Out of the three, PCT is hands-down better for clinical experience to count toward becoming a PA. The experience that can be gained as a PCT is more independent, more diverse and can allow the applicant more opportunity to work with PAs.
Front desk, administrative work will not earn you clinical experience. Direct experience work with patients is required. Work as a PCT, Medical Assistant, EMT are all great ways to earn clinical experience. Since PCT is the shortest program of the 3, we highly suggest you get your PCT credentials.
The number of required hours to become a PA student varies from one school to the next. That being said, though each school posts a minimum number of hours required to apply, many competitive students will exceed that number. Get as many hours as you can. At Northeast Medical Institute we suggest you start getting clinical hours documented as soon as you turn 16 years old. Since you can become a CNA at the age of 16 you can then work and document your hours. Once you become 18 years old then you can take on the PCT role and document those hours throughout your college career. The more hours you have the more competitive you will be when applying to top universities in the area; Sacred Heart University, Quinnipiac University, University of Bridgeport, etc
If you have no other qualifications in the medical field, absolutely, enroll in a PCT program. You want to start earning your clinical hours and becoming a PCT is a quick way to get there. You can always build on that, but get your foot in the field ASAP! With the PCT Program at Northeast Medical Institute you will be licensed as a CNA, and also certified as a Phlebotomists and Patient Care Technician. All 3 of these credentials can enable you to find a great job which can be put towards your clinical experience which is required for PA School.
The more hands-on and independent in assessing and providing care the better. Working as a Paramedic is great experience however a very long program and not for everyone. Not everyone has that level credential, which is fine, working as PCT counts, as does a number of other health-care positions. The more you do, the more diverse your experience the better. At Northeast Medical institute we offer a number of programs which can help you get valuable clinical experience.
Clinical experience is direct patient experience. Applicants to PA school need to keep in mind that when completing the CASPA application, you will need to specify what amount of your work hours were working directly with the patients. In other words, if you work a full-time job as a Medical Assistant for 1 year, you have worked for 2000 hours, but it wasn’t all direct patient care, so if half was then you’ve gained 1000 hours of clinical experience.
A PA is a Physician Assistant. This level of credential is typically earned through a Master’s program. The PA can work in the same capacity as a physician, under the supervision of a physician.
You can probably find a lot of the information on this website:
Healthcare Experience Required for PA School: The Ultimate Guide
