Are there any HCE that do not require certification/previous experiance?

[username1122334455]

I am 6 classes away from being able to apply to PA school and officially changed from Premed to prePA All of my work exp is in business, so I have 0 HCE. I was wondering if there were and HCE's that would be accepted that doesn't require certifications or degrees ect. I'm trying to knock out the 6 classes that way I could apply next cycle.

[Wellness]

In some states, you can work as a medical assistant or nursing care partner without a certification. You can also work as a scribe, caregiver, clinical research assistant/technician, and in some states, pharmacy technician. The most desirable positions usually require some form of education: CNA, MA, EMT, RN, LPN. 

 

If you decide to get certified, I would go the MA route. I am trained as an EMT, but it seems that most EMT's are volunteer unless you live in a big city, and I have rent to pay... I could work as an ED tech, but the jobs are very slim, and nobody wants to train a newbie, understandably. 

[username1122334455]

would something along the lines of patient transport in a hospitle or rehabilitation suffice?

[Ollivander]

After doing a lot of research into it, it seems as though the most efficient and quickest options in order are:

 

1a) EMT

1b) ER/ED Tech

2) Medical assistant

3) CNA

4) Physical therapy aide

 

These seem to be the quickest ways to get PCE (key acronym PCE, not HCE). The first two would both require an EMT certification in most cases. Yes, that's a time suck. However, it seems like a lot of medical assistant jobs (at least where I live) want certified MA's and don't want to train you OTJ. To become a certified MA it takes 2 years. Bump that. That's a waste of time. Obviously if you can hop on with one of the above without any certification it would be the ideal route to take. There's a hospital semi-close to where I live that hires ER Techs without even having an EMT certification which kind of shocked me. It's rural though and doesn't pay well, so I kind of understand. There's also a medical assistant job about two hours north of where I'm from that hires MA's with OTJ training. So there are positions out there that will train you, but they're few and far between.

 

I decided to go ahead and do an EMT cert over the summer and then try to hop on with a hospital that has a handful of PA's that work in it. That way I can place myself in an environment where it should be easier to get shadowing hours and letters of recommendation.

 

I don't know if that was any help, but I thought providing my outlook on how I went about sorting through how I'd attain PCE might help you in turn. I think PCE > HCE in terms of admissions committees prioritization.

[DizzyJ]

Unlikely that patient transport would count towards HCE.  Prior to PA school I worked as a veterinary assistant (not a vet tech who attend a formal program and sit for certification exam).  It was all on the job training.  No license or certification needed.  I was exposed to meds and conditions that cross over into the human population.  I was able to draw blood; start IV's; run labs; take xrays; give IV sedation, intubate, and maintain gas anesthesia; scrub tech; 1st assist; and  do dental cleanings under general anesth.  This experience was priceless and above and beyond any experience one could get being an MA or EMT.  Although, one program I wanted to apply to would not count my experience.  So, it can limit your choices.  Also, state laws dictate what a vet assistant can do vs a registered vet tech. 

[JD2012]

I have been a physical therapy aide almost two years. The only thing required was a BLS for healthcare providers which is 3 hours, basic CPR class pretty much.

 

Thankfully I work in a clinic where we handle all facets of healthcare, from the surgery to physical therapy.  Gives me a ton of interactions with the PA's in the clinic and on top of it hands on patient care.

[DiggySRNA]

MA...only because I'm biased.

 

Was a licensed EMT (never worked on a rig) and only completed the process so I could work in a hospital or clinic setting. 

[username1122334455]

thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it

[aspiring__PA]

I'm a medical assistant and did not get certified. 

[pageburns22]

It depends on your area, but there are many plasma donation centers that don't require a phlebotomy certification! That's how I earned my HCE :) I work at BioLife Plasma Services. The hours I accumulated at BioLife also allowed me to challenge the phlebotomy certification exam, which opened up many other opportunities in the field. I only spent 150$ to take the test, versus many people who spend thousands on the course (major plus!). There are other companies such as CSL, which offer a similar experience to BioLife. I'd highly recommend looking into it! :)

[PRheePA]

If you really cannot find a job that provides HCE without certification, you can try to see if any EMT programs around your area offer a speed course. I am from SoCal, and UCLA offered a 3-week EMT course that I decided to take in the middle of summer instead of summer school. I passed the NREMT the week after the EMT course ended, got hired soon after, and worked my first shift on a rig before the summer was over.

[username1122334455]

I see there are a lot of online EMT cert courses. Would these be ok to take to get the lincese? Or does it need to me from a college ( the only college that offers it around me is a 2yr degree)

[jennrosec]

Go the scribing route! Although not all schools accept this as specific PCE (make sure you look into the schools you want to apply to and clarify how much of HCE or PCE they require), it is an invaluable experience where you learn a ton. I know not all settings as a scribe might hold true to this, but I am a scribe in a pediatric level 1 trauma ED where I follow an attending for an 8 or 12 hour shift and basically act as their right hand man when it comes to documenting what's going on. I see a patient with them from start to finish and all the work-up/diagnosing that goes along with it. It truly gives you an understanding of what you'll be doing as a PA. The process to become a scribe was quick (1 week of classroom training and 1 week of floor training) and you get paid for every step!

[username1122334455]

I was going to apply to LSU NO and Shereveport(along with a couple others just to increase my chances), both of wich only require aprox 80 hours. I dont think they exclude scribing.

[LadyNichiavelli]

I second the PT aide option. I got on-the-job training and they hired me with no previous healthcare experience.