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Prerequisites and Admissions Requirements for PA school

The tricky thing about applying to PA school is that prerequisites and admission requirements are not standardized for schools like they are for Medical school or Physical Therapy school.

I did some research on what I found to be the more common prerequisite classes. Most programs require a C, or higher in these prerequisites. Some programs require a B or higher so make sure you check each program's individual website before applying!

  1. Anatomy and Physiology
    • Even if your school doesn't require it, this class will be extremely helpful when taking A&P in PA school!
    • At least one course of each individualy or a full year of A&P
  2. Microbiology
    • One Semester
  3. General Chemistry with lab
    • A full year
  4. General Biology with lab
    • A full year
  5. Organic Chemistry with or without lab
    • I only applied to schools that did not require lab and I was fine!
    • Most schools only require one semester
  6. Biochemistry
    • I didn't take this class, and still had a lot of schools I could apply to, but if you do take this class it will open up more options!
    • One semester
  7. Statistics
    1. At least one semester
  8. Psychology
    1. At least one semester
  9. English Compostion
    • At least one semester
  10. Other recommended courses
    • Genetics
    • Developmental Psych
    • Abnormal Psych
    • Sociology Courses
    • Medical Terminology
    • Pharmacology
    • Advanced Anatomy
    • Pathophysiology
    • Neuroscience
    • Immunology
NOTE: When I went on interviews, most schools explained how they were looking for applicants with heavy science course loads each semester because it demonstrated to the admissions committee that that applicant would be able to handle the rigor of PA school. It is much more impressive to see someone take Pathophysiology, anatomy, statistics, and genetics in one semester instead of taking one science course a semester. 

Other Common Admissions Requirements:
  • Most programs require a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Some programs require a 3.25, some require a 2.5, so make sure you check each program individually!
  • Shadowing hours- most schools require that you shadow a PA, but some will accept shadowing hours from a physician.
  • Direct Patient Contact Experience- this is a biggie. If you're coming straight out of undergrad like me, this may be one of the toughest challenges to find time to gain anywhere from 200-2,000 hours. Some good examples of direct patient contact experience are EMT, CNA, PT Aide, Scribe (not all schools accept this), and Phlebotomist. 
  • Health Care Experience hours- this includes health care experience where you were not directly touching the patient. Being a scribe may count in this category, and also taking copays in a doctor's office, or volunteering in a hospital.
  • Extracurriculars- this is also important because it shows the admissions committees that not only can you take a full course load, and gain HCE, but you also a lot of other interests that you're juggling!
Thats all I have for now, but please reach out to me if you have any other questions!

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