cam89 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 After completing my bachelors in dietetics I will complete my 9 month to 12 month internship, which will be full time. I should have by then at least 800 hours of patient care experience. Will this count to most PA schools as experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PArunner Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 It seems that it would count as patient care experience. I don't have any experience with dietetics internships but my only possible objection would be that if it involved research (see below from caspa) which it doesn't seem like it is, anyways. RESEARCH: research work you performed OUTSIDE of work you received credit for on your academic transcripts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcee Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I only counted my dietetic internship in the health related training section in CASPA. I included my paid work as an RD as my HCE. I think you cannot put what interns do and actual work in the same category. CASPA lists completing training to become an RN, CNA, EMT also in health related training, which I think is comparable. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam89 Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 I'd want to jump into PA school because my first choice was med school, but 4 more years and residency for me is not going to happen. I don't have anybody to help me out and am single, so the 2 year PA route would be more feasible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcee Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I absolutely second PAMAC's response. I had so many hours as an RD, I honestly didn't even think of the importance of including my internship hours because I valued my actual work more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpetersen Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 cam - I was in the same situation as you. I will only have about 2 years experience as an RD (by the time I enter PA school), and I had originally thought dietetic internship hours would count. I had always planned on going to PA school eventually, but figured I would work as an RD for a longer period of time. Unfortunately, I got bored and frustrated really quickly. Based on the CASPA FAQs, it really doesn't count as direct patient care experience. It's not a paid position, and even if you are doing the job of the dietitian, interacting with patients, and documenting, you still are under the supervision of a dietitian which makes it more of a "shadowing" type of experience. You can call programs directly and ask, but I highly doubt it's going to fly. Despite that, it definitely is a really good experience and you will learn A LOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpetersen Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I forgot to say... I put my hours under the "Other Health Care Experience" section and just provided a good description of how much of that time was spent in direct care versus classes and shadowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.