write2bre Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 When shadowing a PA and documenting your hours, must you get your shadowing form notorized or is the signature of the PA significant enough? Thank you for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM2016 Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I didn't need any anything. Just keep track of your hours yourself. CASPA doesn't ask for any physical proof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latina PA Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 No notarization needed, just keep an accurate count of your hours. I also recommend you make a note of each case you see with names of medications given, diagnosis, and treatment. Just for learning purposes. I would always go home after shadowing and look up the medications and diseases so I could learn more. It is helpful, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
write2bre Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 Thanks guys for answering, you helped me alot! I never thought to note the medications and treatments but that's a great idea, I still have a few weeks of shadowing left so I will make sure to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
write2bre Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 Also what is a good amount of hours to accumulate shadowing? I am currently at 30 hours and plan on finishing at 60 hours. Is this sufficient enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patho Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 This is arbitrary, but I like the number 100 if you have limited time and 100+ if you have time. I intend on shadowing 100 hours or more and doing 100+ in various volunteering opportunities. Besides from required HCE hours some programs have, everything else is nice to have, but the more the merrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 It depends on what your other experience is like. Long story short: I shadowed for 10 hours, total. At the time of my CASPA submission I had over 8000 hours of good HCE and daily working experience with PAs in a number of specialties. I truly did not see the point in taking a day off work to follow a colleague around, when I could just work with her and get paid for the learning experience. I explained that reasoning to the single interviewer who asked me about it, and she must have liked the answer since I graduated from that program in June. :-) If you don't have HCE that involved working closely with PAs, I think it's reasonable to expect more shadowing hours to make up for your real-life ignorance of a PA's job. Still, it would be better to be actually working where you have some real responsibility for patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 never shadowed, just worked in medicine around/with PAs I was under the impression that shadowing was to inform one's self of the average day in the life of a PA. See them interact with staff and patients, maybe present a patient or two, talk to them about the political side of the profession...stuff that can be knocked out in 8-16 hours. This 30, 60, 100, 100+ hours sounds more like you are trying to gain health care experience from looking over someone's shoulder. I am confused why you don't spend that time taking a class, such as EMT, at 120 hours, and actually learn medicine first hand? Even first responder at 40 hours is a start. Who knows, it may even translate into a position with an ER/urgent care/back off MA position where you actually a better understanding of the medical profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketpropelled Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Steve, There are programs starting to require 100+ hours of shadowing to qualify for admission, regardless of paid HC experience.. As lowly pre-PA types, we don't write the rules, we just have to function within them. As an old flight instructor I had put it, "if the minimums weren't good enough, they wouldn't be minimums." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patho Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 While paid experience is most preferred, some programs (east coast schools) strongly recommend that candidates perform some shadowing, and with so many applicants, it will help you stand out. I agree that actual HCE should be earned doing something paid, and that varies, some program only require healthcare experience supplemented by shadowing, some require direct patient contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
write2bre Posted August 4, 2013 Author Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thank you all for your responses. I currently have 2000+ hours as a cna and plan on getting more. My biggest fear was on the number of hours I would need to obtain from shadowing and you guys all helped clarify that. I greatly appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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