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Should I pursue PA?


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Age: 22

Overall Bachelors GPA: 3.624

GRE: 1050, 4.0

HCE: None

Prerequisites Completed: Stats (A), Thats It

 

 

Long story short, I was in a masters program this fall for an allied health field, and I ended up hating it, did a medical withdraw, and am now back home relaxing for the semester deciding what I want to do. I have no PA prereqs other than stats. I am now considering PA, Physical Therapy, and Imaging. If I consider pursuing PA, I will take classes and become a CNA for the next 1.5 to 2 years. With my current age, gpa, and gre. Does a career change at this point seem like a viable option?

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Your stats are pretty impressive. your GPA and GRE score will probably be your saving grace here. With you young age and minimal healthcare experience, you will have a difficult time getting in but with your scores, you may be able to help offset that by highlighting your academic side. I was totally the opposite from you. I had tons of healthcare experience (11 yrs full-time paramedic) but my GPA was quite low (3.0) due to taking classes during the day while working nights. I highlighted my clinical experience and was accepted first attempt. You can do it. It is a matter of finding the right school. Good Luck!

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Well since you have none of the PA pre-reqs yet, you should start taking them asap. You need to see if the sciences are something you will like and something you can master. Gen Chem, A&P, Orgo, Biology classes, etc, etc................then you can see what your GPA will look like and if you still have what it takes to get in.

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You can do whatever you want - seriously, you seem to know what's needed and have a decent outline of how you'd do it.

 

Do you want to? I think that's the deciding factor. Yes, a career change is possible, of course. But if I was in your position I would be thinking about what I really want to do with my life. You said you hated the masters program you were in and that it was for another health field... think about what you disliked there, if you have the drive to stick it out in a PA program, if you even want to do something medicine-related, etc.

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I have a similar question. Im 26 now and studying aviation flight and aviation management. A career in flying is fun but pay is going to suck really bad after i finish flight school. Im thinking about pursuing PA after I graduate the flight program if I cant find a stable paying job. My question is: what is the knowledge/science vs. people/communication ratio for PA's? I'm pretty good with books but im not the smiley hey "hun" how you doin? :) type. Also, what is the QOL like while in the program? How much time/money am I looking to spend if I have 0 prereqs right now? I also have a 3.6 GPA and over 5 years certified laboratory technician/phlebotomy experience. Thank you!

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Man a career change at 22 is a risky move... You'd be almost in your upper twenties by the time you had a great paying stable career! : ). But seriously, can it even be called a "change" at 22 years old?

 

Hah!, I know im really young, its just I thought I had it all figured out the last 6-7 years. Its a real bummer when you think you have it all figured out career wise for years, and then all of the sudden it sucks/flips 180. The allied health field was interesting but it wasn't "physical" enough for me, too much cognitive/behavioral/paper testing/scoring (it wasent psych by the way, lol), I have always liked working with my hands, and I believe I could enjoy doing procedures/exams all day much more than anything in the other field I was in.

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Am I the only one who finds these threads absurd? I apologize if this comes off witchy, but seriously...how are we supposed to know what the right choice for you is? These kind of questions make me think the asker has no idea what a PA is/does and is just randomly choosing something.

 

For the second questioner, I would appreciate my medical provider not calling me "hun" so I see that as a positive. But that reads like you don't like interacting with people. If you don't like working with patients, why not stay in the lab? (I'm guessing you're thinking of pay comparisons since that seems to be the basis of wanting to be a PA in the first place.)

 

Advice for both: DO SOME RESEARCH and gauge your individual responses to what you find out. Act accordingly.

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I don't think i have problem with patients since I'm sometimes drawing more than testing (really busy hospital). I'm pretty good at what I do in and out of the lab according to my peers. I'm gonna miss the hospital once I find a flying job but don't wanna close that avenue in case I get furloughed. I believe in helping people and have a can-do, get in-get it done- get out attitude. I'm just trying to get a gauge on what career switch would be like once/if i'm ready to cross that bridge.

 

A lab girl i work with told me she quit the PA program at my university b/c the clinicals aren't for everybody so I'd like to know whats so gnarly about them (she's insanely smart BTW). Also, i gave my soc/anth so I guess thats 2 less thing.

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so ill, first of all you hijacked someones thread which isn't nice. Second, at least pretend like you have done SOME research before you post here with all that. When you ask a question like "how much money will it cost me including prereqs" just shows that you haven't done a shred on your own. Yes, this is a place for information and resources, but you have to put some of your own effort into it.

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serebros, I would highly encourage you to do some soul searching. You are also a good candidate for shadowing a PA. Only you can answer if you are gonna like the work or not. But don't make the same mistake twice and go into something without knowing you'll like it. Shadow a variety of PA's and see for yourself if it is something you can do. And yes, there is still TONS of paperwork and crap involved in this profession.

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Am I the only one who finds these threads absurd? I apologize if this comes off witchy, but seriously...how are we supposed to know what the right choice for you is? These kind of questions make me think the asker has no idea what a PA is/does and is just randomly choosing something.

 

For the second questioner, I would appreciate my medical provider not calling me "hun" so I see that as a positive. But that reads like you don't like interacting with people. If you don't like working with patients, why not stay in the lab? (I'm guessing you're thinking of pay comparisons since that seems to be the basis of wanting to be a PA in the first place.)

 

Advice for both: DO SOME RESEARCH and gauge your individual responses to what you find out. Act accordingly.

 

 

No, not the only one. My filter is off kilter so it's best that I just jump on the wagon you're pulling versus chiming in.

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you have no health care experience and you have no science courses under your belt...how would you or anyone really know if the healthcare field is right for you? The sciences, depending on where you take them, are no walk in the park. So if you're prepared for a few painful years of near minimum wage and a heavy course load...by all means. I'm hoping when I finish it will all be worth it, but I truly enjoyed my path to get into PA school and getting into PA school wasn't even on my plate when I started. Sounds like for you, the healthcare experience is just a means to an ends.

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