Read on: But you may also be interested in my newest post Healthcare Experience Required for PA School: The Ultimate Guide
I could probably summarize this entire blog post with the following sentence:
"THE MORE HANDS-ON PATIENT CARE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE, THE STRONGER YOU WILL BE AS A PA SCHOOL CANDIDATE."
How many healthcare experience hours do you need to make yourself a competitive PA school candidate?
Although this is a topic of some debate, the consensus from both past and present data suggests at least two years, or 2,000 hours of direct hands-on patient care experience, is a good number to aim for.
I received this email yesterday from a pa school applicant Deeba. It is a good question and one I receive in my inbox almost daily.
Subject Line of Email: Finding Direct Patient Care Requirements
I am currently a sophomore in college and want to go to PA school. I see that the requirement for most schools is about 1,000 hours of direct patient care.
How can I get direct patient care experience?
Everything I see requires a certificate which means more classes and more money. Can you give me some examples of direct patient care jobs that I can do that don’t require a certificate?
I keep stressing that I won’t find any place/job to get direct patient care experience if I am not a certified, nurse? Is this true, please let me know my options?
Thank you,
– Deeba
Here is my Answer: How to Find The Direct Patient Care Experience
You have many options.
It can be as simple as volunteering in your local community hospital, in a retirement center, working overseas, at a blood center, a children’s center, The Special Olympics or a special needs summer camps, etc. etc. Most hospitals need volunteers and have a department dedicated to this. It is a perfect place to start.
That’s exactly what I did when I started in patient transport. I merely walked through the front door of the University Hospital, gave my biggest smile and asked the front desk staff where I could find information about volunteer opportunities. They gave me a vest, a badge and I was making my first patient transport the following day.
Later that year, I took a short walk to the student clinic and once again threw a big smile on my face and asked if there were positions for students interested in healthcare. They introduced me to “Jennifer,” a senior pre-med student working in the clinic as an assistant phlebotomist. Jennifer let me shadow her for the day. She introduced me to staff all over the hospital. I can’t tell you how much I respected her and wanted to be like her.
It was because of Jennifer that I landed my first paid position in the clinic as a medical records clerk making $4.25 an hour. My job included filing and retrieving records (it was the pre-digital era), so I got to explore the various specialty clinics and collect and distribute medical records to all the providers in every specialty. I met just about everyone in the clinic, including my first physician assistant.
The following year Jennifer graduated and passed her phlebotomy position on to me. They trained me to do work in the laboratory and perform blood draws (without a certificate). Upon graduation, they provided me with an official certification, and I went on to work for the University Hospital and the Puget Sound Blood Center as a lead technician.
I Volunteered Everywhere I could:
- During my senior year, I spent the summer working at a special needs youth summer camp.
- After graduation, and after I returned home from work, I took evening classes for three months to get my EMT certification.
- I volunteered at a homeless shelter.
- I was applying for a 3-month internship to work in Chicago Catholic Youth Ministries when I was accepted into PA school.
I am not trying to pat myself on the back. What I am trying to do is to show you that to make it anywhere in life, you have to get out and just do it.
Opportunities rarely come knocking at your door, but there are opportunities everywhere. If you are short on opportunities in your area, then go to where the opportunities are. I am on the board of our Physician Assistants For Global Health organization, and there are endless opportunities to work overseas, and you don’t need any patient care experience to get started.
But Stephen, I have kids, family to support, school and a part-time job!
Trust me, as a father of two with an extremely busy schedule I understand.
If you have kids, family, a part-time job, school, a family member to care for, a pet gerbil that requires a lot of time and attention, etc. etc. it simply means you have to dig a bit deeper and get a little more creative. It may mean taking classes at night to get that certification you may need, cutting back on hours at work, teaming up with your partner or friends to get creative with child care, you may have to take a massive leap of faith and quit your current job entirely.
Nobody said it was going to be easy. You just never give up, no matter how hard the challenges are, observe this world with a healthy dose of skepticism and don’t just follow the herd as somebody else might do.
Once you are on target, you will find this isn’t “work” at all; it is a joy to help other people. It will open your mind as well as your heart, and you will become a better person along the way.
Start today:
- Send out a request to your Facebook or Linkedin network
- Search global health opportunities
- Call your local health center
- or homeless shelter
- or children’s hospital
- or veterans association
- or senior living center
You get the point.
Say you are willing to work for free… and do an awesome job, and you will also have the glowing letters of recommendation you need!
And, to top it off, you will feel good about yourself, you will develop the skills you need to love and care for another human being, and this is what matters most if you are to be successful in life and as a PA.
I hope this helps,
Stephen
Here is what Andrew Rodican author of "The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Physician Assistant School" has to say about this topic:
Unlike young medical school applicants who are not expected/required to have direct patient contact hours, there’s a totally different philosophy with respect to PA school applicants. The PA profession is not an entry-level profession. Remember, the first PAs were former Navy corpsman who had 3 or 4 years of combat medical experience. Competitive applicants will have 2,500 to 3,000 hours of hands-on direct patient contact. Why would you think that you would be a competitive applicant without medical experience?
Unfortunately, some applicants have no medical experience at all, which certainly hurts their chances of getting accepted. Most committee members will insist on some prior medical experience before they will consider the applicant as a serious candidate.
On average, four years of prior experience in one of the following areas is common:
Nursing
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Allied Health
- Physical Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- X-ray Technician
Emergency Services
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Paramedic
- Emergency Room Technician
Miscellaneous
- Phlebotomist
- Athletic Trainer
- Medical Researcher
- Medical Volunteer
Medical Experience Statistics for PA School Applicants
Worked in health care before applying to PA school | 79% |
Worked less than one year or not at all in a health care field | 27% |
Worked more than nine years in a health care field | 10% |
Worked less than one year or not at all in a health care field with direct patient contact | 35% |
Previously worked as a medical assistant | 17% |
Previously worked as an EMT/Paramedic | 9% |
Worked as a phlebotomist | 9% |
Worked as an emergency room technician | 8% |
Worked in medical reception/records | 7% |
Worked as a nurse | 8% |
Worked as an athletic trainer | 6% |
Reported "other" as health care experience | 45% |
Note: Respondents were permitted to indicate multiple health care fields; thus, the sum of all fields exceeds 100%
Applying to PA school is an extremely competitive process. The more points you score with the committee, the better.
Think about your own experience and how you might be able to improve upon it. If you have little or no medical experience, consider doing volunteer work at the local hospital or clinic. The more hands-on medical experience you have, the stronger you will be as a candidate.
Summary:
As much as I love Andrew Redican's book on the topic of getting into PA school, I think he is using an all too common path. I helped a gentleman with his personal statement last year who before applying to PA school had many years of experience, not in the healthcare field mind you, but as a dance instructor.
The key is that he loved people, it was apparent in his essay and evident in our communications back and forth.
Applicants I council tend to get caught up in trying to fill these "quotas" of what they think is necessary to succeed. Often we use the principles of a common denominator... i.e., if I become a CNA, I can make it as a PA.
The truth is that I would much rather take the dance instructor, with the solid GPA, who shows he cares deeply about people and is willing to work his butt off.
What I am trying to say is don't sell yourself short and set the bar in a comfortable place. Look outside yourself for experiences that will help you grow as a compassionate and caring human being. From here the sky's the limit.
Photo credit: Courtney Reese from our trip to Missions Trip to Haiti. You can watch my cheesy (yet hopefully inspiring) video montage Here.
Jenna says
Hello Stephen,
I am a rising junior transferring to the College of William and Mary this fall. I was looking into volunteering at my local hospital and becoming a scribe after accumulating 25 hours (requirement for my local hospital). Would a scribe count for health care experience and make me more competitive?
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Jenna,
Yes, medical scribe is one of the best things you can do on your way to PA school. It counts towards direct patient care experience and getting to work directly with the medical team throughout the medical decision making process will place you light years ahead of many applicants! So go for it!!
– Stephen
Sourabha says
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for ur great article.i am foreign trained dentist , m very much interested in pursuing my career in pa,what r my chances? And how to make my profile competitive. I don’t have any volunteer experience yet, where should I start.plz help
Sours
Shakia Lingerfelt says
Fantastic comments , I loved the information . Does someone know where my company can get ahold of a fillable BLM 3160-5 example to fill in ?
Alex says
Hi Stephen,
I appreciate all of your information and advice on your site. Thank you for sharing such thoughtful and meaningful experiences in your content!
I am currently a Research Coordinator at UW with two years experience (>4,000 hours), a BA in Public Health, and a variety of community and international health related internship and volunteer experience. Although I feel like my health care experience may be wide in it’s breadth, I am still concerned that my paid position as a Research Coordinator is not “hands-on”. I have daily direct patient interaction implementing human subject research and completing patient health questionnaires, generalized anxiety disorder assessments, and asking a variety of personal questions about the patients’ care and mental status. Essentially the research role can be more of a counseling/ mental health position at times and I meet patients in clinic, on the floor, at infusion services, local shelters, in a nursing or rehab facility, or at their homes. My concern is that the requirements for many of the competitive PA programs still seem to perceive HCE to be fulfilled solely by ” direct, hand-on, patient care” versus more of the mental health, counseling, and ADL assessments that my position provides interacting with seriously ill and EOL care patients. My “hands-on” experience only comes from hand shakes and patient hugs!
Do you have any insight into how my experience may be perceived by PA schools or suggestions for additional HCE opportunities that would help supplement or fulfill “hands-on” experience?
(On a side note, EMT positions are highly competitive in my area and the only opportunities with availability that I have found are CNA or MA which both require certification at programs that are expensive and inconvenient. Preferably an opportunity where I can use my current skills or education to gain more hands-on experience; unpaid okay.)
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Alex,
As an EMT and graduate of UW I know how competitive the EMT positions are in Seattle. That is the reason I continued to work in phlebotomy and never pursued a paid EMT position after I received my certification. Also, your current job may offer more HCE and decision making than providing patient transport for an EMT service. Unfortunately I don’t have any HCE tricks up my sleeve that you are probably not already aware of. I don’t think going back to complete CNA training or training as an MA will provide much benefit. One of my favorite positions to recommend is as a medical scribe. We use scribes at our clinic and our last two were both accepted into PA school. It is a great way to learn a lot about medicine and gain valuable “in the trenches” hands on patient care experience. Also, consider international or local volunteer opportunities, this is a wonderful way to serve the greater good and have a life changing experience along the way. I have participated in several medical missions and have never returned the same person.
– Stephen
Alex says
Hi Stephen,
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate you taking the time to be so detailed and encouraging! I had never thought of being a medical scribe, but I will definitely look into it. A few years ago I participated in a medical mission in Honduras and also helped organize missions for other students to attend through Global Brigades. Good to know these are still encouraged! Currently I am seeking a position to do phlebotomy in clinical research and combine the two.
Thank you Stephen!
Alex
Ash says
Hello! I had a question. I am currently a MA working at a medical weight loss clinic. Is this a good place to accumulate HCE? Our cause is to fight obesity. Please get back to me.
Thank you,
Ash
Nicole says
Hi Stephen,
I am currently a dental assistant and am very interested in becoming a physician’s assistant. I need to get a bachelors degree so I have plenty of time for experience. I was wondering if dental was considered medical hands on or not? I also just signed up to volunteer at the hospital so if dental doesn’t count I will get other opportunities as well.
Thank you!
Rachel says
I was wondering the same thing, as I am a dental assistant and half way through my bachelor’s, I should probably start gaining more experience soon. I guess it depends on the program though. In my opinion, dental assisting should count as we constantly have so much exposure.
Sam says
Hey Stephen!
I have been working for a reputable clinic for awhile now, and have worked a couple of summers there. I originally worked to file patient reports, but now I work as a medical tech taking vitals and I supervise tests given to patients. I don’t have any certification to be a medical tech, it was just handed down to me. I was wondering if you think PA schools would frown upon this experience because I don’t have certification. You wrote about a similar situation becoming a phlebotomist, but I feel like not being as educated as a tech that has proper certification would look bad in the eyes of PA school.
Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks for the great post.
-Sam
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Sam,
This is extremely common, currently where I work none of the staff (over 10 in all) are from certificate programs, and they work as scribes, laser tech’s, medical assistants and front office managers. Most of them are going onto PA, NP or nursing school and our current scribe was just accepted into PA school this past month. So the answer is no, as an apprentice who worked your way up through the ranks and does a great job – it shows a lot of the strengths of your personality. Hang in there, keep learning and keep growing and soak up all that experience along the way!
– Stephen
Carol says
Hi Stephen,
I currently work in the nutrition/food department at a local hospital answer phone calls about their diet and going to patient rooms with their food. Would that count as direct patient hours?
Thanks,
Carol
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Carol,
I would make it a point to find experience that is a bit more hands on. Although this is good experience, and you are vital part of the patients health care team, this probably isn’t hands on enough for many programs. Consider speaking with someone at the hospital with regards to other opportunities – working in the NICU for example or possibly even finding a paid position as medical scribe. You want to be working directly with patients, one-on-one and preferably “in the trenches”.
– Stephen
eric says
Hey Stephen!
Eric here again. Just curious if being a yoga instructor would count toward direct patient care hours?
Let me know if you have any idea!!
Best,
Eric.
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Eric, I would say in the most common situations the answer would be no. Acupuncturists would likely qualify as would other alternative healthcare providers such as massage therapists, reiki therapists (possibly), push therapists or nutritional counselors. But yoga (although definitely a form of health and healing) would likely fall into the same category as athletic/personal trainer or a spin or pilates instructor. If you were a yoga instructor working only with patients with certain types of health conditions – one that other medical providers could refer to (although I have never known such an instructor) then maybe this would qualify. And in all the cases I have mentioned I would still make sure to check with the PA school(s) you are applying to if there is any doubt.
Stephen
Taylor says
Hello! I worked at a special needs school this past summer in Australia and was wondering if this would be acceptable clinical hours?
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Taylor,
Maybe/maybe not – it depends entirely on the program(s) you are applying to. If you are not 100% sure from the literature available on the PA program website contact the PA program directly and ask them. It depends on what type of work you were doing. When I applied I listed my experience working at a special needs camp although I did not list it as health care experience hours. That doesn’t mean you can’t so make sure to find out. Usually a 5 minute phone call can clear things up and the front desk staff at most PA programs are very helpful!
I hope you had a nice summer working in Australia, sounds like a wonderful opportunity!!
– Stephen
Sierra Leonard says
HI Geaorge,
I am currently a Junior in college and I have recently re-evaluated my future and decided I want to go to PA school, which is where the problem of direct patient care comes in. I am thinking now at this point to get a CNA license or CMA and continuing after I graduate to accumulate the hours, but I was wondering if you had any other advice for me as far as getting this experience.
Jeremy says
You cannot walk into a hospital and be volunteering the next day. There are applications, several vaccinations and tests you need done first, and often a small interview process.
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Yes, Jeremy you are right, there is some more red tape than there was when I walked into the University of Washington hospital as a freshman looking for volunteer hours years ago. But, you can still walk into a hospital and start the process. And honestly, it is the same thing, the take home point is to just get started. Many people sit behind their computer, searching the internet for volunteer opportunities and making excuses (trust me I am just as guilty of this as anyone) but the same rules still apply today as they did years ago. Throw a smile on your face, drink a cup of coffee and get out there and introduce yourself to people. This is where the real change happens.
– Stephen
Jeremy says
Agreed. I am volunteering now, and it was more of a process than I expected, but it’s worth it. It may take a few weeks or a month waiting for test results, but not a hard thing to get started.
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi again Jeremy, would you be willing to write about your experience here on the blog? I would love to feature it as a guest post if you have the time. Doesn’t have to be long, just a bit about what volunteer work you are doing, how you found the position and the “red tape” you had to go through. I think it could help inspire others in your situation to do the same. Let me know if you are interested, you could even post it as a reply and I will feature it as a post!
Have a great day, and thanks for your comment!
– Stephen
Sidra says
Hi,
You seem like a great person to ask advise for , I have recently been looking through this site and it’s amazing! So I am a freshman in community college, and plan on transferring, getting a bachelors, and afterwards plan on attending PA school. I have made my schedule to fit all the pre reqs for PA school , and now I’d like to get into health care experience, where i would like to apply they want 1000 hours. I know there are multiple options like CNA and MA , but MA and a few others require long term training and licensing which with my college stuff I don’t think i can do, i know its not easy, but do you have any advice on alternate options? I have some volunteering with teachers and students as a tutor but i don’t know if that would help.
Thanks for your help!
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Sidra,
You are asking the million dollar question. Sometimes you can find HCE without attending a specialty training program. Like in my case, I went from medical records to student lab tech to inpatient phlebotomist through a very round about non-traditional process. The truth is though most volunteer activities will not fulfill hands on patient care hours. They will be great experiences, that are wonderful (and essential) to have but paid health care experience tends to be the “gold standard” (to use a term we like to throw around in medicine). My advice is to find time to complete some training or see if you can get yourself into a situation where your training will be on the job and you can advance through the ranks without taking a certification course (although this is sometimes just a lucky find). I took night courses after graduation while working as a phlebotomist to get my EMT and it took one quarter, it was easy and fun and I think anybody could do the same. Nowadays there may be courseses with online components for MA or CNA that will allow you to complete this easily on the side.
– Stephen
Nasreen says
Please help me so I can help others, because thats what I love to do.
I’m interesting in to becoming a P.A
I find George Washington University will be good. So, I contact them and I was told to take 2 semesters of Anatomy and Physiology , 2 Semesters of Psychology, and 2 semesters of Chemistry. Recently they added One semester of Statistic. However, after being done with 2 semesters of Anatomy and Physiology, 2 semesters of Psychology, and one semester of Chemistry, All A’s. I find out that they need only one semester of Anatomy and Physiology, and on semester of Psychology 🙁
Any way, I’m also a foreign graduate of Medicine School, and I worked as Medical assistant for 10 years. By the way, I’m a U.S citizen, and I have also taken college composition 1&2.
I’m still confused by some of the requirement. .
I have worked as a Medical Assistant for 10 Years, and when I call them if thats ok for 1,000 hours of direct patient care experience is requirement, I was told No, and I have to just do direct care. I don’t know what to do?
They also require Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation into the program. I have graduated from a foreign country, but I did my evaluation which is a bachelor degree.
I did try multiple times to have a meeting with an academic adviser, but no answers.
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Nasreen,
Is there a reason you are only applying to George Washington University? I find it concerning that they would not look highly upon 10 years of experience as a medical assistant along with your training as a foreign MD. I am sure many schools would feel otherwise. One piece of advice I have is if you can, cast your net wide. Apply to at least 12 schools, this will give you a much better chance of getting in and I am sure with your background you would have a very good chance if you looked elsewhere. Otherwise, you have no choice but to play by their rules, which means possibly obtaining another certification and finding 1,000 hours of healthcare experience elsewhere. I like the apply to other schools option better, otherwise you may be chasing your tail to get into George Washington and I am not sure it is worth all that effort.
– Stephen
Patrick says
Stephen,
Thank you very much for the insight, I had some questions regarding getting hands on experience before applying for PA school. Right now I am looking at getting a paid ER scribe position at my local hospital, after I graduate it would be full time. A scribe records everything of importance that a patient says and so on as a doctor visits a patient, however, I am not sure that this is “hands on” enough for PA school requirements. Also, I became very excited when you mentioned hands on volunteer work abroad. I would drop any paid position in a heart beat if there was a volunteer organization that would let me get the necessary experience while at the same time helping others out.
I researched opportunities such as this and have either come up blank, or have found companies that are looking more to profit from volunteers rather than provide meaningful assistance to those the volunteer wants to “help.” I looked over the site for PA’s for global health and could not find anything offered for those with no further clinical experience other than shadowing and research (which is the experience that I have). If there is any way you could provide me with more insight to this I would be forever grateful.
Thanks,
Patrick
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Patrick,
It’s not easy that’s for sure, and you are right, I often have a hard time deciding if a particular company/organization is in it for the right reasons. Health Horizons International offers opportunities every 4 months, mostly in the DR https://hhidr.org/get-involved/ they have come recommended. As I assist PAGH with their website I just finished consolidating their monthly nexus newsletter. Here is a link to all the 2014 letters. At the end of each newsletter, you will find a list of volunteer opportunities and resource: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mrgadqikgxrwvd3/AADH2hk7FOR5fFjc–NdPhhsa?dl=0.
Churches often organize volunteer work overseas as well. It will be hard to get the kind of HCE needed to fulfill general medical experience requirements at many of these sites, but the experience you get will still be invaluable and will look good on your application. And as far as scribes are concerned, simply contact your school/s of choice and speak with a program director. They will let you know their schools stance on this. Every school is different, so it’s best to contact them directly.
Let me know how it goes,
Stephen
Gina says
Stephen,
I found this blog on a whim and it is already making me smile, mainly because all of the blog posts are about questions I have! I have been out of undergrad for about 3 years now and have walked away from the medical field (mainly out of frustration) only to find out that is where my passion lies. I love children and aim to be a pediatric PA someday. As other people have commented, I am not the only one in the boat who doesn’t have enough direct patient care hours. I currently am married and have a full time job in biopharmaceutical sales- however, I am able to volunteer teaching at church on weekends and have several hundred hours of shadowing experience. I am struggling to find the opportunities to have patient responsibility and care. Since shadowing accounts for next to nothing at the schools I am applying for, I am struggling to find direct patient care hours that I can do on weekends or even at night. Any ideas?
The story of the dance instructor was so encouraging because I love people (especially the little ones) and would love to be able to get those hours doing something with the ones I care for so much. If you have any ideas feel free to shoot them my way!
I appreciate the help and enjoy exploring your blog!
-Gina
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Gina,
The best patient contact hours usually come in the form of paid work. Unfortunately most volunteer hours don’t provide the necessary experience. An option would be to pursue a certificate degree and start picking up hours part time while reducing your hours at your full-time job. After 6 months you would have the necessary patient contact hours to apply to many schools. Also, program directors would applaud your efforts. The other option is to pick up your contact hours on the weekends but that is a recipe for burnout.
I wish I could give you a simpler path, but when it comes to volunteering and hands on patient care experience this is hard to find, unless of course you were willing to work abroad for a few months, which if you could swing it would be a wonderful opportunity, and you get to work with a lot of kids!!!
– Stephen
Gargi says
Loved reading the bit about the dance instructor, everywhere I look the only options for the direct patient care seem to be CNA, EMT, etc., which is difficult to do as a full time undergraduate student! I would love to hear anyone’s experience in going to PA school straight out of their undergraduate school and what they did to get the experience required. Also would doing patient intake at a clinic or emergency department count?
Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
Hi Gargi,
Asking around at your campus health center is often a very good options. They often have part time positions available that will help you to get your foot in the door. Otherwise volunteering or working during summer break may be your next best options. You could even consider traveling with a healthcare team abroad! There are some PA schools that have minimal or no designated medical experience requirements. You can call your local hospital or community health center and speak with an HR representative or visit their job board to see what is available. I spent a summer working with Seattle Parks and Rec which wasn’t advertised as a “health care job” but we ended up providing 24 hour care to special needs campers. So sometimes opportunities exist where you would least expect it. Doing intake at a clinic or ER may not be considered hands on patient care experience in the eyes of many PA programs. The only way to know for sure is to contact the programs you may be interested in directly and simply ask. As you mentioned working as an undergrad is hard and I advise everyone to place their academics first, but if you use your undergrad time wisely and take advantage of seasonal holidays and summer breaks it is possible. I had several classmates who did just that, but it is the exception rather than the rule.
– Stephen
Sam says
Stephen,
I commented a few months ago and you gave me some great advice! I have another question for you. I’m a senior at BYU in Utah. I got my EMT certification a few months ago and this semester I started volunteering as part of the EMS crew here on campus. It’s an incredible program and they teach us a ton. I’ve definitely had my share of failure moments with BYU EMS (like you mentioned in your other article). I can graduate in April and I want to apply to schools during the summer. By that time I’ll have about 300 hours (over a 7 month period) from EMS. From what I’ve read, 300 hours isn’t very competitive and most of the top schools won’t even let you apply until you have at least 500 or 1000 (or 2000). My dilemma is this. Do I apply even though I’m not competitive with my patient hours or would it be better to work as some sort of tech in a hospital or clinic (or some other medical position that I can get with an EMTB certification) for a year and apply when I have many more hours? The third option is that I could apply this summer and if I don’t get accepted anywhere I can stay around here and work anyway. However, applications cost $ and I’m a poor student. From your experience, what do you think would be the best option? I really respect your advice and the good example that you set as a PA and as a husband and father. You’re great!
Sam
Stephen says
Hey Sam,
Your stream of thought pretty much summed up would I would have said. 🙂
It never hurts to apply but this is an expensive proposition. If money isn’t a factor I would say apply. If it is (which for most of the human species it is) then it may be best to take this year and dedicate it to gaining experience in any way you can.
That isn’t that bad either, as you can network, meet other PA’s, consider joining your local PA chapter, attend the AAPA conference or your States conference. Get involved in local PA issues and volunteer. You could take this year to really separate yourself from the pack by going the extra mile. That may be a better use of your time and money. And it won’t necessarily set you back at all. This type of experience will be of great value as you move forward as a professional.
Also, you can organize yourself. Pick your top schools, really take the time to write a wonderful personal statement. Make a solid list of your goals and aspirations for the year and those that follow and get some great letters of recommendation. You will feel quite confident when you apply next year I am sure.
Stephen