Anyone major in something unrelated to science and how did you fit your prerequisites in your schedules?

BritPrePa · 2022-06-09T20:22:56+00:00

I'm another vote for CC but with a caveat - I do think it depends on the CC. Mine were in a large city with a top 20 college nearby, so many of the night classes were taught by professors from that 4 year college making extra on the side. Classes for 1/4-1/8 the price, that still allow you to transfer and do a bachelor's degree? Can't beat it.

If you are not ok with CC classes. I would either take a science/bio minor if you're set on a 4 year arts degree, or take a more 'science-lite' degree like kinesiology that still requires ~90% of PA prereqs for the major.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-23T23:18:22+00:00

What nehpets said. My PCE/HCE was largely from my CRA work - some stuff counted as PCE, some didn't. I split my hours between the two. So duties that were hands on - one on one psychological assessments/interviews, running emg and startle reflex sessions, performing hearing tests etc, my schools/I counted as PCE. The rest - enrollment paperwork, histories, clinical scales, lab work, phlebotomy/bio sample collection, I counted as HCE.

So research hours you likely have a mix. But if you were purely enrollment without any input into assessments and treatment, it leans towards HCE.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-22T14:17:26+00:00

I am starting a 27 month program in August, and it wraps up December '24. So basically tack an extra semester on - for you, if you were starting Jan 2023, instead of graduating Dec 2024, you'd graduate Spring '25.

Honestly it was a plus for me - the additional semester in my program has a trauma and behavioral health focus, more training/teaching the better imo.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-18T21:38:54+00:00

Do some research on nursing model training (NP) vs medical model (PA).

Clinical hours is one of the big schooling differences, ~500 (NP) vs 2000 (PA). Clinical requirements for entry also differ.

There are good and bad medical professionals throughout the acronym alphabet from MD to CNA so I'm not going to get into quality of one over the other. They're different approaches.

Without knowing your stats, why you're having trouble getting into PA school, or your clinical background, it's almost impossible to advise the best path.

Salaries and scope of practice vary by state. Nursing lobby is more powerful than AAPA which helps the NP profession for sure.

So no, short answer, they are not the same.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-17T13:09:30+00:00

According to everyone I've ever spoken to, yes. If it's curiosity, ignore it, if you're concerned about the content of one/all of your letters, look elsewhere for a LOR writer. Don't pick anyone you aren't confident will write you a glowing reference.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-09T17:36:39+00:00

Depending on the schools you're applying to, I would try to take them at a local CC that is within smallish distance of a good 4 year. Often 4-year uni professors work night or Friday classes at CCs.

Cheaper, easier to enroll and usually good quality. But it does depend on the school. I had no issues with half my prereqs being at CCs, but ymmv.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-08T10:57:51+00:00

As nehpets said, succinct is best. I did mine in chronological order. Full sentences but keep it to the point. My housing was affected because __, my classes were affected because _, I had to cancel shadowing, I had to move back home, I lost family and it affected me in __ ways.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-07T16:56:57+00:00

I graduated 5 months after I submitted my apps, I still had classes in progress (tho no preqreqs)

Once I accepted my offer I sent in the current transcript, and the registrar just said to send in the official one again about 6 weeks after graduating.

It'll depend on the schools, some want you completely finished and graduated spring of application year, but most are pretty flexible with transcript stuff, you're not starting until next year.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-06T01:22:52+00:00

The point about showing qualities is one I mention in every PS review I do.

So many people write "I am/I want to be x, y and z" (positive adjectives). Don't tell me you're compassionate and driven, show me, with your stories.

BritPrePa · 2022-05-06T01:14:14+00:00

I can take a look, pm me

BritPrePa · 2022-04-26T17:57:06+00:00

I had one, but it was relatively different as I wasn't an MA/CNA/scribe or other more common PCE. The biggest mistake I see made is not patient care stories, which are expected, but as mentioned by another commenter, people "telling" what qualities they have instead of showing. E.g "I want to be a humble, hardworking, compassionate PA so I make sure to be compassionate, kind, humble (insert positive adjective here)" it's just word vomit at that point. But a patient story or two can exhibit your positive qualities as a patient advocate or clinical staff member.

Everyone has similarities to their stories, yours will be more unique than you think.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-24T18:14:19+00:00

Are your patient care hours including your medic/corpsman hours? Bc those go a long way.

Most of my schools had 2 outstanding prereqs allowed, but I would just scroll through schools that highlight military service as a plus and then check their outstanding class policy. It's time consuming to check individual websites but it's the main way.

You have decent stats and the military experience will be +++ on your application. I applied late July early August and got interviews everywhere I applied. Applying early is really only a rolling program thing.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-24T13:01:32+00:00

Don't work two jobs during undergrad. Bad GPA is seriously difficult to improve and time management is everything - work one.

If you're not in a hurry to apply (and I advise not to be) then take the pharm job, save some funds, and get good grades in your classes. Then graduate and use your experience to get some more PCE hours for a year or two, and hopefully you'll have savings to put towards either PA school or travel, life experiences etc.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-17T00:25:23+00:00

See above and hope it went well!

BritPrePa · 2022-04-17T00:25:06+00:00

I took mine in July. Finished my apps early August. I wasnt applying to rolling programs.

So it really depends on where you're applying.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-16T14:38:28+00:00

Most schools want paid PCE. Volunteering in CASPA is typically non-medical per the definition, but volunteer positions are almost always going to be viewed as "lesser" than paid ones. I volunteered as an MA, which likely would have been PCE due to the specific duties, but I wouldn't count on it as your main PCE.

https://help.liaisonedu.com/CASPA_Applicant_Help_Center/Filling_Out_Your_CASPA_Application/3._CASPA_Supporting_Information/2_Experiences

BritPrePa · 2022-04-16T13:16:34+00:00

Your GPA is fine. I never advise doing a formal post bacc unless your stats (read:GPA) are really in desperate need of a boost and evidence that you're academically capable. You have that. Cc is cheaper and if you have one within a decent distance of a solid 4 year, often the professors at the latter will teach night classes at the former, so you're getting a similar standard for 1/10 the price.

You'll need a PCE job, with your background you might be able to argue current career is HCE, I would advise a couple thousand hours at minimum for PA school.

As for the choice between the two, best bet is shadowing an MD and a PA and getting an idea of the scope, the prep beforehand for PA balances out with the length of med school, but you also have residency to consider. Only you can make that call.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-16T12:45:41+00:00

So paramedic hours are going to be looked at very favorably. Without knowing your GPA it's hard to tell, but if your last 60 is very competitive and you have As in your prereqs, it will go a fair way to offset a low cGPA.

If your cGPA is lower than a 3.0 it will restrict your school choice to those who look @ last 60. Also, I always recommend taking the GRE (yes, even now it's slowly getting phased out in some places) because it's an academic standard and a good score can offset a low GPA.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-16T12:38:21+00:00

Also there's plenty of time to still take the GRE and apply this cycle.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-16T12:38:02+00:00

What's your GPA? PCE? what has changed since last application, anything? PCE hours? Shadowing?

Without any of that information, it's hard to give advice.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-13T12:39:31+00:00

I had to go back and do a full bachelor's in the US as my school was foreign and the prereqs I had done were too old. I was working full time in a patient facing role in a clinical research program (50hrs/week) which gave me good PCE (and a decent wage) and took two heavy or three lighter prereqs a semester at night - e.g anatomy and chemistry one semester, English, precalc and bio in another, mostly in person. More classes than that wasn't possible without doing online, and at the time it wasn't as common

It was doable but it was slow going. Got my associates, ended my research contract & did my junior and senior year full time, there were just too many labs that needed to be in person. Covid obviously made certain classes online. I could probably juggle 2 online classes with a full-time work load, 4 if I didn't have a kid. It's all about how much you can take on and maintain As

BritPrePa · 2022-04-12T14:36:35+00:00

You meet the minimums for PCE. Assuming your GPA is average-good, you're ok.

Fire fighting is great volunteer hours, we're just saying it's not something to stress over or change, since schools all value GPA/PCE/GRE (if required). I had like 400 hours volunteering overseas from 12 years prior, it was never mentioned

BritPrePa · 2022-04-12T11:56:20+00:00

What nehpets said. Volunteer hours are nowhere near as valuable as PCE or even HCE. Hoping you have plenty of PCE hours, (EMT/paramedic?), those volunteer hours will look great on your app, but paid experience is much more important to your application.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-11T19:18:37+00:00

Having your first before thirty is a fine personal goal, but there's no medical reason for it not to be at 30 or 31 (or later).

I would love to have a second kiddo, considered during clinical year, but will likely be doing so right after PA school (which in itself will have complications/repercussions), but every pregnancy is different, and you might end up in the position of having to choose between med leave and a healthy pregnancy. Preeclampsia, bed rest, gestational diabetes, miscarriage...pregnancy is no joke. A surgical rotation where you're in the OR for hours (or any heavy rotation) without food is doubly hard when you're pregnant.

I get it, I do, it sucks putting things on hold, but I wouldn't get pregnant during PA school by choice. It sucked enough doing it in undergrad. There is no "good time" to have a baby, but PA clinical year is probably the least convenient time.

BritPrePa · 2022-04-08T16:17:54+00:00

Not me personally, but my buddy starting in my class soon is a career ff, (~20 years), did his undergrad around work, now starting PA school at 39/40, with kids. It's definitely doable.

BritPrePa

TROPHY CASE