Kauai_girl Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Aloha! I am trying to make a decision on a career and PA sounds awesome. I am 26. I already have a BA in Psych and am currently finishing massage school. I know that I would need about a year's worth of pre-reqs in science and math in order to apply for PA school. Can anyone give me advice on community college vs. university or post-bacc programs? Also, I don't have hardly any clinical experience. I am prepared to do quite a bit of shadowing but not sure how else to gain clinical experience. Any input would be great! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Welcome! There has been a lot written about what you ask, so you can search too. 1. Take your prereqs where you can. Many of us took advantage of community college because it let us have jobs while we finished the prereqs. I'm not sure that it's only a year.Better check the programs you are considering applying to. 2. You'll need healthcare experience -- varrying amounts for different programs. That is different than shadowing. Shadowing lets you see what the life of a PA is like so you can understand the profession better. You need hands-on clinical experience to see if healthcare is for you and to understand how it works. That can be done many ways. Being an EMT, a PCA, or lots of other hands-on allied healthcare jobs. Depending on th program, you may need from a few hundred to a few thousand hours. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kauai_girl Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Do you think working in a clinical setting doing massage would count? Like at a chiropractor's office? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I don't know the answer to your question. It would be an unusual clinical experience. The best bet is to talk to a clinical advisor at a nearby PA program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Do you think working in a clinical setting doing massage would count? Like at a chiropractor's office? I doubt it. Look at the websites of the schools you are interested in to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCKimeryJr Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Schools in my area (Maryland) count massage as health care experience but checking online on each programs website or speaking to an advisor will be your best bet. Usually schools have a tiered list someone on their website of what they consider health care experience to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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