spflynn4 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hey PA forum, I've been lurking for awhile and now I'd like to consult with you experts with a situation that I'm stuck on. I'm a pre-PA taking a gap year (or two) to build up some high quality HCE after graduating college last spring. I ended up with a 3.5ish cGPA and a 3.1 sGPA, so I know that those GPA's aren't exactly blowing anybody away (meaning that I know that I need some good HCE to be a good candidate). I've been working as an Ophthalmic Technician full time, and as an EMT at events on a per diem basis, but I recently found out that there is a way that I can get an official certification for my Ophthalmic Technician job (I technically work as an uncertified Tech now, but I can obtain an official certification as an Ophthalmic Assistant, doing the same duties that I do now). In terms of admission to a PA program, would it make me a stronger candidate to have an official certification like the COA? It requires a test (basically like the test for the NCLEX or EMT), so it would take up a good portion of my time studying and reviewing material for the test. Thanks in advance for your advice, and good luck to all of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted January 12, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 12, 2015 Short answer: yes. Longer answer: Certifications always help, but some are longer and/or more involved than others, and there's no guarantee that any particular certification will be the best use of your time--that is it may help, but not as much as something else you could have done instead with your time and money. The best certifications to have are going to be the ones with the most wide recognition. I don't think the ophthalmic technician one is likely to have super wide recognition, but if it's up your alley and not a big deal to get it based on your existing HCE, go for it! On the other hand, a certification that has no direct bearing to your current certification level shows you're already growing and developing. I had ACLS and a non-EMS IV certification when the only HCE I had was as an EMT basic, and I think that helped differentiate me from all the other candidates with a few years of volunteer EMT experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spflynn4 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Short answer: yes. Longer answer: Certifications always help, but some are longer and/or more involved than others, and there's no guarantee that any particular certification will be the best use of your time--that is it may help, but not as much as something else you could have done instead with your time and money. The best certifications to have are going to be the ones with the most wide recognition. I don't think the ophthalmic technician one is likely to have super wide recognition, but if it's up your alley and not a big deal to get it based on your existing HCE, go for it! On the other hand, a certification that has no direct bearing to your current certification level shows you're already growing and developing. I had ACLS and a non-EMS IV certification when the only HCE I had was as an EMT basic, and I think that helped differentiate me from all the other candidates with a few years of volunteer EMT experience. Thank you for the response! I'm very new to the Ophthalmic Tech position, so I don't know how much weight the official certification holds. I don't think that my job duties would change hat much. I think that the main reason that I'm interested is that I think that it would show an admissions committee that I'm working to further my education during my HCE time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.