How to Prepare for PA school
If you are a student in high school or in the first couple of years of undergraduate studies and are interested in the PA profession, now is the time to start preparing for your career.
No matter what career you choose there will always be a journey to get to where you are going. By properly preparing for your journey it will be easier to get to your final destination. Use some of these early steps to help prepare your journey to PA school.
Check for Prerequisite Classes for PA Programs
All PA programs these days require you to obtain a master’s degree. The first step in your preparation is to look at schools in your area, or that you might want to apply and see what their prerequisite courses are. One school might require physics or biochemistry and another might not. Many of the basic science classes will be required by all PA programs.
The requirement for these science classes does not mean you have to have a science major in undergrad, but it does make it easier to meet the requirements. I personally think having an undergraduate major that is not biology or chemistry, such as business or communication helps you stick out when you apply to graduate school. Also, if for some reason you decide PA school is not for you than you’re not stuck with a biology or chemistry degree that you can’t use. Unless you want to work in lab someday, choose a different major.
Once you know the classes you need to get into PA school, you can plan your undergraduate course work accordingly.
Shadow a PA
If you haven’t shadowed a PA yet, another step is to look into shadowing a PA. If your university has a pre-PA program that is a good place to start with making connections for shadowing opportunities.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask a PA that you have personally seen. Many are willing to have you shadow them, but if they don’t know you’re interested they won’t know to offer.
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Plan How to Get Clinical Hours
In order to get into PA school you must have patient care hours. Every PA school has a different requirement, so when you’re looking at PA schools that you might want to attend see what they require for patient care hours. You’ll want to know how many patient care hours they require, but also what types of positions they will accept. One school might accept hours working a scribe and another might not.
Some of the jobs that you could do to get clinical hours require a certification. If you want to work as a medical assistant or E.M.T for your clinical hours, you should find out what it takes to become certified in your state for these positions.
Also, plan on when you want to do this. Can you work and do undergraduate classes at the same time? Do want to take a gap year between undergraduate and PA school? It’s great to work for a year before applying to PA school, as it allows you time to learn about the profession and gives you a break from all the studying.
Start Budgeting for PA School
If you haven’t heard, PA school is expensive; and most PA students rely on student loans to pay for PA school. To help decrease the burden of student loans do what you can to get your undergraduate education paid for. There are more opportunities to have your undergraduate education covered compared to PA school.
There are some opportunities for scholarships in PA school, but they are limited and usually won’t cover more than the cost of your books. If you are able to get grants or scholarships to pay for your undergraduate education that will be less you’re paying later on.
Where you go to school is also a huge factor in cost. Consider staying close to home so you can avoid out of state tuition and possibly save money by living with family members. Not only can you save money in undergrad by staying close to home, there are some public universities that have PA programs and if you’re able to get residency in those states prior to starting PA school you could save a lot of money during PA school.
Your path to any career is going to be a journey. Don’t start your journey without a map. If you have goals, such as become a PA, know the stops you’re going to have to take to get there. There will always be obstacles in your way and you might get a flat tire or lose your wallet, but if you know the path you have to take to get to the end, it will make your journey easier than wandering around in the desert.
Where are you on your journey to PA school? How well have you prepared? Please comment below the original post, sign up to receive future posts by email and share with your friends!
