I absolutely loved working in the OR. I remember thinking “I can’t believe I get paid to do this”. Since the OR is such a fun and interesting place, we’d often get students who wanted to shadow us…pre-nursing, pre-PA, pre-med, biomechanical engineering…the list goes on.
We had ONE rule for all students witnessing their first TKA (knee replacement). The rule was they had to stand with their backs touching the wall at all times…
The reason for this was simple….when they felt faint, they could just slide down the wall to sprawl on the ground…avoiding a possible concussion or injury from fainting in the middle of the room. This was one of those rules based on experience.
Speaking of experience…you need to get some to make your PA school application more competitive!
PCE (patient care experience ) is a super important part of your PA school application. It shows that you understand the healthcare field and have acquired some skills and knowledge that will help you on your journey to becoming a PA.
Healthcare experience (HCE) is also valuable because it demonstrates your awareness of the clinical setting.
The difference between the two is that PCE positions have daily clinical skills that you actually perform on patients (such as taking vital signs, phlebotomy, performing injections) versus HCE positions which are jobs in a clinic or healthcare setting but that do not have hands-on clinical skills (such as bathing, toileting, feeding, and other ADLs).
But which is better for pre-physician assistants: patient care experience or healthcare experience??
Rule of thumb: The more experience, the better. The more hands on, the better. The more variety, the better.
Patient care experience is more competitive for your PA school application, and your future as a PA student because you build a stronger foundation through more hands-on patient care, developing a strong clinical skillset.
As you go to apply to PA school, before you start entering your info into CASPA, make a list of ALL your duties from your clinical job. From taking vitals, triaging, dressing changes, suture removal, etc.
On your application make sure to list your strongest, most clinically relevant duties first (ie. wound care) before you list other duties such as documentation or scribing. The reviewer might only glance over the list quickly and you want to make sure you highlight your most “hands-on” experience!
Little tweaks like these can make your application that much better and increase your chances of getting an interview and a seat!
And before you submit your CASPA application, definitely get your application edited with our CASPA Application Editing and Zoom Feedback session where we edit your entire app – including personal statement editing, then meet you on Zoom for an hour feedback session. This is a game changer for your PA school application! Keep up the great work!