ilyasaber14

So, when i entered college, i was a chem premed student. But after some pressure from others to try something else, i abandoned it and started studying mathematics and economics. It started out alright... i liked the math courses because they helped explain some phenomenons i learned about in other science classes.. and econ was good too because it was all new.

Now im a junior that will finish his major by the end of this academic year.. and i still like math.. but economics has grown boring, and i find myself yearning to go back to the sciences.. Everytime i look at MIT's open coursewear, i wish i could take those classes...

So now i think i would like to try an become a physicians assistant. It is only 2.5 years of study after college.. and i get to do most of the things a doctor would do, minus the massive debt and lengthy residency.
So this would mean that i would have to take orgo, bio, and physics sometime next year or over the summer. I have no problem with doing that. I am just afraid that the PA schools will not consider me because those people that were pre-med all along have completed many more science courses than i.

So i guess i am looking for opinions about my situation from people that are knowledgeable about PA programs and such.

apumic

Your other majors will make you an interesting candidate if you can get the clinical experience needed to apply for PA school (which is often actually much more than the amount necessary for med school) and have all the prereqs done (most want them done prior to the app date). PA school is competitive but if you did well in your classes (i.e., 3.6+), you should be fine.

juba2jive

Physician assistant, no 's. It's never too late to do PA school - many applicants are in their 30s or 40s.

It may be best to to consider taking at least a year off after undergrad and working...the amount of HCE (heathcare experience) is quite a bit for most schools (at the very least, 1000+ hrs) - although there are some schools that would accept you with no experience, take into consideration that most candidates have years of HCE. FWIW, the required courses are slightly different than pre-medical students': you probably wouldn't need physics and probably not orgo II, but would need some courses like cell bio, A+P, some psych courses, microbiology, maybe biochem...it depends on the school.

I would strongly recommend shadowing a PA to find out more about what they do and to decide if it's for you. Good luck!

Icarus

Yep - there are actually more prereqs for PA schools than med schools. And most PA schools make you perform better than MD schools to advance in the program. (i.e. MD students usually have a minimum grade of 70% to pass a class - the PA students I know have to get an 80%, sometimes in more or less the same classes, to continue in their program)

toledo

Juba gave you some good advice. Requirements between PA schools really vary. My son found one that admitted him right out of high school. Most require some type of healthcare experience. From what I've learned, many students will take a one year EMT course for that experience. Some of them never even had to work as an EMT before they were admitted. You just have to spend a lot of time looking at different university web sites to find the requirements.