lmnop2 Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Hi all, I'm 31 years old, mom of 2 young kids and have a major in marketing. I had no idea about the profession when I went to college (I'm also in immigrant who came here when I was 18). I have decided I want to be a PA and have been spending hours and hours reading this forum, watching youtube videos, reading everything I can about the whole process. I'm a stay at home mom now, and was trying to get a job as a medical receptionist just to get my feet wet, since I have no certifications, but it's possible daycare costs would be higher than my salary. Looking into taking my pre-requisite courses in the Spring semester. But how do I get my hours without spending years and thousands of $$? Phlebotomy? EMT? I think CNA may not be for me. I ultimately want to work with children. Any input? Suggestions? Is this all crazy? Thank you if you've read this far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundabout Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Hey! So I’m by no means an expert but I’ll give you my best advice. I applied to PA school with a Bachelors degree in Business. So I took a few semesters and completed all the prereqs. I took them at my local state college (with the exception of Genetics). As far as gaining experience most EMT programs have night classes and such that could accommodate your schedule as a mother, especially if you have a husband who is willing to play daddy day care a couple nights a week. EMT can be done in about 4 months and if it’s done at your local community college or an accredited program it will count toward your science GPA. You’ll likely need at least a year of experience as an EMT which is about 2,000 PCE hours to be competitive. Not sure what your GPA is, but the higher the better (keep in mind CASPA takes all grades and classes you’ve ever taken into calculation Including classes that were retaken for a better grade). Last thing to consider is that if your degree is not from a regionally accredited program in the USA many programs will not accept it. So I’m not sure where you did undergrad, but soundS like here if you immigrated when you were 18. If you have any other questions that you can think of I’d be happy to try and answer them for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crindl14 Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 Hey, I feel like I can relate to you and the situation you are in. I have a 1 year old and 8 months ago decided I wanted to leave my office job and become a PA. I had some past experience working in behavioral health and patient care assisting. I am starting as an orthopedic scribe this next month, which could be a good option for you as you don't need any certification. While I had some time on my hands being a stay at home mom, i tried to reach out and find various volunteer opportunities and take some evening classes at a community college close by. I am applying next cycle and although I am a completely average applicant no I am hoping I can find a way to stand out with my personal statement and letters of recommendation. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLM8867 Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 Start working on that HCE asap. Find a place that is willing to let you work as a scribe or MA. Some places wont require a certificate and will teach you everything you need to do. Work on pre-reqs while working. Wish you the best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmnop2 Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Thanks everyone! I thought I'd reply in case people have the same questions I did. I tried to apply to a couple of jobs, but with daycare costs, it just didn't make sense. So I'm starting the school road instead. Taking a couple of classes this semester, one evening and one online. Will try some volunteer hospital shifts for the time begin once I get the hang of school again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemPhysicsInstructor Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 On 11/5/2019 at 12:52 PM, Imlbb said: Hi all, I'm 31 years old, mom of 2 young kids and have a major in marketing. I had no idea about the profession when I went to college (I'm also in immigrant who came here when I was 18). I have decided I want to be a PA and have been spending hours and hours reading this forum, watching youtube videos, reading everything I can about the whole process. I'm a stay at home mom now, and was trying to get a job as a medical receptionist just to get my feet wet, since I have no certifications, but it's possible daycare costs would be higher than my salary. Looking into taking my pre-requisite courses in the Spring semester. But how do I get my hours without spending years and thousands of $$? Phlebotomy? EMT? I think CNA may not be for me. I ultimately want to work with children. Any input? Suggestions? Is this all crazy? Thank you if you've read this far! I have a few students situations similar to yours. My recommendation is to take courses at a community college (either online or on-ground). These courses are much less expensive than at a 4-year school ($200 vs. $750). This will hopefully reduce the need for expensive daycare. I always tell my students to plan thoroughly before embarking on this type major endeavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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