Ask a PA Admissions Director

[paadmissions]

@Jmo116 Thank you for your question. I would say the science GPA needs to be boosted to a more competitive range..at least a 3.3-3.4 to be competitive with the applicant pool. Should  you retake any classes, make sure they are relevant to the prerequisites required for the programs that interest you. Don't just retake classes to take classes, have a well thought out plan. I would also encourage you to continue your HCE. Exceeding in that category will enhance your application and get you more real world experience. I hope this helps and if you need advice on what classes to retake you may email me an unofficial transcript to jmish@methodist.edu. Because of the holiday break my response may be a little delayed. Thanks!

Hello PAAdmissions Director,

I am in the process of getting my application ready for PA school and would like your input as to how competitive I will be. My stats are as follows:

Major: Biomedical Sciences
Undergrad GPA: 3.27
Undergrad science GPA: 3.17
GRE: 300 combined, 154V 146Q 3.5AW
HCE/Direct pt care: PT Aide at inpatient rehab dept in hospital ~ 500 hrs
Shadowing: ER (MD and PAs) ~ 51 hrs, Ortho Surgery (MD and PA) ~ 10 hrs

What do you think I need to improve on? Thanks so much for your advice. I really appreciate it.

[paadmissions]

@crugg18 Thank you for your question. Our program would accept those hours and I'm assuming other programs would also accept them. If you are considering plastic surgery as a possible career field as a PA, it makes sense to work in that field, but if you're considering a program that has a strong focus on primary care medicine, you may want to see if you can get a medical assisting job in family med, peds, or internal medicine. That may demonstrate to the programs that you're aligning your experience to be consistent with what they may be looking for in an applicant. Again, we would count the hours, but it may not hurt to consider the advice above. Hope this helps!

 PaAdmissions,

   I have an opportunity to work as a medical assistant at a plastic surgeons office. Currently, I have about 1000 hours working as a phlebotomist.  I was just wondering if working as a medical assistant for a plastic surgeon would be considered quality health care experience or if I should look for more work in the phlebotomy field.  Thanks!

[crugg18]

PAadmissions, 

    Thank you for the advice! Also, thank you for taking time to help out prospective PA students.  It is greatly appreciated!

[Criess1]

Hello! 

 

I'm currently a junior at Towson University and plan on applying to several schools the spring during my senior year. I'm a biology major with a minor in molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics. My overall GPA is a 3.55 and although I have not taken or started studying for the actual GRE yet, I scored a Q155 and V152 on the online Kaplan practice test. I am president of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemistry Society at my university and have held leadership roles in my sorority. 

 

I've wanted to be a PA ever since I was little. In elementary school I was diagnosed with leukemia and treated for almost 3 years and I can honestly say that my PA has made all the difference in my experience. As a survivor I know that I have so much to offer! I volunteer at a week long pediatric oncology camp in the summer and I'm in charge of 4-7 year old cancer patients night and day. I was wondering if you would consider this direct patient contact? I'm not administering medication, but I do monitor the girls' health, comfort and talk to them about their fears and deaths of friends, and sit with them through chemotherapy. I've also volunteered as an emergency room assistant. All together I have about 750 hrs now and plan on accumulating more over the next 1.5 years by becoming a medical scribe this summer. 

 

I'm extremely nervous about applying to schools next year and was hoping you could give me some insight into how I'm doing? Do you think I would qualify as a competitive applicant? 

 

Thank you so much!! 

[paadmissions]

@criess1 Thank you for your questions. Academically, I think your stats are solid and would be competitive with most applicant pools. Your hours with the oncology camp are a great experience, but they would not be at the level we would be looking for for our clinical experience requirement. I would double check with the programs that interest you to see if they feel the same way. However, our program would accept the scribing hours, but I do know some programs accept them and some do not. Again, sending an email to the programs that you plan to apply to inquiring about your hours doesn't hurt. Hope this helps!

Hello! 

 

I'm currently a junior at Towson University and plan on applying to several schools the spring during my senior year. I'm a biology major with a minor in molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics. My overall GPA is a 3.55 and although I have not taken or started studying for the actual GRE yet, I scored a Q155 and V152 on the online Kaplan practice test. I am president of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemistry Society at my university and have held leadership roles in my sorority. 

 

I've wanted to be a PA ever since I was little. In elementary school I was diagnosed with leukemia and treated for almost 3 years and I can honestly say that my PA has made all the difference in my experience. As a survivor I know that I have so much to offer! I volunteer at a week long pediatric oncology camp in the summer and I'm in charge of 4-7 year old cancer patients night and day. I was wondering if you would consider this direct patient contact? I'm not administering medication, but I do monitor the girls' health, comfort and talk to them about their fears and deaths of friends, and sit with them through chemotherapy. I've also volunteered as an emergency room assistant. All together I have about 750 hrs now and plan on accumulating more over the next 1.5 years by becoming a medical scribe this summer. 

 

I'm extremely nervous about applying to schools next year and was hoping you could give me some insight into how I'm doing? Do you think I would qualify as a competitive applicant? 

 

Thank you so much!! 

[Masmadi]

Hi I graduated over 20 years ago with a BA in Liberal Arts and an MA in Audiology.  I worked as an audiologist for approximately 8 years in several different settings (physician's office, hospital, and then as a trainer for a hearing aid company).  Since approximately 2001 I have worked as a medical transcriptionist from home while raising my children.  I am very interested in the PA program and realize I will probably need to take several pre-req's/refresher courses.  My question pertains more to my hands on experience.  What would you suggest? 

 

Thanks for any help!

[AAmbrosino]

Hey there Pre-PAers! In line with this thread topic, I keep a weekly blog in which I write about my life in and out of PA school. I'm currently a (26 year old) 1st year, 2nd session PA student at Touro University of Nevada, and loving it. Anyway, some of you may be curious to read about what to expect of your academic/social lives during school, so feel free to check out the blog! Here's a link: reviewofsystems.wordpress.com. 

Got specific questions? PM me or reply here! Like what you read? Follow me! Best of luck to you all! 

​- Anthony Ambrosino, PA-S

[paadmissions]

@masmadi Thank you for your questions. I believe your experience as an audiologist would count for the clinical experience requirements for a lot of programs, but it's best to follow up with the ones that interest you to see if they would count. I would encourage you to seek shadowing opportunities now to have recent work. Because of your background, I would inquire with the clinic to see if they would allow you to perform duties similar to a medical or nursing assistant. That way you could gain experience in a different "setting." I hope this is helpful and best wishes! 

Hi I graduated over 20 years ago with a BA in Liberal Arts and an MA in Audiology.  I worked as an audiologist for approximately 8 years in several different settings (physician's office, hospital, and then as a trainer for a hearing aid company).  Since approximately 2001 I have worked as a medical transcriptionist from home while raising my children.  I am very interested in the PA program and realize I will probably need to take several pre-req's/refresher courses.  My question pertains more to my hands on experience.  What would you suggest? 

 

Thanks for any help!

[atyl]

Hi,

I  have PhD in Experimental Psychology and have been working in Neuroscience research. I have worked as a clinical research coordinator on stroke studies. In this position, I worked with patients who were qualified to be enrolled in the studies. This included collecting patient histories relevant to the research, conducting follow ups, and conducting procedures such as venipuncture, blood pressure and ECGs. 

 

Does this research type of patient contact count towards HCE for PA requirements?

 

I suppose another question would be about my previous graduate training. I know it doesn't hurt, but would it be helpful that I've already gone through graduate school once? Or would an admissions committee give it no consideration?

 

Thank you, 

Amber

[KrystalJoubert]

Hello, Ive been looking into PA programs for quite sometime and notice that there are programs that are BS-MD and others that are BS or MD. I am halfway through with college and would like to eventually become a PA I wanted to know what is the difference between these programs. Does the BS-MD programs prepare you the same way as the others? Will I earn the same qualification at the MD? Due to financial struggles I was considering the BS-MD option.

[johnwayne012]

My name is Will, I wanted first to thank you for taking the time to answer questions for those of us with the hope to be a Physician Assistant. To give a bit of a background to my question, I'm a Medical technologist with several years in, I was trained in the Army and spent a fair share of my years doing medic detail; sick call, phlebotomy, and of course, trama care. I have a degree in Clinical Lab science, however most of my credit hours are graded as CR. No letter grade. My preqs are not, except for 1 chemistry class. How would that look to you as an admissions director? I have a 3.5 gpa, but that's based on only a total of 36 letter graded credits.

[Alanna200]

Good evening and thank you so much for taking the time to help us all during our journey! My question is primarily about whether or not my experience in the Air Force is relevant to the PA Program. I am still a junior in undergrad (I separated from the Air Force over a year ago to pursue a college degree) so I am more than willing to hold down a medical positon to gain hours while I attend school if it will better my chances. I would like to apply to the same school I'm currently attending. They do not require a minimum number of clinical hours, but it is recommended. Thank you so much again for your assistance!

 

My background:

Current Cummulative GPA:
Overall is 3.615 and climbing (making up for a lower GPA when I first attended college before the military)

Healthcare Experience:
I was a Biomedical Equipment Technician in the Air Force for four years. I spent most of those years working directly with PA's and MD's in order to service their medical equipment and was required to train them on how to use the equipment properly. It was my time in the military that introduced me to the position of a Physician Assistant and I formed a great professional rapport with one of the PA's. My job familiarized me with HIPAA compliance; ECRI compliance; customer service to patients, physicians, and technicians; a strong background in A&P; and 12 months of technician school in order to master every piece of equipment used in a hospital setting (to repair/install equipment and train users). I was often training patients directly on how to use devices such as nebulizers and blood pressure monitoring systems so they could treat themselves at home.

[paadmissions]

@atyl Thank you for your questions. I believe your clinical research hours will count for most programs. Its always safe to ask programs before applying, but with the type of responsibilities you have, I'm fairly confident you'll be ok. Also, in regards to your graduate work, yes, I think it does enhance your application to show successful completion of a graduate program. If you did very well in the program, it adds even more to your application. I hope this helps and best wishes!

Hi,

I  have PhD in Experimental Psychology and have been working in Neuroscience research. I have worked as a clinical research coordinator on stroke studies. In this position, I worked with patients who were qualified to be enrolled in the studies. This included collecting patient histories relevant to the research, conducting follow ups, and conducting procedures such as venipuncture, blood pressure and ECGs. 

 

Does this research type of patient contact count towards HCE for PA requirements?

 

I suppose another question would be about my previous graduate training. I know it doesn't hurt, but would it be helpful that I've already gone through graduate school once? Or would an admissions committee give it no consideration?

 

Thank you, 

Amber

[paadmissions]

@krystaljoubert Thank you for your question. I'm not all that familiar with BS-MD programs, but I'm assuming, just based on the few things I've read about a few of these programs, they look like a "preference" type of program to get your BS/BA degree, and if you meet the selection factors for their medical school you are given preference into the medical school. At the conclusion of the program you would have both a bachelor's degree and a medical degree. From there you would do your residency training. Again, I'm assuming this is the case for a lot of these programs. Some may be accelerated, some may not be; and some may have a certain focus like primary care. I'm also guessing that these type of programs would be a tad bit longer than completing your bachelor's degree and PA school, depending on where you go. Most medical programs are 3-4 years long, plus residency and PA schools are typically 2.5 years after you complete your bachelors degree without you  having to do a residency training (unless you wanted to do a post-bacc program after PA school). I would weigh your options carefully and consider shadowing PAs and MDs to solidify which field you want to enter. I always tell applicant, if you want to go to medical school you need to do that and not use PA school as a "backup" plan if you can help it. You'll need to comfortable with your position as a PA if that is the route you choose if medical school doesn't work out.  Hope this helps!

Hello, Ive been looking into PA programs for quite sometime and notice that there are programs that are BS-MD and others that are BS or MD. I am halfway through with college and would like to eventually become a PA I wanted to know what is the difference between these programs. Does the BS-MD programs prepare you the same way as the others? Will I earn the same qualification at the MD? Due to financial struggles I was considering the BS-MD option.

[slupa]

Good morning, Thank you for taking the time to review my admission criteria. I am indirectly asking do I have a solid possibility of getting into PA school this year. I am a current student at Saint Louis University studying Clinical Laboratory Science. I had three years at University of Missouri studying Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, and transferred to Saint Louis University to pursue being a Pre-PA. My degree allows me to take boards to be certified as a MLS (ASCP) by the time I finish. That will be nice to have, but obviously my main goal is to get into PA school. I had an okay GPA at my previous university 3.3, and at SLU I do not have the greatest GPA at least in the basic sciences because I was made to retake a lot of courses all at the same time because of credit transfer issues, so I was taking 3 biology courses and 2 chemistry courses all at the same time to "catch up" and not be in undergrad for another 4 years, along with working full time, and some unfortunate set backs in my life. That, needless to say, tanked my current GPA to a 2.9 at SLU, but with my core medical classes in my program I am at a 3.7 (Hematology, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Urinalysis, etc.) These classes are more clinical directed rather than genetic based like biology courses are. It also helps my professors are professors for the PA program at my current university. Here is a list of my stats for an application. I am just wondering, what more can I do? 

 

- 3.0 CASPA GPA (very low, but I have no idea how to raise it since I have taken so many classes; and SLU calculates their own GPA which will be a bit higher than this)

- 1200 hours of paid HCE as a ED Scribe at a hospital here (I work with PAs and MDs)

- 50 volunteer hours of taking blood pressures at the VA

- 40 shadowing PA hours in various specialties

- will have a research publication in the journal of microbiology (had a specific project that I was in charge of for the greater project; not published yet, but hopefully by matriculation)

- 3 strong letters of recommendation (medical director of the ED I work at, academic advisor who is very well known throughout the departments, and principal investigator of my research)

- Prior to attending PA school I will be certified as a MLS (ASCP) passing a board of certification.

- Intention to do military service after school and rural medicine after that

-played a club sport for extracurriculars 

-was a part of a fraternity and held a position while I was apart of the organization

 

Am I an overall weak competitor compared to the general pre-PA students that apply? I feel I am doing everything that can possibly be done, but the numbers maybe a little weak, should I just keep pumping out hours and raise the GPA? Will the only thing that save me is the interview and personal statement? 

 

Thanks for your time,

Respectfully,

Tim

[paadmissions]

@johnwayne012 Thank you for your questions. If you were applying to our program I would request a copy (or hyperlink) to the academic catalog of the school that gave the CR credit just so we could review the grading policy and course descriptions. The good thing is that your prerequisites, with the exception of that one course, have letter grades so you should be ok. I would recommend you seeking out guidance from the programs you're planning to apply to to see if they would accept the CR "grades" and make sure there is no documentation that you need to provide to move through the admissions process. Most universities have their catalogs online now so this type of information should be relatively easy to find. I hope this helps and best wishes!

My name is Will, I wanted first to thank you for taking the time to answer questions for those of us with the hope to be a Physician Assistant. To give a bit of a background to my question, I'm a Medical technologist with several years in, I was trained in the Army and spent a fair share of my years doing medic detail; sick call, phlebotomy, and of course, trama care. I have a degree in Clinical Lab science, however most of my credit hours are graded as CR. No letter grade. My preqs are not, except for 1 chemistry class. How would that look to you as an admissions director? I have a 3.5 gpa, but that's based on only a total of 36 letter graded credits.

[paadmissions]

@alanna200 Thank you for your questions. I'm hesitant to say that the hours would count towards patient contact. I would view that more as related patient experience (these are 2 separate categories on your CASPA application).  If you're able to hold down a side job to gain more hours, I would recommend positions such as medical assisting or job shadowing to help your application. When a program says it's recommended to have hours, that means that probably the majority of those being interviewed have quality experience. Check out their website to see if they have a link to a class profile. Our class profile lists all the positions that the incoming classes had prior to PA school, and theirs may do the same and even offer an average of hours . If medical assisting or shadowing position on are that list it's viewed as quality experience. Keep in mind, my opinion above about your equipment hours, is just our opinion so it never hurts to contact the program to see if they view that as quality experience. I hope this helps and best wishes!

Good evening and thank you so much for taking the time to help us all during our journey! My question is primarily about whether or not my experience in the Air Force is relevant to the PA Program. I am still a junior in undergrad (I separated from the Air Force over a year ago to pursue a college degree) so I am more than willing to hold down a medical positon to gain hours while I attend school if it will better my chances. I would like to apply to the same school I'm currently attending. They do not require a minimum number of clinical hours, but it is recommended. Thank you so much again for your assistance!

 

My background:

Current Cummulative GPA:
Overall is 3.615 and climbing (making up for a lower GPA when I first attended college before the military)

Healthcare Experience:
I was a Biomedical Equipment Technician in the Air Force for four years. I spent most of those years working directly with PA's and MD's in order to service their medical equipment and was required to train them on how to use the equipment properly. It was my time in the military that introduced me to the position of a Physician Assistant and I formed a great professional rapport with one of the PA's. My job familiarized me with HIPAA compliance; ECRI compliance; customer service to patients, physicians, and technicians; a strong background in A&P; and 12 months of technician school in order to master every piece of equipment used in a hospital setting (to repair/install equipment and train users). I was often training patients directly on how to use devices such as nebulizers and blood pressure monitoring systems so they could treat themselves at home.

[paadmissions]

@slupa Thank you for your questions. It is very difficult to raise an overall GPA without taking an enormous amount of coursework to make a difference. That said, at least for now, your overall GPA is at a 3.0, which is a cut off point for a lot of programs so you may still make the "cut." That said, I would put a lot of focus on improving your sciences. Performing well in the clinically relevant courses that you mentioned is always going to enhance your academic performance, but in my opinion, is not going to overshadow or replace required prerequisite courses. For example, if you applied to our program and had As in the classes you mentioned, but consistent Bs and Cs in Micro, A&P, General and Organic Chemistries, and Biochemistry it would be difficult for you to be competitive with the applicant pool. If you're not showing a strong performance in these categories you should put redirect your focus to improving your grades in these particular classes. I hope this makes sense and let me know if you have any further questions. 

Good morning, Thank you for taking the time to review my admission criteria. I am indirectly asking do I have a solid possibility of getting into PA school this year. I am a current student at Saint Louis University studying Clinical Laboratory Science. I had three years at University of Missouri studying Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, and transferred to Saint Louis University to pursue being a Pre-PA. My degree allows me to take boards to be certified as a MLS (ASCP) by the time I finish. That will be nice to have, but obviously my main goal is to get into PA school. I had an okay GPA at my previous university 3.3, and at SLU I do not have the greatest GPA at least in the basic sciences because I was made to retake a lot of courses all at the same time because of credit transfer issues, so I was taking 3 biology courses and 2 chemistry courses all at the same time to "catch up" and not be in undergrad for another 4 years, along with working full time, and some unfortunate set backs in my life. That, needless to say, tanked my current GPA to a 2.9 at SLU, but with my core medical classes in my program I am at a 3.7 (Hematology, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Urinalysis, etc.) These classes are more clinical directed rather than genetic based like biology courses are. It also helps my professors are professors for the PA program at my current university. Here is a list of my stats for an application. I am just wondering, what more can I do? 

 

- 3.0 CASPA GPA (very low, but I have no idea how to raise it since I have taken so many classes; and SLU calculates their own GPA which will be a bit higher than this)

- 1200 hours of paid HCE as a ED Scribe at a hospital here (I work with PAs and MDs)

- 50 volunteer hours of taking blood pressures at the VA

- 40 shadowing PA hours in various specialties

- will have a research publication in the journal of microbiology (had a specific project that I was in charge of for the greater project; not published yet, but hopefully by matriculation)

- 3 strong letters of recommendation (medical director of the ED I work at, academic advisor who is very well known throughout the departments, and principal investigator of my research)

- Prior to attending PA school I will be certified as a MLS (ASCP) passing a board of certification.

- Intention to do military service after school and rural medicine after that

-played a club sport for extracurriculars 

-was a part of a fraternity and held a position while I was apart of the organization

 

Am I an overall weak competitor compared to the general pre-PA students that apply? I feel I am doing everything that can possibly be done, but the numbers maybe a little weak, should I just keep pumping out hours and raise the GPA? Will the only thing that save me is the interview and personal statement? 

 

Thanks for your time,

Respectfully,

Tim

[db_pavnp]

PAA, would you be willing to comment on the strong emphasis that PA programs place on Freshman and Sophomore level sciences?  I feel fortunate to have gotten competitive grades in those courses, but I cannot help but feel they have little application towards my overall competency in the workforce, my true work ethic, or my capacity to digest large volumes of information.  I am embarrassed to reveal this, as I must be missing something very obvious if every program so greatly emphasizes this coursework.  Thank-you.

[Gervon R.T.]

Hello PA Admissions, I was wondering if direct patient contact hours accumulated in high school makes the cut for pa school. I did over a thousand hours of internship in the hospital trying to fulfill my dental assistant certification. Thank you!

[paadmissions]

@db_kiliman Thank you for your questions. It's always encouraging to see applicants have a strong academic performance throughout their academic career. If you started out strong in your freshman and sophomore years, but had a declining academic performance in your jr and sr years, which could easily carry your last 60 semester hours, you may have significant work to do to demonstrate your academic potential to be successful in PA school. Not saying this is true for every applicant who we've accepted, but we usually have more confidence in someone who started off rough, but had a significant turn around in their last 2 years or in their post-bacc work.  It's important to evaluate what classes you may need to retake especially if it is relevant to PA school requirements. Success in these classes and maybe in upper level courses, that are in addition to prerequisites, would be a way to overcome a rocky Jr and Sr year. I'm hoping I understand your question correctly. Please let me know if I've missed the mark :)

PAA, would you be willing to comment on the strong emphasis that PA programs place on Freshman and Sophomore level sciences?  I feel fortunate to have gotten competitive grades in those courses, but I cannot help but feel they have little application towards my overall competency in the workforce, my true work ethic, or my capacity to digest large volumes of information.  I am embarrassed to reveal this, as I must be missing something very obvious if every program so greatly emphasizes this coursework.  Thank-you.

[db_pavnp]

Oops, I have mislead you a bit.  I did not intend to suggest changes in performance across college.  My question was meant to be more general - why do PA programs appear to emphasize lowerclassman sciences?  Given your response, though, I feel the answer is that they don't emphasize them, they simply prefer to see four strong years of performance, which makes sense.  Thank-you.

[paadmissions]

@gervin rt thank you for your question! That would all depend on the program you're applying to. For example, some programs may have a time limit in the hours and/or you need to check if those type of hours would count for admissions. Try the websites first, if that doesn't answer your question email or call the program. Hope this helps!

 

Hello PA Admissions, I was wondering if direct patient contact hours accumulated in high school makes the cut for pa school. I did over a thousand hours of internship in the hospital trying to fulfill my dental assistant certification. Thank you!

[Gervon R.T.]

Thank you so much!

[ejw50]

When should an undergraduate like myself, who is determined to get into PA school, start studying for the GRE, and apply to specific PA schools during my undergraduate?