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Question; Sorry if it's been asked a million times before


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Hey

 

So I am new to the forum, but I have been looking around..

I understand that there are patient-care/clinical hours required for PA schools.

I am a pharmacy technician now, and after searching around, I noticed that it does not count towards the hours.

I am in my second year of school, and will be transferring to George Washington (majoring in Pharmacogenomics) this Fall 2012.

I have a friend that is also going into PA school, and she volunteers as an EMT but that is just too scary for me. (After all the crazy stories she's told me).

So I wanted to ask, the PA students that have been accepted, the ones that did not have a different profession previously, what did you do to get the hours?

 

I am truly sorry if this question has been asked a million times before so please don't bash me! :sweat:

 

Thank you!

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Haha why are you scared of EMT'ing? It's just an unknown territory for you, but it's not scary! It's actually A LOT OF FUN! If you want to get clinical experience, then volunteering as an EMT is the fastest AND the funnest way to do it. If you care about my story, taking EMT class and then volunteering was the thing that opened up MANY doors, all of which lead to acceptance to PA school. Now I am sad to be leaving the EMS world. So, do not be scared!!!

 

I live near DC, so if you want info on EMT classes and fire and rescue departments in the suburbs, shoot me a message!

 

Having said that, some schools DO count your type of experience. Some schools do not require any experience at all!.

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Hey I have to second what Purplez said - I was an EMT in Montgomery County, MD (right on the red line!!) and they will not only train you -for FREE- as much as you can stand, but will also introduce you to SO many amazing people and experiences. Not to mention connections - there are several PA's that volunteer as paramedics/ firefighters and they will help you out and let you shadow them. Plus - no offense - but maybe it will help toughen you up a little bit? Medicine is hard and scary regardless of what you do :wink:

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Hey I have to second what Purplez said - I was an EMT in Montgomery County, MD (right on the red line!!) and they will not only train you -for FREE- as much as you can stand, but will also introduce you to SO many amazing people and experiences. Not to mention connections - there are several PA's that volunteer as paramedics/ firefighters and they will help you out and let you shadow them. Plus - no offense - but maybe it will help toughen you up a little bit? Medicine is hard and scary regardless of what you do :wink:

 

Sweet dude, I am volunteering in Fairfax County.

For me the progress went like this.

 

Take EMT class -> Start volunteering at Fire Dept -> meet people in ER -> get on good term with them and get ER Tech job (AND STILL volunteer at fire dept) --> get to know Docs and PA's (and even become friends with some of them!) --> get good letters of rec --> unbeatable experience! :D

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I have to agree with something said above, "maybe it will toughen you up." Medicine is not for the faint of heart. There are decisions that require making and sometimes they're scary. If you want to be a PA, you will have to be the one making the calls from time-to-time. I think your background will be valuable, don't get me wrong. But anyone who is intimidated by being an EMT and the crazy stories will have to put in some time and get used to it before being a PA is a goo d idea. I'm not dogging you, I'm encouraging you. I think you should pursue a career as a PA. But before you do, you'll need to get your hands dirty to be sure you really want to (and are capable to) do it.

 

Andrew

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Just one more thing I'd like to add for the OP - regardless of what you end up doing for your health care experience, CONFIDENCE is so, so important.

 

Confidence doesn't mean knowing/ pretending to know all of the answers all the time - hell no, that's arrogance and no one will want to teach you. I'm talking about the kind of confidence where you're ok with answering a question and being wrong, and doing things you're uncomfortable with in front of lots of people that know way more than you do. Learning to be assertive and confident (while also recognizing that as a student you hardly know anything, be that EMT, PA whatever) is one of the greatest things you can to do prepare for PA school. Instructors will ask you questions in front of a group KNOWING you don't know that answer, just to see how you respond under pressure. It can be extremely disheartening if you're unsure of yourself and what you can (learn to) do. It's all worth it though because then you get to save someone's life!! Lots of responsibility, lots of pressure, lots of reward.

 

Clearly you're very smart OP, and you have lots of time before you start. I highly recommend that whatever you do for your HCE, do something that will put you in a situation where you have to do things you're very uncomfortable with and that will prepare you to stand strong as people (sometimes nicely, sometimes not) question your answers, decisions, and motivations.

 

If you have the passion for it, you can do it! We're all rooting for you, we just want to give you honest advice to best help you succeed.

 

PS - Another concrete suggestion I have for you is to become an HIV tester. I worked at a clinic in downtown DC and I know there are volunteer positions available - that clinic is awesome and has incredible people there. If you'd like more info PM me.

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