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PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
So you want to go to PA school?
The journey to PA school and the path to becoming a PA is not an easy one, however it is rewarding in the end. If you're looking for helpful resources on everything you'll need to know as you move through your undergraduate career, then you've come to the right place. In addition to this resource page, AED has many other useful tools to offer. Feel free to reach out to your allied health chair or AED president for more information.
ACADEMIC REQUIRMENTS
A high GPA is an important aspect of your application for PA school. However, a high GPA alone won't get you in the door. It is important to work hard to keep your GPA up, in addition to taking all required prerequisite courses.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCES
All of the PA schools nationwide require documented patient care hours, which are otherwise known as clinical experience. This experience will allow you to ensure that you enjoy working with patients and that you are well suited for a career in healthcare. To be competitive, most PA schools recommend between 1,000 and over 3,000 clinical hours, and some schools require them to be paid. This is equivalent to a year of working experience at a minimum.
GRE
Most schools only require their prospective students to take the GRE, the Graduate Record Examination, but some schools may require the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) as well, or they recommend reporting your MCAT score if you performed well too. The GRE is equivalent to the MCAT for medical schools. (Check out the MCAT information located on the "Medical" resource tab) It is a standardized test given to prospective postgraduate school students. It allows PA schools to compare students on a single medium since so many different students from so many different universities and majors apply to PA school. If you know what to study, and how to prepare, the GRE can seem a lot less intimidating.
APPLYING
This seems like something not to fiddle with until you have done the above, but take a few minutes now to understand what admissions committees are looking for. And if you're all set and ready to apply, on behalf of AED, we wish you goodluck!
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