● Schooling requires great independence and self-discipline, due to the lack of counselor assistance. This can however vary from school to school.
Eg: I realized that the “PA” schools which were of my interest, required Phys w/ lab. My school did not offer this, therefore I had to apply to another school. I had to request a transfer credit for this class, ultimately ensuring that I would not have to take it twice.
● Be proactive and find your own connections! I called a friend of my neighbor’s who was in PA school. I asked her questions and found a PA to shadow through my state’s PA Association website (OAPA.com if you live in Ohio), etc.
Look for shadowing opportunities through your school’s COM if they have it.
● Look at the prereqs for your schools of interest. The prereqs must aline with the classes offered at your school (eg; my school doesn't offer physiology with lab so I took it for transfer credits at a school that did offer phys with lab)
● Your GPA is important! This goes especially for science classes, and even in GE’s
● Jobs and extracurriculars.
I wanted to do an Atlantis fellowship. Tap into extracurriculars that interest you!
● Look for student orgs at your university.
The occupation of a Physician Assistant, is one of the fastest growing careers within the Health Sector. Not very many schools however, have undergraduate programs that directly relate to becoming a PA. Much like myself, there are many students across the nation that are on an unofficial Pre-P.A pathway. Here is everything I have learned so far about being a Pre-P.A student.
Independence is Key
If your school doesn’t have a P.A. program, academic advisors who are knowledgeable about the pathway, may be limited. This was the case for me! I asked many different people about the prerequisites, experiences and timelines essential to P.A school. To my disappointment, I was not able to get answers from people. I had to take it upon myself to figure out what classes I needed to take, where to find shadowing and patient care hours, etc. I was self-sufficient with finding information for my pathway and so should you.
Emphasize the Necessities
Every P.A. school requires a set amount of patient care hours, volunteer hours, shadowing, letters of recommendation, and prerequisite courses.
Patient care hours can be collected in many ways. The requirements can range from 250-1000 hours. I chose to become an STNA, which is ~$600, in order to get my patient care hours. I ended up working at a home health company. To my advantage, STNAs also works in nursing homes, hospitals, and more.
Evidently, P.A shadowing hours are required for P.A school. The hour requirements range from 10-50 hours. If you are like me and don’t personally know any P.A’s, you must do thorough searching in order to find a P.A to shadow. I went to my state’s P.A. association website (oapa if you’re from Ohio) and found a list of P.A’s that welcome student shadowers. I also reached out to a P.A at my school’s hospital and was able to get a list of Physician Assistants at the hospital.
3. Get Involved
Even if your school may not have a P.A program, you may encounter Pre-P.A clubs that support your networking journey with P.As. These clubs encourage students and teach you more about the profession! If there isn’t one of these clubs at your school, starting one would look great on a resume ;)
- By Brenna Carr
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