SLP to PA?

[cielveri]

If I have a masters in Speech Language Pathology and have been working for a few years, would I still need the prerequisites to get into a masters program for PA school and have to go back for additional schooling to get them or would I just be able to apply since I would already hold a masters? 

 

Also if I have been working in the medical setting for a bit would that give me an advantage over people who shadowed PAs. I'm looking at the aan antonio program and it's optional (shadowing hours) but definitley encouraged. 

 

I'm also curious about the coursework and how everyone handled it and were able to work while going to school or was it just too much. 

 

I appreciate everyone who took the time to read all this ^.^

[FuturePAPhilip]

26 minutes ago, cielveri said:

If I have a masters in Speech Language Pathology and have been working for a few years, would I still need the prerequisites to get into a masters program for PA school and have to go back for additional schooling to get them or would I just be able to apply since I would already hold a masters? 

 

Also if I have been working in the medical setting for a bit would that give me an advantage over people who shadowed PAs. I'm looking at the aan antonio program and it's optional (shadowing hours) but definitley encouraged. 

 

I'm also curious about the coursework and how everyone handled it and were able to work while going to school or was it just too much. 

 

I appreciate everyone who took the time to read all this ^.^

Most likely you would need to have all prerequisites met. The programs typically do not make exceptions. You can reach out to the programs you are interested in individually. But as a general rule, they do not make exceptions when it comes the prerequisite courses. 

[DiggySRNA]

1. You will still need to take and do well in all pre-requisites despite a previous MS degree. 
2. Yes, your years of experience would be a great benefit compared to those who only shadow. That said, most of programs require PA shadowing. 
3. I did not do PA school so I cannot speak on the difficulty of the curriculum but the general consensus is that the program is hard as hell but you're the only one who can determine if you can juggle both school and working. 

[ohiovolffemtp]

As Diggy said:

1. The pre-reqs are just that.  You have to have them.  They do vary somewhat by school, but essentially they are the same pre-reqs as for medical school.  PA schools don't care what your degree is, just that you have the classes and have done well in them.
2. Your experience will make you an attractive candidate, but you should shadow PA's.  How else would you get the 1st hand data that you would actually like the work life of a PA.  Plus, the work life of a PA varies greatly based on the type of medicine you practice - shadowing multiple PA's helps you understand what your career would be like and will help you articulate that to an admission committee.
3.  Most PA schools either forbid or strongly discourage working while in school.  It is never acceptable to miss PA didactic sessions or especially clinical sessions for work.