LifeOfBoston Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I'm currently an undergrad (rising sophomore), majoring into bio. Up until several weeks ago, I thought I wanted to do nursing but then a friend in the bio department introduced me to becoming a PA and after a few hours of research and talking to him, being a PA sounds a lot more like what I want to do (I want to do stuff like preform exams, treat patients, and all that other fun stuff!). I've already taken A&P, and next year will be taking all my bio. classes needed to catch up, along with micro, gen. chem 1, org. chem 1. (Next summer I plan on taking gen. chem 2 and org. 2 as well, but at a community college, to help cut costs.) From there I will continue with all my other major required classes as well as other pre-reqs (any recommendations?). I'm doing well in my classes, especially the sciences (I've always been wired with that mindset). Next semester I also plan to take EMT training at night and start getting my HCE @ local hospitals, since I know many schools require loads of hours. On top of that, I plan to continue my volunteer work at my home hospital during summer/breaks, being a mentor for at risk youth during the school year, doing church-related volunteer/mission trips, and shadowing a PA or two. So, what I want to know is, am I on the right track for all this? I know I'm going to have to work my butt off the next several years, but I'm ready to hit this head on, because for me, this is what I truly believe my calling in life is. Any advice on the next steps to take would also be greatly appreciated! Thank you all so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Sounds like you are taking all the right steps! Many programs require at least 1000 hours and EMT is a great way to get that exposure. Best of luck to you! Keep the GPA up and try to keep it at 3.5 or higher. Many schools have around a 3.5-3.6 average GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Sounds like a well thought out plan to me. My only recommendation is to take it slow and easy and make sure you have free time to just do you...[ to just relax ]. You still have 2-3 years to do all the volunteering and mission trips so focus on a few things at once (GPA and HCE) and then volunteering/mission trips at another time when you're not consumed by academics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tavenne323 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Some schools require two part classes (Chem 1 & 2) to be taken at the same school. Check with schools you'd like to apply to. Like others have said, focus on GPA. It's the hardest to "fix." Tiffany Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyLion Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Some schools require two part classes (Chem 1 & 2) to be taken at the same school. Check with schools you'd like to apply to. Like others have said, focus on GPA. It's the hardest to "fix." Yeah... cannot emphasize the GPA part enough!!! Especially as your classes get more difficult - even if you have to sacrifice something else while taking those classes. I overloaded myself in college and my grades reflected that lol. Also, if you end up going the EMT route in the Boston area and are looking to work at one of the private ambulance companies there, feel free to message me. I can help give a list of companies to try, etc. Having done that myself... ;-) paying it forward. There are also quite a few hospitals in this area... but they tend to prefer hiring ER techs with prior healthcare experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalPA Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I agree it sounds like you have a good plan. I also want to emphasize what others have mentioned, take it slow and make sure that you plan out your courses accordingly especially when you get to the more difficult courses. If you take a pre req course during the summer make sure you understand that it's going to be accelerated and you may have to cut out some of the other things in your life to allow for that. Also, some schools will require organic chemistry and some will not, so don't take it if you don't need it. The way I viewed it, every time I took a class, I was risking my GPA. Additionally, when you become an EMT know that some schools will not count the waiting time as HCE hours so you may want to look into becoming an ER tech with the EMT license. You'll get more hours that way. I also think ER Techs get great exposure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeOfBoston Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 Thank you all so much for the advice! I really appreciate it! I'm definitely taking careful consideration into my classes and I've also thought about using the EMT cert. to do ER tech. but that will ultimately depend on who will hirer me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I've also thought about using the EMT cert. to do ER tech. but that will ultimately depend on who will hirer me. I'm in Boston too and I've applied to so many ER Tech/PCT positions and none will take my EMT license. 90% of them require CNA or Nursing Assistant experience. Luckily, I start my new job as a Nursing Assistant that I used my EMT cert to get. I wish you luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalPA Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 ^^ these are the things that need to be part of your research Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dietspam Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I'd recommend making your face known to some of your professors for science classes you're doing well in. Personally I asked questions in lectures or made excuses to visit their office hours from time to time throughout the semester. This paid off greatly when it came time to ask for letters of reference. In addition, I think shadowing a few PAs would be a good idea if you can. Hopefully it'll give you a chance to find out a little more of the good and bad parts of being a PA. I think seeing things first hand can either help fuel your fire or make you tap your brakes a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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