<p>So I am deciding between UC Davis, Irvine, UCSB, and possibly UCSD. I am starting to have second thoughts about the grueling pre-med to med school route. I've considered PA or PT school and I was wondering what you guys would consider and if the routes/requirements are similar; furthermore, which schools would you recommend? I was also accepted to other safeties if that helps.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The routes are relatively similar. Being a PA generally requires a master’s degree from an accredited program; to get into those MS programs, you usually need many hours of clinical experience with patients - they’re usually equivalent to about 2 years’ worth of full-time work experience in a clinical role, like as a nurse, EMT, or CNA. Becoming a PT requires a three-year DPT program from an accredited program; in order to be competitive for a DPT program, you usually need a certain number of hours shadowing a PT as well as a recommendation letter from a practicing PT. Many students get this experience by becoming a PT assistant for a few years; still others get it simply by volunteering in a clinic with a PT. Both routes are shorter than med school, but I wouldn’t say that they are necessarily easier. They can both be rewarding careers, though, and are well-remunerated. What a PA is probably closer to what a primary care physician would do; PT’s skill sets and daily tasks are quite different from the average physician, but that may be what you like.</p>
<p>Why, though, is this tied up in the undergrad school you go to? You can go to any of those UCs and go to a fine PA or PT program. Are the costs all the same - are you in-state for the UCs? I don’t know that there’s a necessarily meaningful difference between them academically speaking, so I’d select based on location and social life preference.</p>
<p>Thank you for the response!</p>
<p>I actually have experience in the PT clinic as a part time PTA (200 hours). So I’ve gotten a glimpse into that career; however, I haven’t experienced what being a PA is like, but I have researched! Oh, I was just wondering because I know for med school, your undergrad does not matter so I was wondering if it’s the same for PA and PT. Yes, they are all around the same price range for me since I am instate with a decent amount of FA. </p>
<p>Out of curiosity, are in the process of becoming a PA or PT? If so, how was it like? & what undergrad and PA or PT school did you go to?</p>
<p>Nope, I am not. I’m actually getting a PhD in health psychology. But I work directly with undergrads and have served as an adviser and teacher, so I make it my business to know several routes to different careers so I can be a proper adviser when asked.</p>
<p>To confirm, what do you recommend I do? To go to a school where I feel comfortable and can succeed; then to major in what I would like to pursue then apply to PA, PT, or Med school?</p>
<p>Yep! As you get more experience and volunteer/shadow it’ll become clearer what it is that you want to do. You don’t have to make any career decisions right now; just make sure that you take the prerequisites for the field (there’s a lot of overlap between them).</p>