How long does it take to become a medical assistant program?

A couple questions for anyone who is currently attended/graduated from a Physician Assistant Program?

• I want to become a physician's assistant. I'm currently majoring in biology at Rutgers University and I have been working for 2 years as an Emergency room technician, and I'm also a certified EMT. I have a few questions and would SO appreciate if you would take a few minutes to answer them. 1.What was your GPA and health care experience when you got accepted? 2. What are the hours you spent every week in class/clinical rotations? For example 8am-5pm M-F 3. How did you pay for living expenses since you can't work while in the program? Are there loans you can take out for this? Thank you so much.

• Answer:

  1) My GPA was about 3.5 overall. I had 3.2 in undergrad and years later, but when I returned to school, I aced all of the science prerequisites and I was able to say that I hadn't had a grade below and A in 10 years. Acceptable GPAs range from low to high threes, depending on the the program. 2) During our clinical year (UC Davis School of Medicine), we spent 8 hours per day, 5 days per week during class weeks, but not every week is a class week - every other week or so at first, then more like one week per month. But realize that when we weren't class, we were reading and studying like crazy for exams and to complete assignments. During year two, it was much more about time in the clinic and hospital. A few lectures, but more like a full-time job when not in class. Example: my current rotation (cardiothoracic surgery) is 5 AM to 5PM+, 6 days a week, for a month. 3) Pretty much everyone uses guaranteed student loans, plus some have grants. Scholarships are tough to find for PA students, and if you get them, they don't cover a large % of your schooling bill. But don't worry - you can take out private loans if you need to - PAs are considered a good investment by banks, because they make good money when they're all done. You can borrow 100% of the money you need if you have to. One final tip: you should know that there's no apostrophe-s at the end of the word physician (common mistake). Good luck!