Stanford (Foothills College) Odds

[moneyline702]

Greetings everyone. I am 38 years old and interested in the PCAP @ Stanford. All I have is an Associates in General Studies but have completed the school's requirements for admission with a 3.51 Science GPA (3.16 cumulative GPA). In addition, I have taken a statistics course, college algebra as well as medical terminology. How difficult will admission for me be if I am coming from Nevada and not California? I have live in Nevada for 15 years and California is my home state, however. I have also been working as a CNA in an acute rehab hospital since September 2010 full time (three 12-hr shifts/wk = 1,800hrs/yr) if that helps.

[Joelseff]

Greetings everyone. I am 38 years old and interested in the PCAP @ Stanford. All I have is an Associates in General Studies but have completed the school's requirements for admission with a 3.51 Science GPA (3.16 cumulative GPA). In addition, I have taken a statistics course, college algebra as well as medical terminology. How difficult will admission for me be if I am coming from Nevada and not California? I have live in Nevada for 15 years and California is my home state, however. I have also been working as a CNA in an acute rehab hospital since September 2010 full time (three 12-hr shifts/wk = 1,800hrs/yr) if that helps.

 

Only weakness I see is your hce and maybe the overall gpa. You might want to call Lio at the office. minimum Hce req is 3000 Iirc but you never know...ask the school.

 

I had a liberal arts aa btw, so that's not a prob as long as you have all the prereqs. Also if you get in, make sure you get the optional AS in primary care from Foothill (no S). Then you can get a masters at ATSU with no bachelors....good luck.

 

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[Lisbeth]

Hey Joelseff, I'm very new to understanding much abt. California PA programs. How long ago did you go to school and finish? Basically my history is I have a bachelor's degree in psychology from cal poly pomona, and I was just accepted into a masters in social work. However, I had toyed with the idea of doing a masters in nursing for all of last year, in which I took a course to become a CNA(certified nurse assistant). I can now sit for the california certification exam which would allow me to work as a CNA. So now I'm realizing that perhaps in the future I'd like to be a PA. Do you think that clinical experience as a social worker like say I finish an MSW and maybe even get licensed (this requires 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience) could be used for a PA program eventually? I'm thinking perhaps if I continue my social work route which I still also want to do, that the experience with something like direct patient case management in a hospital as an MSW could work towards hours. I'll call to make sure, but originally I was thinking I'd need to use my CNA and get cert. or instead quit MSW and go to nursing school instead. Were many of your classmates RNs? Or what was the most represented of clinical fields for students going in during your year? On Stanford's website under "Admit Program Emphasis" they describe so many things that tie into social work type work...like a lot abt. underserved populations. So perhaps I could work an MSW in my favor for clinical experience. I read on (I think) UC Davis' website that they have basically had a 400 to 500% increase in applications over the past 5 years alone! So given the fact that each school only takes like 30 to 70 students/year and hundreds apply, I've got to logically think that a lot of these people are seasoned professionals like RNs and rad techs. etc. and that maybe I wouldn't get in as having CNA experience (if I were to not go the MSW route and just do my CNA hours). What do you think though? I know the person above was asking abt. CNA experience (those 3000 hours are definitely required 100%) and with sooo many people applying, it worries me to spend the next 2 years working as a CNA just to be turned down everywhere eventually. Also, I feel like since social work is still calling me and I'm the type of person to have like 5 careers, that I might as well do my MSW since I was accepted and all. It would allow me to at least land a job afterwards and gain those 3000 hours of clinical exp. and during that time I could maybe have a child (I'm 27 now, and will be out in 2 years) so the clock will be ticking. I'd hate to go into a PA program thinking to get pregnant lol. So perhaps when I'm in my early to mid 30s I can go this route. Thanks for letting me talk to myself, it really helped! lol

[Joelseff]

Hey Joelseff, I'm very new to understanding much abt. California PA programs. How long ago did you go to school and finish? Basically my history is I have a bachelor's degree in psychology from cal poly pomona, and I was just accepted into a masters in social work. However, I had toyed with the idea of doing a masters in nursing for all of last year, in which I took a course to become a CNA(certified nurse assistant). I can now sit for the california certification exam which would allow me to work as a CNA. So now I'm realizing that perhaps in the future I'd like to be a PA. Do you think that clinical experience as a social worker like say I finish an MSW and maybe even get licensed (this requires 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience) could be used for a PA program eventually? I'm thinking perhaps if I continue my social work route which I still also want to do, that the experience with something like direct patient case management in a hospital as an MSW could work towards hours. I'll call to make sure, but originally I was thinking I'd need to use my CNA and get cert. or instead quit MSW and go to nursing school instead. Were many of your classmates RNs? Or what was the most represented of clinical fields for students going in during your year? On Stanford's website under "Admit Program Emphasis" they describe so many things that tie into social work type work...like a lot abt. underserved populations. So perhaps I could work an MSW in my favor for clinical experience. I read on (I think) UC Davis' website that they have basically had a 400 to 500% increase in applications over the past 5 years alone! So given the fact that each school only takes like 30 to 70 students/year and hundreds apply, I've got to logically think that a lot of these people are seasoned professionals like RNs and rad techs. etc. and that maybe I wouldn't get in as having CNA experience (if I were to not go the MSW route and just do my CNA hours). What do you think though? I know the person above was asking abt. CNA experience (those 3000 hours are definitely required 100%) and with sooo many people applying, it worries me to spend the next 2 years working as a CNA just to be turned down everywhere eventually. Also, I feel like since social work is still calling me and I'm the type of person to have like 5 careers, that I might as well do my MSW since I was accepted and all. It would allow me to at least land a job afterwards and gain those 3000 hours of clinical exp. and during that time I could maybe have a child (I'm 27 now, and will be out in 2 years) so the clock will be ticking. I'd hate to go into a PA program thinking to get pregnant lol. So perhaps when I'm in my early to mid 30s I can go this route. Thanks for letting me talk to myself, it really helped! lol

 

I was c/o 2010. We didn't have any MSWs in my class, a bunch of ex corpsman like me, and a few rns a few rts, foreign docs, and BO MAs. The HCE is hands on direct patient contact meaning medically related contact so MSW might fall in a gray area. We didn't have CNAs in our class but I know of one that was in the next class. The list of recommended hce jobs on the site was a pretty accurate description of my class's backgrounds.

 

BTW, I was 35 when I started PA school so age is nothing. The Ava age of our class was 34. And one of our classmates had a baby after didactic and did well in the program. We dubbed her superwoman!

 

I say get as much hce as possible because PCAP is an old school program relying heavily on hce. I would wager that the variability of CNA work is broad and may not get you that "decision making capacity" that PCAP looks for but u should describe your duties to the school and see. So my opinion is CNA may not be the best route. I recommend RT, or RN if you ate gonna do a 2 year prog anyway. All the prereqs for those prog are the same. I know because I got accepted to an RT prog as a backup to PA school.

 

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[moneyline702]

Thank you, Joelseff for your input. It is very much appreciated!!!

[Joelseff]

Thank you, Joelseff for your input. It is very much appreciated!!!

 

No worries BTW regarding out of state, we had a classmate from South Carolina....

 

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[Lisbeth]

I was c/o 2010. We didn't have any MSWs in my class, a bunch of ex corpsman like me, and a few rns a few rts, foreign docs, and BO MAs. The HCE is hands on direct patient contact meaning medically related contact so MSW might fall in a gray area. We didn't have CNAs in our class but I know of one that was in the next class. The list of recommended hce jobs on the site was a pretty accurate description of my class's backgrounds.

 

BTW, I was 35 when I started PA school so age is nothing. The Ava age of our class was 34. And one of our classmates had a baby after didactic and did well in the program. We dubbed her superwoman!

 

I say get as much hce as possible because PCAP is an old school program relying heavily on hce. I would wager that the variability of CNA work is broad and may not get you that "decision making capacity" that PCAP looks for but u should describe your duties to the school and see. So my opinion is CNA may not be the best route. I recommend RT, or RN if you ate gonna do a 2 year prog anyway. All the prereqs for those prog are the same. I know because I got accepted to an RT prog as a backup to PA school.

 

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Thanks Joelseff for all your input! It's good to find out that a lot of people go this route in their thirties and beyond. I'm definitely looking to gain a lot of experience before even attempting a program like this. I received a PM from a licensed professional counselor who was accepted to a PA program, so I have hope but will be finding out abt. stanford and other california and oregon programs as time goes on. And I definitely would not just get an MSW for experience, I'd gain 3000 hours afterwards of clinical direct patient experience (hopefully mostly in a hospital) to become a licensed clinical social worker in which I would then try my best to land a job in a hospital for at least a year or two on top of that 3000 hrs. This way I'd have lots of direct patient care exp. along with a Lot of decision making capacity such as diagnosing underlying mental illnesses and referrals to psychiatrists/psychologists etc. and psychosocial evals & counseling. I would hope that is medically relevant patient experience lol since it's diagnosing and directly working medically with mental illnesses etc. but we'll see! I really do want to do all of this because it's my calling right now, but I know eventually when I'm ready to be kicked in the a** by PA school, then that's when my love for science and social welfare will merge and I'll start applying and finishing A&P and micro. lol. I'm just hoping Stanford will love a LCSW in their program, because from what I've been hearing/reading, they've got an older and awesome program. Plus it's in California and I'd love to stay here :) Congratulations on graduating! If I ever finish a PA program I don't think that sentence will ever get old because of the work one must put themselves through, right? lol.

[moneyline702]

Only weakness I see is your hce and maybe the overall gpa. You might want to call Lio at the office. minimum Hce req is 3000 Iirc but you never know...ask the school.

 

I had a liberal arts aa btw, so that's not a prob as long as you have all the prereqs. Also if you get in, make sure you get the optional AS in primary care from Foothill (no S). Then you can get a masters at ATSU with no bachelors....good luck.

 

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Thanks for the reply. I think by the time I am ready to apply I will have nearly 4,000 HCE hours. Like I said, I did A&P, Micro, General Chemistry, ENG 101 & 102, SOC 101, PSY 101 and College Algebra.

 

If I Take some ancillary courses I can bump my CGPA to over 3.50. I'm not so sure I want to mess with my Science GPA...

[Joelseff]

Thanks for the reply. I think by the time I am ready to apply I will have nearly 4,000 HCE hours. Like I said, I did A&P, Micro, General Chemistry, ENG 101 & 102, SOC 101, PSY 101 and College Algebra.

 

If I Take some ancillary courses I can bump my CGPA to over 3.50. I'm not so sure I want to mess with my Science GPA...

 

Sounds like u r golden. also if you received Ws, Ds or Fs in the past, you can talk to your College and see if they have a way to "reconcile" your bad grades. They don't remove it from your transcript but will not count it in your overall gpa. I did this for 7 Yes 7 classes lol, and it bumped my gpa from that school significantly.

I forget the term for it but call the counseling office of your school. Just another tip.

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[Student_559]

Joelseff, I'm a prospective student and wanted to ask you something about your past. What was your gpa coming into PA school if you dont mind me asking? I have excellent pre-reqs but my overall is lacking. After reading your last post too I definitely feel I would benefit so much from calling the school to see if i can reconcile my old grades. You are giving me hope. :)

[moneyline702]

I have so much hope from what I read and research. The advice is solid and I only wish I knew this all sooner!!

[moneyline702]

Ok. To update and clarify. I have my Assoc in General Studies and all prerequisites done. I've been a full-time CNA in a hospital for two years and have logged nearly 4,000 hours of HCE. And Lisbeth, there's nothing wrong with being a CNA! If you want to be an MSW go ahead. I may not be a nurse or RRT, RT or anything more glamorous (or professional) than a CNA but I get to make a tangible difference in the lives of the patients I see. I am willing, to bet however, that my grades, course completions, dedication and will to succeed can get me a ticket into this PA program sooner than later. Allow me to "logically" think here. You already have paid to become a CNA and if yoiu pass the exams you can go directly to work as one. However, you would rather delay the entrance into the PCAP by going to school to become a MSW? Yes you'll still have to gain employment in any field and accrue enough hours to put down. At least a year and a half at full-time. A master's degree is what 2 years minimum? add a year and a half. If you got on it now that's three and a half years until you can APPLY. If you just pass the CNA exams and work you cut that to a year and a half to application. I may be wrong but it appears as though you believe that being a MSW will trump CNA in the eyes of the ADCOM. I can't definitively say if that's true or false. I can say that they want patient care contact hours. I'm not sure how many you'd get as a MSW. I know a lot of people don't want to be CNA's because it's a rather "dirty" job. But there is a sense of pride helping your fellow man in their weakest hour. Yes, MSW's help too and I will never discount anyone's field. I also will not let anyone discount mine. I chose to be a CNA and don't think it's a waste if I don't get in the first go around. I make a decent wage ($16/hr) where I live and I pay my bills. Honestly, if I were in your shoes I'd ponder an LVN program (usually a single school year), graduate and work in skilled nursing. CNA, LVN, RN... you won't avoid wiping a butt or few.

 

Lisbeth, I wish you total success. I truly do.

[dwolf]

In response to the title of this thread, your odds will depend upon which program you apply to. However, most of the programs are accepting between 2% and 8% of applicants.

 

In 2012 LLU PA received 1229 applicants and accepted 30. http://www.llu.edu/allied-health/sahp/pa/admissions.page?

In 2010 UCDavis PA received 1252 and accepted 69. http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/fnppa/frequently_asked_questions.html

In 2011 Samuel Merritt received 1261 and accepted 55. http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/physician_assistant/requirements

In 2012 SJVC PA received 250+ applicants and has class sizes in the low 20s. http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php/33739-Class-of-2014-Applicants/page10

 

I am not posting this info to discourage you, rather, this information should let you know that you need to do everything you can to strengthen your application.

Also you need to develop a very strong backup plan.

[moneyline702]

I can certainly appreciate the heads up, dwolf. I am looking into whatever I can do to bolster my chances.

[RySciMD]

I'm a 2005 PCAP graduate and we had a wide array of clinical experiences and age distribution with class average of 37 y/o. There were 2 of us who were 24 (youngest in our cohort and the other person was a CNA and she did just as well didactically and clinically as those who were RN's, medics, etc). Stats on getting in: one guy in my cohort got in on his 6th attempt (great people skills and intelligent too--well rounded). He never gave up and we were so proud if him and envied him.

[happytiffany]

Joelseff - thanks for all this info! I am so glad I found this site! I applied blind the first year. I found this site last year after I got my interview/validation letter. I interviewed but was not accepted. I actually cried all over my denial letter! The last time I cried was when my husband almost died 14 years ago!

 

Also, you mentioned getting a master's without a bachelor's degree? I did not read this anywhere or maybe didn't quite understand what it meant. I have an AA and since I was not accepted last year, I am finishing up a BS in psychology and a senior right now hoping to graduate in the summer if all goes well. I've been working as a scribe for the last three years and have about 8,000-10,000 HCE hours in direct patient care and volunteer health fairs depending on what Stanford accepts.

 

Ansharma - the info on the 6th timer gives me hope. I'm a third timer so I'm really hoping the third time's the charm.

 

Good luck everyone!

[Joelseff]

Joelseff - thanks for all this info! I am so glad I found this site! I applied blind the first year. I found this site last year after I got my interview/validation letter. I interviewed but was not accepted. I actually cried all over my denial letter! The last time I cried was when my husband almost died 14 years ago!

 

Also, you mentioned getting a master's without a bachelor's degree? I did not read this anywhere or maybe didn't quite understand what it meant. I have an AA and since I was not accepted last year, I am finishing up a BS in psychology and a senior right now hoping to graduate in the summer if all goes well. I've been working as a scribe for the last three years and have about 8,000-10,000 HCE hours in direct patient care and volunteer health fairs depending on what Stanford accepts.

 

Ansharma - the info on the 6th timer gives me hope. I'm a third timer so I'm really hoping the third time's the charm.

 

Good luck everyone!

 

No worries keep working at it! Yes I am getting my masters in June from ATSU and i do NOT have a bachelors. ATSU has a bachelors equivalence program if you get your AS for PA and another AA/AS. Mine was in liberal arts. There ate ways to do it but if u r getting your BS then do the St. Francis MMS through PCAP. Best wishes to you!

 

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[bike mike]

I'm a third timer so I'm really hoping the third time's the charm.

 

That's how many years it took me to get in. Good luck! It's Hell waiting and even more Hell once you get in.

[Joelseff]

That's how many years it took me to get in. Good luck! It's Hell waiting and even more Hell once you get in.

 

Hey 5 (F I V E) tries over 10 (Yes, T E N!!!) Years for me.....so never ever give up!

 

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[happytiffany]

Wow! That's either very encouraging or very discouraging depending on the type of day I'm having. I feel like the hardest part is the waiting. I feel like the universe is telling me to just hurry up and wait! I've learned a lot through this process. Apparently, patience is not a virtue I possess. I really want to just call up there, but then in addition to be the girl that keeps applying against all odds, I'll also be the girl that keeps harassing them! I'm supposing that's not something that would reflect favorably in my file....hehehe!

[loner007]

a Master w/o a bachelor's degree? But I wonder if there is any difference in training between the Associates and Masters PA program.

[Joelseff]

a Master w/o a bachelor's degree? But I wonder if there is any difference in training between the Associates and Masters PA program.

 

Stranger things have happened...the Masters is more research and theory is all. The bulk of what i use in practice came from my lowly certificate....

 

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[naejsiri]

Only weakness I see is your hce and maybe the overall gpa. You might want to call Lio at the office. minimum Hce req is 3000 Iirc but you never know...ask the school.

 

I had a liberal arts aa btw, so that's not a prob as long as you have all the prereqs. Also if you get in, make sure you get the optional AS in primary care from Foothill (no S). Then you can get a masters at ATSU with no bachelors....good luck.

 

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Hello! Can you please elaborate the "...masters at ATSU with no bachelors..."? I am on ATSU's website and the bachelors is a prerequisite. Thank you

[Joelseff]

Hello! Can you please elaborate the "...masters at ATSU with no bachelors..."? I am on ATSU's website and the bachelors is a prerequisite. Thank you

 

It's for practicing PAs only. Look under APA program (Advanced Physician Assistant) its a way for practicing PAs with equivalent formal education to a Bachelors to get into a MSPAS program without one.

 

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