pa456 Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Hi, all. I received my BS in biology a year ago and for the past year have been pursuing opportunities in research. However, for several reasons, I've decided to change directions and become a PA. I've looked into professions that I feel I would enjoy and would allow me to obtain health care experience, too, and from the few I've researched I feel that medical assisting would be the best fit. My issue is whether it is worth it or not to spend a year completing an MA program. I know that many MA's are not certified and did not complete programs to obtain their positions but I feel that without any experience in this field I would probably not get hired. I guess I would just appreciate any feedback some of you might have about my current plans. I've looked into jobs like cna's and emt's that take less time to prepare for but I don't think I'd like certain parts of the work and I feel that medical assisting is something I could work in for a while if my acceptance into PA school takes a few tries. Thank for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedra Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 You could consider completing a CNA program and working in a hospital setting, or phlebotomy. They are both shorter programs and you would be able to be out gaining HCE much sooner than spending a year doing an MA program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budmint Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 You might also consider using your research background to move into clinical research. We've had a few people at my job (I'm a clinical research coordinator) who've moved from bench research to clinical research because they want to get HCE. At my clinic I definitely get more depth and variety of patient care experience than the MAs; the trade off is that I also have to do more paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 26, 2011 Moderator Share Posted December 26, 2011 You might also consider using your research background to move into clinical research. We've had a few people at my job (I'm a clinical research coordinator) who've moved from bench research to clinical research because they want to get HCE. At my clinic I definitely get more depth and variety of patient care experience than the MAs; the trade off is that I also have to do more paperwork. may programs do not consider clinical research to be direct pt care. talk to the programs you are interested in before you start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 26, 2011 Administrator Share Posted December 26, 2011 If you're a traditional-age student, consider going the MD/DO route. Research is a bigger benefit in medical school application processes than it is for PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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