Is it worth applying this year?

[Lula97]

My qualifications:

Worked as an EMT part time for 6 months which totals to 600 hours.
Volunteered as a clinical research assistant for 5 months which totals to ~160 hours. (I did in-patient interviews).
Volunteered at a hospital ~150 hours.
Volunteered at Non-profit organization for the disabled for a semester.
Leadership: tutored teenagers for a semester.
No Shadowing hours

cGPA is 3.8
science GPA is 3.83
No GRE
 

Should I apply this year? what do you guys think?

[EMEDPA]

Grades are fine. Experience is very low. Many places will not except your research experience. That leaves you with 600 hrs. That is 15 weeks. You will be competing against folks with YEARS of experience. Get another year of HCE under your belt and then apply. Also do a bit of shadowing. Many programs require it.

[Laybunny]

Your experience is low, but that doesn't mean you have no chance of getting in. For perspective, my GPA is about yours, just a little bit higher. My PCE isn't anything impressive in terms of hours (about 1100 hours, most of them CNA). But I've still gotten 2 interviews so far, and I have heard plenty of stories of people with low PCE who still get admitted into a program. Remember, applications are viewed holistically, and low experience can be made up for with other factors such as high GPAs, a history of volunteer work, a great personal statement, and so forth. 

That all being said - if you do decide to apply, I would do it very very soon. August is usually considered a late time to apply, and beyond that doesn't meet the deadlines for a lot of programs. I also agree that shadowing hours are important - even if you just gain like 20 - 30, it'll make a substantial difference. They may be a bit more lenient because of COVID19, but still - you'll need to be able to prove to admission committees that, despite lack of shadowing hours, you know what a PA does and that you would like to be one. The lack of the GRE limits the number of programs you can even apply to as well.

In my personal opinion, if you find a program you meet the deadline for and it's a program you think you would be pretty competitive at, I would consider maybe applying to a few. Even if it's just to get the hang of CASPA so that you are more prepared for next application cycle. CASPA can be pretty complicated and it'll save you trouble next year since the majority of the information you put in will transfer over to next year. But I would definitely keep in mind that there are people who may have more competitive stats that applied as early as May, and that may have already had interviews or taken class seats.