Apollo1 Posted March 4, 2015 Hi everyone, found this place via SDN and have a few questions for y'all (w/ basic background info): I started going back to school in August '13, and originally was set on trying to enter med school; I had a poor academic background, but rebounded when I transferred institutions for the last 1.5 years of my B.A. So far, I've aced all of the classes I've taken in my post-bac, and some recent discussions with persons at a community hospital I volunteer at have had me considering PA vs. MD/DO. 1. I understand that CASPA does not do grade-replacement; retaking the classes I did poorly in is not viable (as they are nowhere near healthcare related). Do I just continue with the science pre-reqs to bolster my cGPA, or is there something else I can add on to them? 2. I'm a spot under 30 yrs. old, and I'm not so sure about giving up an entire decade of my life to the training required for med school/residency. There are other things that I want for my life, and they are pretty much mutually exclusive to this. However, I have this feeling that I'm missing something here? 3. In terms of HCE, I've recently considered obtaining a CNA license so that I could possibly do more things in my volunteer capacity (ED). However, I've seen mixed messages on here about CNA value in HCE vs. EMT value. Is there any newer consensus regarding this? 4. I currently work full-time for a major law firm; would adcom's consider this employment, etc. as an EC, or would I need to shift into a healthcare job setting for the employment to carry more weight? 5. Partially because of my age, and partially because of my own experience(s) w/ healthcare, I see myself more into the clinical aspects of the field vs. the research aspects. I've already set up an introduction with some PA's at the ED I volunteer in, and I currently shadow an IM doc who is a preceptor for PA's; is there anything else I should be doing at this point regarding shadowing, or do I have it covered at the moment? Thanks for any help given, and I'm looking forward to being part of this community.
paforward Posted March 5, 2015 I think the only value difference between CNA and EMT is the length of education. It takes far less timing and education (where I'm in, at least) to get a CNA certification than an EMT. Both are well valued at the schools in my area, so I guess the decision would be up to you. If you want to keep a full time job to be able to pay bills, maybe getting a CNA cert to get HCE part-time is a better route.
UGoLong Posted March 9, 2015 I have done volunteer and part-time paid EMS for 30 years while I held other, better paying jobs. Still ride twice a month, even after being a PA for 9 years. That route might work for you as well.
ilovelost Posted March 9, 2015 If the bad grades were in classes not relevant to the PA route, I wouldn't worry about those. I'd continue with the science pre-requisite classes and taking advanced science courses. Try for programs that focus more on your last 40-60 credits, like EVMS in Virginia.
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