It's my senior undergrad year and now I want to become a PA....

[mtran4]

Hi all!

I need some help. I'm in my last year of undergrad finishing my bachelors with a psychology with applied behavior analysis major, human sexuality minor, and women and gender studies minor. I have a heavy social science background as you can see. 

 

I recently realized that I would like to change my career option and become a PA. I'm very limited though, it's my last semester and I only have 16 credits left which is just what I could use to complete pre-req's at the University of Detroit Mercy for their program which are:

 

Nutrition

Medical Ethics

Microbiology

Physiology

Developmental Psychology 

Statistics

 

I have developmental psychology down and statistics, so all I would need is 12 credits to complete these pre-reqs. I could honestly take these classes this summer, but some of them are online.

 

I also have to take the GRE, but my GPA is a 3.85 and I do see it going up to a 3.9 at the end of this semester. I am also in the process of looking for direct care hours at a hospital. 

My questions are:

 

1. Even without a hard science background would I still stand a chance? 

2. I am a Michigan resident and this school is only about 20 minutes away which is great for me, but I am only applying to this program since others have a lot more pre-reqs and I don't have time, should I just let this idea go or just try?

3. Would taking classes online be seen as bad? (Such as physio, microbiology, and medical ethics)

3. Help?!?!?!

 

I need some insight, please be honest with me.

The reason for the sudden career change is the fact that while being a mental health provider was my ultimate goal, I also need to make a living to live a comfortable life. School for psychology is expensive, long, and very research oriented. I think being a PA is pretty similar to my goal and would be very rewarding as well.

 

Thanks for your time, I appreciate any help at all.

If you're currently in the program I would love to hear from your application process and degree experience. Please do email me at mtran4@emich.edu.

[PACrankset]

Firstly your degree background doesn't make a huge difference, you will find that people have all sorts of backgrounds. I was accepted and my undergrad is in graphic design.

Only applying to one school does significantly limit your chances of getting in, but if you have the money to apply anyway go for it. My advice find some other programs that you can get the pre-reqs done at and apply those places as well. Generally online classes are fairly widely accepted, some schools what in person labs but other than that you should be fine.

I will warn you if you think psychology schooling is long and expensive, PA school is not that different. Depending on where you end up going I would expect to take on anywhere from 40,000 to over 100,000 in debt for PA school.

[MT2PA]

Good advice above.

 

I'll add:  online classes are usually fine UNLESS they are a 'hard science' that requires a lab with it (i.e physiology, microbiology).  You'll almost certainly need to take those in person.

 

If you don't have anything that qualifies as hands on patient care experience (most schools will define this on their website) then, well, you don't stand much of a chance anywhere.  

 

You're not a shoe-in right now but if you're willing to put in the work your undergrad degree won't hold you back.

 

Browse the pre-PA section and you'll find many of the answers you're looking for.

[SedRate]

2. I am a Michigan resident and this school is only about 20 minutes away which is great for me, but I am only applying to this program since others have a lot more pre-reqs and I don't have time, should I just let this idea go or just try?

3. Help?!?!?!

 

I need some insight, please be honest with me.

The reason for the sudden career change is the fact that while being a mental health provider was my ultimate goal, I also need to make a living to live a comfortable life. School for psychology is expensive, long, and very research oriented. I think being a PA is pretty similar to my goal and would be very rewarding as well.

 

Are you planning on going into psych as a PA? Have you considered RN and then NP school? Both do well in psych. There are benefits to pursuing either path and they each have their unique qualities. There are several threads on this forum that you can browse through to look into this further. I'd urge you to evaluate both options so you don't make a brash decision. PA school is a large time, energy, financial, and social commitment.

 

Only applying to one school limits your chances, especially with minimal patient contact. You can try applying this year and see what happens. But once again, please make sure you're ready to take on the PA career before applying. It can be a great career for the right person.

[anewconvert]

Here is some reassurance:  You are getting ready to graduate undergrad.  You have all the time in the world. 

 

 

If PA school is what you WANT (not a, hey-this-could-be-fun kind of thing) then you are going to need to get patient care hours.  While you are doing that you will have plenty of time to get the pre-reqs that will allow you to apply to more than one school, greatly increasing your odds of getting accepted. 

 

Long story short, to be competitive you are looking at 1 year at the minimum of full time work, probably two years.  That means you are looking at likely 4-6 years before you are done with PA school and working (2 to get hours, 2 to get through PA school and probably a slack year or two applying and reapplying to get into PA school since many people have to apply more than once).  So slow down, get your ducks in a row and don't try to cram in a few classes in hopes of getting in asap.  Do it right.

[SirScottric]

Hello fellow Michigander! I noticed your emich email address. I am currently attending EMU's PA program and will be finished with the didactic portion in May. Just a warning: if cost is one of your determining factors for graduate school, then you should be aware that Mercy's program is the most expensive program in the state (~$100,000 compared to other Michigan programs of $40,000-$70,000). If you liked EMU for your undergraduate, I'll provide you with a shameless plug for EMU's PA program. I've really enjoyed the program so far and the first graduating class had their PANCE scores revealed last semester (100% pass rate!). My advice would be don't rush into applying to schools until you get a feel for which school you think is a good fit for you. Certainly apply for UDM this cycle if you can and think it will be a good fit for you. But, don't be deterred from taking a few more pre-reqs if you don't get in and apply to a larger number of schools next cycle. 

 

Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any more questions!

[mtran4]

Firstly your degree background doesn't make a huge difference, you will find that people have all sorts of backgrounds. I was accepted and my undergrad is in graphic design.

Only applying to one school does significantly limit your chances of getting in, but if you have the money to apply anyway go for it. My advice find some other programs that you can get the pre-reqs done at and apply those places as well. Generally online classes are fairly widely accepted, some schools what in person labs but other than that you should be fine.

I will warn you if you think psychology schooling is long and expensive, PA school is not that different. Depending on where you end up going I would expect to take on anywhere from 40,000 to over 100,000 in debt for PA school.

Thank you for the advice and insight. I believe that to be a PA would be a better fit since it's 2 years, not 5-6 years long for a clinical psychologist. Also salary after graduation makes a difference in paying off that debt from school. You mentioned you were accepted, how do you like the program? 

[mtran4]

Hello fellow Michigander! I noticed your emich email address. I am currently attending EMU's PA program and will be finished with the didactic portion in May. Just a warning: if cost is one of your determining factors for graduate school, then you should be aware that Mercy's program is the most expensive program in the state (~$100,000 compared to other Michigan programs of $40,000-$70,000). If you liked EMU for your undergraduate, I'll provide you with a shameless plug for EMU's PA program. I've really enjoyed the program so far and the first graduating class had their PANCE scores revealed last semester (100% pass rate!). My advice would be don't rush into applying to schools until you get a feel for which school you think is a good fit for you. Certainly apply for UDM this cycle if you can and think it will be a good fit for you. But, don't be deterred from taking a few more pre-reqs if you don't get in and apply to a larger number of schools next cycle. 

 

Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any more questions!

Hi fellow eagle! Thanks for the help. That's awesome that you're in the PA program at EMU, congrats! I've seen that it is super competitive. The cost matters a lot regarding salary after being a professional, because starting salary isn't too high for psychologists, so I wanna be able to pay the debt off and live, lol. Tbh, about the pre-reqs, I'm really scared with chem. I don't like chemistry and I struggled very badly in freaking fundamentals of chemistry, I got a C, and had to retake it. As I look at the courses and curriculum for PA's there's nothing to direct with chem other than pharmacology? (Still pretty biology based) It's sad but I'm looking for programs that don't have this requirement due to my menial math skills as well, but there's close to none. 

[Guest HanSolo]

Everywhere should require chemistry because many of the concepts from that course will continue to come up throughout A&P, pharmacology, biochemistry, and more. It really is a fundamental class. Pharmacology is mostly biochemistry based. People definitely get by without really knowing the chemistry behind things and just go off sheer memorization, but it's a lot easier if you understand the concepts behind it.

 

Plus, I don't want to be rude, but admitting you have "menial math skills" is a concern. You shouldn't be looking at ways to avoid this. You need to overcome it. Mastering dimensional analysis, a key element of general chemistry, is a fundamental skill. It seems from your posts that you might be going after PA because you think it's a good job, and perhaps you haven't given it a lot of thought. Something to keep in mind is that going to graduate school for psychology is often paid for (RA, TA, etc.), whereas you'll likely be knee deep in debt after PA school. 

 

Don't take this as me trying to burst the bubble. You've likely done your homework and know what is ahead of you. 

[mtran4]

Everywhere should require chemistry because many of the concepts from that course will continue to come up throughout A&P, pharmacology, biochemistry, and more. It really is a fundamental class. Pharmacology is mostly biochemistry based. People definitely get by without really knowing the chemistry behind things and just go off sheer memorization, but it's a lot easier if you understand the concepts behind it.

 

Plus, I don't want to be rude, but admitting you have "menial math skills" is a concern. You shouldn't be looking at ways to avoid this. You need to overcome it. Mastering dimensional analysis, a key element of general chemistry, is a fundamental skill. It seems from your posts that you might be going after PA because you think it's a good job, and perhaps you haven't given it a lot of thought. Something to keep in mind is that going to graduate school for psychology is often paid for (RA, TA, etc.), whereas you'll likely be knee deep in debt after PA school. 

 

Don't take this as me trying to burst the bubble. You've likely done your homework and know what is ahead of you. 

Ugh, you're right. Idk what to do with my life. I'm super scared to ruin my GPA and take chemistry courses tbh. Oh well, I just went out on a limb and saw that this was a good career, lol. Thanks for your honesty, I might just have to think about this longer, I have an advising appt tomorrow, wish me luck! Have a good day!

[corpsman89]

It boggles my mind when students are given rainbow dreams filled with glitter farts from advisors that taking gender studies courses, and having a minor in human sexuality will benefit them somehow. If your interested there are plenty of books to read on your own time, but do students really need to learn this stuff in college?

 

Anyways, like everybody else has mentioned, your degree doesn't really matter a whole lot. What matters is your GPA, your sGPA, and completing those pre-reqs with good grades.

 

O, and don't forget HCE/PCE. It seems that some schools aren't requiring a whole lot these days, but I highly recommend that you get a job where you have hands on patients--for your own sake, to make sure this is really what you want.

 

Good luck.

[Potatolife]

Ugh, you're right. Idk what to do with my life. I'm super scared to ruin my GPA and take chemistry courses tbh. Oh well, I just went out on a limb and saw that this was a good career, lol. Thanks for your honesty, I might just have to think about this longer, I have an advising appt tomorrow, wish me luck! Have a good day!

If PA doesn't work out for you for any reason, you should apply to the nursing second-degree option. This option is available at UDM and WSU. You can get a BSN in 1-1.5 years. It's intense, but you can then apply to NP school which is strictly for nurses, making it not as competitive since the applicant pool is ONLY nurses. It's very similar to the PA profession.