How big a part does practicality play??

[MochaLatte]

Hi All,

 

I've done a lot of reading on this forum since I've started thinking about becoming a PA a few years ago. I've learned a whole lot just from browsing but was hoping to get people's take on my situation. It seems like there is a lot of emphasis on taking lower paying, entry level jobs to get the required or recommended HCE. I've read about many situations where people left much higher-paying jobs in order to work in the trenches and fulfill their goal of getting into PA school. I think this "where theres a will theres a way" mentality is great, but what about those for whom that is not realistic or maybe even possible??

 

I guess my question is, where do I draw the line between wanting to become a PA and the practicality of actually going down this road? I'm in my late 20's and have a degree in an unrelated field. I have a somewhat ridiculous amount of debt from undergrad and (minimal) credit card debt. I also live in New England where the cost of living is high, so to be able to keep up with loan payments, rent, etc...even with roomates and my loans already being consolidated, on an extended repayment plan, I've done the math and I do not think I would be able to make ends meet on a CNA or EMT type job.

 

I have a tiny bit of CNA experience from when I was younger, and only decent grades (3.3ish) although by the time I was able to apply, some pre-reqs may be outdated. I've thought about going back to school to gain experience as an RRT, Nurse, Physical or Occupational Therapy Assistant since the schooling for these associate-degree programs is reasonably priced and would allow me to work during them. They pay significantly more than a CNA would make, especially if I didn't get into PA school on the first try, but is this a logical path to take? The only one I could envision myself in as a "career" if PA school never came to fruition would possibly be Respiratory Therapy, but on the other hand....if I'm going to spend two more years in school, why not get a Masters in OT, or a DPT?? This seems more 'practical' to me in the career sense (plus I already have a BA), but would also increase my debt enough that I very well may not ever to be able to go back to PA school down the road.

 

Where do I cut my losses and say that PA school just may be out of the question? I admire people who are able to go back later in life and make it work practically and financially, but I have no other source of income or financial help, so I just don't know if I should draw the line and say "yes, I want to be a PA more than an OT, PT, etc, but sometimes you don't get everything you want in life". Since I'm sure it might be suggested, I've thought about CNA>RN>NP and it seems appealing logically, but I also prefer the medical model to nursing....

 

 

Any insight/regrets/no regrets/opinons, etc are greatly appreciated!

[JasonD]

If you are so inclined, join the military. They'll pay for you to go to school.

[Lemon Bars]

If you are so inclined, join the military. They'll pay for you to go to school.

 

Do they still do that? I thought I read something about the sequester cutting off the GI bill for schooling?

[JasonD]

Do they still do that? I thought I read something about the sequester cutting off the GI bill for schooling?

 

In the short term that could likely be the case. There will be a time where they will take new PA's. As the military cuts back (like everyone else) they'll see that PA's can do the same things MD's are doing, can pay them less, and are quicker and cheaper to train.

[ToppDog]

Are you in any position to consider med school instead? You won't need to quit your better paying gig while doing pre-req's to get in, since HCE is not a requirement. Otherwise you may be looking at taking classes part time & working in healthcare part time, in addition to your other better paying job. It's not impossible if you spread things out enough.

 

If you're looking for good pay while getting your HCE, stay away from the military, unless your degree can get you in as an officer, etc.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

They stop paying GI bill for a couple months, but its back now.

[loliz]

I was in my early thirties when I applied to PA school. I did not quit my day job to follow this path, although I did cut back some of my hours so that I could pick up a PRN position at a hospital as a clinical assistant (I was lucky to live near a hospital that trains their own nursing assistants). PRN allowed for a higher hourly pay and I usually worked evening shifts (3-11) so that I could add a few more $/hr onto my base. One shift a week was a weekend evening and that way I got evening differential as well as weekend differential so the job was worth a little more financially. I usually was scheduled at the hospital about 16 hrs a week and sometimes picked up an extra 4 or 8 hrs depending on how busy I was.

 

The point is... you do not have to abandon your life to become a PA. No, I did not have 20,000 hrs of HCE as some people on this forum will swear that you need-- what I did have was a strong academic record, strong references, enough healthcare experience to be absolutely sure of the career path I was embarking on and enough HCE that I can step up for chest compressions and I can feel comfortable talking to patients, working in the hospital environment, and had knowledge of basic medical terminology and procedures. I also had evidence of incredible work ethic... it was not easy or fun to be finishing up pre-reqs while juggling two jobs, but I paid the bills and made time to relax and ultimately, met my goal.

Good luck, you might need to be creative. But, don't forget--you are in your twenties(super young in the grand scheme).

[UGoLong]

Loliz' experience is a good example. You do not have to get off the path you are on to go to PA school. You just have to open a little bit of time somewhere. In my case, I got into volunteer EMS and was there several years before I even knew what a PA was. Then I took several years to take the prereqs in night school while I kept my day job. (for details, see "Old Man on Campus.")

 

Never EVER let someone tell you that there is only one way to do ANYTHING! If you want to do something and have constraints (and we all do), then design a path that best meets your specific needs. It might not be the one someone else would choose, but that's cool.

 

Good luck!

[MochaLatte]

Thanks for the responses so far everyone. Neither military or med school would be an option for me. I guess my next step would be to figure out when my goal application year would be and which pre-req's will have expired by then, as well as look into getting back into CNA work part-time. loliz and UGoLong, did either of you have trouble finding places to take pre-req's at night? My job would NOT be flexible with me as far as cutting back hours for classes or anything so I would be looking for all night or weekend classes. I don't know if this would present a problem with classes like Organic and Biochemistry or any other that are "upper level".

[UGoLong]

I took every last one of my classes in night school. Our local community college had every class at the time except Ochem which I took at a 4 year college's night program (4 hours two nights a week and labs for 8 hours every other Saturday). The community college even has that one now. I took a stats class on-line, just going in for exams anytime I wanted within a one week window.

 

I think the point is that, unless you're right out of your BS, you would probably have to take classes while you're working. I think PA schools recognize that. None of the places I applied batted an eye over where I took my classes. They were interested in the grades.

 

Another point about community college: the professors there generally spoke English as their native tongue. At least 50% of my Biochem classmates were from the large state university in town (with its own medical school) because they could understand the professor better. The grades and credits immediately transferred to their university. I don't know if things are wired like that everywhere, but it's worth looking in to.

[Timon]

Something I did was go to Western Governer's University's RN program. It's online during the week and you do your clinical rotations during the weekend (costs like $20k total for the program). It's designed specifically for people who have a bachelors in a different field. I know that tenent healthcare system actively seeks graduates from their program.

 

You can also try and take courses at university of New England for prerequisites and find what schools accept them? I know TUN proposed I take biochem there when I inquired about places students most often take the class from. There's a program in California called the ISP program at SCUHS that offers prerequisite courses during the weekend. There is another program call Patten University also in CA that has a similar program (weekends only).

 

Pacemaker techs also make great money with like 5 months of training. I know in CA they start at $90k annually but in other places make around $50-$60k. Something to look into as well since most the time you'd be on call and have a flexible schedule to take prereqs.

 

Maybe try and find something like that near your area if you want to go that route. And since we are brainstorming here, is there anything tying you to New England? Have you thought of moving somewhere that has a lower cost of living?

[loliz]

I don't know about night classes... I know I took a couple, but I don't remember which ones. Organic is not upper level though, so you should be able to find it at a CC.

It would be hard if your job doesn't have any flexibility, but you will figure it out. Also, look at what schools you would ideally like to attend. There is no use in trying to meet requirements for 15 schools. You are better off meeting and exceeding the requirements and expectations of a few schools than casting a wide (and expensive) net.

[EMEDPA]

There is no use in trying to meet requirements for 15 schools. You are better off meeting and exceeding the requirements and expectations of a few schools than casting a wide (and expensive) net.

agree. take the courses all programs require like intro bio and intro chem, A+P, etc and then decide from there what to take based on where you want to go.

want to avoid ochem and biochem? that narrows the field a bit, etc

some programs require genetics and microbio. take those if needed, etc.

[Just Steve]

if you stick with the idea of doing a longer technical education along the lines of respiratory therapy, check out cardio vascular perfusionist (run the heart /lung machine during cardiac bypass )as well...they do some pretty cool stuff for a very decent salary.

[Super Duper]

Join the army as a medic and try to get signed up for a student loan repayment. They will train you, give you money, and when you are done you should be debt free and ready for PA school. It would also open up IPAP for you.

[winterallsummer]

1. Volunteer only, research schools that accept this (many do).

2. Get your CNA over the weekends and find a PRN job working 2-3 shifts a month.

[kris_]

If you're looking for a decent paying job to get HCE and you live in a research oriented area you could always try to find a clinical research assistant position. One of my co-workers has an anthro degree and another a business-type degree. I see patients everyday and have been trained to do exercise stress tests and EKGs and make a livable salary (I recently paid off my undergrad loans!)