Bensmith Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 I applied a bit late this cycle ( july 25) and have received nothing but rejection letters at this point it is quite unlikely that I will successful gain an acceptance this year part of this is likely due to applying late to schools with rolling admissions and applying to some really hard schools to get into that I didn’t really realize were all the competitive I also probably need to do some volunteering hours and shadowing my stats: cgpa 3.69 sgpa 3.71 bcp 3.6 gre 155 verbal 153 quant 3.5 written pce over 2000 hours as a cna split between a nursing home and another facility that is assisted living and memory care shadowing 0 hours volunteering 0 hours biology teaching assistant 50 hours i really expected to get in and didn’t what do I need to do to get better results next year? should I go nd get my qualified medication aid certification (in Indiana it allows a cna to pass meds which could be looked upon favorably because I would learn some pharmacology and apply that knowledge in a clinical setting)? Or are more hours s a cna in an assisted living facility enough did not having volunteer hours hurt me? i also have basically no extra curriculars did that hurt me? did having no shadow hours hurt me? my lors came from 2 lpns that I have reported directly to for several months and a college prof that I was at a for i am just trying to determine my next steps I have 8 months until the next cycle opens and although I still have a chance t a few programs I feel I need to start strengthening my application right now. I also don’t want to put too much on my plate as I am already working full time and taking a genetics course that I feel is quite difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANESMCR Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Shadow some PA’s. Get better references. Revise your narrative as this is usually a massive weakness in many apps. Apply much earlier. Consider transferring to a more acute care setting as a CNA, like the hospital floor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 The lack of shadowing time really sticks out here. Until you spend time with PAs in the clinical environment, programs are likely going to wonder if you really understand the profession. Your grades are great and your PCE is pretty good for many programs. I might also note that some programs have not yet started their interview cycles, which are going to be strange this year. Our program is doing remote interviews and starting in a few weeks; the students just shot a video this past week to share with the remotely-interviewed applicants. I suspect the interviews at many other programs are a bit different with COVID-19 this year. Don't give up just yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatsPAppin Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 1 hour ago, ANESMCR said: Shadow some PA’s. Get better references. Revise your narrative as this is usually a massive weakness in many apps. Apply much earlier. Consider transferring to a more acute care setting as a CNA, like the hospital floor. I was thinking the same as I read the original post. Change up the experience setting, rack up some quality hours and make sure you express what you learned in secondaries next cycle. Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAhopeful456 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 On 9/13/2020 at 12:35 AM, cbull said: I applied a bit late this cycle ( july 25) and have received nothing but rejection letters at this point it is quite unlikely that I will successful gain an acceptance this year part of this is likely due to applying late to schools with rolling admissions and applying to some really hard schools to get into that I didn’t really realize were all the competitive I also probably need to do some volunteering hours and shadowing my stats: cgpa 3.69 sgpa 3.71 bcp 3.6 gre 155 verbal 153 quant 3.5 written pce over 2000 hours as a cna split between a nursing home and another facility that is assisted living and memory care shadowing 0 hours volunteering 0 hours biology teaching assistant 50 hours i really expected to get in and didn’t what do I need to do to get better results next year? should I go nd get my qualified medication aid certification (in Indiana it allows a cna to pass meds which could be looked upon favorably because I would learn some pharmacology and apply that knowledge in a clinical setting)? Or are more hours s a cna in an assisted living facility enough did not having volunteer hours hurt me? i also have basically no extra curriculars did that hurt me? did having no shadow hours hurt me? my lors came from 2 lpns that I have reported directly to for several months and a college prof that I was at a for i am just trying to determine my next steps I have 8 months until the next cycle opens and although I still have a chance t a few programs I feel I need to start strengthening my application right now. I also don’t want to put too much on my plate as I am already working full time and taking a genetics course that I feel is quite difficult. I agree with what everyone has said. I would try to get at least 24 hours shadowing a PA. Obtain at least 1 LOR from a PA, or a physician. Also, rack up some volunteering hours as well. If you do that, I think you will be a competitive applicant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmith Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 5 hours ago, ally321 said: I agree with what everyone has said. I would try to get at least 24 hours shadowing a PA. Obtain at least 1 LOR from a PA, or a physician. Also, rack up some volunteering hours as well. If you do that, I think you will be a competitive applicant. In your opinion should I get the lor from the pa I shadow shadowing someone for a brief period of time then asking them for an lor, kinda seems like they wouldn't know enough about me to write a good one. How many volunteering hours do you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAhopeful456 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 29 minutes ago, cbull said: In your opinion should I get the lor from the pa I shadow shadowing someone for a brief period of time then asking them for an lor, kinda seems like they wouldn't know enough about me to write a good one. How many volunteering hours do you think a LOR from a PA you shadowed is better than none from a PA at all in my opinion. Some schools have more of an emphasis on volunteering, whereas others don't. It is an extra thing that sets you aside from applicants and shows you give back your time, etc. I would try to get at least 50-100 hours over the next year if you don't get in this year, just as another thing you can show that you did to improve your application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eluch15 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 I would put a lot of time into making your personal statement unique because that is often what gets you the interview. And of course, work on gaining shadowing and volunteering hours. Something that sets you apart from every one else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine616 Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 1. July 25th is sort of late but not super late. If you haven't gotten all rejection letters there might still be a school out there that are interviewing their best candidates and then moving down the lists. Others have not started interviewing yet. 2. Volunteer and shadowing hours are concerning at 0. I would work on shadowing and volunteering definitely first and something community service related because some schools highlight that A LOT. 3. Your PCE in terms of direct patient contact is okay as it could be better since I think most schools don't think highly of working in a nursing home facility compared to an outpatient clinic/hospital but that might be me being nitpicky 4. Personal statement can always be worked on, make sure you have it reviewed by multiple sources but at the same time keep it authentic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.