Hello, I’m currently a junior in high school and I am pursuing a career in the medical field. I have a lot of questions I hope to ask but for now just this one: if I want to become something in the medical field, should I volunteer at a hospital? Is it a good idea? Does it look good on my college application? How will colleges know that I participated in this? Will this even help me get experience for a future job? What should I major in if I want to become a physician assistant?
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Volunteering in a hospital is a good idea since it will help you determine if a medically related career is something you would like to pursue. Also volunteering in a retirement home is another good option.
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Community service/Volunteering always looks good on a college application but volunteer because you want to help people, not because you “think it looks good to the colleges”.
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Unless you are directly involved in patient care, which as a volunteer you will most likely not be, the volunteering experience will only help you decide if you would want pursue a career in the medical field.
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You can major in anything you want for PA school but you need to meet the PA school requirements.
The majority of PA programs have the following prerequisites:
Chemistry
Physiology
Anatomy
Microbiology
Biology
Many PA programs also require prior healthcare experience with hands-on patient care.
You can get healthcare experience by being a (not an exhaustive list):
Medical assistant
Emergency medical technician (EMT)
Paramedic
Medic or medical corpsman
Peace Corps volunteer
Lab assistant/phlebotomist
Registered nurse
Emergency room technician
Surgical tech
Certified nursing assistant (CNA)
Most students have a bachelor’s degree and about three years of healthcare experience before entering a program.
Major in a field that you enjoy, can do well in (High GPA) and will allow you to take the required courses to apply to PA schools.
Does a Health major or biology major seem better for a pa? If I major in health will it include the prerequisites for a pa program? Or will a bio major include them? Can’t I just major in one of them and have one as my minor ? But which one should I major in? Which one seems like a safer route ?
A Biology or Health major would fulfill the PA requirements but you also need a backup plan just in case PA is not a viable option. PA programs are extremely competitive and require top grades along with several years of hands on medical experience.
You would have to look at the each schools Health major curriculum to see if they fulfill the PA school requirements. Most likely they do.
You should major in a subject that you find interesting and think you can do well in college (getting a High GPA). If you are targeting PA schools, there is no reason to get a minor unless it might help with your backup career. The safest route is the subject area in which you are the strongest academically.
What’s another option instead of a Physicians assistent?
Other health related fields:
Nursing (BSN/LVN)
Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Occupational Therapist
Physical Therapist
Pharmacist
Dentist
X-ray Tech
Medical Assistant
Respiratory Therapist
Speech Pathologist
To name a few.