Opinion on taking a Gap Year

[TNat97]

Hi guys, 

I'm currently a senior majoring in Neuroscience and I'm on track to graduate Spring 2019. What are your opinion on taking a gap year? I'm currently deciding whether I should take a gap year to improve my application or apply this upcoming April when CASPA opens. My dream school right now is Emory and their application process is pretty competitive (like most school). They require a minimum of 2000 hours of PCE. So far this is my application status:

cGPA: 3.5

sGPA: 3.5

PCE: 1200

Volunteers: 200+

Research: 72 hours (more neuroscience related materials rather than healthcare, I don't know if this counts)

Shadow: in process

GRE: Planning to take this spring 

Personal statement: Have not started but I will soon

LOR: I have 2 doctors that said they'll write me one, planning to get at least one-two from PA through shadowing, and maybe one professor or employer 

I've kind of grew up with the mentality that I have to finish everything on time or be ahead of things. I know, it's a bad mentality to have. It's difficult trying to make this decision to take a gap year because all I could think about is when i'm taking a break all of my friend will be either in med school or  starting a new career. And if I don't get accepted when I apply after the gap year *knock on wood* then I would be back to square one and waiting again... I also don't think my application is that impressive and that worries me. So what are your experiences with taking a gap year or if you didn't take a gap year, would you do it if you could again? I would love to know! 

[rev ronin]

Don't take this personally, OP, you're by far not the only one doing this, but it's about time I posted a reminder:

There is no such thing as a "Gap Year" in the PA application process.

Those of you who manage to get into PA school directly from undergraduate, at a traditional age, without high-level (LPN, Paramedic, RT, PTA, or higher) PCE are gaming the system in much the same way that direct-entry BS-to-BSN/RN-to-DNP programs are.  Both PA and NP were founded on the premise that applicants would be mid-career healthcare professionals.  While we have drifted a good, long way from that in both professions, but the Gap Year concept is borrowed, inappropriately, from Medical School application process.  Medical school, MD/DO, is designed to turn undergraduates into providers over four years of school and 3-7 additional years of residency and fellowship.  For that process, a gap year makes sense, and is primarily focused on personal or academic growth, NOT getting more PCE, which is what the vast majority of traditional-age (or younger!) PA school applicants need.

By all means, take a year or six off and go work getting high-quality PCE.  Understand that if you don't, some doors will be closed to you as a PA.  Let me say that again: Failing to get adequate pre-PA HCE/PCE will permanently limit you from some fields and jobs, including some of the higher-risk ones.   Some of these, you can do a residency to get into; others, you will just be forever behind the curve.  Go read some of EMEDPA's posts--had he not been a paramedic for years before going to PA school, he would not have the solo EM jobs he has today.

Do not denigrate your PCE by thinking of it as a barrier to be overcome, a box to be checked, or marking time before you can get to 'real' medicine.  PCE is where you learn what you really want to be and do as a provider; PA school is to reinforce that decision and equip you for that role. PCE is where you develop your patient interaction and patient care skills; PA school is where you simply learn to be solely responsible for much sicker patients.  I have yet to hear a PA say "Man, I had too much PCE going into PA school. I want that year of my life back!"

[Guest HanSolo]

Op - what's your current PCE?

[TNat97]

1 hour ago, HanSolo said:

Op - what's your current PCE?

@HanSolo  my current PCE is 1200 and I currently work as ED scribe which an admission administrator at Emory who came to my university did say is a great experience. 

[Bf555]

Your PCE is low, but you could still get accepted with that. I appreciated having a gap year quite a bit. (Mine was a year and a half). I spent it being a patient care tech in interventional cardiology. It’s so useful when I learn about a disease and already have a face to put with the name of that disease as I’m learning it. PA school is stressful and extremely time consuming (didactic phase isn’t as bad as everyone makes it seem) so having a year away from school was a nice little break and made me appreciate more where I am now


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[Guest HanSolo]

So, I'll disagree with Rev on this one. There's pretty much a residency in any specialty a PA can work in, and in my area of the country there are also plenty of large hospital programs that have their own new PA "bootcamp" so to speak. A 3-6ish month, full-time, paid training period that gets you up to speed. Also, it's not like you don't have any experience now. There are multiple means of advancing your education once you become a PA. Doors will not be closed to you because you didn't get an associates degree and work for a few years in allied health before becoming a PA. Plus, by the time you actually start a program you'd have about 2+ years experience. Smart, dedicated individuals with less experience than mid-career folks can and do excel in PA school and beyond. Overall, it is far more about assessing the individual's potential. A good application and interview process should be able to tease that out. 

 

 

[MT2PA]

See Rev's post for all the reasons PCE is important.

But I'll add: get LIFE experience.  Seriously.  Even if you don't work in the medical field, life experience is SO important.

[Notfall]

Becoming a PA is incredibly hard, some say getting in is harder then getting through the actual school! Being a scribe and an admissions admin person may entitle you to health care experience but not necessarily patient care experience. I highly recommend you research the specific schools you are interested in and inquire which category they count your hours as. I know for a fact most schools don’t count scribing as PCE, because most are strictly forbidden from interacting with the patient. Even if your case is different, most schools receive so many applicants they don’t have time to hear every case individually. An admin person at Emory may be mistaken, I mean this in the nicest way possible. I took the GRE and scored a 152 on the verbal, but scored into the 85th percentile in quant. Baylor has a minimum score of 153 on the verbal, before applying I spoke with two admin personnel to ask if a 152 was fine, most schools don’t really care about the GRE right? Wrong. Even though they had both told me it was acceptable, I was denied due to not meeting the prerequisite of 153. 

Without going on a rant, I think a big misconception is that PA school can be “backdoored” by simply beating out the average entering statistics in 4 of 5 categories. This is so wrong, I personally was rejected my first cycle by following this philosophy and there’s nothing worse then waiting until January to finally be rejected and have 3 months before the next caspa cycle opens. My advice to you is don’t take anything for granted, exceed all categories, smash the interview, do a tremendous amount of research for each school, and then hope you somehow win the lottery and get a spot.

btw 3.89 sgpa, 3.89 cgpa, 3k pce, 1k volunteer, 3 lor, veteran, 15 schools applied to, including 2 out of state, family friend even is a faculty member at one school, 6 interviews, one acceptance on second cycle, it’s tough man

[Bf555]

Don’t be discouraged. cGPA 3.3 sGPA 3.05 4000 HCE and 150 volunteer. 10 schools applied (in October) 2 interviews, 1 acceptance 1 waitlist


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[Notfall]

It’s definitely possible, and there are many stories on these forums of people with seemingly “low” (all relative) scores being accepted. I would just err on the side of caution when possibly underpreparing for the application cycle. Just like any other degree program, I am sure if you are willing to relocate and pay a higher premium, you can find a school that will accept you, but if you want your choice, you cannot afford to slack off.