Pre-PA advice

[Marina25]

I just purchased the book "The ultimate guide to getting into physician assistant school". I find this book to be a great help, and it mentioned this forum. My name is Marina, I am a Sports Medicine/Athletic Training major right now. This is my senior year, so I am looking into getting the ball rolling on PA school. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on which route would be best to take, since I am currently completing my Bachelors in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training. I would greatly appreciate any advice!

 

Thank You,

Marina

[Just Steve]

You say you want to be a PA and wonder what direction you should go...? Well, personally I think your best shot would be to make sure you complete the pre requirements for the school(s) you are interested in and apply in accordance to that program(s) admission process.

 

I sorry for the vague answer but your question is a bit...well....vague.

[ToppDog]

Yep, do the above, plus volunteer work & shadowing of PA's to see if it's a good fit since you haven't worked in healthcare yet. Why not go MD?

[kagildersleeve]

I feel like you are in a good position to start pursuing this process, and wish that I had decided while I was still in college that I wanted to be a PA! First of all, take advantage of your senior year - I would try to finish up all of the PA pre-requisites you can while you are there: A+Ps, microbiology, biochemistry, gen bio, gen chem or organic chem, etc. If you don't know exactly where you might be planning on applying, it's best to hit up all of the classes that MIGHT be required by a school; it opens up a lot more options for you, and it is never a bad thing to have extra science courses on your transcripts that they recommend. Also, make sure you do really well in all of these classes; some schools don't even like to see B's on transcripts, so take the extra time to study to make sure you are successful. It's so worth it to not have to do an extra year (or years) or pre-requisites. Then, sign up for and take the GRE. It's not required by every program, but again, it just opens up more doors. Next, I would get certified in some kind of allied health profession so you can get some HCE. Becoming an EMT, CNA, or phlebotomist are all relatively quick certification processes, but becoming an MA is also a good route to take. Make sure you find a job with as much patient contact as you can find, and then start networking within your colleagues to see if you can get hooked up w a PA you would like to shadow. Finally, start researching programs; attend info sessions for the ones you can, get in touch with program directors, and start establishing a relationship with the program early on. It will be hard work, but if you follow these steps, I am sure you'll be successful. Good luck!!

[nisha67]

I agree that you should definitely shadow a few PA's if you have not already. I am finding that many people are trying to pursue the PA profession blindly without understanding what it entails or using it as a back up for MD school. (Be confident that this is the career you want to pursue) You are at a good place to begin the whole process so do a little more research and like they've said above, complete the requirements needed for the schools you desire to attend. My advice is to be precise in everything you do and triple check your personal statement! Competition is tough but I am sure you will do wonderfully! Good luck! :)