Patient Care and Healthcare Experience for PA School
'GPA and performance in the prerequisites are undeniably very important but a meaningful HCE is a near second!' - Duke Physician Assistant ProgramClick To TweetToday 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 healthcare 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 the majority of Physician Assistant Programs in the United States.
Here are some of the fields that are typically accepted by most programs:
- Military Corpsman
- EMT or paramedic
- Combat Medic
- Registered Nurse (RN), BSN, LPN
- EEG or EKG technician
- Emergency room technician
- Physical therapy aide
- Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
- Medical Assistant (MA)
- Respiratory Therapist
- Dietician
- Phlebotomist
- International healthcare based mission trips
- Hospice
- Medical Technologist
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Dental Hygienist OR Technologist
- X-Ray Technologist
- Physical/Occupational Therapist
- Medical Social Worker Mental
- Health Care Counselor
- Aide in Dialysis Unit
- Optometry Assistant
- Chiropractic Assistant
We have had many military medics as students in our program. This experience is a great foundation for the profession. - Elissa Love, BCM PA Program in Houston
Here are some activities that are typically not accepted by most programs:
- Taking care of a family member is not really clinical experience. You can mention it and talk about the clinical care you provided, but it's not really what PA schools are looking for. (Although you should take care of your family)
- Observation of any kind (i.e., shadowing a physician or PA)
- Conducting research
- Helping in the health center at a summer camp
- Medical records personnel or clerical worker in a medical office or hospital
- Pharmacy technician/clerk
- Training without employment (such as EMT/MICT, etc.)
- Healthcare experience which is part of a healthcare training program (i.e., clinical rotations, fieldwork, or internships)
- Providing first aid as a coach, scout leader, etc
See more detailed list at the end of this post
Here are some activities that are highly variable:
- Medical Scribe is one of those very gray areas in that it provides exposure but is not always hands-on. Many schools accept it and many don't.
- Working as a medical interpreter
- Volunteering
- Athletic trainer
"We strongly believe that HCE is a predictor of success because it readies the student for the clinical environment, introduces them to pathophysiology, and prepares them for the rigor of our program and the demands and high standard of our didactic and clinical years." - Case Western Reserve University
Healthcare Experience vs. Patient Care Experience. What's the difference?
In the CASPA experience section, you will be asked to enter both patient care and healthcare experience hours.
They sound like the same thing, but It's important that you understand the difference as you can only enter each experience once and schools may prefer one over the other.
Patient Care Experience (PCE): Experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient's care. For example, prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, designing a treatment regimen, actively working on patients as a nurse, paramedic, EMT, CNA, phlebotomist, physical therapist, dental hygienist, etc.
Healthcare Experience (HCE): Both paid and unpaid work in a health or health-related field where you are not directly responsible for a patient's care, but may still have patient interaction; for example, filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patients and/or their rooms, administering food or medication, taking vitals or other record-keeping information, working as a scribe, CNA (depending on the job description), medical assistant, etc.
To make it simple, think of patient care experience as hands-on patient care hours. Everything else is healthcare experience. It's also important not to "double-dip." You can enter your experience only once, but you can divide your experience hours from one job into both PCE and HCE.
For example, say you work at an interventional pain medicine clinic where you spend half your time at the front desk answering calls and the other half of your time as a patient care technician assisting in the surgery center. If you had 2000 hours of experience split equally, you would enter 1000 hours as HCE and the other 1000 hours as PCE. Problem solved!
"If one school accepts your experience as patient care experience, list it under patient care in CASPA. And the schools that don't count it as patient care let them make the decision to consider those healthcare hours so you don't jeopardize your chances at a program that does see them as direct patient care." - James Kim PA-S
According to the latest PAEA program survey and report, for those applicants accepted to PA school, the average student had 2,664 patient contact experience hours. Accepted students had, on average, 756 hours of “other healthcare experience”, 338 hours of community service, 2,155 hours of other work experience, and 94 hours of healthcare shadowing.
PA School Applicant Quick Tip:
Here is my healthcare experience prior to PA school
- Two years working hands-on as an outpatient and inpatient phlebotomist and lab technician at the University of Washington Hospital as an undergraduate and one year part-time in the outpatient clinic.
- Two years working for the Puget Sound Blood Center as a Senior Mobile Phlebotomist after graduation
- Three months working with special needs youth through Seattle Parks and Recreation
- One year working in medical records and shadowing with the PAs and doctors as a freshman at the UW (this is how I got my start in the hospital)
- Many hours volunteering in patient transport and at Seattle Children's Hospital
- Certification as an EMT (although I never worked as one so I guess this doesn't count, but it sounds good 🙂 )
Total hours: Upwards of 5,000 hands-on patient care hours + many as a volunteer
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 care Volunteer 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 |
Philadelphia 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 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 32 programs require 1,000 hours (11%)
- Only 8 of 288 PA programs nationwide require 2,000 hours (2.7%)
- Only 1 program requires no healthcare experience whatsoever (0.03%)
- A total of 84 programs label healthcare experience as preferred/recommended (35.29%)
- The rest are somewhere in-between (49%) with 59 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 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 latest PAEA Annual Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States, on average, among matriculating students just above 1 year (roughly 2,300 hours) of prior experience is most common.
You can see the full breakdown below:
Just in case you are lazy curious I have included a list of links to PA 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.
PA programs with healthcare experience NOT REQUIRED but RECOMMENDED/PREFERRED: 84 schools
Currently, there are 84 PA schools that have no healthcare experience minimums but to be competitive it is preferred/recommended.
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 ExperienceThis 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 healthcare 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 healthcare field; for example a retail or restaurant job.
Let's 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).
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 underserved populations, medical mission trips) is highly valued.
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 and doing procedures that require 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
- A partial list of hands-on patient care positions includes, but is not limited to:
- 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
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
- lifeguard
- 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
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.
Two Thousand 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 schools 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
- How to Write the Perfect Physician Assistant School Application Essay
- Prerequisite Coursework: How to Design the Perfect Pre-PA School Curriculum
- Healthcare Experience Required for PA School: The Ultimate Guide
- Secrets of Successful PA School Letters of Recommendation
- The GRE and PA School: The Pre-PA Advisor Series
Mallory M. says
I currently work at a job helping special needs kids at a summer camp. You list helping special needs as health care experience. Which of the six CASPA categories would that fit into and did you put that on your application? Thanks!
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Mallory,
Here are your options for CASPA Experiences:
1. Non-healthcare employment
2. Research
3. Volunteer
4. Patient Care Experience
5. Healthcare Experience
6. Shadowing
7. Leadership Experience
8. Extracurricular Activities
9. Teaching
I applied before there was such thing as CASPA, but because we were doing things such as changing feeding tubes, helping with showering, bathing, stooling, mobility devices and providing 24-hour care in a camp environment I would have placed this under patient care experience. I doubt all such camp programs are so patient care intensive so it depends on the camp and your job duties.
Stephen
Taylor C says
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
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
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
Ray says
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!!
Tessa says
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!!
susan says
Hi,
I currently work with autistic kids as a behavior specialist and was wondering if that works for the required clinical hours? Thank you!
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
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
Ty says
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?
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
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
setherhamlincoln says
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?
Stephanie says
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?
Nicole says
Hi Stephen,
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, this post was very helpful! I was wondering if you could also include how you got in your healthcare experience hours? It seems that many acceptable positions such as phlebotemist, medical assistant, and ER tech require some sort of college degree or license, and as a undergraduate student, I’m not sure how I would apply for those.
Thank you!
— Nicole
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi, Nicole, I added my experience to this post along with some more specifics. I didn’t need to take any special certification courses to work as a phlebotomist at the University. They moved me to the lab and as a work study student, they gave me some on the job training and the rest was history. But yes, for many this is an actual course you have to take. Sometimes when you start volunteering and working in other positions within the hospital you get trained into new positions without any need for additional coursework. I have seen this all the time and this continues to be the case with many of the motivated students working in my current clinical practice.
Stephen