HELP! Recently decided to Pursue PA...

[Princess_Patel]

Hello all, 

 

How are you all doing? I am in my third year of college with a 3.68 GPA. I recently decided that I want to become a PA. I have heard that it is extremely difficult to get accepted into the PA programs, is that true? Also, so far I have only about 150-200 volunteer hours. How many hours do most school usually require? Does it also have to be direct patient hours or does shadowing and volunteering count? I am feeling extremely stressed because I don't want to take a break from my studies....and I am already in my 3rd year of college...  :( 

 

Thanks! 

 

[cop to pa]

Welcome here. Take a look around the site and I'll bet most, if not all, of your concerns have been addressed. Also take a look at the schools you're interested in. I'll wager they have some answers to your questions as well. Let us know what you learn, I'm sure others would want to know.  Best of luck in your studies.

[mrwhite]

Your GPA is great, keep it up there.  Each school has different requirements for HCE hours, you'll have to do the research into the different programs you're interested in.  I would suggest finishing out your degree then taking a year or two after to build healthcare experience, working in a particular field.  Then you should be set, good luck!

[Chelsey Weaver]

You're going to need anywhere from 500-3000 patient care hours. Some don't require it but you're not likely to get in if you don't have any. Most of the time volunteering doesn't count, and sometimes they require PAID hours. A common route is to get your CNA license. The average age of Pa students is about 27 yrs old and this is the primary reason why. Do what you can while you're in undergrad but put your studies first. If need be tak a year off and gain HCE.

[balsam88]

Yes it's extremely difficult if you don't have PAID health care experience. Your GPA is good, you just need to have solid hours to build a strong application

[cinntsp]

Also - you should post this stuff in the pre-PA section.

[RichardLPeeA]

All of my hours were volunteer hours, and I had a total of like 350.  So it is possible to get accepted.

 

But I recommend having as many hours as possible, having as good of a GPA as possible, having solid letters of recommendation, and some extra curricular or research.  Oh and it wouldn't hurt to not have a terrible GRE score.

 

There is little correlation between past health care experience and actually passing the PANCE (at least at my program, to be more specific).  I'll parrot what others on here have said, do CNA or EMT, especially that you're a junior in college that should give you a little bit of time to get in some solid hours, and actually make a few dollars in the process, and having a gig to fall back on if your PA program has any vacation time.  You can PM me if you need more info or specific advice.

[Guest MedLib42]

I have heard that it is extremely difficult to get accepted into the PA programs, is that true? 

 

It is. Many programs have several thousand applicants (many of which are from quality applicants) for anywhere from 15-60 seats. That's a lot of competition. But don't let it dissuade you if it's what you really want to do - you just need to be prepared to work hard on your application. 

 

 Also, so far I have only about 150-200 volunteer hours. How many hours do most school usually require?

 

Depends on the school. There are about 50 schools that don't require any healthcare experience, about 50 that only recommend it, and a little over a hundred that require it. Out of the schools that require it, the number varies greatly - you can find schools that ask for a minimum of 100 patient contact hours, right up to schools that want 1,000 or more. Keep in mind, though, that many applicants go in with a couple thousand hours at least, so you may need to get to that point to be competitive (depending on where you apply).

 

Does it also have to be direct patient hours or does shadowing and volunteering count? 

 

Shadowing never counts as healthcare experience, but it is typically required separately, so it's something you need to do. As far as healthcare experience: yes, it has to be direct contact. There are some schools that will allow volunteer work as long as the majority of your duties include actually touching patients and providing care (bathing/toileting, home care, injections, blood draws, etc). Other schools require that the healthcare experience be paid only, and will not accept any type of volunteer work. There are even a few that require you be certified in the field you have healthcare experience in (CNA, MA, EMT, etc). 

 

 I am feeling extremely stressed because I don't want to take a break from my studies....and I am already in my 3rd year of college...  :( 

 

 

I wouldn't worry about overextending yourself to get all the requirements in just yet. Start with shadowing a PA for now - that can be done in little bits that you can schedule around your schoolwork. It will help you decide if the field is really right for you, and will fulfill a requirement for admission (shoot for 50+ hours, and try to shadow several PAs). 

 

And start researching schools. They all have different prerequisite classes they require, so you'll need to know which prerequisite classes you need to fulfill for the schools you're interested in. They also all have different minimums with regard to shadowing and healthcare experience, and different GPA requirements. For any schools you're interested in, you'll want to look up the stats for the accepted students that the schools publish online (most do, anyway) and rather than shooting for the minimums required by the school, shoot for meeting similar stats (GPA, HCE, etc) of the most recently accepted applicant pool. 

 

Great place to research schools: http://directory.paeaonline.org/

 

Also, keep in mind that some people wind up taking a year after graduation (or more) to work in the healthcare field and continue boosting their app before they apply, so this may be an option if you're not able to fit everything you need into the next year or two.