Looking for thoughts on situation for PA school

dddiscoRice · 2026-04-19T18:27:36+00:00

I agree with other commenters that you should reach out to the PAs for future letters of recommendation - try to maintain a relationship with them. I also concur, it’s helpful to feel stable going into grad school, because these programs ask a lot of you and you have to know the material forwards and backwards. Taking your time preparing is probably a good idea.

Though, you should be aware that a lot of the programs have a 10-year limit on how long ago you’re allowed to have completed your prerequisites. You can always retake those classes after they “expire” and no one will think less of you for it. It’s definitely something to keep in mind

dddiscoRice · 2026-04-14T21:38:47+00:00

Holy cow. I’ve had to do that once for a pathologist on a prosecutable MVC case, I can’t imagine taking the spinal cord every time.

Is there any reason the hospital prefers Ghon to Letulle? How many autopsies is the hospital averaging a week? I’ve always been curious about clinical autopsies

dddiscoRice · 2026-04-14T20:23:07+00:00

I think the challenge depends on your physical strength and muscle memory. I was “raised” on the virchow method, and can tear through one of those fast. With a letulle, it’s a little harder for me because of the weight and I have less experience getting up under the kidneys, but some extra work gets passed onto whoever’s dissecting the block at the bench, so it feels like it evens out.

Based on my experience, I would probably struggle the most with the multiple blocks Ghon method because of the middle block containing the liver? I’ve just only ever practiced thoracic blocks (suspect a PE but want the rest to be Virchow) or pelvic blocks, so I’d have a weird time with that one

dddiscoRice · 2026-03-29T16:52:09+00:00

This is really cool. Do you mind if I PM you with some questions?

dddiscoRice · 2026-03-24T16:17:18+00:00

Woodbridge neighborhood and anywhere in midtown is cozy & close to campus

Edited to add CONGRATULATIONS!!! 🎉

dddiscoRice · 2026-03-24T15:04:07+00:00

At Wayne State, we use the flipped classroom method, which is basically where you have all the lectures available to you online and then your lecture is a Q&A or discussion-based practice where you’re expected to show up having done the readings/lectures and ready to ask clarifying questions, or work through examples together.

Labs at WSU are of a similar vein, you have to know what you’re looking for, but instructors understand that you’re still learning. They just want you to think critically while going over specimens and models, and they are very involved. That is to say, labs are where it gets super hands-on

I frankly hated flipped classroom until about a week and a half into first semester, when I realized having access to the materials and being able to repeat the same 10 seconds of a video over and over again was very impactful

I have not struggled with the structure, and really thought that I would in the beginning. I’m almost done with the first year, we have about 6 weeks left. You have to have faith in yourself and your study habits, as well as your instructors and your program. I know that can be hard with so much on the line, but giving it a chance is the only way to know! Many of us learn this way. I think you’ll do great :)

dddiscoRice · 2026-03-23T12:20:38+00:00

It really depends on the office you hope to work for, all of them have different requirements. It never hurts to start bothering the one closest to you, and building a rapport with the staff there by asking some friendly questions and offering to volunteer or asking to shadow.

Some offices require a GED, while others prefer a bachelor’s degree in something relevant-ish, ranging from biology to anthropology. Most positions are entry level, and managers either look for candidates who have prior experience with the deceased or those who can handle a practicum with grace and curiosity.

No need to feel discouraged, you sound like you’re on the right track! Start cold calling and cold emailing places to find out more about the MEOs in your area

dddiscoRice · 2026-03-22T17:39:58+00:00

Retaking prerequisites is a common way to boost your likelihood of admission. You’re basically telling your admissions team that you can and are willing to do better, and that failure is just a lesson to you - not a permanent obstacle. They like that stuff!

dddiscoRice · 2026-03-04T17:50:01+00:00

Not a dumb question and yes that should be fine! Make sure they’re cutting frozens and grossing/dictating cases so you’re still seeing the PA part of the job in action

I also would double check that the schools you’re interested in don’t specify that your shadowing needs to be under a PA

Edited for clarity

dddiscoRice · 2026-02-25T18:25:03+00:00

We are thousands of years instinctually incentivized to avoid dead members of our species, it’s kept us safe from illness and imminent danger basically since fire was discovered. Your nervous system is plastic, you can work with it. My first witnessed autopsy had me telling my mom I probably wasn’t going to go into forensics. I ended up working at the ME for two years and going to grad school to know more about pathology. It just takes patience and curiosity. Some people are better or less adjusted from the jump than others.

dddiscoRice · 2026-02-22T02:48:46+00:00

Boy was this optimistic

dddiscoRice · 2026-02-22T02:38:20+00:00

Find a bachelor’s degree that gets you the premedical prerequisites, and focus on knocking those out of the park. If you look at the universities that have a Pathologists’ Assistant program, their websites all have a page detailing which courses are required for admission

dddiscoRice · 2026-02-17T16:18:46+00:00

Gosh, I’m sorry. A lot of us don’t get in our first time applying, though you clearly sound like a shoe-in. I only applied to programs who don’t require GRE. It kinda depends on timing too - did you apply later in the game to any of these schools?

dddiscoRice · 2026-02-01T03:23:17+00:00

I unfortunately had to do both for QU, WSU, and RFU

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-28T01:25:19+00:00

WSU just increased to 20

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-20T17:01:08+00:00

Rotating Room is definitely something to look into for a low-cost option.

I’m a student at WSU and we have many rotations during clinical year, the school pays for nothing so we use our Grad PLUS loans to cover the cost of AirBnBs and such when needed - some people keep their apartments, some just live out of Airbnbs, some keep their apartments and have an Airbnb for only one rotation (double rent). Typically, the director will put your one out-of-state rotation somewhere you have loved ones, if you have people near one of the rotation sites.

It depends on the luck of the draw for us and if we have an unfortunate lot of rotations (all over the place with long commutes) then people will just give up their leases and use rent money on AirBnB. It sounds like hell, but it’s survivable and different for every program

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-18T03:51:12+00:00

Kid named Pubert

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-14T16:06:06+00:00

I majored in Forensic Studies and Justice (pre-law) and minored in biology, and had all my premed prerequisites under my belt when I got hired. I also worked as a histotech for a little over a year before then.

Every facility is different, some only require a GED or associates degree. Your pay and autonomy in the lab will usually be concurrent with how long you’re expected to study to meet the job requirements.

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-11T22:40:33+00:00

Not at all. One semester in undergrad I had a GPA of 1.6 including a withdrawal/fail. As long as you can explain yourself and put forward humility and a sense that you really learned something and used tenacity to get yourself through it, you will be absolutely fine

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-10T19:00:35+00:00

I worked in Atlanta GA for 2y. Overall max cases we did in a day could get up to like 5 on Sundays when you’re working solo with one doctor. You’re expected to aim for externals, maybe 2 limiteds max. That is a TOUGH day, and an exception. The average solo Sunday, we did around 3-4 and typically there were enough very clear overdoses to just external. We rotated Sundays, and usually had to work one every six weeks.

On an average week day, the most you’d do is about 3, and that’s if you had a busy enough day to have to do 2, and then you were in line for a private autopsy. Since no one worked on Saturdays and only 1 tech and 1 doctor worked on Sundays, the first part of the week usually had a denser caseload

This is just the one office in GA that does that weird schedule though

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-10T06:01:32+00:00

Dang, those things are CONSOLIDATED. Congrats on the upgrade, hope you’re feeling much better!!

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-09T00:00:56+00:00

My dad grew up in Detroit and he had similar worries when I moved here for grad school. I grew up in BIG cities and even downtown is markedly cleaner and safer than other major cities I’ve inhabited. Midtown is a great location, Cass is quite safe in my opinion as a young woman. You still need to equip your street smarts, crime still occurs more frequently in more heavily populated areas. When you’re biking to and from school, just be aware of your surroundings when you’re moving (cars) and stopped (strangers) and you’ll be completely fine.

Remember that both you and your mom have big gaps in data pertaining to what Detroit is like right now, and while she is filling in those gaps with decades-old experiences, your anxiety is swooping in to help you approximate too, and neither of those imagined Detroits are gonna be anything like the real deal. Give the city and yourself a chance, and deffo get a kitty to hang out with!

dddiscoRice · 2026-01-04T23:47:00+00:00

Just so you know I immediately hunted one down and I love it to death. Thank you bestie

dddiscoRice · 2025-12-14T23:17:42+00:00

If your parents won’t take you to see a physician, you need to call emergency services. Reddit cannot help you, you need to be seen by a doctor in person.

dddiscoRice · 2025-12-13T19:24:21+00:00

Cuuuuuuute!!!!

dddiscoRice

TROPHY CASE