Experience beyond HCE

[CSUCAM04]

So I'm a prospective PA and currently in my Junior year of undergrad. I have a solid GPA and have been accruing HCE as a STNA. I also plan on getting an EMT cert to get some experience in that field. I guess my question is, what can one do beyond the obvious stuff such as HCE, GPA, GRE, etc. to amp up an application. I might be taking a year off after graduation to gain more experience but I was just wondering what you guys would advise to focus my efforts on to further my chances of getting accepted.

[Just Steve]

What schools do you plan on applying to? What sort of undergrad did their alumni have when they entered the program that you want to be in? What was the average age? Did the program you want to enter pick the majority of their class fresh from the graduating undergrad pool or did they favor a slightly older crowd? What was the average hours of patient care? What sort of patient care did the classes before you have on their application? What does the schools that you want to apply to value? Are they big into large academic hospitals becoming immersed in the science of medicine, or are they more focused on the rural setting where the art of healing takes a higher precedence? Is their program directly related to any public health focus? Can you afford the schools you want to attend or would it be better to bankroll a bit of cash before embarking on your next voyage? How old are you now? What have your life experiences been to this point? Are you bilingual? Have you ever experienced an impoverished area? Been on a medical mission? Ever see the world outside of your home state? Where did you go? What did you see? How can that experience enhance you as a PA? Shadow much? What sort of PA do you want to be? What sort of exposure do you have that particular field? What other medical fields have you explored? I see you mention STNA and a future of EMT, is there anything else that interests you? If it's something like cardiology, how would a school know that you have researched cardiology and have an understanding of what it is all about? Do you have family that you feel compelled to spend quality time with or are you foot loose and fancy free with the ability to go on a walkabout? (or in this case, a Sabatical as you're expected to come back with some sort of career/life enhancing experience.)

 

So....as you can see..to honestly answer your question, a wee bit more detail about you and where you want to go would lend itself into a more customized answer.

 

The short answer: Crank away at direct patient health care in an environment where you get to make independent assessments and decisions (within the realm of outlined procedures and guidelines). Jump in the pocket of your favorite PA/Doc and drink in as much of the medical culture as you can. (shadow, work for, learn from). The prospective PA student who not only has good grades AND quality HCE will often rise to the top of the selection pile. The student who has good grades but hasn't really experience medicine yet is a higher risk to the school and the profession. Don't be that risk.