I have an opportunity to work in clinical research

[VAgirl89]

I am trying to be realistic with my stats and right now my GPA with my old degree it is not competitive. My GPA with another degree of public health that I am working on right now is 3.8 (and will not be done for 2 years).

I met a contact who works for a clinical research center.  She talked more about it and it seems interesting. I probably have over 5000 patient contact hours between my Respiratory Therapy and EMS hours.

I have to be realistic in the event I don't get in. Would PA school see this as beneficial?

 

 

 

 

[MT2PA]

It won't hurt you but I don't know that it would necessarily increase your competitiveness.  It's unique and not super common, but PA school is about hands on patient care, less so about research.

If it's something you think you'll enjoy and would consider doing even if you don't get into PA school, do it.  

Kind of depends on what your role would be, but likely more RT or EMS hours to bolster your PCE would be better from that perspective.  

[Guest HopeToBePAC]

I don't think it would be very beneficial. Since it is clinical "research", it's not really hands on patient care. You already have lots of PCE, and that's what schools value. Having the research would just be an added bonus, won't make or break anything.

[Bubbles]

It depends on what the position entails and how much patient contact you would have in your role. Some clinical research coordinators work heavily with patien S (which was the case in my role), and others handle more regulatory items. I worked as a clinical research coordinator for 2 years and had a LOT of hands-on patient care with patients receiving investigational medications. I was present at all visits, including infusions. I gained a lot of very valuable knowledge and patient exposure that I feel will be helpful as a PA. I coded my hours as 30 hours PCE a week and 10/week research in CASPA. I received multiple acceptances. This was my only PCE role at time of application, though I did have 2 years of HCE. 

[Letsdothis]

On 1/19/2019 at 3:43 PM, HopeToBePAC said:

I don't think it would be very beneficial. Since it is clinical "research", it's not really hands on patient care. You already have lots of PCE, and that's what schools value. Having the research would just be an added bonus, won't make or break anything.

Clinical research is usually hands on. Mine is anyway.

[rev ronin]

On 1/19/2019 at 9:40 AM, VAgirl89 said:

I am trying to be realistic with my stats and right now my GPA with my old degree it is not competitive. My GPA with another degree of public health that I am working on right now is 3.8 (and will not be done for 2 years).

No, that's not how CASPA GPA works.  You do not have a per-degree GPA; stop thinking in those terms, because all you're doing is preventing people from helping you by posting irrelevant/incomplete partial GPAs.  The only GPAs that really matter are cumulative undergraduate GPA, science GPA, and maybe BCP GPA.

[paPassion7]

I started as a clinical research intern my freshman year of college and recently graduated this past May, and the University I work for hired me on full time as a clinical research assistant. I applied this past cycle and nearly every school I looked into accepted those hours as PCE. As someone mentioned above, it does depend on what the job title entails. But most clinical researchers work directly with patients. And like you, I am doing this as a back-up in the event that PA school doesn't work out for me. It's nice to have something to fall back on that is a realistic, life long career if need be.