I am an international student currently attending high school who wants to become a PA. I plan to do my undergraduate studies in the US pursuing a degree in either neuroscience or biology. Many PA programs require at least 2000 hours of clinical rotation and as an international student, I can only work for 20 hours a week. I wanted to get some help in planning what I should do in order to apply to a PA school straight from undergrad. Would becoming a PA be more challenging for an international student? Does this seem like a good idea or do you recommend that I go for something else?
There will be a number of difficulties faced by international applicants.
Not all PA programs require 2000 hours. Some may require as little as 250-500 hours.
Please check the requirements for the 140 PA programs that do consider Internationals for admission.
Since most PA programs require PAID healthcare experience, you may want to see about getting your US CNA or phlebotomy certification so you can start accumulating hours ASAP.
Are you already in US as an International high school student ? If so, what is your visa status ? You have to certify that you have funds to pay for UG tuition and expenses before you can get a student visa for UG. You would require a work permit to work outside the campus on student visa. You may not be able to work as a CNA or any other healthcare worker role in that case.
No, I am still in my home country finishing high school. Would getting a work permit be hard and complicated? I really want to be able to go to PA school straight out of college.
The issue is that as a student on a F-1 visa you are not allowed to work at all at an off campus job.
https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment
Depending on what your degree is in, you may be eligible to work for 1 year in a field related to your major as part of your OPT. (Optional Practical Training) You could potentially work during this year and accumulate hours toward fulfilling PA school requirements.
However, there is no guarantee your US college advisor will approve OPT for a job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree. (And phlebtotomy, CNA, MA, EMT, paramedic, etc do not require a college degree, just a vocational certificate. These are the typical jobs that PA students do in get their hands-on hours in. )