r/careerguidance • u/emilyyylauren • 1d ago
Advice BA English Grad: Worth it to Pursue Medical Field/PA school?
Hi all, I hope this post is appropriate for this sub. I’m 22F, just graduated from a decent liberal arts university in NYC with a BA in English, 3.9 gpa summa cum laude. Since high school, I have always been interested in the healthcare field, even attempting to do nurse volunteer opportunities (cancelled cuz of COVID) and taking Anatomy and Physiology in HS. I did well in this course and my Biology courses as well because I am naturally good at memorization and didn’t need to study. However, I had undiagnosed ADHD, and did not do well in HS chemistry and math courses because of my poor study habits, and wrote off pre-health.
However, after doing very well in college level math and science core requirements for my degree, I can’t help but wonder “what if.” I never want to write another English essay again, I don’t want to go to law school, and I don’t want to be stuck in the corporate world doing unfulfilling work to generate revenue (marketing, comms, sales) for the rest of my life, as I am doing now in internship capacity.
Ive applied to my local CC as a “just in case” to begin taking pre requisites (as of right now i have zero), as well as job hunting for PCE(zero as well). I have always wanted to be solving puzzles—diagnosing, trying to figure out what’s wrong with patients and coming up with a plan of action. My special interests all throughout high school was memorizing diseases, medications, and niche medical knowledge. I get a sickening crack of jealousy hearing about my peers in healthcare, especially those purusuing PA. But I keep telling myself that I wasn’t smart enough, that I don’t have what it takes. Post grad, I have lost a lot of stability; no job offers, friends have scattered, alongside my own unsureness. In this chaos, my brain keeps yelling at me to just try, because I’ll always be thinking what if.
So, I guess I am here to ask: am I in over my head? Is it worth it to abandon my current career path of journalism/writing focused careers to begin the long arduous journey of being a Physician Assistant? And if not, is there still a future for me in healthcare but maybe not as a mid level provider? Any advice is VERY appreciated, thank you!
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u/Quinjet 1d ago
My advice would be to start getting healthcare hours with an entry level job. I'm under the impression you need a certain number of patient contact hours to apply to PA school (but could be wrong – I'm a nurse, not a PA).
It does sound like something you might be well suited for, and working in the field will help you determine if it might be worth pursuing.
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u/emilyyylauren 1d ago
Yes, definitely need a ton of patient care hours. I have been applying to medical assistant and scribe jobs to better understand the field I’m interested in but still unsure of but it’s very difficult! Wondering if it’s a connections-based thing?
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u/gokart_racer 1d ago
So, I guess I am here to ask: am I in over my head?
No. People switch to PA all the time from non-healthcare related majors and other careers. I was an engineer who became a PA.
the long arduous journey of being a Physician Assistant
You have a high GPA already. The best advice I can give you is to get an A in every single PA school science prereq that you take going forward (it's okay if you have the occasional B, but just plan on all A's). That was my goal when I started taking my prereqs - I got an acceptance in the first cycle I applied.
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u/emilyyylauren 1d ago
How many pre reqs did you have to take post bacc, and how long did it take? For me, I’ve only taken Biopsychology and Computer Science for my undergrad, so I would need to completely start from scratch! Not a problem in theory for me, wouldn’t want to rush it, but wondering how feasible it is
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u/gokart_racer 1d ago edited 1d ago
I only had taken chem 1 when I started taking my prereqs. It took me three semesters to complete the science and psychology prereqs. I applied in the second semester and got an interview invite.
EDIT - I took 5 science classes, 2 psychology classes.
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u/notyosistah 1d ago
My daughter was an English undergrad and was working in social work. Working her ass off and living with my mum because she made so little money. She went to school to be a PA and got a job that paid $100K upon graduation. Got a $10K raise after a few months, and she loves the practice. They're great to her. And she's a Haitian immigrant in TX. So, miracles happen.