this might be a dumb question.

i hope to be a PA because I’m decent at science, like to help people, work with my hands and not sit at a desk all day, and obviously the pay and WLB are a contributing factor as well. Ironically though, i don’t like sick ppl, contagious sick ppl to be exact. I just absolutely loathe being ill, and whenever a family member or friend is sick with the flu or covid or strep i avoid them at all cost.

i understand that during PA school, i will have to learn and get accustomed to contagious sicknesses while interning or shadowing etc. i guess can try to suck it up for two years. I hope to go into a speciality that doesn’t require being around contagious infections, like PM&R or cardio.

my question is, is it alright for me to be in medicine but hate being around contagious people lol? is there anyone else similar to me whose in the field and still love it?

Just received an interview invite for this program. After hearing the program has been put on probation I am kind of wondering whether I should to go to the interview. I have already accepted a seat at a great program with a 100% pance pass rate, so looking at CUNY’s rates I am hesitant to even spend the money flying to NYC. But I also don’t wanna cut myself short and not explore all of my options! The program seems to need to fix a lot of things but does anyone know if the school is really as bad as it seems?? Is it worth even interviewing, or does anyone have any info on whether they are a good program? Their website doesn’t give much info… Thanks in advance!!

Hi Everyone :) I’m a first time applicant and am applying this cycle. I have 4000 PCE hours as an ophthalmic technician however was recently told that it’s not really the best PCE for PA schools and want to find a job as a medical assistant or something somewhere I can work along side a PA. However I don’t have a certification and many of this places require that. I appreciate any help, advice or guidance on what to do in this situation :)

Has anyone taken pre requisites through portage learning. If so how were the courses? How long did it take you to complete each class and how difficult was it to get a good grade?

Graduated with my Bachelor degree in Sp’23. I’d applied to medical assistant and patient tech jobs for months beforehand, but the only call back I got was for a Clinical Laboratory Associate position. The pay was decent enough for me to pay bills and gain experience. I perform some tests, I have morgue responsibilities, and I do pathology administration (ordering tests for the care teams, charting results, state screenings, etc). I finally got called for a Patient Care Assistant position six months later, but the pay was next to nothing. I declined because I needed to be able to pay bills and I couldn’t do that with the $14 they offered.

Now the upcoming application cycle is almost here and I’ll have 3000+ HCE and no PCE. I wasn’t worried at first, but I didn’t realize that HCE would not satisfy the requirement. I was under the impression that some schools made them interchangeable. (My fault, but I’ve applied to many other direct care positions over the past year. Nothing but rejections or ghosting.)

HOWEVER I randomly just got called for an interview set for tomorrow for a Patient Care Assistant position that WILL satisfy the PCE requirements. But:

1. By the time applications open in May, I won’t be at 1000 hours. I’d have to apply late in the cycle (this is assuming I get the job).

2. If I leave now to go gain PCE, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to attain letters of rec from this current job.

3. I’m expecting a pay cut, which is only a problem because I’m paying for my last couple of pre-reqs out of pocket right now.

Am I totally screwed? I know most cycles don’t close until Fall, but I also know the earlier you apply, the better your chances are. This would be my first cycle, but my second gap year. I do NOT want to sit another year out by any means, but do you think I might have to? Not trying to rush the process, but I’m just ready to move on from this transition phase.

This may seem silly so sorry in advance, I’m starting to get my volunteer and PCE hours in and how to I record them? Is it an honor system? Is there a template spreadsheet? I tried to see if there was something in CASPA but couldn’t find anything

Salus: (accepted first, put down half deposit)

• tuition: $110k
• program length: 25 months; 12 months didactic, 12 months clinical, 1 month capstone
• 2 elective rotations
• Integrated systems-based education
• class size: 50
• attrition: average Class of 2021: 2%, '22: 4.1%, '23: 2%
• first time PANCE pass rate (avg. of past 5 years): 99%
• Clinical exposure starting first semester of didactic yr
• Cadaver Lab
• If rotations are > 60 miles, housing will be provided

MCPHS-Boston: (did not put down deposit yet)

• tuition: $155-160k

• program length: 30 months (2 years didactic, 3rd year clinical)

• 2 elective rotations

• rotations all over the nation, heard mostly in Boston and greater Boston area but there will be out-of-state rotations, housing and transportation not provided

• class size: 100

• attrition: Class of 2021: 3%, '22: 6%, '23: 13%

• first time PANCE pass rate (avg. of past 5 years): 93%

• On-campus housing guaranteed first year (20-21k) Not guaranteed 2nd and 3rd year

• Cadaver lab in connection with Harvard Medical School

It seems Salus is the better choice, but I am really stuck on going to Boston for my education and overall experience. But that tuition and clinical year just means more and more money. Not sure if it is worth the 50k+ I have to take out. TIA!

In my first month of PA school and just wanted to say yes, it is hard. Yes you do need to study. But it is completely manageable. You can have a social life and exercise and watch a show at night.

This is just motivation for anyone that is doubting themselves. YOU CAN DO IT.

All it takes is studying every night. Don’t get behind. 2-4 hours a week night and whatever you need on the weekend.

Good luck pre PA’s

I'll go first.

Spent hours writing and had several eyes edit my personal statement. Read several books on how to phrase certain things and I spent months on this 500 word essay.

Come to find out from my PA instructor, my school doesn't even read personal statements during the application process lol.

Basically, I have two cats that I need to take care of and have no one else who can take care of them. Originally I was only going to apply to the one PA school that's 15 mins from where I live, but since these programs are so competitive, I've been considering also applying to 2 schools 1.5 hours away in order to maximize my efforts. I really don't want to take gap years. Is it realistic to drive an hour and a half to and from PA school?? I don't know what else to do honestly. I don't want to give my cats away but with my family and living situation, I don't have anyone else to take care of them

For those of you who need CASPER tests for the upcoming 2025-2026 cycle, they have posted dates for quite a few schools. Not sure if all schools are represented yet

Hi everyone!

I had a quick question about withdrawing from orgo and wanted to see if anyone else here had ever been in the same boat. I’m currently in orgo 1 and recently changed my catalog year so that orgo is an elective and not a required class for my major.

I partially would like to drop because most schools in my area and some in the surrounding area do not require organic chem. I’ll also admit that I don’t want to risk getting a bad grade and my GPA dropping if it doesn’t have to.

However, I missed the drop date period so I’d have a W on my transcript if I withdraw now. Do you all think that PA schools will look poorly upon my application/transcript if I do this? Should I just stick with the class? Thank you in advance for any replies! :)

Hi everyone,

I'm pre-PA and I recently got my MA license in November of 2024. I've been job hunting but sadly it's been hard to find a job that satisfied my wants (location, commute, etc.) I live in southern San Diego so most of the MA jobs I've found have been north (20-35 minutes away). I plan on settling for that soon as I don't think I'm going to find any nearby. However, I recently got offered a job that seems to satisfy a lot of what I'm looking for, but I'm still waiting to hear back from other places. There's multiple aspects of this job that I like:

• The doctor has more than 3 PAs that I am allowed to shadow, sit in on surgeries with, and get letters of recommendation from.
• The doctor explained to me that he would teach me absolutely everything I need to know
• I would get guaranteed clinical experience and patient care experience
• The pay is really competitive with me having no experience ($29/hr to start).

The really, really big downside is that I have to drive far every day. So MTWT I will be about 35 minutes away. But Fridays I have to drive about an hour away all the way near Temecula. So for cons:

• Really out of the way and long commute (35 minutes there and more than an hour home Monday-Thursday and Friday is 1+ hour there and back).
• It's not a specialty I'm interested in (colorectal surgery—I want to go into derm).
• The doctor called me back 5 minutes after I applied and I lack a lot of experience so I feel like they are desperate for someone
• They are making me do a 3 hour long "working interview"

I don't know if taking this job is worth the drive, but do you think the pros outweigh the cons? Or could I get the shadowing and PA letters of recommendation just from working in a hospital and possibly get to work for derm instead (which I really wanted to do and I'm waiting to hear back).

Thanks!

Definitely blessed and humbled to have gone from 2.03 gpa(subject to disqualification) to now being in the position to choose between schools. The schools are Samuel Merritt University(Oakland) vs Delaware Valley University(Pennsylvania). For context I am currently living in Southern California but have tons of family in Philadelphia. Just looking for general feedback on reputations/opinions of both schools. Anything helps !

School stats:

DEL VAL Tuition : $101,540 Accreditation: Provisional PANCE: will find out first scores in March Program Length: 24 months Class size: 20

SMU Tuition: $142,000 Accreditation: Continued PANCE: 90.6 % average past 5 years Program Length: 27 months Class size: 44

Hi !

I wanted to ask if there’s a recommendation letter template or specific guidelines that recommenders should follow for the Pre-PA application. I want to ensure that my recommenders include all the necessary details to strengthen my application.

If there’s a preferred format or key points they should address, I’d really appreciate any guidance you can share.

Hey everyone,

I’m starting college this fall, and I’ve been set on becoming a PA for a while. But today, I went to urgent care for an ear infection, and while talking to the doctor, I mentioned my career plans. His response really caught me off guard—he basically told me to reconsider and said that while the profession might seem good now, I could change my mind in a few years. It felt like he was subtly warning me that the job isn’t worth it long-term.

Now I’m feeling really stressed and second-guessing everything. Is the PA profession really that bad? Have any of you had similar doubts or been warned against it? I’d love to hear from people actually in the field.

Edit: A lot of people in my family have also been discouraging me from going into the medical field, so hearing a doctor also not recommend becoming a PA just made me feel even worse. On top of that, I’m already stressed about starting college and making the right career choice. I still really want to pursue this path, but all the negativity is starting to get to me.

I've noticed, in my application journey, that there appears to be a plethora of pre-PA websites that provide some severely outdated, or plainly inaccurate, information. Examples include:

• https://prepaclinic.com/
• https://www.thepaplatform.com
• https://www.paschoolfinder.com/
• https://paeaonline.org/
• https://www.thepalife.com/

Maybe some of these have some useful tools, but most of them just seem like low-quality attempts at cash-grabs. I've noticed big mistakes on all of them, such as:

• Showing incorrect pre-requisites for a school's PA program
• Providing incorrect information on what PA's can do
• Listing PA programs that don't exist anymore
• Listing PA programs that never existed in the first place

And just things of that nature. It almost gives off the vibe that somebody runs these sites as a side-gig.

What's the deal? Does every health-profession program have its own slew of oddly low-quality websites promising aid in admissions? Or is there something unique about PA school that leads to this phenomenon? This post isn't a call to action or anything, I'm not angry; just genuinely curious.

I’m trying to decide between asking for an LOR from a professor I had at my university for one class 4 years ago or a professor I had for one class last quarter at the community college where I have been taking my last 3 prereqs after graduating. The professor from the university wrote me an LOR for a research internship while I was in undergrad and I frequently went to office hours. However, it has been 4 years and we have not been in contact since. The class was genetic epidemiology. The professor at the community college taught a smaller class and it was anatomy and physiology. I don’t think he got to know me quite as well, but we talked after class several times and I participated in class frequently. It was obviously much more recent as well. Will PA schools look down on an LOR from a community college prof vs a university prof? Any opinions on which I should go with?

Finally, received my first acceptance after two waitlists and was planning on reapplying with it being later in the cycle. I applied later in the cycle and for this particular program I actually applied about 15 days before its January deadline. Just here to say it’s never too late Stats: sGPA 3.5 cGPA 3.7 PCE: 2300 Volunteer: about 300 GRE : 307 Looking for advice on which next steps to take as it is a great feeling ,but overwhelming!

Hi all! This may be a silly question but I am the first to enter grad school in my family. I filled out the Fafsa basic form... I didnt have to put my income or anything else, just my information. Now what do I do to apply for grad school loans? Or will my school I am attending/FAFSA take care of the rest? I am just confused any help is appreciated!

Here's some advice: Before you open another application portal update, type or write down 10 things you are grateful for or love about yourself. Reading that after opening the rejection letter or simply listing those things out can help you not take the rejection so personally. I did that before I opened my rejection letter, and although I couldn't control myself from crying a little bit, it did help. On the flip side, you'll feel even better if it happens to be a waitlist or acceptance!

Don't give up, but don't let the outcome define your worth.

Hey y’all, just posting because I’m in a bit of a life pickle and I figure I could use advice from people that truly understand the position I come from in this phase of life.

I am applying this cycle for PA school with not great chances at getting in. cGPA of 3.3, sGPA of 3.1, multiple Cs in prerequisite courses, 6,000 hours PCE, 70 hours shadowing, some leadership, some research, etc. I figure I’ll apply because why not, maybe the right school will pick me and life will work out that way if God ordains it.

But on the other hand, I also am a 26 yo married woman who doesn’t want to keep pushing a family back in hopes of getting in to the next cycle. We’ve always wanted kiddos, and while I am not in a rush, I don’t want to keep waiting.

I just want to know how many of you are in the same position I am in and if y’all have any advice. Keeping it super open-ended so I get can all the information and maybe some new perspectives on the topic.

I took a Molecular cell biology class in Fall 2023. I met with the professor a few times during office hours and made a good impression by doing a presentation as the only student in the honors section of that class. However, I haven’t talked to him at all since the class ended. I want to ask for a letter, but I am graduating in December next year and I plan on taking 1-2 gap years to get my PCE hours. Is it awkward or weird to ask now if I don’t need the letter anytime soon?? I guess I should have asked right after the class ended, but I wasn’t thinking about it. I don’t want him to forget who I am, but I also don’t want to ask too early.

Hello everyone!

I applied to PA school last cycle and received one interview, where I was ultimately waitlisted. The rest of the schools either rejected or ghosted me. I was working as a medical assistant in Norcal where I was consistently accruing patient care hours, but had to move back to Socal to my family's house about a month ago due to personal reasons. Since then, I’ve been actively job searching for another MA or related patient care role, but I haven't been hearing back from employers. I have not been hearing back from any of the MA jobs I have applied for and it has been getting a bit frustrating. With PA applications opening in April and February already approaching, I’m starting to question whether obtaining an MA job is still the best use of my time? Even if I were to get hired soon, it would take some time to get through the onboarding process and the training before I can gain any meaningful amount of PCH. Given this, would it be wiser to shift my focus toward revising my personal statement, gaining more volunteer experience, or strengthening other aspects of my application? I also feel like, aside from continuing my previous MA job, I haven’t made significant improvements since the last cycle, and am unsure how to revise my PS. I feel stuck, not good enough, unproductive, and frustrated. Any insight/advice would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long read, thank you all for your time :')

-frustrated pre-PA student </3

This cycle, I found myself waitlisted for about 4 interviews, but unfortunately, I never got off any waitlist. I am preparing to apply for this next cycle, so should I look at this as increasing my chances for those 4 programs for 25-26? Do a lot of applicants get waitlisted for interviews? What are other peoples' experiences with this? At this point, I'm just looking for reasons to have hope for the next cycle.

I wonder if a substantial part of my problem was that I applied in July for these rolling programs (I know, not the best choice I could've made, but I had some Unexpected Life Issues(TM) pop up). Since applying last cycle, I have been working my butt off to improve my application and I plan to apply ASAP this year.

Thanks in advance for any and all input :) Forgive me if this is supposed to be in "What are my chances".

DeSales University v.s Temple University

Both tuition is roughly the same. I am from NYC.

DeSales
- 80-student class, 1:11 student:faculty discussion classes
- August start-date
- Enjoyed talking to faculty during in-person interview
- Near perfect PANCE-rate
- Early clinical exposure with student run clinic & Friday clinicals during first-year
- Faculty and courses focuses on the PA program
- School is kind of in the middle of nowhere

Temple
- 35-student class
- June start-date
- Faculty was friendly
- Clinical rotations at Temple University Hospital with med students + dental students
- Would have free housing relatively nearby (within 30 minutes drive)
- Bigger name university, but location is a little "dangerous"?
- Block style learning which means one subject at a time and not being overwhelmed

Additionally: originally had plans to travel over the summer before an August-start date but would have to cancel them (flexible, nothing booked yet) for an earlier start date.

Additional question: I have concerns about finding PA jobs post graduating going to a program out-of-state. Ideally would want to move back and work in NYC. Any insights?

Thank you! Please let me know, especially if you have personal experience at the program! :)

I was looking for websites or resources that help edit personal statements. I know some are pricey but was looking forward what you guys recommend/suggest.

Hi all, I was curious if any of you are married (with or without kids) and go to school out of city or farther from your spouse? I’m married, no children and as I plan on what schools to apply to I’m wondering if anyone else has experience with this? He can’t move with me as he can’t work remote and his job with pay for my schooling. I will obvi apply and hope to get in local but not sure if even applying to other schools out of town is worth it? Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated 🙏🏼

Hi, I have a job offer to be a naturopathic assistant in a functional medicine clinic. My duties would include taking vitals, drawing blood, running labs, as well as some front desk duties. Would this count as PCE? Thanks.