PASOS Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I'm a junior in college and i just decided to become a PA. I have volunteered at a hospital, I plan on shadowing, joining the pre-PA club at my school and volunteering more. I have done research and I will be working as a biology laboratory technician at my school in the fall. I plan of graduating with about a 3.7 overall gpa and a 3.5 science gpa. I want to become certified as a CNA by spring and be working in the summer. I don't think that this will be enough time for me to gain a lot of hours. I know there are many schools out there that say hours are not required but recommended. Has anybody been accepted or applied to PA schools even though you had few hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 29, 2015 Moderator Share Posted July 29, 2015 it would be worthwhile for you to take a gap year and get 2000 quality hce hours under your belt. it will make you a much better PA student... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious_Ignoramus Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 There are several schools which require little or no HCE for an application. Western University in Pamona, CA, for example, said in a pre-pa live forum that they prefer students with no prior HCE. The PAEA directory is your friend here - you can peruse the various accredited program's respective admissions pages and find exactly the information you are asking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 29, 2015 Moderator Share Posted July 29, 2015 long time readers here know how I feel about the program at western after several experiences with their "students"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious_Ignoramus Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Hey I never said it's a good idea to get into professional medicine without prior experience...I can't imagine any other way based on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 29, 2015 Moderator Share Posted July 29, 2015 that was more for the OP's benefit than anyone else's. my feeling about HCE is that every program should require it. once you start taking students without hce, why don't you also forget things like prereqs and maybe skimp on rotations too, right? after all there is a precedent for that out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Febrifuge Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 it would be worthwhile for you to take a gap year and get 2000 quality hce hours under your belt. it will make you a much better PA student... Plus, it will make you a better PA for the rest of your career, OP. I agree with EMED that shortcuts should probably be viewed with some suspicion. Personally, I decided to get serious about medicine when I was about 31 years old. I started volunteering in the ER a few evenings a week after my day job was done; got my EMT-B over the summer when I turned 32; then got hired part-time in that same ER, all while working 40 hours a week. I had to go back to school for pre-reqs, so I took the plunge and applied to a post-bac when I was 34. I quit my job to start that at 35. I finished post-bac, then went back to my ER job while applying to PA programs. I had about 2000-3000 hours of paid experience by then, so my app was strong even without my awesome GRE score. I started PA school within a few days my 37th birthday, and finished the day before my 39th. Clearly, I am not someone who's into the whole "smooth and efficient" thing. But even with that background to explain my bias, I really emphasize to people that if you're making it a priority to get into a PA program without some solid experience behind you, not only do I personally think you're kind of a weak applicant, you're putting yourself at a non-trivial risk of getting most or all of the way through, and only then discovering that you don't actually want to be a PA. And nobody wants to teach that person, nobody wants to precept that person, nobody wants to hire that person, and most importantly, nobody wants to be that person. So take the time, OP. Do all the stuff you mentioned, with lots of shadowing, being active and learning all you can with the pre-PA club. Do more volunteering. But nothing is better than getting paid to be there, doing something where you work side by side with PAs (and MDs and NPs) and get the unvarnished view of what it's like. See the bad days, the boring days, get some body fluids splashed on your scrubs. If you're still sure after that, you're good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious_Ignoramus Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Agreed, Febrifuge. There are too many nuances in clinical medicine which can only be seen from behind the front desk, and after all there is no experience to replace hands-on patient care. The profession began with experienced medics, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I got accepted with around 300 hours. Apply wisely. And emedpa's post about westernU makes me sad :( i still kinda want to go there lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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