michaelt619817 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Hello,I am currently going into my senior year of undergraduate and was planning to apply for pharmacy school this upcoming cycle. Now I am having 2nd thoughts and some input would be greatly appreciated. I've been for the most part a "pre-pharmacy" student, but have ALWAYS loved what the PA field had to offer. I really do love patient interaction and that is something that is sorely lacking in retail pharmacy. Basically my question is what are my chances of getting into a PA program? I've worked as a pharm tech for almost 2 years now, but do PA schools count this as "clinical experience"? I guess my only other relevant experience would be volunteering about 50-70 hours at my local hospital, 50 hours at a low cost health clinic, and about another 100 hours at a dementia care community (not sure if this counts either). GPA wise not too great, Have about a 3.5 cum and a 3.2 sci. I am currently performing research at my university if that counts for anything. Really just looking for an honest assessment on my chances of getting accepted into a PA program for the upcoming cycle. If I stand a decent chance, im thinking of spending my summer volunteering at the local clinic to accumulate as many hours as I can prior to applying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelt619817 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Hello,I am currently going into my senior year of undergraduate and was planning to apply for pharmacy school this upcoming cycle. Now I am having 2nd thoughts and some input would be greatly appreciated. I've been for the most part a "pre-pharmacy" student, but have ALWAYS loved what the PA field had to offer. I really do love patient interaction and that is something that is sorely lacking in retail pharmacy. Basically my question is what are my chances of getting into a PA program? I've worked as a pharm tech for almost 2 years now, but do PA schools count this as "clinical experience"? I guess my only other relevant experience would be volunteering about 50-70 hours at my local hospital, 50 hours at a low cost health clinic, and about another 100 hours at a dementia care community (not sure if this counts either). GPA wise not too great, Have about a 3.5 cum and a 3.2 sci. I am currently performing research at my university if that counts for anything. Really just looking for an honest assessment on my chances of getting accepted into a PA program for the upcoming cycle. If I stand a decent chance, im thinking of spending my summer volunteering at the local clinic to accumulate as many hours as I can prior to applying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelt619817 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Hello,I am currently going into my senior year of undergraduate and was planning to apply for pharmacy school this upcoming cycle. Now I am having 2nd thoughts and some input would be greatly appreciated. I've been for the most part a "pre-pharmacy" student, but have ALWAYS loved what the PA field had to offer. I really do love patient interaction and that is something that is sorely lacking in retail pharmacy. Basically my question is what are my chances of getting into a PA program? I've worked as a pharm tech for almost 2 years now, but do PA schools count this as "clinical experience"? I guess my only other relevant experience would be volunteering about 50-70 hours at my local hospital, 50 hours at a low cost health clinic, and about another 100 hours at a dementia care community (not sure if this counts either). GPA wise not too great, Have about a 3.5 cum and a 3.2 sci. I am currently performing research at my university if that counts for anything. Really just looking for an honest assessment on my chances of getting accepted into a PA program for the upcoming cycle. If I stand a decent chance, im thinking of spending my summer volunteering at the local clinic to accumulate as many hours as I can prior to applying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I agree. You should apply during next cycle. Spend your year getting some valuable pt care experience and take those recommended/required pre-PA classes! I had to switch from pre-med to pre-PA, and pre-med is a lot closer to pre-PA than pre-pharm is! Having 2 years off will make you better prepared for school :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I agree. You should apply during next cycle. Spend your year getting some valuable pt care experience and take those recommended/required pre-PA classes! I had to switch from pre-med to pre-PA, and pre-med is a lot closer to pre-PA than pre-pharm is! Having 2 years off will make you better prepared for school :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I agree. You should apply during next cycle. Spend your year getting some valuable pt care experience and take those recommended/required pre-PA classes! I had to switch from pre-med to pre-PA, and pre-med is a lot closer to pre-PA than pre-pharm is! Having 2 years off will make you better prepared for school :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegetofu Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Hi, THe PA profession is now a popular and growing medical field. Many undergrads are now applying to PA programs straight from college and many have outstanding applications. To be a competitive PA applicant, you should have clinical direct patient care experience, shadow a PA or MD/DO. Your GPA meets the minimum requirement for most schools and you can improve it by taking more classes. Taking a year or two off to establish a good application is well-worth it bc when you go into the interview seat, they will grill you about pharmacy and why the change of heart if you don't have exposure in the PA profession. Becoming an EMT can help you get fast clinical experience. The quickest EMT course I know is one at UCLA, it was 2 1/2 wks. Take your time to apply bc it costs $/ effort/ letters of rec/ etc so you want a high probability of getting in the 1st time. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegetofu Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Hi, THe PA profession is now a popular and growing medical field. Many undergrads are now applying to PA programs straight from college and many have outstanding applications. To be a competitive PA applicant, you should have clinical direct patient care experience, shadow a PA or MD/DO. Your GPA meets the minimum requirement for most schools and you can improve it by taking more classes. Taking a year or two off to establish a good application is well-worth it bc when you go into the interview seat, they will grill you about pharmacy and why the change of heart if you don't have exposure in the PA profession. Becoming an EMT can help you get fast clinical experience. The quickest EMT course I know is one at UCLA, it was 2 1/2 wks. Take your time to apply bc it costs $/ effort/ letters of rec/ etc so you want a high probability of getting in the 1st time. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegetofu Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Hi, THe PA profession is now a popular and growing medical field. Many undergrads are now applying to PA programs straight from college and many have outstanding applications. To be a competitive PA applicant, you should have clinical direct patient care experience, shadow a PA or MD/DO. Your GPA meets the minimum requirement for most schools and you can improve it by taking more classes. Taking a year or two off to establish a good application is well-worth it bc when you go into the interview seat, they will grill you about pharmacy and why the change of heart if you don't have exposure in the PA profession. Becoming an EMT can help you get fast clinical experience. The quickest EMT course I know is one at UCLA, it was 2 1/2 wks. Take your time to apply bc it costs $/ effort/ letters of rec/ etc so you want a high probability of getting in the 1st time. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Don't take a 2-week EMT class. It's a 2.5 to 3-month class. Anything below that is BS and won't teach you anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Don't take a 2-week EMT class. It's a 2.5 to 3-month class. Anything below that is BS and won't teach you anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Don't take a 2-week EMT class. It's a 2.5 to 3-month class. Anything below that is BS and won't teach you anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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