EKG Technician

[kleck45]

Hi, I am a senior in high school and I am very interested in becoming a PA. I have been in a medical program at my school for 4 years and at the end of this year I will be certified as an EKG Technician. I would like to be able to go to PA school right out of college, and was wondering if having HCE as an EKG Technician for about 3 years would be good enough to get in to a good PA school? Any insight as to what I should do to prep myself for this crazy journey now and in college would be appreciated as well :)

[brendan987]

I am pretty sure that any work involving the healthcare of a patient is excellent. Your work as an EKG technician should be just fine. That being said, how you could juggle work as an EKG technician and completing the necessary coursework seems like a pretty lofty goal. Just my opinion.

 

You want to literally go balls to the wall on your academics if you want to make sure you are PA material. The admissions process is honestly that competitive. Do not lose respect for a single quiz, test, or lab. It will all add up. If you take a class where they allow you to drop your lowest quiz or test (if you are extremely lucky), respect that opportunity. The easiest way to kill your GPA is by not taking a test/course seriously. I know plenty of people where that was the issue. I didn't mean for this to be a rant, but I really wanted to emphasize those things because they do matter that much on CASPA. Frankly, that is the attitude that you will need in order to be a competent health care provider as well, so the system is built around it. I know if I thought otherwise at any point during my academic career, I would not be where I am in the application process right now.

 

Edit: consider med school if you are young and doing this kind of academic curriculum. I am not saying that you should go to med school, just consider it.

[kleck45]

Thanks for the reply. I am actually at a high school in Gainesville Florida and plan to go to UF, and I am doing clinicals at Shands. They say that anyone from this program at my high school who ends up at UF is almost guaranteed a job at Shands, and they work really well with your school schedule. That being said, you are right about the schoolwork and it is something I have to consider. And I am deciding between med school and PA school, and I would love to do PA because you get in the workforce faster with less debt. I do not think it is any easier, and in some cases maybe harder because it is just 2 years. Hopefully all these questions will be answered in college.

[brendan987]

I am not familiar with your program, but it sounds like a pretty solid gig. The kind of person that you are comes out during college, so you will know where your path lies during your academic career. If PA school and med school are your goals and your work is too demanding, don't be afraid to drop it. There are other ways to make money while in college (without selling your plasma, hair, and man juice).

 

One other thing that helped me was being humble during my science courses. While you are humble, people are much more likely to study with you, clear up topics than you don't understand, and professors recognize that as well. It will not change the grade your professor gives you, but it will make your relationship much better. You get further doing that than by being overly cocky.

[Just Steve]

I am pretty sure that any work involving the healthcare of a patient is excellent. Your work as an EKG technician should be just fine. That being said, how you could juggle work as an EKG technician and completing the necessary coursework seems like a pretty lofty goal. Just my opinion.

 

You want to literally go balls to the wall on your academics if you want to make sure you are PA material. The admissions process is honestly that competitive. Do not lose respect for a single quiz, test, or lab. It will all add up. If you take a class where they allow you to drop your lowest quiz or test (if you are extremely lucky), respect that opportunity. The easiest way to kill your GPA is by not taking a test/course seriously. I know plenty of people where that was the issue. I didn't mean for this to be a rant, but I really wanted to emphasize those things because they do matter that much on CASPA. Frankly, that is the attitude that you will need in order to be a competent health care provider as well, so the system is built around it. I know if I thought otherwise at any point during my academic career, I would not be where I am in the application process right now.

 

Edit: consider med school if you are young and doing this kind of academic curriculum. I am not saying that you should go to med school, just consider it.

 

Well that is one opinion. I can point to hundreds, perhaps thousands of PAs and PA students who had far less than a 4.0... Got a 3.0 myself. However, our HCE was generally a bit more comprehensive. There are many paths to becoming a PA. Working super hard and scoring the top on ever test means you are smart but it doesn't give any indication how you are with patients and peers. I would definitely encourage you to work through college, maybe do your degree in five years instead of four so you expose and perhaps be involved in more fields of medicine AND get good grades. I worked full time, have three little kids AND went to school full time, hence the 3.0. There are far more schools willing to interview a 3.0 student with a solid HCE background than interview a 4.0 gunner who still hasn't actually interviewed/examined a live real patient.

[Timon]

I can't speak for programs out of California but the trend is GPA > HCE. Most schools in my state don't require HCE although they do recommend it. I think having a PD versus part / full time job would suit you better towards your goal for either PA or MD/DO school. Just don't get jacked up like I did and join a fraternity / sorority. They're fun but it'll be hard to balance everything. Get good grades and try hard and I'm sure you'll do alright. If you end up with that B or C just try harder and remember its not the end of the world.

 

As an EKG Tech (NCCT) you'll have great experience to figure it out as you'll be able to travel and work with many different units and specialties. On top of that you will be getting direct patient contact that most if not all schools would accept because you will be doing 12 leads, stress tests, holter monitoring and in some cases possibly CPR during codes. I think you go for it but remember your priority is your grades first so take a per diem or part time role. In most cases you can always pick up more hours if you want / need to.

[GreatChecko]

kelch45,

 

Make sure you look into the pre-PA club at UF. I'm sure someone else knows more, but it seems like they have a close relationship with the PA program. I second what everyone else is saying. I'm a career changer, but I was so thankful I busted my rear when I did my undergrad so I didn't have to deal with a low GPA on top of everything else.

 

Good luck!

 

Checko