How did you become a PA or secretary?

I would like to become a PA, not sure how to get there?

• Hellllo there :) i'm in high school and i'm thinking of becoming a PA, i want to go into the medical field. before i considered nurse practioner which is similar, but i've settled on PA. The program says you need a bachelors in something and 500 hours of work experience before you can be accepted into the PA program. So i was thinking of just going to nursing school and getting my bachelors of science, and i can work as a nurse (which is accepted) to get those hours. Would that be an okay route? Because I know nursing is completely different than PA school...is there anything else to major in that would be better? And how do i go about these hours?? Thanks! :D

• Answer:

  I would recommend an Allied Health degree (a Bachelors in one area of Allied Health/Science) over nursing when it comes to being a PA. You will be learning in the medical model, not the nursing model, which is how the PA is educated and practices. You would obviously be working in the capacity in which you earned your degree (be it a Lab Technologist, MRI Tech, Respiratory Therapist, etc) and that pay is in the same scale as an RN and the hours are as flexible (hospitals run 24/7). I'd be concerned that the BSN lacked some of the science and math needed for getting into PA school..although you could take those classes while you worked as a nurse...it just makes more sense to choose Allied Health over nursing for being a PA. You've already mentioned in another question you aren't interested in nursing, so start researching some other health care professions to look into as far as getting your Bachelor of Science and professional health care experience. Diane is the PA on this forum...hopefully she'll post some suggestions.