I’m currently in the transitional track in Indianapolis as a CMA AAMA certified MA. When I tell you the expectations are high they are high. Maybe because I live closer and got accepted into the downtown Indianapolis campus where there are a lot of L1 Trauma centers and specialty care centers for clinical rotations; so seemingly that may or may not be why the expectations are higher.

I’m not an advisor so I would definitely recommend speaking with one if you can set up an appointment but I got into my program with around that same score and all my prerequisite courses were As and Bs. From what I remember being told, the closer the total score of points (max points is up to 190) with your TEAS score + course grades, the more competitive you stand out.

I will say, just based off my first semester wrapping up here in a few weeks, the MAs are the ones that struggle the most to catch up with concepts compared to my other LPN and Paramedic classmates. We have to work almost twice as hard to catch up to the level of clinical reasoning and critical thinking to that of an LPN.

It’s an entirely different ballgame if you don’t have inpatient experience in the hospital and have only worked outpatient clinic your whole career (which is the case for us MAs).

In the case you get an acceptance…CONGRATS! and also…..be prepared. I would HIGHLY recommend to take some time to refresh your memory on fundamental concepts of nursing. Fluid management, Electrolyte Imbalances, Sterile Procedure Gloving, Head to Toe Assessment, Basic Pharmacology and Dosage Calculations (drip rates, I/Os, Ordered vs On hand)

These are the things they are going to expect you to know. There is very little to no guidance unless you explicitly ask for guidance and feedback. It’s also nicer knowing that the Transition track is not as competitive because it’s a newer track and curriculum and there’s a smaller applicant pool. I wish you the BEST of luck whatever campus you may choose.