We get asked all the time about gaining patient care experience (PCE). Many physician assistant schools now require a certain number of PCE hours to even apply. So naturally, being motivated students, most pre-PAs are out there looking for jobs.

But the question is- which PCE job is the best that will help you get accepted to PA school? What will make you the most competitive applicant for PA school?

Well, when it comes to patient care jobs, the more hands-on the better.

The more of your day you spend with patients actually performing medical care and direct hands-on clinical skills, the stronger you look to admission committees.

For example, paramedics who perform intubation (among other life-saving medical procedures) have fantastic medical experience and they often make excellent PA students. Most paramedics perform similar duties and are credentialed to do similar procedures. 

When it comes to jobs like CNA (certified nurse assistant) or PCT (patient care tech) experiences, the responsibilities can be a little less clear. Not all CNAs or PCTs perform the same duties or have the same level of responsibilities- it really depends on the clinical setting, the state laws, and specialty. 

With these types of jobs, we recommend looking at the job description to see what your day-to-day duties will be. You want to choose the job with the most hands-on clinical duties so you can grow (and show) your medical knowledge and clinical skills.

Most PA schools want students to come with basic medical acumen and an understanding of how the healthcare system works and your PCE job is a great way to gain this.

In your CASPA application make sure your job duties are clearly delineated and highlight all those clinical skills you’ve gained to make yourself the strongest applicant possible.

And check out our CASPA App Editing and Zoom Feedback service to make sure your CASPA descriptions stand out and highlight all your strengths! This is where you can make your PA school application shine!