am I a competitive applicant :/

[ka42518]

I attended Salisbury University in MD, I have a BA in liberal arts (psychology and communications major) My cumulative gpa was a 2.9. I am in graduate school getting my masters in social work with a concentration in mental health and health studies at Howard university in DC. I will be done with my masters this upcoming may 2011 my cumulative gpa is a 3.47.

 

I am currently working as a an admissions associate at childrens hospital and I also intern in the ER for social work I do psychiatric emergency diagnosing and I plan on recieving my Lincense this march and continuing to work in the ER at childrens hospital for a year and a half which will give me about 1500 hrs of patient contact.

 

While I am working as a linsenced social worker i will be taking my pre-reqs anatomy 1 and 2 microbiology chemitry 1 and statistics and possibly biochem. I plan on applying in summer 2012 and i an also shawoding a PA when ever possible. If i get at least a min of 3.50 and up in my pre-reqs, with 1500 or more patient contact experience, with a lincencse and masters in social work, and when they add both cumalitive gpa together, and strong letteres of recomendation from two physicians and a PA, do you think I have a chance to get accepted to PA school????

[devildoc0311]

Your transcripts will show progression and that you're able to handle masters-level coursework. I think you'll be fine as long as you don't spell license wrong on your personal statement & applications:)

 

FYI- your programs may dictate WHO is to write your LORs (ie... 1 PA, 1 professor, 1 other non-relative)

[marilynpac]

You don't say what your core science gpa is so far....it does sound like you're on your way, keep up the good work! As far as your social work, I would open the flood gates for you. Social work is very hard, very demanding with no pay. There was an job in our newspaper a few yrs back looking for a social worker. Ad said...master's degree, 3-5yrs experience, 37k/yr! Say what?????

[ka42518]

I took general biology in undergrad and got a B and i also took some environmental biology class in undergrad as well and got a B. But as far as science classes in my masters program, no we don't have to take any. It was more focused on family and health and how to work with other professionals in the hospital setting. I really hope that I can get accepted into PA school because I do feel like I have a lot to offer and to be able to go into medicine has always been a dream of mine. I regret that I listened to my mom and went to school for social work, although it has taught me a lot and how to deal with A LOT of stress due to the nature of our work.

[ka42518]

so what other science classes should i take? and how many more classes should I take?

[marilynpac]

There's a whole lot of info in the search engine of this forum, most of it in the PrePA section. You need to do your own research to see what fits you best. Once you figure out which schools to apply to you can then go into the PA student section and put up a thread asking about that school from current students. This is your journey, good luck.

[ka42518]

Thanks PAMAC I really appreciate the advice its makes me feel a little bit more confident to get into PA school when you said your friend who was a social worker got into med school. Also the I have been doing my research and I am applying to 3 schools Anne arundle community college, Howard university and townson university they all have different backgrounds of professions in their programs even social workers, so i have familarized myself with each program and researched. I know what pre-reqs to take Im just really nervous that because I dont have a background in biology that it can hinder me from getting in. I reaalllllyyyy want to become a PA so I just want to make sure I have a chance to get in.

[ka42518]

thanks. what school are you applying to?

[bradtPA]

Degree won't matter; I was an anthropology major. A strong understanding of biology does matter, however. Just because my major was anthropology it didn't get me out of taking huge amounts of bio. Because of the way prereqs were set up, I had to take two semesters of intro bio to qualify for anatomy and genetics, genetics to qualify for microbiology and physiology, and cell biology to qualify for immunology. Taking two or three bio courses and thinking it will prepare you for PA school is a mistake....

[ka42518]

Im going to start taking my pre-reqs this semester. When I checked the pre-reqs for the classes i want to take I don't need all the other classes you had to take. Im taking anatomy 1, physiology 2, micro and chemistry and stats to get into 2 schools. those arethe pre-reqs that the schools require.

[bradtPA]

Im going to start taking my pre-reqs this semester. When I checked the pre-reqs for the classes i want to take I don't need all the other classes you had to take. Im taking anatomy 1, physiology 2, micro and chemistry and stats to get into 2 schools. those arethe pre-reqs that the schools require.

 

Those are the MINIMUM prereqs. Taking more than the minimum and proving that you have a strong grasp of biology by succeeding in upper division courses would make you a more attractive candidate......

[ka42518]

I was thinking the same thing. but what other classes should I take i dont know which science classes are more important than other. and how many classes should I take extra?

[NewtonsApple]

I had a BA in psychology with a 3.1 GPA, however, I took only one science prerequisite while in undergrad (thought I wanted to be a lawyer). My health care experience comes from working as a mental health tech in an emergency inpatient psych unit (4000 hrs), scribe in the ED (couple hundred), and volunteering as an EMT-B (couple hundred). I took all of my prerequisites after graduation and within 2 years of getting into PA school and I believe my scenario helped me out tremendously. My science GPA upon completion of my prerequisites was in the 3.8-3.9 range. I took Biochem, yet did not take Organic at all, the benefits of a non-degree seeking student. Bicochem was awesome and is continually paying dividends. I would take the most advanced A&P classes you can, gross anatomy and pathophysiology would benefit you greatly.

 

I applied to 18 schools, as I thought my mental health background would hinder my application, along with 0.00 GPA my freshman year :). While straight A's and B's would have been great from the start, my trend of A's and B's after my 0.00 initial year quantified my dedication and demonstrated my ability to work through self imposed hardship. Further, I discovered that PA programs enjoy an eclectic applicant, as my mental health background served me well and allowed me to gain interviews at I believe 14 of my 18 programs applied to. This includes interviews at my top 3 and getting in to my top choice.

 

I think your social work background will be invaluable and make you an excellent candidate for PA school. One of my professors has spent 20 years or so as a psych PA as well as his masters in social work with his LCSW. This professor loves mental health applicants in case you feel like applying to a schools out east.

 

Good Luck.

[ka42518]

Yes I completely agree with you. Whatever i need to do in order to not just be competitive for PA school, but to also be a great PA and be helpful to my patients I will do. Thanks I think i know what other biology classes I should take along with the pre-reqs now.

[ka42518]

Wow thank you soo much for that. I thought i would never find someone who had a similar background with me. Its funny because when I was in undergrad i failed my first semester but then the next semester i got a 3.0 and kept improving. My cum gpa was a 2.9 and my cum in social work is a 3.47 so if do really well in my pre-reqs im pretty sure my gpa will increase significantly. I too also intern at the hospital in the ER doing psych evaluations for impatient hospitilization. I diagnose and treat at my internship and I most likely will be working there when I graduate to build up more hrs.

 

What schools did you apply to on the east cost?

[NewtonsApple]

The programs I applied to were mainly in VA, NC, FL, and PA with a few others.

[ka42518]

oh ok. I am applying to schools only in maryland because i cant relocate.

[NewtonsApple]

While circumstance may dictate that you cannot leave MD, I would highly suggest increasing your relocation radius by a few hours outside MD if at all possible. You will of course have many more options, but also a more diverse collection of programs with varying schools of thought on what a successful applicant should like look like. I created a file on each of my programs of interest, included in each was program information vital to my decision making process; didactic courses, rotations, mission statements, tuition, scholarships, accreditation, first time pass rate vs. class size, location, extra curricular requirements, cadaver lab, masters degree.. etc., which I reviewed ad nauseum before deciding on the programs I not only wanted to apply to, but my top choices as well. The information came in handy during the interview process as well. :). I guess my point is that I am only one semester down and this ride is draining, stressful, and full of sacrifice. I could not imagine that stress compounded by attending a program that you do not feel comfortable in. Ultimately, I think a masters in social work, especially with an LCSW, will make an applicant look very attractive to any program.

[ka42518]

I will also apply to schools in VA and DC. Unfortunately i would not mind going to other states but I just got married and just got a place not to long ago. Financially i dont know if I can afford to go to far.

[LESH]

oh ok. I am applying to schools only in maryland because i cant relocate.

There's no need at this time. Apply to every program in MD where you meet the criteria. Just do it if you think this is what you want.

But hey what do I know? I'm an old guy...lol

 

Good luck in your future PA endeavors.

LesH

[ka42518]

I will apply to as many as I can around the east coast area. But in the mean time I need to focus on making sure I do extremely well in my pre-reqs classes so that I increase my chances of getting accepted.

 

I really hope that when I am applying, that schools do not pay so much attention to science related degrees. Because although my background is not science related I definitely feel as though being a licensed social worker is a plus in the PA profession.

[LESH]

Because although my background is not science related I definitely feel as though being a licensed social worker is a plus in the PA profession.

 

It didn't hurt her: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/education/degree_programs/PAProgram/facultyandstaff/Pages/AnitaGlicken.aspx

[ka42518]

Thanks a lot lesh that was helpful. To bad I won't be applying to colorado :)

[joanna.nola]

You DO NOT need a science degree to get into PA school. I think a non-science degree makes you an attractive candidate IF you rock the pre-reqs and write an excellent essay explaining why you want to be a PA. My undergrad degrees are in Sociology and Economics and I also had a first masters degree in this area. I thought I was on track to go to law school, and I even started a non-profit focused on organizing low-income workers. While I think my school liked this background, ultimately, it was the 4.0 science GPA (and my non-science stuff was 3.8 undergrad/grad), that let them know I could do PA school. Also, I became a CNA and therapy technician, so that I could prove I could deal with the not-so-clean side of medicine, and that I could interact with sick patients. With your low GPA in undergrad (grad school is better, but still somewhat low), you should focus on racking up the HCE and doing well on pre-reqs. Make sure all the schools consider the work you are doing as HCE. You might consider picking up shifts as a CNA or EMT. Take your time to work, take the pre-reqs (getting all A's). Take an extra year to do this if you need to. But keep in mind, though you aren't traditional, your situation is by no means unique. People come to being a PA from all kinds of directions. I bet you could find threads with social workers on here if you looked. Be careful to not think that your experience puts you above other applicants. A social worker applied to the school I'm currently attending with a decent GPA/GRE. She had years of experience counseling and she worked with a doctor. So she did not bother to shadow a PA or do anything else that showed her direct interest in being a PA. She did not get in (not sure if that was the reason).

You can get into PA school, but the process might take a bit longer than you thought, and you may end up doing things you didn't think you'd have to do with a master's degree. I met a person who wanted to go to PA school, but was unwilling to be an EMT or a CNA (anything where you might have to do a "Code Brown") and they were like "I have a college degree." And I said, well, I have a master's degree, and I'm doing Code Browns every day. I don't think that person is in PA school now, and I am.

I see ads for Psych PAs all the time. If you are interested in this work, you will get there. Good luck!

[ka42518]

Thanks a lot for the insight. I know that having a masters degree in social work and being licensed is not enough to get into PA school. I completely understand that every person is unique in their background and what they can bring to the table as far as being a PA. My main thing right now is to get the best grades in my pre-reqs classes so that they can see I am serious about becoming a PA. As far as patient contact hrs I will be working as a psychiatric social worker in the hospital for about a year and a half before I apply to PA school.

 

What pre-reqs did you take for PA school?