PA prereq concerns

[snowpea104]

Hey everyone

I want to apply to PA school and I am looking for advice because I am unsure what my next step should be.

A little background: I'm 26 y/o and reside in NY. I graduated undergrad at Stony Brook University in 2013 with a BS in biology with a 3.36 GPA and 3.17 cgpa. I did not know much about the PA profession until I started working in an urgent care in 06/2015 as a medical scribe, and being a PA is something I would absolutely love to be.

After looking into some PA programs in NY, I realized that many PA programs require pre-requisite courses to be completed no more than five years prior to the date of application. I am concerned because almost all my pre-req courses were taken in my first three years of undergrad. (2009-2012). I did not take A&P in undergrad so in Spring 2017 and summer 2017, I took Anatomy and Physiology I & II at a community college.

Do I have to retake all my pre-requisite courses to even be considered as an applicant to those schools that have a five year or seven year requirement?
I also took microbiology as a 3 credit course in undergrad.  I know many schools require a 4 credit microbiology course. Do I retake this course?
Will taking courses at a community college affect my applications?

I really do not want to retake any classes as I have to work full time in order to survive!
I also plan on taking my GREs at the end of this year.

Thanks for your time. I just feel so lost with what to do.

[TheKingsDaughter]

Hello! We're incredibly similar. I graduated in 2015 but I also took most of my prereqs earlier in undergrad and I was in undergrad for 5 years. I don't plan on applying until 2019 so some of my prereqs will also have to be retaken. I'll be biting the bullet and taking some at a local community college. From what I understand they will have to be retaken to be considered. I could be wrong. Could the 4 credit microbiology course be a 3 credit class and a 1 credit lab?

Also, what schools have you looked into in NY? I'm here in NY as well and I began making a list of schools and I know that Hofstra requires that prereqs be within 5 years. I could have missed some.

[majetito]

Not all schools have this stipulation. I think it is worthwhile contacting the schools to have a better understanding as they differ so much. I contacted one school that had the 5 year rule prereq on their website but then I found out it was only the non science classes (statistics, psychology, etc.)

Working and going to school is not a terrible thing to do. I have been working 40 hrs a week and taking two courses a semester at a CC. I think if anything, it will prepare you for the rigorous challenges of PA school.

Good luck to you!