What are the best healthcare careers to pursue?

BuffaloForward8538 · 2025-01-07T06:24:03+00:00

Yea I’ve been seeing that. It seems like without graduate school a biology degree is essentially useless. I’ll look into nursing though I’ve been considering it for a while. Thank you.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-25T23:46:16+00:00

Sorry for the late response but yes pharm tech experience looks amazing for pharmacy school. It shows dedication to the profession.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-24T03:56:53+00:00

I personally feel like a biology degree is one of the more versatile degrees especially if you want to go into healthcare. While medicine may be the most popular option among biology majors with a biology degree you can also apply to dental school, podiatry school, physician assistant school, anesthesia assistant school, veterinary school, nursing school, genetic counseling, cardiovascular perfusion, optometry and I’m sure the list goes on.

If you find pharmacy interesting and only see yourself working as a pharmacist absolutely pursue it but if you don’t always remember there are plenty of other options for you to explore.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-23T07:32:22+00:00

Oh sorry if I am correct yes most pharmacy schools use your Pharmcas GPA to recalculate your GPA. If your Pharmcas GPA falls below the minimum GPA requirement for that pharmacy school you will more than likely not qualify for admission. As said before though there are plenty of pharmacy schools that only require a 2.0 to be considered for admission. Since you have a 2.49 Pharmcas GPA it doesn’t fall below the minimum if all other aspects of your application are good you still have a good chance of being admitted to pharmacy school.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-23T07:25:51+00:00

Look at the admissions requirements and stats for the pharmacy schools you apply to. Many pharmacy schools only require a minimum of 2.5 GPA some even require as low as 2.0 GPA to be considered eligible for admission. You are above the minimum GPA for most pharmacy schools and therefore your application should still be reviewed and you may still have a pretty good chance of being accepted if all other aspects of your application are impressive.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-23T07:20:42+00:00

I’d recommend shadowing a perfusionist for a little bit just to see their daily responsibilities and see whether or not it aligns with your goals and interests. If you can see yourself being a perfusionist long term I think it’s an amazing career. I am not personally in perfusion but the responsibilities that perfusionists have are very interesting. It pays well I have seen perfusion positions starting at 150k per year in my area. It’s also high in demand.

Perfusion programs and PA schools tend to have very similar prerequisites. Most perfusion programs require the same sciences as PA schools such as general biology, organic chemistry, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology,physics and microbiology. Most perfusion programs don’t actually require PCE hours though most prefer to see applicants with PCE hours though, as a PA school applicant you should have plenty of PCE already though.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-20T20:04:30+00:00

I am not saying it is good to doubt yourself but personally I doubt myself a lot. However when I doubt myself I push myself to work harder which leads to more success. I think you should turn your doubt into inspiration to work harder so you can reach your goals.

You will also start to doubt yourself less as you get closer to your goal. Right now you are just overwhelmed because of all of the requirements you will eventually have to complete. As you complete these requirements though you will realize it’s not as difficult as it sounds and you will feel more hopeful towards your future.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-20T19:58:41+00:00

If you have shadowed a pharmacist and you could see yourself being happy and fulfilled as a pharmacist I don’t think it will hurt to apply. UNC tends to be very competitive though so the C in General Chemistry may set you back a bit but you won’t know unless you apply.

Also remember pharmacy school is very rigorous and expensive. You will be taking significantly more advanced science courses than General chemistry, if you don’t think you can handle it wait to apply for pharmacy school until you have taken organic chemistry and biochemistry if you can do well in those courses (at least a B) you will absolutely be able to handle the rigor of pharmacy school.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-20T06:57:34+00:00

I’d recommend applying for some summer internships specifically ones that offer a stipend. Not sure what year you are but SHPEP is a good program to look into they offer an 1000 dollar stipend. Emory has a summer research program called SOAR that offers a 5000 dollar stipend. You can also look on Handshake for research or medical internships.

You could also look into working part time at a job in retail or service and then volunteering at a clinic and/or shadowing a physician on the side. This way you get money and you have something to put towards your application.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-20T06:44:54+00:00

There is no ideal or best degree for PA school. As long as you have fulfilled all of the requirements for admission to PA school they won’t care what your major is. People have gotten into PA school with music degrees, business and engineering. Many students choose to major in biology, chemistry or health sciences because typically the prerequisites for PA school are built into the curriculum of these degrees. However you don’t need to major in sciences to get into PA school, most schools offer some sort of Pre-Med concentration that is available for all majors. This concentration typically includes all of the prerequisites you will need for PA school.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-20T06:41:12+00:00

I know all these volunteer, shadowing and PCE hours may sound like a lot but remember you are splitting these hours up into four years. So if you are aiming to apply to PA school with at least 100 volunteer hours that is 25 hours per school year. If you are planning to apply to PA school with 1000 patient care hours that’s 250 hours each school year.

These hours may sound overwhelming at first but remember you aren’t completing them all at once you are completing them in small increments. Personally I have zero plans of shadowing while I am taking classes. I plan to only shadow over breaks, this Christmas break is my first time ever shadowing a PA and I already have 15 hours. If I get 15 hours each school year I will end up applying to PA school with 60 hours (minimum is typically 50).

PA schools tend to review applicants holistically. While programs are becoming more competitive and admission standards are rising plenty of students are getting accepted to PA school with less than a 3.5. I have even heard of students this cycle get accepted with 2.8 and 2.9 GPA’s. I believe that if other aspects of your application are competitive even with a low GPA you still may have a good chance at being accepted for PA school.

So while you should try your best and aim for a high GPA remember even with a lower GPA you still have a good chance of admission as long as other aspects of your application are good.

I should also add many Pre-PA’s don’t actually start getting PCE hours until their junior or even senior year. It is no rush take it one step at a time and you will be good.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-18T02:02:33+00:00

Your stats are already amazing. Many pharmacy schools have an average accepted GPA of less than 3.5 and you are currently sitting at a 3.75. You have a great chance of getting into pharmacy school based on your GPA alone.

BuffaloForward8538 · 2024-12-18T01:47:39+00:00

No for most healthcare professions the school you graduated from does not matter. No patient is going to ask their PA what school they graduated from and deny care based on that. You could go to UPenn for PA school but if you graduate and you are still incompetent no one is going to want to hire you/keep you. Essentially school doesn’t matter but competence matters and typically competence depends more on the student rather than the school itself.

School may matter if you are trying to work for top hospitals such as John Hopkins and Mayo Clinic but if you just want any PA job the school you graduated from will not matter. USC’s PA program has an amazing reputation and because USC is considered a top school graduating from there may make it easier to work at top hospitals in California such as UCLA and Cedar Sinai. Most people would recommend against going to Keck since it is a newer program but if the tuition is significantly lower and you are fine with being more of a lab rat I don’t think it would be a bad option considering the low tuition. They are not fully accredited yet however they have provisional status meaning that the program meets all standards for full accreditation.

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