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CPA to PA - possible?


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Hello! I'm new to this forum and it's great to see so much information. My background is nontraditional for a potential PA program applicant. I have a bachelor's (2010) and master's (2011) degree in accountancy and have been working full time as a CPA. I have been considering switching to the medical field for a couple of years and decided recently that now is as good a time as any and I need to just do it.

I recognize that I have a very long road ahead given the fact that I have no science background and also will be working full time while taking prereqs and geting PCE hours, so I would really appreciate any advice that you may have. I am motivated and willing to put in the time and effort needed plus more. Please also feel free to share the stories if you've worked or studied with someone with a nontraditional background like mine through your pre-PA journey.

  • Cumulative GPA (3.6 for undergrad and 3.4 for master)

  • Science GPA (n/a- starting prereqs at local college)

  • GRE scores (took GMAT in 2011, aiming for 320 for GRE)

  • PCE (starting CNA license course to prepare for part time/volunteer at nursing home, etc)

Thanks everyone! Again, any advice is appreciated 🙂

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Here's my story: Undergrad degree in computer science.  Spent 29 years doing corporate IT at 2 different fortune 50 companies.  Was volunteer firefighter/paramedic on the side.  Took retirement buy-out at age 49.  Prior to that had started taking science pre-reqs at a branch campus of the local university.  Worked as FF/medic from age 49-53 while completing pre-reqs.  Also taught EMS classes the university and ACLS at a local hospital.  Had pretty good GPA and science GPA's - though I repeated organic chem.  Don't remember the numbers or my GRE score.  Applied to 2 PA schools - accepted at 1, wait listed then accepted at the other.  Completed PA school, licensed at age 55.  Have done EM for 7 years now.

So, yes - very doable.  UGoLong started even later, he was an engineer and project manager and volunteer paramedic before PA school.

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First of all, yes: it's possible to switch from almost anything to becoming a PA. I was much older and had three degrees in engineering when I went back and became a PA. I had had physics and math, but absolutely no biology. I think the big thing you will need (besides taking a bunch of classes in night school at community college) is sufficient healthcare and patient care experience.

In my case, I started as a hospital volunteer before I even knew I was interested in medicine. After a few years, I became an EMT (again in night school) and rode for 10 years with a volunteer fire department. Somewhere in there I learned what a PA was and decided to work towards that goal. By the time I applied to school, I had 17 years experience as an EMT (I became a paramedic the year before PA school started) and about 7 years taking the prerequisites. During all of this time, I kept my day job using my engineering skills, "retiring" 6 weeks before PA school started.

Does it take everyone that long to make a career change? Probably not, but it does demonstrate that by taking the long view,  you can often get to where you want to be. The most important lessons I learned about making a change like this are (1) start by taking even tiny steps to put you in the desired environment and (2) over time, ultimately get enough varied experience to be really sure that this is what you want for yourself. (2) is especially important for career changers because -- after multiple degrees in accountancy (or engineering) -- you obviously weren't born to be a PA.

And if you want a glimpse of what PA school is like, take pathophysiology as one of your prerequisites.

Good luck and, from now on, I would just post in the Pre-PA part of the forum since that is who you are (at least for now.)

Edited by UGoLong
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Thanks for the info! That was very encouraging. I have a few friends I worked with at Ernst Young (public accounting) that decided early on that accounting wasn’t for them. One quit to become kindergarten teacher, one quit to go to police academy, and one quit to go to veterinary school. At the time, I thought they were crazy for leaving a job we all worked so hard for. Now four, five years later, they have completed the switch and are in career fields that they truly enjoy.  
 

It seems like it took you about four years in total for the prereqs and GRE while working a job that would get you PCA hours. Were those years pretty rough? I’m trying to access if it’d be at all possible to do all the prerqes (35 credit hours), take the GRE, get some PCA hours, while working full time. My full time job is pretty relaxed (8-5) and no overtime or weekend. No kids and a very supportive husband. It just seems like there need to be so many things going on simultaneously in order to prep for A PA program that I want to be as efficient as I can but also not sign up for too much too soon. Thanks! 

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Thanks! I am hoping to see if I could take all 35 credits of prereqs and GRE within the next 2-2.5 years and also getting some PCE along the way. I live in Houston and the two schools here (Baylor and UTMB) do not require PCE hours. But I’m sure that most applicants will have quite a few hours. I agree with you in that getting PCE would be the big thing for me, especially given that I work full time in a non medical related field. Would it be naive to think that if I have competitive gpa, GRE and a few hundred hours of PCE, combined with the case that I’ve worked full time while acquiring those results, that I’d have a decent chance at a PA program that does not require PCE hours? Or is it pretty much given that your chances are low anywhere if you don’t have enough PCE hours?

Thanks for your help! 

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1 hour ago, NinaFe said:

Thanks! I am hoping to see if I could take all 35 credits of prereqs and GRE within the next 2-2.5 years and also getting some PCE along the way. I live in Houston and the two schools here (Baylor and UTMB) do not require PCE hours. But I’m sure that most applicants will have quite a few hours. I agree with you in that getting PCE would be the big thing for me, especially given that I work full time in a non medical related field. Would it be naive to think that if I have competitive gpa, GRE and a few hundred hours of PCE, combined with the case that I’ve worked full time while acquiring those results, that I’d have a decent chance at a PA program that does not require PCE hours? Or is it pretty much given that your chances are low anywhere if you don’t have enough PCE hours?

Thanks for your help! 

I think you may be missing a critical point.

When you were 18 or so, you decided to become an accountant. You had never been one before, but it sounded like a good idea. You went to school and got two degrees, taking probably 5-6 years I'd guess. In the end, you found that you didn't like the job. Not just the place you happened to land first, but the whole darn career.

Now you're older, had some more life experiences, and have decided you want to be a PA. Cool! You're planning on cramming in the prereqs as fast as you can and finding a school that will let you in without much PCE. Assuming you get in and work really hard, you'll again find yourself in a new career and -- again -- without very much experience.

Who's to say that you'll end up not linking that career either?

My point is that HCE and PCE aren't really for the school: they're for you! They expose you to experiences in healthcare,  a career not like any other in countless ways, both good and bad. Even with significant HCE and PCE, you might still find that, in the end, you don't like that career either. Still, the odds of a good match go up significantly if you know what you're really getting into.

You don't have to take 7 years like I did (not counting my EMS experience), but take your time. Get it right this time. Keep your day job if you can (you'll need the money later), and see what it feels like to be taking some classes and working with patients. Let the whole thing unwrap naturally. Don't rush it. You will feel much better in your current crappy job when you know you're taking steps to better yourself.

Edited by UGoLong
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I was fortunate in that I worked a 48 hour shift every weekend at the FD.  I was able to study between calls after station duties were done.  That left the week pretty free for classes and teaching.

I really don't think it would be possible to work a M-F full-time job and also go to school full-time.  When I was still at my IT job I would take just 1 class per semester.  I didn't become a full-time student until I took a retirement buyout.  Being a full-time student and getting some healthcare hours from a part-time job is doable.

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Thanks! I can see how working full time while taking night classes could be tough, especially those are difficult science classes...I originally planned on doing everything (prereqs, GRE and PCE) in two years and now think this might take a little longer than that. 

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Thanks for the advice guys. One quick question- I just enrolled in a CCMA program (140 hours lecture + 160 externship). As I work full time, would it be difficult to get a part time MA job that only works evenings/weekends?

Sorry if it's an obvious question, as I have zero healthcare experience, nothing is obvious to me at this point unfortunately...

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5 hours ago, NinaFe said:

Thanks for the advice guys. One quick question- I just enrolled in a CCMA program (140 hours lecture + 160 externship). As I work full time, would it be difficult to get a part time MA job that only works evenings/weekends?

Sorry if it's an obvious question, as I have zero healthcare experience, nothing is obvious to me at this point unfortunately...

MA jobs are most often found in clinics. Most clinics are your standard M-F 8-5 kind of gig. So yes, that would most likely be very difficult. CNA is better bet for evening/night/weekend availability in nursing home setting (good) or hospital (best).

What's a CCMA program? Certified MA? You don't need a certification for MA, plus you're wasting a LOT of time doing that instead of earning PCE hours.

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