Current UCF student looking for a shadowing opportunity in Orlando, Fl.

[keydanielle]

I am a Senior graduating in the summer and will be applying for the 2011 admission year for PA schools. I have previous professional experience working for a medical malpractice law firm and shadowing a plastic surgeon in the OR room. I have full availability starting May 2 and would appreciate any opportunity presented.

Thank you,

Danielle Key

[jessbpa]

Danielle,

Did you have any luck with this? I'm a student at UCF applying for 2012 admission for PA schools and want to know how your experience was. Did you apply to any of the Nova locations or UF?

Also, if you have any doctors/PA's you shadowed and are willing to accept more students, I would love to get in contact with them.

 

Thanks and good luck with your endeavors!

[keydanielle]

The pre-health advising office with Dr. Lopez has semester internships available. I would stop by ASAP and ask for the application in the HPA building as they have deadlines for accepting students. The only shadowing I was able to do was through them. The pre-med AMSA and pre-PA groups on campus have guest speakers and some of them pass on their information to allow shadowing. Join one of those groups if possible. I applyed to Nova Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, UF, Keiser, Barry, and Yale. I was offered interviews for all but UF. From others I have meet, I heard UF tends to prefer more healthcare hours than the other Florida schools. I applyed through CASPA early and received all my interview dates by October. I was accepted to Nova Fort Lauderdale and withdrew my application from some other schools. For letters of recommendations, most schools want 2 letters from health care professionals and one can be from your choice. I originally did a packet from UCF, one doctor I shadowed, and a former employer. I was contacted by Nova and Keiser to produce another healthcare letter. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

[samilcka]

@KeyDanielle

 

I am in the Orlando area and was wondering if you could pass along the names and/or contact info for any of the PA's you shadowed. Thank you!

[Georgette25]

Hi Keydanielle,

 

I am currently attending VCC for pre-reqs with only the chemistry sequential courses and medical terminology left to complete. I already have a Bachelor's from another institution and my HCE is very minimal--1.5 years as a health interviwer at NU. I am concerned that PA programs are looking for emergency care experience and I have been debating the option of going through an EMT program for a semester and then hopefully get an additional year of EMT work under my belt. Do you think this might not be necessary? I have a 3.9 GPA and it takes a lot for me to maintain it. If I were to work as an EMT I have a feeling it would sabotage my academic career...

 

Any advice?

[just_me]

it doesnt have to be emergency room experience ....simply direct patient contact experience.....I have 1yr phlebotomy experience from Floridas Blood Centers, some time with a clinical research facility in Orlando and over 6mos as a medical assistant (with no certification)--I was granted 5 interviews, declined one and accepted to 3 programs. a CNA program is really quick and can get you the hands on

 

i didnt apply to too many FL programs but Nova has lots of seats so applying to all of their campuses seems like a good idea

 

UF recommends 2k hours of direct patient contact but looking at their student profile, they have taken at least 1 student with no HCE but I would assume they have a super high GPA (overall and science), a spectacular GRE among other things. From my experience it would seem with UF your academic status is very important and then everything else.

Hi Keydanielle,

 

I am currently attending VCC for pre-reqs with only the chemistry sequential courses and medical terminology left to complete. I already have a Bachelor's from another institution and my HCE is very minimal--1.5 years as a health interviwer at NU. I am concerned that PA programs are looking for emergency care experience and I have been debating the option of going through an EMT program for a semester and then hopefully get an additional year of EMT work under my belt. Do you think this might not be necessary? I have a 3.9 GPA and it takes a lot for me to maintain it. If I were to work as an EMT I have a feeling it would sabotage my academic career...

 

Any advice?

[keydanielle]

I'm not sure what your background is but I can tell you that it is not necessary to go out of your way to get the EMT training. Honestly, I only had one semester of interning through my college, which was about 6 hours a week, listed when I applyed to PA school. It was with 2 MD plastic surgeons and they both wrote me excellent letters of recommendations. I never shadowed a PA. I was offered 5 interviews from the 6 I applyed to including Yale. UF did not but they like have candidates with lots of experience. I do however have a history of medical situations between myself and my family that I wrote in my personal statement that one school pointed out as being as important as shadowing. The others never mentioned not having a lot of health care hours during my interviews. I feel if you've gone straight to college from high school they like to see that you've gone out and experienced the field by having a lot of hours, but if you're older like myself, other work or life experiences can compensate for a lack of. But remember, it also depends on the schools you apply to. You can go to each programs' website and check requirements for healthcare hours. Some require a minimum and some just recommend an average amount of hours. Hope this helps.