Getting ready to *possibly* apply to PA school

[JRummy]

Hey everyone so I graduated college in 2014 with my bachelors originally intent on applying for medical school, but in the year after I graduated I was taking classes to try and boost my overall and science GPA while also knocking out remaining PA prereqs as well. Well, after doing some soul searching I finally decided that medical school wasn't really what I wanted to do in the end, and I chose to focus on going to PA school. I graduated with a 3.2 overall GPA, and about the same for my science GPA too, but I've been getting mostly A's in my science classes post-graduation so hopefully that should help when they look at my grades. I had also started working almost full-time between two jobs after graduating to support myself back home, and this year I had moved out of state to live with a roommate where I'm currently finishing classes to boost my GPA, working full-time, preparing to get married in July, and also getting my EMT certification.

 

My worry for PA school is that I don't have enough in the way of HCE/volunteer hours to even warrant applying yet, as I only have around 300 hours accumulated total throughout my time in undergrad because I was focused on trying to raise my grades after my rather terrible freshman/sophomore year. Would it be in my best interest to forgo applying for another year in order to get hours via my eventual EMT job as well as throwing in some fresh volunteer hours since I really haven't added new volunteer experience in that regard since about 2012? I figured taking a year or so between being done with classes period and sending in applications would give me enough time to get a solid amount of HCE and volunteer hours to where I have a proper balance of grades and experience to present to schools I apply to. What do you guys think?

[MyNameWasUsed]

Are you sure youre switching to PA because of soul searching or cause you think your GPA is not competitive enough for medical schools? I would say PA school is almost as competitive as MD schools and more competitive than DO schools. 

 

To actually answer your question: If you feel that your application isn't 100% ready then just wait until it is.PA schools aren't going anywhere. It really depend on the programs you want to apply to. Some programs require 0 hours and some require 2000. I would say 2000HCE is a sufficient amount. I think your plan is good. Take another year or two to prepare your application. 

[DiggySRNA]

My suggestion would be to wait until you have at least 1000 direct patient care hours under your belt. My reasoning is based on the fact that most PA schools require >1000 before you submit your application (matters even more if you have less). You also have to keep in mind you will be competing with those with even more. The application process is expensive and it wouldn't be worth it if you're already at a disadvantage...plus the emotional torture you will be putting yourself into.

[davidccs]

Look at your potential school stats, what is their average for HCE? aim for at least that or above that.

[Allegro]

Have you done any PA shadowing? It wasn't clear from your post. Most schools are going to look for that, and it would be helpful in explaining how you made your choice to move away from the DO path since you were previously considering medical school.

[optimistic3]

I say wait a year so you can get a lot more PCH and apply early. It'll also give you time to research the schools you want to apply to and save up some money for applications because it does get quite expensive!