Teacher2PAC Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I would like to apply for the April 2016 PA cycle so I am working on my requirements now. I want to post my stats to see if I will be considered a strong or a weak candidate, and what suggestions you have so I can improve. Something about myself is that I am currently a full-time science teacher, I was wondering how this admissions committees would view this since my full-time profession is not one in health-care. Since I work full-time during the day I have to get all of my patient contact hours through volunteer work. So far, I have about 100 hours, and I am trying to accumulate about 1,000 hours. Each week I volunteer with an EMT crew on a 12-hour shift, and scribe at a clinic 3-6 hours per week. In the summer time I hope to increase my hours. Is it OK, all of my hours are volunteer and not paid? In terms of shadowing experience, I have shadowed an MD, and I have contacted a PA who will allow me shadow. I hope to shadow this PA on multiple occasions. I also hope to contact some more to see a variety of clinical experiences. These are my grade point average stats: Undergrad Major: Biology GPA: 3.94 Graduate Masters: Teaching Secondary Biology GPA: 4.0 My GRE: was a 300 total. Math: 149 and Reading: 151 and Writing: 4.5 In my undergrad, I did over 1,260 hours of research, I am not sure where this would count in the application. Through my research I was able to attend a national conference and publish a poster. I also had a variety of volunteer experiences and leadership positions. My volunteer experiences ranged from working in homeless shelters, to serving food at soup kitchens, to volunteering and tutoring youth. Some of my leadership positions included Vice President of Latino Student Association, Peer Mentor, University TA and tutor, and editor for our undergraduate research journal. I helped lead three trips to Latin America, and was a lead interpreter on these trips. Because of my leadership in my university, I was recognized with two awards by my university at the end of my graduation. A lot of the work that I did in my undergrad revolved around the Latino Community and promoting social justice. In my spare time I do volunteer work through my church to mentor young Latino immigrants and high school students. I speak Spanish fluently, so this helps me connect with them. In terms of certifications, I have BLS-CPR, and I will be starting an EMT course this winter to become EMT certified, hopefully by July. I also need to take medical terminology, and two courses in anatomy and physiology. I am taking medical terminology this semester, and I am taking the two anatomy courses this summer at a community college. Please let me know what you think, and how I can improve in any way! I really appreciate the support and advice, and I wish everyone a lot of luck! We can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I'd say pretty strong. You have a great undergrad and master's GPA. You've shown you can handle graduate level work. You've done research and have diverse community service experience. Definitely get the EMT cert and continue running each week as you take the course, get as many hours on the truck as you can, it's wonderful experience. Volunteer is fine. Many communities have all volunteer rescue squads. The scribing won't hurt either. Shadow a few PAs and really talk to them about their work. You don't need tons of shadowing hours, IMO, this is just for you to really get a feel for the profession. Apply to a few places and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avespa Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Your app looks good. I was a HS science teacher too prior to applying to PA school. I think there are several similarities between the two professions and you will be well prepared. Keep up the good work. I think you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 One of the better students in my PA school class was a high school science teacher. He was in his mid to late 20s at the time. He now practices in primary care in Iowa, where he was from. I mentioned him a little bit in my book about my experiences in a PA program. There is a huge advantage to be able to explain scientific concepts to patients and you have a leg up there. Your EMS experience is a great way to prove that you can deal with patients at their worst. You should be a strong candidate. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacher2PAC Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 Thank you for the replies! I really appreciate it! For Curtis_PA: I see a lot of interesting parallels between teaching and being a PA too! I was wondering if I could ask you how you decided to be a PA and did you get your clinical hours while you were teaching? For UGoLong: I will definitely check out your book! I am looking for any material about PA/ medicine that I can get my hands on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmoujoodi Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 App looks great! Teaching will help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avespa Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Thank you for the replies! I really appreciate it! For Curtis_PA: I see a lot of interesting parallels between teaching and being a PA too! I was wondering if I could ask you how you decided to be a PA and did you get your clinical hours while you were teaching? For UGoLong: I will definitely check out your book! I am looking for any material about PA/ medicine that I can get my hands on! While I was teaching, I realized I enjoyed the material (I taught A&P, chem, phys sci, health, yes 4 preps) so much that I wanted to utilize it and practice medicine. I did not accumulate my clinical hours while teaching. I hardly had any spare time as it was. After the school year, however, I began working at a hospital in order to acquire my clinical hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacher2PAC Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 About how long did it take you to obtain your clinical hours, and how much did you end up accumulating by the time you applied if you do not mind me asking? Also, it is amazing you did four preps! I currently do three, and I feel swamped often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avespa Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 About how long did it take you to obtain your clinical hours, and how much did you end up accumulating by the time you applied if you do not mind me asking? Also, it is amazing you did four preps! I currently do three, and I feel swamped often! After the school year, while looking for a job in the field, I began shadowing. Then I was fortunate to find a job and accumulated roughy 1000 hrs prior to applying (would've had many more hrs but I submitted very early in the cycle). By the time the program begins next year, I will have been working in the field for 2 years full-time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohsnapPA Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I think you have a very good chance in getting in with your GPA. Def go for the EMT to boost your HCE. If you have time and the money, you might want to retake your GRE again. A lot of schools look for above the 50%. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.