FcMike11 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 At time of application (May) will have been an ICU nurse for 4 years (5 total as a nurse-1 year in rehab facility). Approximately 3.3 GPA, science may be a little higher, only missing genetics, microbiology, immunology (according to UTMB, I know the schools vary). I will have some volunteer experience doing vision and hearing screening for my local community. Will get shadowing done and have 3 letters, at least (one from a former UTMB graduate, physician and science advisor). Will also take my GRE around december. I am really unfamiliar with what is considered competitive for PA school and how RN's and such are viewed, and where my GPA puts me. Will be applying to all Texas PA schools. Could use any feedback or tips :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted September 30, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 30, 2014 First, how are you a nurse without microbio? I thought this was a pretty universal prereq. Don't worry about taking genetics or immunology unless your sGPA is below a 3.5 or a school you want to go to requires it. Not many do. You GPA is slightly low for average student, but your ICU RN experience should make up for it plenty. You'll obviously get questions of why not NP or CRNA, ect. Work out those answers before the interview. You'll do fine as long as you don't come off as over-confident. Good luck O'neal 4 year ICU RN, PA-S grad Dec. '14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FcMike11 Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 First, how are you a nurse without microbio? I thought this was a pretty universal prereq. Don't worry about taking genetics or immunology unless your sGPA is below a 3.5 or a school you want to go to requires it. Not many do. You GPA is slightly low for average student, but your ICU RN experience should make up for it plenty. You'll obviously get questions of why not NP or CRNA, ect. Work out those answers before the interview. You'll do fine as long as you don't come off as over-confident. Good luck O'neal 4 year ICU RN, PA-S grad Dec. '14 I have microbiology, I actually just wasn't sure if I needed to retake it. I took it over 6 years ago or so and was a little concerned it may not of been for science majors. The schools I have looked at so far (UTMB,Texas Tech, few other Texas schools) do require genetics and a few additional science course. I wish this was the case, the genetics at my university is known to be awful. I actually graduated from nursing school with a 2.9, so since 2011 I have had primarily all A's with a few B's, hopefully upward trend gets a decent look at well. I have definitely struggled with medical school/CRNA/NP and after a lot of deliberation this was my decision. I plan to address in my PS as well. Thank you for your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 GPA is low but I think if you apply broadly including out of state you will get in for sure. Applying locally you may or may not get in. I hope you do because I think that's a great background for PA profession. I do myself wonder why you don't want to go into critical care NP program. Average GPA is 3.6 but average HCE is (randomly guessing) 1-2 years as CNA or emt with your type of experience being the minority. Best of luck and I do think you'll get in but I encourage you to apply broadly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FcMike11 Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 GPA is low but I think if you apply broadly including out of state you will get in for sure. Applying locally you may or may not get in. I hope you do because I think that's a great background for PA profession. I do myself wonder why you don't want to go into critical care NP program. Average GPA is 3.6 but average HCE is (randomly guessing) 1-2 years as CNA or emt with your type of experience being the minority. Best of luck and I do think you'll get in but I encourage you to apply broadly! I will definitely apply broadly, but first preference is Texas (family). Will assess and apply intelligently out of state as well. I very much prefer the PA model of training. I several friends in online NP programs and after looking at their curriculum, PA school offers the best training for me to become a competent practitioner. I really hope my Healthcare experience is enough to overlook my early freshman stupidity (GPA), because I will do whatever it takes to get INTO PA school, even if it takes more then one application cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Gotcha. We had an RN in my program and i met a couple during rotations (rn to PA). I would apply to all TX schools and also nearby states for a total of around 11-12 programs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Bars Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 You sound like a competitive applicant to me. Your GPA is probably "acceptable" and your HCE is "fantastic." I agree with applying to several schools, though, not putting all your eggs in one basket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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