Working Full-time and going to PA school

[Evgomez71]

Hello, 

I am a full-time firefighter/ paramedic and on a 24/48 hour schedule. Would be possible to go to school and work on the job if everything is planned accordingly? Is there any part time PA schools out there ? 

[TeddyRucpin]

4 hours ago, Evgomez71 said:

Hello, 

I am a full-time firefighter/ paramedic and on a 24/48 hour schedule. Would be possible to go to school and work on the job if everything is planned accordingly? Is there any part time PA schools out there ? 

No, It won't be possible to do that. PA school is too challenging to manage this. Your goal is to become a PA; this would negatively impact your grades. As a medic, I can only manage to work on breaks from school.

[bike mike]

We had an RN in my class who continued to work.....she failed out. Had a fireman who continued to work....he barely made it through. If you want to be a PA I recommend you focus on becoming a PA. Yes, we are all in the poor house for two years during PA school but it's a short term commitment for long term gains. Good luck. 

[Evgomez71]

@bike mike Appreciate the info. The fireman you mentioned who barely made it through, I got to give him credit. His motive to make it through PA school and work full time gives me the confidence to consider it as well. It it possible as you can see, but very challenging. To be honest, I am 29 years of age, single with no kids. I have a home and so far, I have payed for school out my pocket. I do most of my school work on duty and still able to maintain a solid 3.4 GPA. 

 

[ohiovolffemtp]

There are 3 part-time PA programs and a very few online ones.  With great difficulty, you might be able to make it work, if you:

• had no life other than school and work
• had very accommodating co-workers who would do shift trades when you had exams, etc during the didactic portion of the program.
• didn't go to a regular PA program with M-F classes during the didactic portion.

I don't know how you would make the clinical rotations work as many of them are M-F and a few, like EM, will require night/weekend shifts.

I worked 48 hours every weekend while doing my pre-reqs (covered the Lt's Kelly days - they had Sat & Sun Kelly's), but I doubt I could have done that during PA school as a late run would have made it impossible to get to the 1st class Monday morning.  Or, if I'd been up all night Sunday, I doubt I would have absorbed much from class or rotations on Monday.

All I was able to do was a few weekend shifts during PA school.

[UGoLong]

@ohiovolffemtp, me too. Friday nights with my crew was all I could do and it was a 3 hour drive to get there. Kept me sane but I wouldn't want to have done any more.

Life often involves working out your priorities and sometimes something has got to give. Eyes on the prize.

[Batman]

On 11/15/2021 at 2:21 PM, Evgomez71 said:

@bike mike Appreciate the info. The fireman you mentioned who barely made it through, I got to give him credit. His motive to make it through PA school and work full time gives me the confidence to consider it as well. It it possible as you can see, but very challenging. To be honest, I am 29 years of age, single with no kids. I have a home and so far, I have payed for school out my pocket. I do most of my school work on duty and still able to maintain a solid 3.4 GPA. 

 

You have worked so hard to get into PA school, is it really worth sacrificing years of your life for a job/income? I hate debt like everyone else but every hour you spend working is an hour spent away from books. Didactic year is crucial to passing your rotations and looking competent. This knowledge will sustain you through the boards and as you transition to being a PA-C. The question you should ask yourself is "is this truly worth it". Good luck. 

[ANESMCR]

Agree with the above. Really bad idea. And if you tell the schools you’re interviewing with, it’ll be a red flag. PA school will not be easier for you just because you’re a paramedic. The paramedic in my class failed out. 

[dmdpac]

The program I attended had a rule that full time students could not work.  As a medic I figured I could work weekends and go to school during the week.  That was a mistake.  All week was spent on school.  All weekend, every weekend, was spent studying between calls.  I had no downtime.  I got sick and my grades started to suffer as a result.  I had to quit working and focus on school.

I found out later that holding a job while a student in the program, if caught, would have been grounds for dismissal from the program regardless of grades or performance.

Academic programs aren't going to have the flexibility of your 24/48s.  And I guarantee your shift mates are gonna get annoyed at your frequent requests to swap so you can be available for your academic responsibilities... to the point that they'll just stop helping you.

As has been stated above, pick which one you want to be and pursue that.

[trazodone]

I barely had time to brush my teeth and stay hydrated in PA school and I was a young, single guy in his 20s. No dice. Put your egg in the PA basket, I would advise strongly against trying to work.