Kurt H Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Okay everyone I'm just starting the long haul of becoming a PA and I'm excited! I get to start school this coming winter term. It's been 5 years since I've been to school because I joined the military straight after highschool. Just thought I'd share that my journey has begun from square 1, I have no credits in college so this truly is the very beginning! Looking forward to being able to apply for PA about 5 or 6 years down the road from now! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ucfstef84 Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 good luck, it will be totaly worth it in the end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 The best advice I can give you is to stick close to the forum, there's a lot of info here, not just the search engine but the people too. There is also a lot of support from others who are traveling on the same road that you are and others who have already traveled it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted September 18, 2010 Author Share Posted September 18, 2010 Thanks everyone! Yeah it will take some time, but I plan on going the cna route to get HCE. I may even go into the RN associates program here if I like being a CNA. I have to wait for my wife to finish her schooling also before we move up to university and get our bachelors. I will have to major in something, but haven't decided on what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Wow that's the exact same road I took. You can get your cna go private duty, make some money, choose your own hours, even study while at work if all you do is choose to sit. Work in a hospital like I did, get some good benefits for you and your family. Whatever you choose make sure you log your hours for your hce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doza7922 Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 What's up Kurt! Im on the same boat as you man. I just started school yesterday and am very excited for the journey of becoming a PA. I was also in the military and got out and became a radtech but none of my credits were transferable since I went to a vocational school. But it's all good because at least im getting HCE. Good luck bro!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildoc0311 Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Kurt, Doza - If you guys have any specific questions feel free to PM me. I was in your shoes 3 yrs ago when I got out of the military (Navy Corpsman), and I am currently in the application/interview process for this cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LicensedToHeal Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Thank you for serving our country and congrats on the decision! Most of us are in the same situation as you, and are all just getting our feet wet (me included). Keep in touch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 one thing I will say...if I could do it all over I would get my AS is something healthcare related (RN, RT, PT, OT) work in that field while finishing my BS (which would probably be a higher version of my AS and then apply with 2 years of good solid HCE and something to fall back on just in case. I would also take any honors level courses I could especially in the sciences---quite a few programs told me that will certainly stand out on my app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted September 27, 2010 Author Share Posted September 27, 2010 Thanks everyone. Im getting anxious and it's hard to wait 2 months to start school this winter term. I think i've decided to do the AS Nursing program here at the community college and start working once I graduate and wait for my wife to get her degree also. Then i'll end up going to a University somewhere and getting a bachelors in something that ties in with my AS in Nursing and hopefully have at least 2 years of HCE so I can apply to the PA Program here in Washington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech2PA Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hello All, I am so glad I found this forum. I have two BS degrees and one of them is in Clinical Lab Science. I never worked after I got my degree since we had to start a family. Now 8 years later I would like to go back to the workforce and I am not confident enough. I want to become a PA but there are so many hours that we need to shadow or work in direct patient care setting. I have turned in my forms for volunteering at the local hospitals and I am also thinking of becoming a CNA first. I hope I succeed in my attempts. I am not sure how to get around shadowing a PA here in Oregon. If any one can help I would greatly appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameChanger Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Hello all, i am just starting my journey as well. i worked/work for a defene contractor for about 8 years now. decided i wanted to be a pa after i saw how much my wife loves being a nurse. i've got my first 6 credits knocked out, on to the next 6. im doing 8wk classes right now so they are going qwick. i hope to apply to PA school in about 3 years. i have to get 90 hours of prereqs. getting the hce is going to be my challenge as im working full time right now. good luck to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 OP here! Just a little update. Been going to community college for about a year now since the last post and just wanted to be brief on my progress and maybe encourage others as well. Wife and I moved to WA State and I started going to the Junior college here in the winter of last year. So far things are great, I got my CNA and take my boards in a few weeks and will start working to get my HCE hours done. Have been going 3/4 time due to work, but have managed a 3.9 GPA thus far and am hopefully going to continue doing well. I take A and P next quarter ( which is in 2 weeks, Yikes!) and am kind of nervous, but I think I will do okay. Right now I'm doing the pre requisites for the Associates in RN here in WA, but the wife and I may end up leaving WA, if we do I have to change my courses around to try and get into a PA program down in Cali. If we do move I think I'm going to try and go for the Riverside CC Pa program or somewhere else, not sure yet. I am far from having a Bachelors or anything so the other programs are far from reach right now and Riverside seems logical because it's in the area I grew up in and family is close by and such. I'm still stoked about becoming a PA and my goal has not wavered in the year that has gone by. For all those in my shoes right now keep at it! It's a long road, but it's worth it I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 It sounds like you're on the right track. Best of luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Thank you! Yeah it really all depends if we move or not what path I choose. If I stay here in WA then I'm doing the ASN, if I move to Cali I have to pick up a few extra courses because the pre reqs are different and try for the PA at Riverside or wherever we go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Hello All,I am so glad I found this forum. I have two BS degrees and one of them is in Clinical Lab Science. I never worked after I got my degree since we had to start a family. Now 8 years later I would like to go back to the workforce and I am not confident enough. I want to become a PA but there are so many hours that we need to shadow or work in direct patient care setting. I have turned in my forms for volunteering at the local hospitals and I am also thinking of becoming a CNA first. I hope I succeed in my attempts. I am not sure how to get around shadowing a PA here in Oregon. If any one can help I would greatly appreciate it. alleycat here. I programed in Oregon, forest grove. not sure about your " I am not sure how to get around shadowing a PA here in Oregon" how to avoid it??? or how to begin shadowing???. I'd contact the two programs and ask...they probably have a list of those willing to be shadowed. also contact the state society...they also may have a list. and this post is an experiment with the "reply" buttons...so sorry if it appears weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 OP Here (again) instead of starting a new thread I thought i'd just necro this one back from the dead. :) Finals are next week! A and P has been a tough class, hardest I've ever taken, but I have a B+ right now leading into the final. I'm also taking cellular biology this quarter and so far have an A. I passed the CNA state board, but have had a hard time finding work. It seems like they either want you full time or all night shifts and I just can't do it with the classes I'm taking. But hopefully I can find some work soon so I can start logging some HCE hours. So the new plan is I'm graduating with an associates of science transfer from my CC here in WA this coming summer. The wife and I are moving back down to Cali to go to PLNU and I'm getting a bachelors in one of the sciences, probably biology. I plan on logging some serious HCE hours so upon graduation with my bachelors I can apply to some PA schools right away. Even though I still have roughly 3 years of my journey until I can start applying I am getting excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Still sounds like you got a good plan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 Thank you Hopeful for the encouragement! Time to hit the books and Ace this final in a few days :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Keep on pressing on...best of luck to you! Keep us posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panelson Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 So glad to see you still have the motivation to go for your dreams. That shows great character, I am sure by the time you are ready to apply you will do great! Keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Okay everyone I'm just starting the long haul of becoming a PA and I'm excited! I get to start school this coming winter term. It's been 5 years since I've been to school because I joined the military straight after highschool. Just thought I'd share that my journey has begun from square 1, I have no credits in college so this truly is the very beginning! Looking forward to being able to apply for PA about 5 or 6 years down the road from now! Cheers! I decided on PA in 2006....its 2011 and I've been accepted to an amazing program. Never give up. If its what you want, then pursue it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 Thank you Corpsman and PABrescia for the kind words. I'll keep everyone posted on how my finals turn out next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt H Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 Little update on how my finals turned out. The long weekend of studying and the few days before my A&P final actually paid off! I got 2 A's on the lecture and lab exam over the A.N.S, Cranial nerves and innervations, and parts of a dissected sheep brain. It brought my B+ up to an A- in the class. I just can't believe it worked! Looking forward to the break between quarters. School starts back up again in the beginning of January and I'm taking the 2nd sequence of A&P and an online psychology class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shacancan Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Hi everyone, This is my first post on this site. I have a very similar story to yours Kurt, I joined the military after high school and now it is almost 6 years later and I want to be a PA. I had planned on going the nurse route, but the school in my area offering a bsn wanted a 3.65 gpa for nursing transfer students and I only had a 3.61. Due to this, I changed my major to a bachelor of science in medical technology, as the prerequisites for graduation from that program were the same as the prerequisites for the PA schools I have been looking at, plus the last year in the program is all clinical work in a hospital (but unfortunately not direct patient care). I was thinking about becoming a CNA while I am working on my bachelors so that I am qualified to do something and I start getting patient care hours. Honestly I'm not sure if I will finish the medical technology at this school or transfer early to the school I want to take a PA program at (which is across the country from me) and finish everything there. Any advice? Is CNA the way to go while getting a bachelors? Does anyone know what bachelors degree is better for this, or am I going the right road by picking the degree that covers PA school prereqs? does anyone know anything about the PA schools in Philadelphia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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