Paid and Unpaid Healthcare Experience and Direct Patient Care

[PAdream21]

Hello all, 

I am applying this cycle 2021-2022 for PA program via CASPA application. I want someone to explain to me if volunteered healthcare experience or direct patient care experience are acceptable the same way if you were paid to do them?

Do PA program or schools prefer paid experience over non-paid experience?

Are the HCE or direct patient care more important and scored better by PA program than a teaching experience?

Do PA program or schools have access to your employment history? Can they know where you've worked and what type of work you have done via background checks?

Someone please shed some light on this

[rev ronin]

It varies from school-to-school, but yes, some rank paid experience more highly than unpaid.

Yes, PCE/HCE is FAR more important than teaching experience.

No, no one has any more access to your employment history than what you tell them. A background check will get what's criminal and what's on your credit report.

 

[mgriffiths]

19 hours ago, PAdream21 said:

Do PA program or schools have access to your employment history? Can they know where you've worked and what type of work you have done via background checks?

 

Rev says no, but I do believe background checks show employment history.  But, furthermore, they can contact an employer or listed volunteer organization to confirm what you are putting on your application is true.

16 hours ago, rev ronin said:

No, no one has any more access to your employment history than what you tell them. A background check will get what's criminal and what's on your credit report.

 

It is my understanding that background checks do show employment history.  I don't believe they show volunteer history, but schools can also verify this information specifically by calling organizations.  Whether they do or not is an entirely separate thing.

[rev ronin]

1 hour ago, mgriffiths said:

It is my understanding that background checks do show employment history.  I don't believe they show volunteer history, but schools can also verify this information specifically by calling organizations.  Whether they do or not is an entirely separate thing.

I suppose that's possible, but not every background check is equal.  I've seen credit reports, and I've seen criminal background checks, and neither of them had employment history.

A full on background investigation, like they'd do for a TS clearance? You have to provide that yourself, and they will verify it.  Not sure if there's a massive central espionage capitalism database somewhere owned by Google that already knows all this or not, but I'm sure if there is, approved entities can get access for a fee. The only question would be... is a PA school really going to pay for that level of detail?