Deciding to become a Physician Assistant deep into college career.

[Chriscurls]

Hey Pre-PA students,

 

I am currently attending a four year university in North Carolina, majoring in Sport Management. After extensive shadowing with two different specialty PA's, I've decided that I want to pursue the career. However, I am in a unique situation because I am a rising senior with 8 classes left to take for my Sport Management degree and I am curious as to how to go about becoming a PA in the most cost effective and most direct way possible. I've read that the major isn't important as long as I'm successful in it (which I am). I'm just concerned about whether I should get my prereqs done while I am in my Sport Management program (currently have the non-science prerequisites for most programs done, but not any of the science ones yet) or should I wait until after I graduate to get the prerequisites finished at possibly a community college (if I am not looked down upon for completing them there). Also, most PA programs require direct patient health care experience and I currently have none of that as well. Should I look to get that done now or after I graduate? I've finally found my passion after years of searching and I really believe that I am capable of being successful as a Physician Assistant. If anyone has any advice that would benefit me in my situation, I would gladly appreciate to hear it! My estimated cumulative GPA will likely be a 3.4-3.6 by the time I graduate and this excludes any prerequisites I would need to take to for PA school.

 

If there are any questions that need to be asked in order to give advice, please let me know!

 

I hope to hear from you Pre-PA students soon!

 

Thanks!

[TarheelGirlx3]

I am in the same boat as you, except I graduated in May and have to take a few pre-reqs plus health care hours. Take an EMT course or something and work while taking the remaining pre-reqs to accumulate HCE. As far as CC vs university some schools care some don't. My advice would be to research and find the programs that interest you, then reach out to someone in admissions, explain your situation and I am sure they will help you out as genuinely as possible. Good luck!

[rev ronin]

Get your degree, go work in direct patient contact role, and do whatever prerequisites you need to later. Unlike MD, PA is NOT a direct master's degree program, and there is no evidence that those who are admitted straight from college are as safe or effective as the general PA population.

[ktcan10]

I second the opinions above.

 

I hold a master's degree in theatre and decided to go from that (believe me, none of the prereqs transfer from that kind of degree) to PA. Since that decision, I've worked as an EMT for five years while attending school and slowly chipping away at prerequisite classes.

 

I don't regret a single second of the time it took me to accrue the hours and finish the prereqs, and the patient care experience was awesome. And life-changing.

 

Very best of luck to you!

[Chriscurls]

Thanks a lot for all the help so far guys! It has been very helpful!

[Nate]

One thing you might want to consider is the financial side of things. I'm in a similar sort of situation only I graduated from college (with something completely unrelated), went about my life for 2 years, and THEN decided I wanted to be a PA. Long story short, getting financial aid to take those prereqs was...a pain. Schools have different policies regarding how much federal aid you can get from them, which is confusing yes I know but that's how it is. For example, at one school I could get a 12 month "grace period" where I could take out up to tuition even though I wasn't working towards a degree, as long as I could show these credits were to prepare me for graduate study. Many places will not give you ANY federal aid (or other kinds for that matter) unless you are working towards a degree, including a second bachelors, but "I want to go to PA school" won't count. Research your options, cause it can get rough money-wise. And good luck!

[your mother]

You might want to consider working at a medical center affiliated with a university. Many will offer free tuition to employees. This way you can gain healthcare experience during the day and take classes for free at night. Something to look into at least.

[UGoLong]

Some good ideas! It can be done and having a degree to pay the bills while you take prerequisites can be nice. (I didn't take a prereq until I was in my 50s.)

[GreatChecko]

What I did to deal with the fin aid issue was that I found a local school that had a pre-med major. I declared that major and took only the classes I needed. I only took the state aid and never had to look at the federal aid, so YMMV. It took me three years part time, but I'm now on my way.

 

As for a job, take a look at your local job market and see what seems to be in demand. I loved being an EMT and an ER Tech, but it isn't the only way to go. When you need a job the last thing you want to find out is that you can't get hired to work on an ambulance without experience. If that's the case, if you are willing to drive a bit and work in a rural area, you might have better luck. Direct patient care is your main goal and if you can get paid to do it, even better.

 

You want to find a job where you will get good quality experience (yes, inter-facility can be good experience). Ideally, you want some variety, so have seen a good cross section of medicine before hitting PA school. Also, don't discount the volunteer route, especially if you are building experience. They are great places to get hooked into the EMS community and to network for your first job.

 

GC

[lavender19]

I'd focus on doing well in your courses to finish your degree. I'm in a similar situation as you. I have no experience and have one class left to finish my bachelor's degree. It does not matter what you major in. I'm an Animal Science major and all my experience in medicine is with animals. So I'm taking a year off or two to shadow more, take two more prereqs for PA school, and work. I'm taking an EMT class to eventually get my patient contact hours. There are also other jobs you could apply for to get patient contact hours. You could also decide to take a CNA class. Good luck! Just to also let you know it's difficult to take out loans if you have a four year degree. Make sure you have good credit history or you have to pay from your pocket to take additional classes.

[KangaRu]

I don't know how much help this will be but I decided I wanted to be a PA around my junior year of college. I had done my curriculum backwards so I already had my degree by this point. I went ahead and graduated with my degree and started working on my HCE as soon as possible (senior year of college). I am now having a lot a trouble with my classes. Many classes I took counted for my major but a lot of schools aren't accepting them for their pre-reqs. They also aren't accepting my community college credits. Some schools have suggested I go back to my university and take the "right" classes but at my university, getting into these classes as a non-degree seeking student is near impossible.

 

Whatever you decide to do, be careful and make sure your classes will count. It's costing me a lot of money and I would hate for you to end up in the same boat.

[Howezer]

I would look at time and cost of changing your major to do your pre-reqs at your current university so that you continue receiving financial aid vs. completing it and taking the pre-reqs individually and paying out of pocket. What classes do you still need to complete?

After I shadowed and did my internship at the hospital, I knew I wanted to be a PA. My plan had been to try go the year after graduation. I've since learned this isn't a career you rush into. Acceptance rate is 7-10%. Take your time and make yourself a solid applicant - all pre-reqs complete, excess of the HCE hours they require, shadowing, etc. No point rushing it and wasting your money on application fees.

[Timon]

Acceptance rate is 2.5-6%.

 

Fixed.

 

Everything else I agree with.

[Joelseff]

...this isn't a career you rush into.

 

No truer words have been spoken...err...typed.

 

 

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[whoRyou]

No truer words have been spoken...err...typed.

I would concur ... Take your time and do it right NOT haphazardly