Slimboy Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hi everyone, I know what die hard PAs are going to say. I will admit PA school is a plan B for me. I'm concrened I won't be accepted to medical school so I'm going to apply to PA schools this cycle as well as medical schools. My main question is which schools should I apply to? My stats: 3.9 gpa from small state school Gre: not planning to take PC hours: volunteer Emt and some hospital volunteering. By April I'll have 200 hours. However I may start working as medical scribe increasing my PC hours to 1500. Shadowing: 30 hours shadowing a doc, I have a recommendation letter from him but don'tknow if it's medical school specific. - i can Prob find a pa to shadow over winter break. 2 semesters research investigation of neurotransmitter signaling ( nothing major really) I also have other EC , tutoring, science mentoring high schoolers. I'm looking for around 5 pa programs to apply to, they can't require gre as I won't be taking. Also schools that don't require much PC hours. Not looking for competitive programs that I have a slim chance at. I haven't taken a&p plan to take my senior year, haven't taken medical terminology course either, don't know where to take one. I understand Pa school is not a walk in the park, and I hope my question didn't make it seem that way. It's only a plan B beacause I have always wanted to be a physician. I have much respect for PAs as one of my best friends is in a program right now and it's not easy. Advice would be much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatChecko Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 To be honest, you seem a bit scattered and need to figure out, one, what you want to be, a physician or a PA, and two, a plan to make that happen. As for becoming a PA... I'd suggest you shadow a PA and see if it is something you see yourself doing. Yes, PAs practice medicine, but we sit in a very different spot than physicians. You need to want to become a PA and be able to communicate that intelligently. Also, this is what will motivate you in the tough moments that inevitably will come while in a PA program. In terms of programs, only you can figure out the best fit when it comes to a school and there's no easy way to do it other than good ol' fashioned research. I think we've all had to set aside the time and figure out what part of the country we want to study, what programs best fit the prereqs that we could take, etc. Each program is competitive in their own way. I don't think any has a lack of applicants for a limited number of spots. Take a look at the applicant profiles for each program and see where you would fit best. With a 3.9 GPA, academically you shouldn't have any limits, unless there is something else going on which you haven't mentioned. Again, figure out a way forward from where you are at and work to make it happen. Here's a good place to start: http://directory.paeaonline.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 15, 2014 Administrator Share Posted December 15, 2014 You will need to take the GRE--all the programs that would favor you as a candidate are MS programs and require the GRE. Honestly, without a good answer to "Why do you want to be a PA?", you won't get an acceptance. Inasmuch as there is a universal PA school interview question, that's it. Even if you go through everything, the interview sorts out the final acceptances, and I've seen how a failure to give a kick-butt, heartfelt answer self-selects for interview failure and getting not-even-waitlisted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Why not apply MD/DO (only) this year, and consider applying PA next year (when you have more HCE) if med school doesn't work out? Also, some schools accept the MCAT as a substitute for the GRE (Penn State and Tufts both come to mind). Also, the GRE is not hard. (i.e. Take it, and see how you do.) Sounds like you could use a little time to get your ducks in a row anyway. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimboy Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Thanks greatchecko. Rev... There's actually two pa programs that offer MS degrees and they both don't require gre in my small state.... Do schools that don't require gre get more applicants? Is there a way to view this information? Zoo- I just don't have time to take the gre as I'll be preparing for my mcat. Yes I was actually considering what u recommended but don't see a major problem in applying to 5 programs on the side u know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimboy Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 To add on to that, is it easier for males to get into pa programs since females dominate the field? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 From what I can tell, most schools consider the GRE to be just a check box on the application (rather than really scrutinizing your scores). Just sign up to take it a few weeks after you take the MCAT. Or take it a few weeks before the MCAT as prep. As long as you don't do terribly, it should open doors for you--not to mention your MCAT math (i.e. physics) and verbal are reasonable preparation for the GRE. Just give it a shot, and see how you do! You don't have to submit if you don't do well, and you won't need to take it until next spring. And no, as far as I can tell, schools don't seem to be recruiting men. I do know nursing (NP) programs do tend to favor men. Everything I've learned about PA is that it's less the case in this field. It's all about interpersonal skill once you've made the interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I know what die hard PAs are going to say. I will admit PA school is a plan B for me. I'm concrened I won't be accepted to medical school so I'm going to apply to PA schools this cycle as well as medical schools. I understand Pa school is not a walk in the park, and I hope my question didn't make it seem that way. It's only a plan B beacause I have always wanted to be a physician. I have much respect for PAs as one of my best friends is in a program right now and it's not easy. This may cause a personal crisis for you (sooner or later), should you be accepted to PA school and not into medical school. It's not a good plan B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Devil's advocate here... Assuming one's interests are in a) studying medical science, b) treating patients, and c) making a fair living in healthcare, why wouldn't PA be a reasonable choice for someone who's not accepted into medical school? Think of it this way... Assume med school is completely off the board (i.e., as in, not accepted). Should OP then become an accountant? or a math teacher? or a farmer? Would those professions be more appropriate or fulfilling? To me, it doesn't seem like there's any profession much more similar to being a doctor than being a PA (except maybe being a Naturopath in a state like Oregon or an NP where NPs roam free). If med school is removed from one's list of choices, the PA profession seems a perfectly awesome way to serve patients in an intelligent capacity. Not to mention, if I had a dollar for every doctor who told me they'd "go PA" if they had to do it again today, I'd have enough money to fund PA school next year (i.e. doctors don't t seem to think it's much different from what they're doing). Food for thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Devil's advocate here... Assuming one's interests are in a) studying medical science, b) treating patients, and c) making a fair living in healthcare, why wouldn't PA be a reasonable choice for someone who's not accepted into medical school? Think of it this way... Assume med school is completely off the board (i.e., as in, not accepted). Should OP then become an accountant? or a math teacher? or a farmer? Would those professions be more appropriate or fulfilling? To me, it doesn't seem like there's any profession much more similar to being a doctor than being a PA (except maybe being a Naturopath in a state like Oregon or an NP where NPs roam free). If med school is removed from one's list of choices, the PA profession seems a perfectly awesome way to serve patients in an intelligent capacity. Not to mention, if I had a dollar for every doctor who told me they'd "go PA" if they had to do it again today, I'd have enough money to fund PA school next year (i.e. doctors don't t seem to think it's much different from what they're doing). Food for thought... I think a person could legitimately say "I really just want to treat people/ practice medicine" and not care if they got into PA or MD/DO, and just go wherever they got in first. This person is probably a little rare based on what one must go through to be a qualified applicant for both, as usually by then one has an ideal of what they desire to be. The OP used the specific language "I've always wanted to be a physician", which carries a much different connotation than "I just really want to practice medicine, however I can". PA is as close to a being a doc as you get in allopathic medicine. But I think making PA school a "compromise" is a dangerous situation if one wants to be doctor first and foremost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 PACDan: You're right that disappintment results when hopes and dreams are dashed. The question to consider, however, is: once the #1 route is off the table and one has licked his wounds, what, then, is the best course of action? Fair to consider, though, has op yet exhausted his resources and efforts to achieve goal #1? Many doctors had to apply several times to get into med school. OP: There's great wisdom in the cliche saying "Everything happens for a reason." Work hard, do everything you can, and make the best of finding happiness and purpose wherever you end up. Rejection happens for a reason; so does acceptance. Dan has a point: shoot for the stars first. But there's always a place waiting for those who work for it. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimboy Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Actually as a 5 year old I wanted to be the president of the United states. Grew out of that and looked for a more reasonable career. I can insert one line talking about PAs in my med school personal statement and I'm sure not one single PA will start questioning me about my loyalty to the PA profession. At the end I want to be responsible for people's health and use knowledge of medicine to treat these people. At the same time I want to be able to put food on the table. I don't want to spend years trying to become a physician or the president for that matter. I cannot even tell the difference between a doctor and a PA when I'm in the hospital. I have to look really closely with my glasses to see the two letters after the name. The reason I'm going for medicine, is because I would love to go back home and treat people ( doctors without boarders). Also PA isn't really recognized by the international community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I cannot even tell the difference between a doctor and a PA when I'm in the hospital. I have to look really closely with my glasses to see the two letters after the name. The reason I'm going for medicine, is because I would love to go back home and treat people ( doctors without boarders). Also PA isn't really recognized by the international community. I think this is a very true statement, when viewed from the outside. Once on the other side of the fence, it really will vary. Sometimes (besides pay, title, and regulations) there will be no effective difference between the PA and the doc. And other times there will be huge, glaring, frustrating, cavernous differences; and sometimes all for the dumbest reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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