teacher to PA? is it humanly possible?

[orchestral]

I'm seriously considering a major change of career pace.

However, before blindly investing the next year of my life to a PA pathway, I need a reality check to see if it's even possible, but haven't seen any other members too similar to me.

 

26/F/CA

BA in American History (low, 2.9 GPA)

Minor in Environmental Science

 

5 years full time experience as a teacher and school administrator, and 5 years nanny experience with babies/toddlers with special needs

BUT I teach at a residential (read: like boarding school) rural charter school that teaches science to inner city kids, so I have a sciences teaching background. I also do all health-care related jobs as the administrator during my shift (diabetes management, all medication dispersal, wound care, and evaluations/vitals of students who come in with health complaints); our enrollment is roughly 200 students per week, with new students each week, so I've seen/treated literally thousands of kids over the years. I'm also the first responder to all emergency medical issues - i.e.: diabetic high/lows, epi-pens/severe allergic reactions, broken bones, large skin abrasions/wounds etc (of which there is a surprising number... my LORs will verify this). This comes out to 5,500 - 11,000 hours of professional/paid patient care, if I can count it.

 

I'm smart (178 LSAT, excellent GRE as well), fully self supporting (put self through well ranked private liberal arts college), heavily community oriented/involved, and firmly believe all children and teens should have fair access to competent, compassionate, healthcare and want to herald that in a more advanced and meaningful way than I can in my current position. In an ideal world, I'd like a PA job at Planned Parenthood or a similarly oriented community healthcare option for low/no-income patients.

 

I'm willing to take the next year to:

- complete an EMT-B program (and possibly advance to Paramedic, if needed),

- take the clear pattern of hard-science prerequisites required by my ideal program (Samuel Merritt MA in PA), since I don't have a BS and only took a smattering of relevant pre-reqs for my degree/minor

- keep my existing job, and ask my Principal for an increased role in student health management (not that I could increase all that much more, but... we'll see)

- attend all nursing/public health training seminars/certifications offered by my school district (of which there are surprisingly many).

 

Upon completion of my "transitional year", would have ANY chance of getting into a PA program?

 

I get the distinct feeling I'd be up against a sea of MPH graduates and seasoned nurses, and would not stack-up in comparison.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Corpsman2PA]

I also do all health-care related jobs as the administrator during my shift (diabetes management, all medication dispersal, wound care, and evaluations/vitals of students who come in with health complaints); our enrollment is roughly 200 students per week, with new students each week, so I've seen/treated literally thousands of kids over the years. I'm also the first responder to all emergency medical issues - i.e.: diabetic high/lows, epi-pens/severe allergic reactions, broken bones, large skin abrasions/wounds etc (of which there is a surprising number... my LORs will verify this). This comes out to 5,500 - 11,000 hours of professional/paid patient care, if I can count it.

 

would have ANY chance of getting into a PA program?

 

I get the distinct feeling I'd be up against a sea of MPH graduates and seasoned nurses, and would not stack-up in comparison.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

5500-11000 hrs is quite a wide gap. I highly doubt this will be counted. As a military medic for nearly 6 years I was able to scrape out roughly 12k hrs. I can't imagine you having to deal with a ton of broken bones or epi-pen injections. You sound like you have to drive to succeed, you just need your experience/grades to back it up now and you should be good. I always think its interesting when someone asks if they would have ANY chance at getting into PA schoo. Sure there's always a chance, but you'll never know for sure if you never try.

[TThielen]

I am a former teacher and I have been going down the pathway you are considering right now to get into PA school. It is very possible to get in, but I agree w/ PAMAC you should start with your prereq's and get A's in all of those because of your low GPA. I interviewed last year and they REALLY liked the fact that I had experience as a teacher, and they said that they don't get former teachers hardly ever. I am willing to bet that some schools will except your HCE but your issue will be how many hours out of your average day are you actually treating kids? A couple times a week? Or is this your primary job and you spend a majority of your day treating and seeing kids (which doesn't seem possible with only 200 students). So that is something to consider when putting down HC hours. The fact that you are in a rural school could help you.

[mjohnson3604]

Hello,

 

Just to add encouragement...we have a former teacher in our class (math and science..elementary) who did HCE as a Plasma Donor Tech and is doing well in our didatic year. Best wishes in hammering out those pre-reqs, your time would also be well spent building relationships/shadowing PAs...and getting a good LOR from a PA.

[Corpsman2PA]

 

I'm smart (178 LSAT

 

Wow! How did I miss this the first time!! A 178 on the LSAT???? Why aren't you in Law School? That's a free ticket into Harvard or Yale!!

[orchestral]

thanks for the responses!

 

the HCE hours range is an estimated range from paid professional hours only on my current job title to the max i could accumulate if i count past employment and volunteer hours. but it's nowhere NEAR what say, an army medic is doing. hence the idea to do an EMT program in the interim.

 

if the employment projections for law school weren't absolutely dire, i'd do it. but realistically, lawyers are some of the least-happy workers in America and are projected to decline heavily over my lifetime (not to count the insane debt burden i'd be taking on), whereas medical jobs like PA or SLP (speech-languge-pathologist) or OT (occupational therapy) and other higher level medical jobs are projected to increase much more than normal. furthermore, my ability to find a community-oriented law job that will also allow me to pay off my law school debt in a timely/efficient manner, are increasingly few, as funding for those types of programs has all but dried up in both the private and public sectors. and the money to be made in law is primarily in contracts, estate, tech, and IP law; none of which I could do with half a heart.

 

my ideal program would be Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, CA because it's the only program geographically close to me that would allow me to train/stay in the same community/demographic I'm already working with. my understanding it that they are a lower-mid-range program that would potentially accept someone like me?

[joanna.nola]

You can do it. I also changed careers from the non-profit sector (ten years post college grad) in service to low-income people (where I also considered law school) to go to PA school. You'll need straight A's in your pre-reqs, but I doubt that will be a problem. Get some HCE on top of the experience you already have (which is very valuable experience--though not exactly HCE; your experience as a teacher will make you stand out in a field of recent college grads with Biology degrees and some HCE, but not nearly the life experience you have) and you would be a competitive applicant anywhere. Even after getting all A's in my pre-reqs and some HCE, around the time I was applying to PA school, I started to worry I wasn't a good candidate against folks with such strong HC & science backgrounds. But like you, I had accomplished a lot in my pre-healthcare life. The programs I was interested in were VERY impressed with these accomplishments. I also could make arguments why this experience would translate into becoming a good health care provider. After the responses, I felt silly doubting myself in the final stretch. Point of my story: Remember that you bring a lot to the table. Do not doubt what you have to offer. Make your plan and continue to work hard. You'll be an excellent PA.

[TThielen]

^^^joanna.nola is right. As a former teacher (PE/Health) myself and a 32 year old, you should have a leg up on the competition. Being a teacher is a big advantage because you can explain how you have had training and experience on how to be an effective communicator and listener. As a teacher, our job is to be effective at both of those things with a wide range of people and it translates well into the role of a PA. All you need to learn is the medicine side of becoming a PA and in my eyes gives you a big advantage than most of the B.S. people. This is what I portrayed in my essay and I think it is why I got interviews. I had 2 years of teaching exp., 4 years of coaching and a 2.98 GPA (according to CASPA). But my transcript GPA was 3.7 after my sophomore year. Good luck, I am sure you will do fine!!!

[Yosemite]

I'm a teacher turned PA applicant applying this year. It's definitely do-able! I agree with those who have encouraged the relatability of the teaching profession. I think that this time working with people, learning to be adaptable and leadership experience is invaluable. I took my prerequisites at UC Berkeley Extension at night while still working full time gaining health care experience. You sound like you have a good plan and commitment. Get those health care hours up and you'll be a desirable candidate!

 

Regarding your timing of one year prep period, be aware that EMT licensing, even after a 5 week intensive program, takes time. It took me an additional 2 months to get paperwork cleared, tests scheduled and license issued. I'm not currently working on an ambulance but I have heard that some programs only consider a third of your ambulance hours "hands on patient care", as you might just be waiting for calls. That said, my EMT training was an outstanding introduction into the medical field and a great jumping off point.

 

Also be careful about Merritt if it is your only choice. They're not ranked very highly but they receive an overwhelming amount of applications (over 1200 last year for roughly 40 spots- some of the top ranked programs only got 800!) There are a lot of people who want to be or stay in the Bay Area and there is tough competition among people who won't leave California. If it's the demographic that you like, there are a lot of urban programs outside of the Bay Area.

 

 

Good luck!

[Sparkles9708]

I shadowed a derm PA who used to teach high school science. It is definately doable :) She was a unti clerk/CNA at a local hospital while taking night classes and teaching part time.

[cinntsp]

Spend the next couple of years finishing a science-oriented BS degree while making all As so that you can bring up your GPA and demonstrate your academic ability.

[kms111211]

Hey orchestral -- I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the process of applying to physician assistant school, but I had been a teacher too. I'm 27 and was a middle school science teacher for five years (7th grade bio & 6th grade chem).

 

I left teaching after completing the 2010-2011 school year in order to finish pre-requisites and get more experience hours. When I submitted my application to CASPA in May of this year, I had a little over 1300 HCE hours from volunteering, shadowing, neuroendocrinology research, and work at a hospital & doctors' office. I'm still accumulating hours, but that's what I had at the time of my submission. My science GPA is 3.97 (I was a biology major in undergrad).

 

I think it is absolutely possible to make the switch. Having been a teacher (especially for several years instead of say two and then peacing out) speaks volumes about your ability to multi-task, your patience, your communication skills, your ability to work under stress... I could go on. All of those traits are incredibly important when you are a P.A. I also think being a former teacher will help you stand out from other applicants.

 

Best of luck to you! :)

[YaelS]

Orchestral, my advice, if you are really serious about only SMU, is to call and speak with Pam Harrison about your experience and if it would count as HCE. She is also very responsive by email. Once you know that, you will have a much better idea of how to focus your time over the next year. Merritt was also the only school I applied to because I need to stay in the bay area. I am a former SLP with most of my experiences being in public schools. I was accepted and will be starting there in the fall.

[rev ronin]

One of the interns I worked with at my last rotation taught school for three years and then went to MD school. You might consider whether that would be an easier path, since it's easier to get into med school than PA school at the moment...