Help with PCE/Applying to schools next cycle

[teddythePA]

Hey everyone,

 

My name is Teddy and am currently 26 years old. I graduated college about 2 years ago with a psychology major and a cumulative GPA around 3.3. About a year or so afterwards, however, I decided that I wanted to switch careers and become a PA. I am currently working as a CNA at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I take people's vitals, document objective information, bathe patients, assist with the care of IV(s) and catheters, reposition patients, and document their intake and output and report back to the RNs. I've been working here since January and have almost 600 hours of PCE, but I have also been taking a couple of prerequisites part-time as well and have just started summer classes too. While I do feel that this has been good experience so far , I do feel that it can be a bit mundane and limiting. also feel that I'm not learning as much as I possibly could vs. being an EMT or MA. 

However, I do have my phlebotomy certification and found a few jobs at blood donor centers. I would be checking-in donors, taking their vitals (temp, bp, pulse), doing venipunctures, and setting them up at the plasmapheresis machine and monitoring their well-being during the donation. While I don't want to leave the hospital setting, I do think that phlebotomy would look better than CNA imo. Any thoughts on this? Do you think that this kind of PCE is "lower quality" or does it still look good?

Finally, I am trying to apply to schools in April 2024. I currently have about 600 hours (as stated before), but only about 20 shadowing hours and no volunteer hours. Additionally, I still have quite a few prereqs to get over the next year, including finishing A&P over the summer, Orgo 1 & 2, stats, microbio, genetics, calculus, and potentially biochem. Do you guys think that it is still possible to apply this coming April in about a year or so, or do you think that I should wait until 2025? 

Sorry I know that was a lot, but I am getting very frustrated and stressed out with the whole process and feel very behind. 

Please let me know, it would be of much help.

[HHPA25]

I think your HCE boils down to what it taught you about yourself and your future as a PA. In my opinion CNA is a better way to find this out because you are physically caring for patients and that teaching us a lot. https://mypatraining.com/best-health-care-experience/ This website I found grades different healthcare experiences and CNA is ranked only a little above phlebotomy. Maybe work for a little bit longer a CNA/PCT and then switch to phlebotomy to diversify your experiences, that is always a plus. 

If you can fit all those classes in and get some volunteering hours before 2024 then apply but also please don't feel bad to push it back. I pushed back my application a year and I feel like that is the reason I got in because I could perfect everything in my application as much as possible instead of rushing. 

Good luck!