What makes Pre-PA’s different from other Pre-Health students?
When I first made the choice of switching from Pre-Med to Pre-PA, the requirements for PA school left me in shock. Many competitive PA programs require their prospective applicants to have a minimum number of healthcare and/or direct patient care experience hours; the common minimum being 1,000-2,000 hours. My initial question was, what even is the difference?
Patient Care Experience vs. Health Care Experience?
Patient Care Experiences are one of the most important aspects of your application to PA school. These experiences make you responsible for the patient you are in contact with. Because these positions are paid, they can sometimes be considered one’s first healthcare career. Many times, Pre-PA students take a few months off after graduating to get as many hours as they can.
Here are some examples:
Medical Assistant
~ You can possibly be train on-the-job
Doula
~Not common, but unique
CNA
OR/Surgical Tech
Physical Therapy Assistant
Patient Care Technician
Phlebotomist
Nurse’s Aide
EMT
EKG Tech
Ophthalmic Technician
Emergency Room Technician
*These can all be done during undergrad. Some training programs are as short as 4 weeks, while others can be months or even longer. There are many great job opportunities where you can be trained on the job. “Research” cannot be underemphasized.
Health Care Experience is another great way to be a competitive applicant for PA school. This is classified as either paid or unpaid work where you are interacting with patients but are not responsible for them. Furthermore, Health Care Experience does not require hands-on interactions with patients. PA schools accept a considerable amount of these hours, but prefer Patient Care Experience.
Here are some examples:
Medical Scribe
~Some programs consider this PCE
Personal Caregiver
Pharmacy Tech
Physical Therapy Aide
Research Assistant
Medical Record Processor
Medical office receptionist
Patient Transport
*PA schools different in both the minimum amount of hours and what is or is not considered Patient Care Experience. The best thing to do is contact the school you are interested in*
My Advice and Experience
Due to COVID-19, positions may be harder to secure, but are definitely still attainable. I strongly recommend contacting healthcare professionals to inquire about ways that you can help out. I would also suggest searching for any jobs that offer training. Furthermore, becoming a Medical Scribe though Scribe America is a great opportunity for undergraduates.
I recently applied to become a Medical Scribe through Scribe America and was notified by a PA that I knew about a Medical Assistant position (on-the-job training). That is why I recommend making as many connections as you can.
- By Kasey Diaz
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