What Are My Chances?

[TheProspectivePA]

Hello all!

I do not expect to apply to PA school for another 1.5 years. I wanted to just give you some of my stats and HCE and see what the future may look like. I am going to get my bachelors degree from Northern Arizona University online in Health Science: Diagnostic Medical Imaging and Therapy. My current GPA is a 3.8 and I also am a full time Radiologic Technologist . I worked in a hospital for 6 months part time while working full time for a mobile x-ray company. I have been working for over a year now, so I have 2,000+ hours of HCE.  Once I Once I finish my Bachelors degree I plan on taking Gen Chem I & II, Bio II, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry and a Genetics class all at my local community college while still working. I may also drop my full time mobile job down to part and get a job at a local Urgent Care, as an xray tech and on the job training as a Medical Assistant (even if that means taking a pay cut) for more experience and to work directly under a PA and hopefully form a great rapport with him/her. By the time I am ready to apply for PA school I should have 3,500+ hours. I will also also study for a month or so and take the GRE. Does CC science pre-reqs look less than optimal? Its the best financial situation for me. Assuming I do well at my CC and get mostly A's and keep that sGPA high, do you think this looks good? I also volunteer at my local soup kitchen on the weekends when I can and when I was an intern as a radiology tech I was the only one selected of a class of 21 students to sit in on the Radiology School applicants interviews for the program (not sure if that is something I should include, but I am pretty proud they had selected me :).  Any advice, comments or thoughts from those that have been accepted or interviewed or have great insight into this process would be great!

P.S - I plan to apply to a fair amount of schools around the country, and my soon to be wife is willing to move wherever we needed to. 

[panglossian]

Sounds stellar! I took some pre-requisites at community college and did not have a problem, though there are programs that will not consider them. Your GPA and HCE will make you a strong applicant, especially if you continue to do well academically and get a job as a medical assistant. I suggest you prioritize your studies as much as possible, even if that means not working so many jobs. Spend a good amount of time studying for the GRE. I did the 6-month Magoosh study plan and got a 320 (160 verbal, 160 quant, 5.0 writing). Apply to a broad range of programs (look at GPA/GRE/HCE medians to see how you compare) and I am positive you will get in. Best of luck to you!

[TheProspectivePA]

Thank you for the great advice! Where did you get the specific 6 month study plan from Magoosh if you don't mind me asking? Thanks again. Are you a current PA, or an applicant, or graduate?

[panglossian]

On July 18, 2018 at 3:14 PM, TheProspectivePA said:

Thank you for the great advice! Where did you get the specific 6 month study plan from Magoosh if you don't mind me asking? Thanks again. Are you a current PA, or an applicant, or graduate?

 

Magoosh has two 6th month study guides depending on your math comfort level. There are also other length study guides if you want something shorter- https://magoosh.com/gre/2011/6-month-gre-study-plan/

I am a current first-time applicant with 5 interviews, 1 rejection, and 1 acceptance so far

[lmichele]

I'm an x-ray tech too!  I'm applying this cycle. I've always worked in a hospital and I get to observe and work with PAs pretty frequently, especially our radiology PAs. The GPA is great. As long as you get good grades in your prerequisites and continue working, you will be competitive in my opinion. I know two former x-ray techs that are new PAs. Good luck!

[RadTek2PA]

Hey!

 

Fellow x-ray tech here, as well (coming out of the woodwork aren't we?), and also finishing my B.S. through NAU in the same program.  We have probably had a few classes together!

I am sure there are plenty of ways to get to PA from RT, but I will at least give you my path.  I took most of my pre-reqs through community colleges around Phoenix, and it hasn't come up to be an issue at all.  A lot of the schools around here had 6pm-ish start times for Chm 1, chm 2, and ochem 1, so I was able to work and just try to get out early on my days with class.  If you are in Phoenix, I will happily fill you in on the exact courses I took and what to expect there, but don't underestimate them!  Like @panglossian said, prioritize your studies and don't expect to breeze through them, they were much more difficult than the NAU classes I have been taking with them.

If you are thinking about switching jobs, it wouldn't hurt you to think about angio/IR.  I have been doing IR for 3.5 years now, and the amount of time you spend working with MD's and PA's is invaluable.  Nothing against diagnostic imaging, but being in procedures really gets you on the front lines with clinical decision making, not to mention the experience you get from working with critical care RN's every day.  I know its not all about the $ either, but it is one of the higher paid specialties and has allowed me to stash significant acorns away to live off of IF I get into a program.

 

Oh, and Magoosh is amazing!  I crammed for the GRE in 2 weeks with it (studying honestly every single day for hours) in between semesters and managed a great score!  Good luck and feel free to reach out to me!

-Drew