HCE vs. Academia

[akainu]

Hello, I am also thinking about becoming a PA. Currently, I am 23 years old and heres what i have to offer.
Currently I work as a PER DIEM EMT Clinical Instructor at UCLA Center for Prehospital Care (since May 2016) and also as a PART TIME ER Tech at Kaiser Sunset (since June 2013), where in addition to my scope (assist in codes, triage, assist with invasive procedures, splint, EKGs etc.), I also draw labs and practice phlebotomy (we are required a separate state phlebotomy license).
Before that I worked in a Medical/Surgical/Neuro/Cardiac ICU as a Critical Care Tech (also assisted in codes, invasive procedures, etc) (Feb 2016 - Jun. 2016).
I am wrapping up my BA in English from UCLA this spring.
I haven't taken the GRE, but I have taken most of the prereqs (concurrent enrollment at a community college while working on my BA).
Intro to Anatomy (2012) - A
Intro to Physiology (2013) - B
General Microbiology (2011) - A
Gen. Chemistry I (2016) - F (got sick, forgot to withdraw on time)
Gen. Chemistry I (2017) - C
Gen. Chemistry II (2017) - ENROLLED
Gen. Biology (2017) - ENROLLED
Statistics (2015) - B
Sociology (2011) - A
General Psychology (2011) - A
Biological Psychology (2014) - A
Biopsychology of Chemical Dependency (2015) - B

With these standings (I am aware of the F and C in Chem I), I am pretty sure I must absolutely get As in my remaining classes. I am hoping my HCE (7000 hrs +) will somewhat offset that, and also my teaching will somewhat show I am willing to give back to the community. I am applying for both RN school and PA school at the same time. My question is do I have any chance of getting into a PA program? If i do have a chance, any recommendations on how to boost those chances? I plan to apply in 2018, unless y'all think i have some chance with this cycle. Lastly, I know some programs dont require the GRE, so I'm wondering what your thoughts are on taking it or not. 

Thanks in advance.

[boli]

A couple things I notice immediately... almost every single program will require A&P I and II. So your "intro to anatomy" from 2012 will not count as a pre-req. Your HCE will help offset some lower grades, but assuming your cum GPA is low you really need to take additional classes to boost your science and cum GPA. You very well may have to take post-bacc classes to raise your GPA to be competitive.

 

Take the GRE. If you do poorly, you can select schools that don't require it, but a good GRE score will only help you. Good luck.