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Am I too old for PA school


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Yes, to a couple to things:

  • Yes, most schools will require your sciences to be within a certain time frame.  You will probably have to spend some time getting your pre-reqs done.
  • Yes, you still can.  I started PA school at 53, UGoLong started even later.  We both were/are paramedics.  He was an engineer, I did IT.  You're a nurse.
  • Yes, the path exists and NO - you're not too old.

So, you'll need to figure out a plan that's feasible for you: academics, finances, etc.  You've already been doing that for decades, you have more maturity and experience than the average PA school candidate.

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Depending on where you live, you may want to consider a part time, 3 year PA program like that offered at Drexel. You split the first year over two years, allowing you to work, then do the regular year 2 as a full time year 3. There are still a handful of these programs out there. 

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It is feasible if you want it. As ohiovolf said above, I was older -- 58 in fact -- when I started and 60 when I graduated. It was the journey of a lifetime. Being older has advantages and disadvantages. Advantages when it comes to working with people (I'm often older than my patients) and disadvantages when it came to memorizing in school. I found it best to have a mental model of what was going on and then the factoids made sense. And yes, I had to take prereqs before I could start. I still work part-time and am a part-time assistant professor in a PA program at 75. 

For me, it's been great and added more meaning to my life. Only you can decide if it's right for you. That my wife was supportive made all the difference. And yes, we're still married after PA school; 53 years and counting.

You only go around once. Do what you want to do, as long as you can afford the time and money.

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I'm 53yrs old and I am trying to get in PA school. Unfortunately my GPA does not look good enough to be recognized. I have to rely on my years of experience in the medical field and a good GRE score. I know that schools have a lot of students applying for this program and they have to ween off who don't meet the required grades, but I really hope that they take a bigger look at our age and see how committed we are and take a chance with us. I can't give up and let that dream be a dream. It's never too late you can do it. Look at your pre-req's and see what's missing and take one class at a time and before you know it you're ready to fill out your CASPA.

I just watched the movie Internship and I felt just like Luke and Vince being surrounded with all these youngsters and not given a chance but in the end proved them wrong. I would love this opportunity.

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On 11/6/2021 at 11:46 AM, hdswofford said:

I have been a nurse for many years and would like to advance my career. I am more interested in a P. A. program than N. P. school but at 55 I’m not sure if that’s feasible. Anyone in same boat? Will probably need to retake basic classes. 

You're never too old! Wouldn't it be nice if in your 60s you were P.A. and making the money you want to make and doing the job you want to do! 

Good luck and best wishes~ 

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On 11/8/2021 at 2:38 AM, johnguillen68 said:

I'm 53yrs old and I am trying to get in PA school. Unfortunately my GPA does not look good enough to be recognized. I have to rely on my years of experience in the medical field and a good GRE score. I know that schools have a lot of students applying for this program and they have to ween off who don't meet the required grades, but I really hope that they take a bigger look at our age and see how committed we are and take a chance with us. I can't give up and let that dream be a dream. It's never too late you can do it. Look at your pre-req's and see what's missing and take one class at a time and before you know it you're ready to fill out your CASPA.

I just watched the movie Internship and I felt just like Luke and Vince being surrounded with all these youngsters and not given a chance but in the end proved them wrong. I would love this opportunity.

John,

You can probably do this but I doubt you can rely on old, apparently substandard grades. That somehow your long years of experience will outweigh the grade thing. In the end though, you still probably have to pay your dues.

Show that you can do it now. Consider taking some classwork and showing that that, not only are you not the substandard undergrad from years gone by, but that you still have a fully-functioning brain that can stand up to the work.

Good luck!

Edited by UGoLong
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yeah my birth year is 1968. fixed my car but now I have flat and now using my spare. I need to get 4 tires now. I've been watching GRE videos and it's helping but its like nerve wrecking when I don't understand the math. I'm not a good writer so I will be practicing. There's no way for me to know every vocabulary so that section will be a guessing game for me.

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I applied and got accepted at 35. When I first started taking prerequisite courses at 32 I though that I was way too old, but apparently the school I got accepted to thought otherwise. If you have a great application (being an RN at 55, I'm sure you do!), get good grades on the core courses, you should be good to go. 

Good luck

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