Burgundy Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Hello! As you can guess by my post count I'm new. I just graduated college with degrees in biology and chemistry. After shadowing PAs, NPs and doctors at a top medical center and some soul searching, I've realized that I could be a really successful PA. The main thing that I lack right now is unfortunately the most important part: healthcare experience. The community college in my hometown is offering classes soon to become certified as an EKG technician or a phlebotomist. I was wondering if those would be good ways to get the much needed healthcare experience or should I wait until the more traditional CNA or EMT classes become available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastudentw Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I'm currently a PA student (only 3 weeks in). My main patient care experience job before PA school was working as an EKG tech. Our set up was two classes we took through the hospital. We performed all EKGs for the entire hospital, even outpatients in some clinics that were located inside the hospital. I didn't have a formal EMT, CNA or MA certificate and just took the classes that were offered at the hospital although they were not really a recognized certificate. I would definitely recommend doing a certificate program if you have the time and money, otherwise see if you can just do on the job training. I found EKG to be a great patient care job and experienced good raises as I got more experienced reading EKGs and other cardiac monitors which was a perk compared to some other tech jobs. Obviously every hospital set up will be different. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newton9686 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Both are obviously very limited healthcare experiences (like the majority of HCE). My vote as far as a valuable skill would be phlebotomy. While blood draws are way easier than starting an IV obviously, the ability to gain intravenous access on a difficult patient is a critical skill for a PA in the emergency setting. But again, the main goal is to get health care experience by any means possible. Ultimately, whatever you do is probably going to be of little help when you become a PA other than the ability to talk to patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhizopus Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Not sure where you work newton but no PAs or MDs start IVs in our ED. Nurses rarely start IVs. It's all techs. Phleb is not a valuable skill. Getting experience reading EKGs is much more valuable. Many a student struggle reading EKGs for the first time as PA students. I did. Much better to start practicing now. I say go EMT if you know you can find work as an EMT in your area. You want to be able to set yourself up to manage patients and give proper assessments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panglossian Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 What is your timeline/finances like? Perhaps you could start out as an EKG Tech or phlebotomist and then gain EMT/CNA certification if you find you want to try doing other types of HCE and the classes for certification become available. Additionally it will be easier to get a job as an EMT/CNA if you already work in a health care setting. I would also add some employers might be willing to provide tuition remission/reimbursement for the EMT/CNA certification if your manager wants you to progress into those sorts of positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy Posted January 25, 2017 Author Share Posted January 25, 2017 What is your timeline/finances like? Perhaps you could start out as an EKG Tech or phlebotomist and then gain EMT/CNA certification if you find you want to try doing other types of HCE and the classes for certification become available. Additionally it will be easier to get a job as an EMT/CNA if you already work in a health care setting. I would also add some employers might be willing to provide tuition remission/reimbursement for the EMT/CNA certification if your manager wants you to progress into those sorts of positions. My finances are poor as I come from a low-income background. I have a non-healthcare job I'm going to be starting soon. Luckily my job does provide tuition reimbursement, so I'll talk to my manager after I've worked there for a bit. I'm currently a PA student (only 3 weeks in). My main patient care experience job before PA school was working as an EKG tech. Our set up was two classes we took through the hospital. We performed all EKGs for the entire hospital, even outpatients in some clinics that were located inside the hospital. I didn't have a formal EMT, CNA or MA certificate and just took the classes that were offered at the hospital although they were not really a recognized certificate. I would definitely recommend doing a certificate program if you have the time and money, otherwise see if you can just do on the job training. I found EKG to be a great patient care job and experienced good raises as I got more experienced reading EKGs and other cardiac monitors which was a perk compared to some other tech jobs. Obviously every hospital set up will be different. Good luck! Congrats on being a brand new PA student! My local hospital has a job listing for EKG tech that doesn't require any certification (so I applied to that, haven't heard back) but I figured if I can take a course and get certified, that might increase my job prospects. Thank you to everyone who responded! I truly appreciate any feedback and suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prepa1112 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 My finances are poor as I come from a low-income background. I have a non-healthcare job I'm going to be starting soon. Luckily my job does provide tuition reimbursement, so I'll talk to my manager after I've worked there for a bit. I came from the same background, so I became an ophthalmic technician and had tons of PCE. Optometrists and Ophthalmologists are always looking to train technicians and you rarely need any certifications. So I was trained on the job, and now I'll be starting my program in May :) Something different worth considering, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needmorecoffee Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I worked as a behavioral health tech for a year on a psych unit which did not require any prior training. Then I took a CNA class and transferred to the CVICU which has been an amazing learning experience, with the added benefit of picking up extra shifts in the neuro/trauma icu. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newton9686 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 PAs and MDs don't traditionally start IVs but if you have a PT with a bp of 60/40 and hemodynamically unstable, you need to be that go to guy/gal. But again if you've never experienced this; I understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 26, 2017 Moderator Share Posted January 26, 2017 the best experience is something that encompasses multiple skills and procedures as opposed to only doing 1 skill like ekg or venipuncture. medical assistant, can, military medic, emt, paramedic, resp therapist, lpn, rn, etc all fit that bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.