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Patient Care Experience for PA school

What’s the best patient care experience (PCE) for PA school

One of the most common questions you see on pre-PA forums and social media accounts is: “what’s the best patient care experience (PCE) for PA school?” As someone who has worked as an EMT, MA, patient transporter, and medical scribe prior to PA school, I thought it would be a good idea to break down each of my previous patient care experiences and give you some insight on how each role prepared me for PA school! 

1. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

I decided to sign up for EMT school during my sophomore year of college because out of all the different PCE roles listed on PA school program websites, EMT sounded the most appealing and exciting! You get to ride around in an ambulance! I mean, cmon! Doesn’t that sound fun?! Well, little did I know that this experience was going to change my life. Not only did I meet the love of my life and soon-to-be husband at this job, but I also learned lots of medical knowledge and skills that have helped prepare me to succeed in PA school and as a future PA!

I worked as an EMT on-and-off for over two years prior to PA school. As an EMT, my job was to provide direct care and medical transports for emergent and non-emergent patients. I learned how to monitor vital signs and make medical decisions based on my history taking and physical exam. This experience helped me learn to take medical history and sharpened my assessment skills. It also taught me the importance of communication and teamwork, as I encountered patients from various backgrounds, worked with different partners, and turned over patient care to multiple kinds of providers with different specialities.

2. Medical Assistant (MA)

My first medical assistant job was at a private practice OB/GYN clinic.  My responsibilities included obtaining vital signs, performing non-stress tests, collecting and testing urine samples, and assisting the physician with gynecological procedures. Though I got to interact with patients directly in this role, I felt like I could only learn so much from this experience. I was not able to observe how the provider interviewed and assessed his patients because my responsibilities were to prepare the exam rooms and patient charts for the provider. 

My second MA job was for a primary care/urgent care private practice.  Most days, I worked alongside PAs going on house calls for patients that were homebound. I collected the patients’ history, demographics, and vital signs. I also administered vaccines, assisted with minor procedures, and placed orders as directed by the PA. One of the highlights of this role was that I got to directly observe how the PAs interacted with patients and provided them care. This experience opened my eyes to how PAs can effectively fill the gap in healthcare for those who have difficulty accessing care outside of their homes. This experience is what inspired me to further pursue this profession and planted the seed for my passion for primary care.

3. Patient Transporter

I began working as a hospital patient transporter after I was accepted to PA school. To be transparent, I took this job because it paid better than being an EMT and I needed to save up for school. My role was to transport patients safely throughout the hospital and to help turn patients in the ICU every few hours. Though I enjoyed this job and got to interact with a bunch of different patients and hospital staff, I did not learn much in terms of medicine. However, through this role, I did develop great bedside manner and an even greater respect for all members of a patient’s healthcare team. 

4. Medical Scribe

Ultimately, I left my patient transporter job to become a medical scribe for a family medicine physician at a federally qualified health center (FQHC). This was another wonderful opportunity to directly observe providers interact, assess, and treat their patients while also learning more about medicine in the process. I loved the site I worked at because I got to work with underserved Filipino and Spanish-speaking patients, communities I hope to work with more in the future. I learned to care for patients with various social determinants of health and limited access to resources. Unfortunately, my time as a scribe was cut short due to COVID-19 furlough.

However, I learned so much in the short amount of time that I was a scribe. Not only did I learn how to write notes, but I also learned how to take a proper medical history, assess, educate, and treat patients from observing the provider who I worked with.

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These patient care experiences are listed in chronological order, not in order of “best to worst” experience, because it is up to you to decide what is best for you! If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would definitely work as an EMT, medical scribe, or house call medical assistant. After interacting with classmates who have various patient care backgrounds, I would also highly recommend RN (registered nurse), paramedic, or RT (respiratory therapy) routes, though these are usually those who decide to pursue the PA profession after a career change. If none of these options appeal to you, do not fret! There are so many other PCE options out there that may be right for you and will prepare you well for PA school! 

Also, once you’ve started acquiring patient care hours, be sure to check out the MyPABox website and all their services! Start tracking your hours early on the site, so once CASPA is around the corner and you’re ready to apply, all the hard work will be done; all you have to do is submit!

Wishing you all the best in your PA endeavors! Please feel free to reach out on instagram @journeytothepac  and send me any questions you may have!

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