Healthcare Experience Required for PA School: The Ultimate Guide

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank

Today we are going to tackle step 2 of my 5 steps to PA school series by taking a very detailed look at healthcare experience requirements for PA school.

Included, in this discussion is a side-by-side comparison of healthcare experience requirements of all PA programs in the United States.

PA is different from most other health professions in that to be competitive as an applicant it often requires a very large number of hours of paid health care experience.

But the question remains: How many hours of healthcare related experience do you need to give yourself a competitive advantage along with a broad range of application options in the shortest amount of time?

What do you think?

Healthcare Experience Requirements for PA School

Below is a table comparing the hours of healthcare experience required and type of healthcare experience requested by all 204 Physician Assistant Programs in the United States.

Take a minute (or thirty) to browse through the table and I will meet you again at the bottom for a heated discussion! (as well as the answer to the survey question above)

Table: Healthcare Experience Requirements by Physician Assistant Program (204 programs)

Physician Assistant Program	State	Healthcare Experience Requirement
Adventist University of Health Sciences	Florida	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Albany Medical College	New York	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Alderson-Broaddus University	West Virginia	Not required
Anne Arundel Community College	Maryland	Preferred/recommended
Arcadia University	Pennsylvania	200 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Arizona School of Health Sciences	Arizona	Preferred/recommended
Augsburg College	Minnesota	Preferred/recommended
Baldwin Wallace University	Ohio	Preferred/recommended
Barry University	Florida, Virgin Islands	Preferred/recommended
Bay Path College	Massachusetts	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient careVolunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Baylor College of Medicine	Texas	Not required
Bethel University	Tennessee	Preferred/recommended
Bethel University	Minnesota	250 hours Acceptable Experience: Not specified
Boston University	Massachusetts	Not required
Bryant University	Rhode Island	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Butler University	Indiana	Not required
Campbell University	North Carolina	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Carroll University	Wisconsin	150 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
CCNY Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education	New York	Not required
Central Michigan University	Michigan	100 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Chapman University	California	1,000 hours health care related work experience, paid or voluntary.
Chatham University	Pennsylvania	Preferred/recommended
Christian Brothers University	Tennessee	See Program Website
Clarkson University	New York	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Concordia University	Wisconsin	124 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Cornell University	New York	No minimum 200 hour recommended.Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
CUNY York College	New York	200 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Cuyahoga Community College/Cleveland State University	Ohio	Preferred/recommended
D'youville College	New York	80 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Daemen College	New York	120 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Des Moines University	Iowa	750 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Desales University	Pennsylvania	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Drexel University	Pennsylvania	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Duke University Medical Center	North Carolina	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Duquesne University	Pennsylvania	Not required
East Carolina University	North Carolina	See Program Website
Eastern Michigan University	Michigan	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Eastern Virginia Medical School	Virginia	Preferred/recommended
Elon University	North Carolina	250 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Emory University	Georgia	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Franklin Pierce University	New Hampshire	See Program Website
Gannon University	Pennsylvania	30 hours Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Gardner Webb University	North Carolina	Preferred/recommended
George Washington University	District of Columbia	1,000 hours
Georgia Regents University	Georgia	See Program Website
Grand Valley State University	Michigan	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Harding University	Arkansas	100 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU)	Florida	See Program Website
Heritage University	Washington	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
High Point University	North Carolina	200 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Hofstra University	New York	100 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Howard University	District of Columbia	100 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Idaho State University	Idaho	Not required
Indiana State University	Indiana	Preferred/recommended
Indiana University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences	Indiana	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Interservice	Texas	see program website
James Madison University	Virginia	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Jefferson College of Health Sciences	Virginia	500 hours Acceptable experience not specified
Johnson & Wales University	Rhode Island	250 hours Direct patient care in the United States and in an allopathic or osteopathic medical setting.
Keiser University	Florida	see program website
Kettering College	Ohio	Preferred/recommended
King's College	Pennsylvania	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Lake Erie College	Ohio	250 hours At least 50 of the 250 hours must be from direct shadowing of a licensed physician assistant. Here is the form for PA shadowing. Although this form does not need to be used exclusively, all prospective students will need to retain documentation. Documentation must be available for verification.
Le Moyne College	New York	750 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Lenoir-Rhyne University	North Carolina	Not required
Lincoln Memorial	Tennessee	Preferred/recommended
Lock Haven University	Pennsylvania	see program website
Loma Linda University	California	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Long Island University	New York	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Louisiana State University - New Orleans	Louisiana	80 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Louisiana State University - Shreveport	Louisiana	80 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Lynchburg College	Virginia	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Marietta College	Ohio	Preferred/recommended
Marist College	New York	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Marquette University	Wisconsin	200 hours Acceptable experience not specified.
Marshall B. Ketchum University	California	Preferred/recommended
Mary Baldwin College	Virginia	see program website
Marywood University	Pennsylvania	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
MCPHS University (Boston)	Massachusetts	Preferred/recommended
MCPHS University (Manchester/Worcester)	New Hampshire	Preferred/recommended
MCPHS University (Manchester/Worcester)	Massachusetts	Preferred/recommended
Medical University of South Carolina	South Carolina	Preferred/recommended
Mercer University	Georgia	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Mercy College	New York	Preferred/recommended
Mercyhurst University	Pennsylvania	200 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Methodist University	North Carolina	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
MGH Institute of Health Professions	Massachusetts	see program website
Miami-Dade College	Florida	see program website
Midwestern University (Downers Grove)	Illinois	Preferred/recommended
Midwestern University (Glendale)	Arizona	Preferred/recommended
Misericordia University	Pennsylvania	Preferred/recommended
Mississippi College	Mississippi	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Missouri State University	Missouri	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Monmouth University	New Jersey	200 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
New York Institute of Technology	New York	100 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Northeastern University	Massachusetts	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Northern Arizona University	Arizona	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Northwestern University	Illinois	see program website
Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale	Florida	Preferred/recommended
Nova Southeastern University, Jacksonville	Florida	Preferred/recommended
Nova Southeastern University, Orlando	Florida	Preferred/recommended
Nova Southeastern University, Southwest Florida	Florida	Preferred/recommended
Ohio Dominican University	Ohio	250 hours Acceptable experience not specified
Oregon Health & Science University	Oregon	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Our Lady of the Lake College	Florida	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Pace University	New York	200 hours Acceptable Experience Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Pacific University	Oregon	1,000 hours
Penn State University	Pennsylvania	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Pennsylvania College of Technology	Pennsylvania	see program website
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine	Pennsylvania	see program website
Phladelphia University	Pennsylvania	200 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Quinnipiac University	Connecticut	see program website
Red Rocks Community College	Colorado	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Rochester Institute of Technology	New York	Preferred/recommended
Rocky Mountain College	Montana	250 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions	Utah	250 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine	Illinois	Preferred/recommended
Rush University	Illinois	see program website
Rutgers University	New Jersey	Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Saint Catherine University	Minnesota	Preferred/recommended
Saint Francis University	Pennsylvania	Preferred/recommended
Saint Louis University	Missouri	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Salus University	Pennsylvania	300 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Samuel Merritt College	California	see program website
San Joaquin Valley College	California	see program website
Seton Hall University	New Jersey	100 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Seton Hill University	Pennsylvania	300 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Shenandoah University	Virginia	Preferred/recommended
South College	Tennessee	see program website
South University	Georgia	Preferred/recommended
South University, Tampa	Florida	see program website
Southern Illinois University	Illinois	Preferred/recommended
Springfield College	Massachusetts	see program website
St. Ambrose University	Iowa	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
St. John's University	New York	Preferred/recommended
Stanford University	California	3,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Stony Brook University	New York	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Sullivan University	Kentucky	250 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
SUNY Downstate Medical Center	New York	A minimum of 225 hours of health-related experience
SUNY Upstate Medical Center	New York	1,000 hours health care related volunteer or employment experience-direct patient care preferred.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center	Texas	40 hours Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Thomas Jefferson University	Pennsylvania	Preferred/recommended
Touro College (Bay Shore)	New York	see program website
Touro College (Manhattan)	New York	see program website
Touro University - California	California	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Touro University Las Vegas	Nevada	Preferred/recommended Paid experience with hands-on patient care Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Towson University CCBC - Essex	Maryland	800 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Trevecca Nazarene University	Tennessee	Preferred/recommended
Tufts University School of Medicine	Massachusetts	1,000 hours Acceptable Experience Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Union College	Nebraska	480 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Alabama	Preferred/recommended
University of Arkansas	Arkansas	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
University of Bridgeport	Connecticut	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of California-Davis	California	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of Charleston	West Virginia	Preferred/recommended
University of Colorado	Colorado	see program website
University of Dayton	Ohio	250 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant.
University of Detroit/Mercy	Michigan	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of Findlay	Ohio	Preferred/recommended
University of Florida	Florida	Preferred/recommended
University of Iowa	Iowa	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of Kentucky	Kentucky	1,050 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Maryland	see program website
University of Missouri - Kansas City	Missouri	Preferred/recommended
University of Mount Union	Ohio	see program website
University of Nebraska	Nebraska	Preferred/recommended
University of New England	Maine	250 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of New Mexico	New Mexico	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of North Carolina	North Carolina	see program website
University of North Dakota	North Dakota	5,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of North Texas HS Center Ft Worth	Texas	Not required
University Of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	Preferred/recommended
University of Oklahoma, Tulsa	Oklahoma	Preferred/recommended
University of Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
University of South Alabama	Alabama	Not required
University of South Dakota	South Dakota	Preferred/recommended
University of Southern California	California	Preferred/recommended
University of St. Francis	New Mexico	see program website
University of St. Francis (Fort Wayne)	Indiana	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of Tennessee Health Science Center	Tennessee	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of Texas - HS Center at San Antonio	Texas	Preferred/recommended
University of Texas - Medical Branch at Galveston	Texas	Not required
University of Texas - Pan American	Texas	50 hours Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of the Cumberlands	Kentucky	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of the Sciences of Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	400 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of Toledo	Ohio	Preferred/recommended
University of Utah	Utah	2,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
University of Washington	Washington	2,000 hours acceptable but 4000 hours recommended Paid experience with hands-on patient care
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse	Wisconsin	see program website
University of Wisconsin - Madison	Wisconsin	see program website
Wagner College	New York	see program website
Wake Forest University	North Carolina	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care. Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care. Shadowing a physician or physician assistant
Wayne State University	Michigan	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
West Liberty University	West Virginia	Preferred/recommended
Western Michigan University	Michigan	1,000 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Western University of Health Sciences	California	see program website
Wichita State University	Kansas	see program website
Wingate University	North Carolina	500 hours Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Yale University School of Medicine	Connecticut	Competitive applicants are recommended (but not required) to have a minimum of six months full-time healthcare employment, or 1,000 total hours of hands-on patient care experience and/or community service in a healthcare setting. (see website)

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PA Program Experience Requirements by the Numbers

If you crunch the numbers, the table above reveals some very interesting facts:

A total of 26 programs require 1,000 hours (11%)
Only 10 of 238 PA programs nationwide require 2,000 hours (4.2%)
A total of 3 programs require no healthcare experience whatsoever (1.3%)
A total of 84 programs label healthcare experience as preferred/recommended (35.29%)
The rest are somewhere in-between (49%) with 52 schools (22%) requiring only 500 hours

What do you mean by healthcare "hours"?

Just in case you are wondering: 2,000 hours is the standard definition of one year of full-time work.

Simply put, there are 52 weeks in a year, assuming 2 weeks of vacation and a standard 40 hours of work per week: 50 x 40 = 2,000.

Thus, a school requiring 1,000 hours would mean you could work part time for one year and meet the healthcare experience requirements.

On the others side of the coin, a school such as Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center which used to require (updated in 2016) 40 hours of health care experience means you could have worked one day and then quit 🙂

By now you may be saying "This is great news Stephen, only 11% of schools require more than 1,000 hours of healthcare experience, I can take it easy!"

Not so fast!

If you have read my post "Who Gets Into PA School? Here’s What You Need to Know" you may have noticed that according to the The 28'th PAEA Annual Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States, on average, among matriculating students four years (roughly 8,000 hours) of prior experience is most common.

That being said, it is important to note that only 3,560 of these hours are composed of direct patient contact experience.

You can see the full breakdown below:

Although, not reported in the 28th annual report, data from the 27th annual report reveals a more detailed breakdown of these numbers.

I think it is interesting that 10% of accepted applicants had roughly 1,000 hours (140 of those being patient contact hours and 15 hours of shadowing), 25% had 2,000 total hours (446 of those being patient contact hours and 30 hours shadowing). You can see the details of the 27th annual PAEA report in the table below.

Just in case you are ~~lazy~~ curious I have included a list with links to the 72 programs which do not require healthcare experience (HCE) hours to apply.

PA programs in which no prior healthcare experience is required: 3 schools

Currently, there are 3 PA schools that do not require healthcare experience upon application.

Click Here to See the List

PA programs with healthcare experience NOT REQUIRED but RECOMMENDED/PERFERRED: 84 schools

Currently there are 84 PA schools that have no healthcare experience minimums but to be competitive it is preferred/recommended.

Click Here to See the List

What constitutes healthcare experience (HCE)

As you can see from the table above, the acceptable experiential preparation requirements varies from school to school.

Most schools report accepting:

Paid experience with hands-on patient care
Volunteer experience with hands-on patient care
Shadowing a physician or physician assistant as acceptable HCE.

Many schools don't accept shadowing or volunteer hours as acceptable HCE so, as always, you must check the school website and contact the PA program directly if you have any questions whatsoever.

In the PAEA graphs and tables above you may have noticed that HCE was broken down into 6 general categories. This is because CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants) has 6 experience categories for reporting work and volunteer activities and the PAEA report is based on CASPA applicants.

Again, some PA programs will not accept HCE outside of the patient care experience category, although many do.

CASPA Reporting Work and Volunteer Experiences Categories

For a wonderfully detailed look at how to report work and/or volunteer experience in each of these categories I recommend you check out Paul Gonzales' amazingly thorough explanation on his blog "Trust me, I'm a PA Student".

The six CASPA reporting categories are as follows:

1. Patient Care Experience

This is the most important section. List experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient’s care; for example: prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, working on patients as an active EMT, etc.

2. Other Health Care Experience

You are working in the health or a health-related field but are not directly responsible for a patient’s care; for example, filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patient rooms, working as a “Candy Striper” or hospital volunteer, etc.

3. Health Care Shadowing

Time spent officially following and observing a health care professional at work.

4. Research

Research projects done in addition to classroom work; research should NOT appear as credit on a school transcript.

5. Community Service

Volunteer work done outside of the health care field; for example, working for Habitat for Humanity, tutoring children, participating in or working for a fundraiser walk or blood drive, etc.

6. Other Work Experience

Paid work done outside of the health care field; for example: a retail or restaurant job.

From The Horses Mouth

Lets look at what some of the PA schools themselves are recommending for HCE:

Upstate Medical University's Definition

Documentation of 1000 hours will be required prior to matriculation.

Preferred experiences: Military corpsmen or medic, nursing (ex. certified nurse assistant, nurses aide, RN, home health care aide), EMT's employed full time (active hours only for EMT volunteers), paramedic, medical technologist, massage therapist, radiation therapist, respiratory therapist, phlebotomist, X-Ray technologist, medical imaging, clinical counselor, medical assistant, chiropractor, PT or PT aide, athletic trainer, New Visions, volunteer experience with direct patient care.

Acceptable: Shadowing a health care professional (200 hours maximum), Pharmaceutical Sales with patient contact, health related research (will be reviewed on an individual basis), pharmacy technician (100 hours maximum).

(see program website)

Yale Physician Assistant Program Definition

Competitive applicants are recommended (but not required) to have a minimum of six months full-time healthcare employment, or 1,000 total hours of hands-on patient care experience and/or community service in a healthcare setting. Preference is given to applicants having experience that requires a period of training and results in direct (hands-on) patient care.

Examples include: EMT, Paramedic, Registered Nurse, Medical Assistant, CNA, ER Tech, Physical Therapy Aide
Hours associated with the completion of academic degrees, certifications, or training will not count

Evidence of community service (i.e., healthcare for under-served populations, medical mission trips) is highly valued.

(see program website)

Northeastern Physician Assistant Program Definition

Evidence of significant direct hands-on patient care experience is required in order for applicants to have a basic understanding of and comfort with patient care as well as a minimum level of clinical maturity. Strongest preference will be given to applicants who have approximately 2000 hours of hands-on patient care experience prior to applying to the program. Applicants with less than 2000 hours may also be given consideration depending upon the strength of their entire application.

hands-on patient care involves working one-on-one with patients anddoingproceduresthatrequire touching patients yourself including, but not limited to:
- taking vital signs
- drawing blood
- doing EKGs
- changing bandages and dressings
- casting and splinting
- removing sutures and staples
- bathing and toileting
partial list of hands-on patient care positions includes, but is not limited to (for a more comprehensive list of both acceptable and unacceptable positions, click here):
- certified nursing assistant
- medical/clinical assistant
- ER tech
- EMT doing more than patient transfer
- physical therapy assistant
- paramedic
- nurse
- physical therapist
- respiratory therapist
- medical corpsman

(see program website)

Full-time paid employment done after completing your bachelor’s degree is always most competitive!

Health Care Experience that is NOT ACCEPTABLE for PA School

Just as it is important to know what to report as HCE, it is equally important to know what not to report.

Below is an example from the Duke University. The following types of experience are NOT accepted toward the 1,000 hours of patient care experience as required by Duke.

PA or physician observer or shadow
non-clinical research assistant positions
student clinical experience (student nurse, student EMT, student athletic trainer, or other health care student)
student "intern" experiences, candy striper or junior volunteer positions
CPR or ACLS instructor
wilderness medicine instructor
patient transporter
pharmaceutical representative
ski patroller
life guard
aerobics instructor
unit clerk, insurance clerk
medical secretary or other clerical positions.

Here is a list from South Carolina School of Medicine PA Program

Unacceptable forms of clinical experience include:

Veterinarian Assistant
Receptionist for Physician's Office
Administrator or Business Manager for Physician’s Office
Massage Therapist
Chiropractic
Acupuncture
Aesthetician
Dental Hygienist/Assisting
Inpatient Patient Transport/Orderly
Health Fitness Specialist

click here to see a list of what they consider acceptable experience

Does PA Shadowing Count Towards Healthcare Experience?

Applicants are encouraged to "shadow" a PA to become knowledgeable of the role of the physician assistant; More often than not this experience does not count as patient care experience, so as I always say, make sure to contact your PA program prior to submitting your application.

2,000 Hours

In his book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcolm Gladwell identifies 10,000 hours (5 years of full time work) as the amount of time it takes to become an expert in any given field.

You don't need to be a healthcare "expert" come application time but having a good number of HCE hours has big advantages.

When it comes to your PA school application and HCE it is important to focus on direct, hands-on patient care experience.

Although only 4% of school require 2,000 hours or more, for the majority of PA school applicants, 2,000 hours (1 year) of direct, hands-on patient care experience is a good general rule of thumb.

2,000 hours of patient care experience places you close to the mean of 3,560 hours and above the median of 1,428 hours.
It will make you much more competitive as an applicant and give you more options come application time.
It will give you confidence in your decision to pursue PA as a career choice.
You will have the necessary medical experience to sit comfortably in any interview situation.
You will have the fuel for a killer personal statement.

My Healthcare Experience

When I applied to PA school back in 2004 I had roughly 5,000 hours of direct patient contact experience as well as quite a bit of work and volunteer experience both inside and outside the realm of healthcare. I accumulated this through work as a phlebotomist both as a student in the campus health clinic and then later after graduation while working in an outpatient mobile health setting.

Many schools at the time (specifically MEDEX and OHSU where I was hoping for acceptance) considered even this to be insufficient. I could have been patient and accrued more patient care experience and let more time pass but instead, I chose to throw a larger net and apply to schools that did not require so many hours. At the time many of these school were on the East Coast.

People write me all the time frustrated that their schools of choice won't give them the time of day. It is important to keep your options open, the wider the net you cast the greater your chances of catching a fish.

There are many ways to garner the patient care experience you need and the sooner you start the easier it will be to fulfill these requirements in a timely matter.

You should aim to have enough hours to be competitive, look at the median of accepted applicants, this is a good goal to have.

And most importantly it should not be seen as a burden to entry, it should be seen as an opportunity to get your hands wet in a field you love in preparation for a life of fulfilling work practicing what you love as a PA

Note:

This post is part two of my continuing series: The 5 Steps of PA School. To receive immediate updates when new posts are published sign up for the blog email.

Resources used for this blog post:

Physician Assistant Healthcare Experience Hours Source: PAEA Program Directory
The PAEA Annual Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States
The Physician Assistant Schoolfinder

View all posts in this series

Comments

Taylor C says

March 22, 2017 at 4:41 pm

hello stephen,

i am currently a college student taking the prerequisite classes for physician’s ASSISTANT programs, and i am currently a cna at a memory care facility. i am trying to become an er tech at a hospital. will having experience as a er tech be acceptable for the experience hours? also, do you know a good STUDBOOK or website for the gre exam?
thank you,
-taylor

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- Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
  
  March 22, 2017 at 5:54 pm
  
  HI TAYLOR
  
  YES ER TECH IS JUST FINE, BUT SO IS CNA. THE ADMISSION COMMITTEE LIKES TO SEE THAT SOMEONE IS ABLE TO GET “DOWN AND DIRTY” WITH THE PATIENTS… CNA IS WONDERFUL FOR THIS. CONSIDER SCRIBING IN THE ER AS WELL. I HAVE HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT MAGOOSH.COM!
  
  Stephen
  
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Ray says

March 14, 2017 at 7:45 pm

Hi Stephen,

I have encountered many difficulties in finding hands-on health care experiences. I was wondering if you had any tips or ideas on how to get myself out there?

Thank you so much!!

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Tessa says

February 5, 2017 at 12:29 pm

Hi Stephen,
I’ve been doing a lot of research lately with becoming a PA. I have always been interested in it since I was younger. The school I would be applying to, once I have all of my pre-reqs taken, does not require direct patient contact but it is preferred. I have worked in the medical field as a CNA (for about 6months), and then I have been working as a phlebotomist and now a lead phlebotomist for going on 7.5 years now in total. I will have to get my bachelors first and from there apply to PA school, but how far back do you think they look at for prior direct patient contact experience? Do they only look at the experience after you get your bachelors degree? Or do you think it does not matter either way?
Thanks!!

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susan says

January 30, 2017 at 12:59 pm

Hi,
I currently work with autistic kids as a behavior specialist and was wondering if that works for the required clinical hours? Thank you!

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- Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
  
  February 1, 2017 at 2:26 pm
  
  Hi Susan,
  
  It likely would for many schools but it is still best to always check with programs you may be interested in to make sure it does indeed qualify. The list of acceptable experience varies greatly from program to program. I used 3 months of experience working with special needs youth through Seattle Parks and Recreation on my application, although it did not constitute the majority of my healthcare experience.
  
  Stephen
  
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Ty says

December 10, 2016 at 3:38 am

Hi Stephen,

My wife and I are currently AD military and we’re thinking about becoming PAs after we separate. We’re also expecting to have children in the next couple of years. As such, it seems that it would be difficult (to say the least) to obtain the healthcare experience either required or recommended by PA schools, especially with the specific jobs we work. Do you know if schools are lenient on the experience factor for prior military members?

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- Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
  
  December 10, 2016 at 11:22 am
  
  Hi Ty,
  
  Some schools require more hands on experience than others. The important part of experience is that it builds confidence and makes the entire process smoother. During your interview you are likely to be asked about complex situations and difficult patients. Having this in your “grab bag” is invaluable. That being said, life experience also goes a long way. So if you have a lot of one and a little bit of the other but they are valuable and bring skills necessary to the profession you may be just fine. They are looking for people who bring strong and unique skills to the profession and have a real understanding of what it takes to succeed in medicine. Do you feel you can offer this righ now? If the answer is yes, then you may have all that you need. Unless of course you don’t meet the minimum application requirements 🙂
  
  Stephen
  
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setherhamlincoln says

November 11, 2016 at 7:32 pm

Hi Stephen,

I’ve been researching the road to be a PA. I am currently taking general ed classes with the hopes of transferring to a university and receive a BS in health science. I have two major questions to ask you. Is a health science degree a good choice? And I volunteer as a mentor for foster kids two weeks or more out of the year, one week is 120 hours of contact with the child. I have also been coaching gymnastics for a decade. Would any of those count towards the 2,000 hours?

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Stephanie says

August 24, 2016 at 8:25 pm

Hi Stephen,

I have a year and a half of part time scribing experience in an emergency department. I am interested in applying to PA school next cycle. My question is, would I be competitive enough with just scribing experience or should I take the steps to become certified as a CNA? I would only be working part time, so I wouldn’t accrue too many hours prior to applying. I know the requirements vary from school to school, should I just email each individual program I’m interested in to ask?

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