mclamb94 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I'm thinking i want to be physician assistant. What should I do to prepare? I dont quite understand the degree plans and how they work. I live in Texas and want to go to school in Texas. Also, what should I expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclamb94 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 I'm thinking i want to be physician assistant. What should I do to prepare? I dont quite understand the degree plans and how they work. I live in Texas and want to go to school in Texas. Also, what should I expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 You might want to post this in the Pre-PA general discussion...more foot traffic over there. But for starters, contact a PA in your town and see if he/she will sit down and talk with you. Also make sure that medicine is what you want to do. I wanted to be a CHP officer in High School... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 You might want to post this in the Pre-PA general discussion...more foot traffic over there. But for starters, contact a PA in your town and see if he/she will sit down and talk with you. Also make sure that medicine is what you want to do. I wanted to be a CHP officer in High School... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm thinking i want to be physician assistant. What should I do to prepare? I dont quite understand the degree plans and how they work. I live in Texas and want to go to school in Texas. Also, what should I expect. how to prepare? HHmmm....you are at a point in your life where your brain is going about a million miles an hour with the entire world in front of you. With so many avenues and opportunities to explore and learn about I would be hesitant to put you on the train straight to PA town without first knowing what sort of research you have done about the profession and what is your motivating factor? I am not trying to keep you out of being a PA but rather encourage you to research all of your opportunities. So how should you prepare...I guess my best answer is "go explore". Find some local medical contacts like Corpsman mentions. From behavioral medicine to interventional radiology to surgery, to emergency medicine, to pediatrics, to physical therapy, cardiology, rheumatology, endocrinology, infectious disease, respiratory therapy, laboratory sciences, geriatrics...each one of those headings have subsets of specialities... What to expect? Expect a lot of people to ask you "why PA?" Expect it to require you to have a bachelor's degree before you can apply and don't be surprised if you get turned down from schools several times before you find a seat. Expect yourself to change your mind several million times over the next 5 years as you work through the pre reqs and you grow as a person. If you get in? My current class day starts at 6 with some pre class reading. Class from 9-4. After class another 4-6 hours of homework, nightly. And I came to my program with over 20 years of medical experience. I can't imagine the stress the youngsters are putting themselves through. It must be soul crushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm thinking i want to be physician assistant. What should I do to prepare? I dont quite understand the degree plans and how they work. I live in Texas and want to go to school in Texas. Also, what should I expect. how to prepare? HHmmm....you are at a point in your life where your brain is going about a million miles an hour with the entire world in front of you. With so many avenues and opportunities to explore and learn about I would be hesitant to put you on the train straight to PA town without first knowing what sort of research you have done about the profession and what is your motivating factor? I am not trying to keep you out of being a PA but rather encourage you to research all of your opportunities. So how should you prepare...I guess my best answer is "go explore". Find some local medical contacts like Corpsman mentions. From behavioral medicine to interventional radiology to surgery, to emergency medicine, to pediatrics, to physical therapy, cardiology, rheumatology, endocrinology, infectious disease, respiratory therapy, laboratory sciences, geriatrics...each one of those headings have subsets of specialities... What to expect? Expect a lot of people to ask you "why PA?" Expect it to require you to have a bachelor's degree before you can apply and don't be surprised if you get turned down from schools several times before you find a seat. Expect yourself to change your mind several million times over the next 5 years as you work through the pre reqs and you grow as a person. If you get in? My current class day starts at 6 with some pre class reading. Class from 9-4. After class another 4-6 hours of homework, nightly. And I came to my program with over 20 years of medical experience. I can't imagine the stress the youngsters are putting themselves through. It must be soul crushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Join your volunteer fire department and have them sponsor you for EMT-B training... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Join your volunteer fire department and have them sponsor you for EMT-B training... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted February 1, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 1, 2012 Join your volunteer fire department and have them sponsor you for EMT-B training... You need to be 18 to sit for NREMT exam, as I understand it. Used to be earlier would be OK, but no longer... HIPAA and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted February 1, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 1, 2012 Join your volunteer fire department and have them sponsor you for EMT-B training... You need to be 18 to sit for NREMT exam, as I understand it. Used to be earlier would be OK, but no longer... HIPAA and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The age rules are variable from state to state. NREMT is 18 to test and you can sit for the test if you have taken an approved EMT course within the previous 2 years. You do not need a National Registry to practice...each state sets their own rules. NREMT carries no legal binding power. Maryland allows 16 year old to take the EMT course as long as their parent/guardian signs a permission form http://www.miemss.org/home/EMSProviders/LicensureCertifications/InitialCertificationLicensureRequirements/tabid/95/Default.aspx (lived there from 1993-2007 off and on, used to help train the high school volunteer cadets) I couldn't find the exact age requirements for the state of Oregon off of the Health and Human services web page with a quick search but the local community college requires applicants to the program to be 18. I became a First Responder in the State of Oregon (40 hours of training) at the age of 16 and was riding with the fire department. From there it was to the Navy working in medicine...and the rest is a very successful history in medicine. Contrarian has a great idea. It has worked great for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The age rules are variable from state to state. NREMT is 18 to test and you can sit for the test if you have taken an approved EMT course within the previous 2 years. You do not need a National Registry to practice...each state sets their own rules. NREMT carries no legal binding power. Maryland allows 16 year old to take the EMT course as long as their parent/guardian signs a permission form http://www.miemss.org/home/EMSProviders/LicensureCertifications/InitialCertificationLicensureRequirements/tabid/95/Default.aspx (lived there from 1993-2007 off and on, used to help train the high school volunteer cadets) I couldn't find the exact age requirements for the state of Oregon off of the Health and Human services web page with a quick search but the local community college requires applicants to the program to be 18. I became a First Responder in the State of Oregon (40 hours of training) at the age of 16 and was riding with the fire department. From there it was to the Navy working in medicine...and the rest is a very successful history in medicine. Contrarian has a great idea. It has worked great for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The age rules are variable from state to state. Yep....!!! Contrarian has a great idea. It has worked great for me... Me Tooo...!!!! When I joined the Army National Guard as a Medic (at 17yrs old)... we were allowed to sit for the NREMT-B exam at Ft Sam Houston, the last week of the 10 week course. The state I lived in also allowed us to license as a CNA without any testing. So at 17, I was a Army National Guard Medic-NREMT-B and worked for a HUGE Nursing agency as a CNA in Skilled Nursing facilities, Psych facilities and a few private homes all over Chicagoland. This was my first start in healthcare. So yeah...!!! It worked great for me to. Thing is... everyone can't, don't want to, or shouldn't join the military... so a volunteer Fire program could provide/sponsor the same EMT-B training for those dis-inclined to the military mission and lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The age rules are variable from state to state. Yep....!!! Contrarian has a great idea. It has worked great for me... Me Tooo...!!!! When I joined the Army National Guard as a Medic (at 17yrs old)... we were allowed to sit for the NREMT-B exam at Ft Sam Houston, the last week of the 10 week course. The state I lived in also allowed us to license as a CNA without any testing. So at 17, I was a Army National Guard Medic-NREMT-B and worked for a HUGE Nursing agency as a CNA in Skilled Nursing facilities, Psych facilities and a few private homes all over Chicagoland. This was my first start in healthcare. So yeah...!!! It worked great for me to. Thing is... everyone can't, don't want to, or shouldn't join the military... so a volunteer Fire program could provide/sponsor the same EMT-B training for those dis-inclined to the military mission and lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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