Requirements to become PA

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Can someone please tell me the academic requirements to become a PA. I've talked to some people and they say PA school is harder than med school, but I'm always up to a challenge. I've heard many positive things about becoming a PA. Thanks :)

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Can someone please tell me the academic requirements to become a PA. I've talked to some people and they say PA school is harder than med school, but I'm always up to a challenge. I've heard many positive things about becoming a PA. Thanks :)

At the several community colleges that offer a PA program, the typical requirements are a HS diploma or GED, A&P I, II, Gen' Chem with lab, Micro, Eng 101, Int Algebra or basic Statistics, Soc 101, Psy 101, and a CPR certificate. Mind you, these are the bare minimals, and programs that offer the BS or MS, obviously require more.

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I was considering PA school at one point.... most schools are now a master's degree program. This means that you have to have a bachelor's degree and take a pre-med curriculum (A&P, O-chem, general bio, micro, physics) as well as take the GRE's. Hope this helps...

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I was considering PA school at one point.... most schools are now a master's degree program. This means that you have to have a bachelor's degree and take a pre-med curriculum (A&P, O-chem, general bio, micro, physics) as well as take the GRE's. Hope this helps...

Yes, many schools. as they try to level the playing field, are now going masters degree for PA, but there are still many AS and certificate programs, where a GED and the science pre-reqs is all that is needed for admission; it is possible (as in my neice) to go to PA school straight out of high school; much like the Army's high school to flight school program. The bottom line, it does not take a rocket scientist, nor a bachelors degree to get in to PA school.

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Wow, all the programs around here are Master's degrees I think. So people can have a GED and go to a certificate program to diagnose and treat illnesses? This would mean that some PA's have less education than many nurses yet they are allowed to write prescriptions? Makes me glad once again that I picked nursing instead....

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Thanks everyone, your input has been really helpful. I'm getting a BS in nursing, so maybe that will help on the way up to PA school. Just gotta work on my GPA. The school I am looking at has an average of 3.5 GPA. Thanks again. :)

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Why on earth are you getting a BSN and THEN trying for PA school???

Why are you not going to try for the NP? I am not an NP so maybe you guys adn gals can step in here?

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Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.
Thanks everyone, your input has been really helpful. I'm getting a BS in nursing, so maybe that will help on the way up to PA school. Just gotta work on my GPA. The school I am looking at has an average of 3.5 GPA. Thanks again. :)

I agree with the other poster...if you are going for your BS in nursing, why on earth would you change horses in the middle of the race, so to speak, and try and become a PA. You could simply continue on for your NP degree. PA's and NP's are both "mid-levels" anyway. And as an RN, you would have a huge advantage to becoming an NP.

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AND as an advanced practice nurse you CAN have your own practice. Llike CNM, etc. have. As a PA, you can ONLY work under the immediate supervision of a physician. Basically, you write scripts and treat pts, etc under the MD's license (so to speak), even though you do have your own cert/license. That's the reason more PAs work in MD offices and in specialties where they are in immediate collaboration with the MDs, rather than many APN can have their own practices, and refer "complicated" pts to MDs if necessary.

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I totally agree with the previous posters, go for the NP if you are already in a BSN program. But back to my earlier post, it amazes me that someone can be a PA and write prescriptions (!!!) with just a high school diploma and a certificate. I thought all programs were master's level by now. I realize that NP programs have also just recently gone to master's and that this wasn't previously required to be an NP. However, I sure wouldn't want someone diagnosing me and prescribing me meds if they didn't have at least a master's degree!! Anyone else have any thoughts on this??

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ok ok you guys!! I didnt even think about Nurse practitioner. Good idea. Thanks! Would it be an advantage? I havent researched the NP yet.

Thanks again :chuckle

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