staverae Posted May 10, 2023 Share Posted May 10, 2023 (edited) I'm currently a freshman right now at my university and am planning to graduate in 2025. I am currently working as a medical scribe in the ER and will have over 3,500 hours of patient care experience as a scribe and a projected 4,000 hours of patient care experience as a scribe that I will complete during my CASPA application process. I'm planning to have 70 hours of shadowing experience along with also having close to 300 hours of volunteer/community service hours by the time I apply in 2025. I am currently a full-time athlete (while I am also scribing, doing volunteer work, and shadowing) at my university on the golf team and travel a lot for tournaments but have been able to maintain a 3.9 GPA so far for my freshman year and plan to not fall below a 3.6-3.7 GPA both cumulative and for my science GPA by the time I apply for PA school. I also have begun working on my personal statement and my letters of rec. Am I building enough of a competitive resume for my application to make myself stand out, especially with me being a student athlete? Will that increase my chances of being accepted into the schools I apply to? Also, for volunteer work, would volunteering in low-income clinics help diversify my application? Thanks for you guys help! Edited May 10, 2023 by staverae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted May 10, 2023 Share Posted May 10, 2023 (edited) Personally, I think you're doing fine as a freshman! I especially like that you are planning your path through to application. My major concern is that you may have trouble staying that busy while keeping your overall and science GPAs up. Depending on your major, your sophomore and junior years can be tough. Also, you might want to save enough time and effort to take some challenging electives. Best wishes! Edited May 10, 2023 by UGoLong 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedRate Posted May 10, 2023 Share Posted May 10, 2023 Try to get hands-on experience, bonus if paid, e.g., CNA, patient care tech, etc. You can try volunteering at a center that provides medical care or hospital where you're able to directly interact with patients. Consider joining healthcare clubs and working as an undergrad research assistant, tutor, etc. Other than that, it seems like you're gaining lots of valuable experience. Keep up the good work! And don't forget to enjoy yourself and some hard-earned time off every now and then 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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