opinion

[florida2001]

I just got an opportunity to volunteer in Camillus house for homeless people in Miami. They also have clinic where they provide health care. My question is, if this is the right place to get the required hours for PA program. Still trying to find the physician or PA who allow me to shadow.

 

thank you for advice me

[Steve]

It doesn't sound like you're certified to actually provide any healthcare, therefore it wouldn't qualify.

[UGoLong]

It's a hard question to answer and depends on what your school will be looking for. From a practical matter, it would be best to get as close to the environment in which you might want to work as a PA so that you can experience what that life is like. You might find out, for example, that it's not for you.

 

You should find a place where you actually take part in healthcare, whether it be as an EMT, nursing assistant, etc. See people who aren't at their best and be responsible for some aspect of their care.

 

There is no one right way to do this. You need to fulfill the requirements of whatever programs you will be applying to, but you also need to immerse yourself enough to be sure that you are doing the right thing, as far as a career goes. This latter point is one that students -- in all professions -- have historically not done as well as they might have wished later in their lives.

 

Good luck!

[Guest MedLib42]

This depends on a couple of things: 

 

1) Whether the school(s) you're applying to accept volunteer work as healthcare experience (most don't - most require paid healthcare experience instead as a CNA, EMT, or something along those lines). Keep in mind paid healthcare experience is typically more competitive as well.

 

2) If you are applying to a school that does happen to accept volunteer work as healthcare experience (they do exist, but are less common), it will depend on what your specific duties are - are you actually talking to and/or touching patients? Are you doing things like taking histories and vitals? Are you certified or trained to do injections, blood draws, or similar procedures? If you're interacting with, and touching, the patients regularly in some way, it might count. If you're just observing or doing non-medical tasks (stocking the clinic, rooming patients, etc) it may not. 

 

Contact the schools you're looking to apply to and ask if they accept volunteer work as healthcare experience; if they do, tell them your specific job duties and ask if they count. That's really the only way you'll get a definite answer to this question.