was interesting to some programs but not to others.

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I am actually shocked that Chicago programs offered an interview without having direct patient contact hours. Especially Rosalind Franklin that gets close to 3000 applications...
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