Full Careers

Career????

Can u get into medical school if you have bad grades in high school? How many years would it take right after graduation from high school to start working as a Physician Assistant? Is being a PA a rewarding/great career? And is Pa school extremely hard? And what is the SALARY like?

Public Comments

1. High school grades or SAT scores don't matter. They want to see that your college grades, MCAT scores, and medical-related experience are good. They also like it if you have interesting hobbies. PA school, as I understand it, is a master's degree these days. So you would go to university for four years and PA school for two. My state's PA school requires applicants to have one or two years of medical-related experience as an EMT, Radtech, Nurse and so on. PA training would be challenging but not as challenging as medical training. I have a friend who was an Army medic for 20 years. He took the premed classes but didn't get that good grades in them so his plan is to do PA. The class requirements are similar. I think he'll get in because he's a bright guy and tries his best. I would say to get into a PA school would be as competitive as medical school. Smart people who decide being a doctor isn't for them apply. I think PAs make $100,000 and over. It's less stressful than being a doctor too. I think it'd be a good idea to be an EMT for a couple years before you go to college to see if you'd like a medical-related career. Then you could save money for college and use that experience to get you into medical school or PA school and you'd be more experienced than most. It would give you some confidence. Or you'd know that health care isn't what you like and do something else. In my state, EMTs go to community college for a semester or two for training.