PA/ MPH anyone?? - chicagogal

[ArchivalUser]

Anyone thinking of PA or MPH course, please gather here and share your sincere thoughts.. Thanks.

[ArchivalUser]

I am, but totally confused....the MPH deadlines are approaching , dont know what to do..

[ArchivalUser]

I am thinking about going to PA school. Do you guys think having ECFMG certificate and step 3 score would help us to avoid of taking admission tests??

[ArchivalUser]

for PA school, better to not even mention you are an IMG who couldn't match, ECFMG and step 3 isn't worth the paper printed on it for this endeavor

PA's are very insecure about us IMG's flooding their profession, so it will be very hard...

go figure why that is.. an ECFMG certified IMG with step 3 can't even attend PA school without repeating so many courses and subjects, if you want to study for 3 years more or less, just go to DO school... 4 year more money but at least you are still an doctor

[ArchivalUser]

DO school are very, very competitive , it is way more competitive that a PA school, and you need to pass the MCAT, among other requirements , getting in one of them is not a walk in park

[ArchivalUser]

@step3

i agree its not a walk in the park, but i know a lot of second tier osteopathic schools that aren't as competitive as the other schools

i have seen and been around their students, and if those guys are supposed to be competitive, then i think a lot of us in this forum can qualify easily

[ArchivalUser]

well you have yo take the MCAT as I said,that is a really hard exam, you need to prepare yourself to get a competitive score, remember that all of the allopathic applicants also apply to osteopathic school as a back up plan, so you have stellar candidates in the mix.

And don't be fooled by the medical students (residents, fellows) ("""that look stupid"""), they got in... (you didn't) over all the competition. they have the right to look and act however they want, they got nothing to prove to you

[ArchivalUser]

itsover2005

where are you getting your false information from?

PA schools will gladly accept IMGs if your credentials are in order when you apply. ECFMG and AMA just did a conference on that and PAs from around the country weighed in on that issue.

You just have to clarify in the interview and be able to explain why youre switching careers.

[ArchivalUser]

@step3

im not underestimating the students and residents i met, and "they got and i didn't", is not comparing apples to apples, of course DO's will get into residencies over me, they are DO residencies and allopaths are not allowed to apply there, and DOs are considered AMGs, im taking about if i had to start all over again, i would rather go DO path than PA school.. as the OP was asking

the COMLEX alone is not comparable to USMLE coverage, COMLEX 3 is 1 day, compared to USMLE step 3 which takes 2..

get your reasoning straight, i think i would have been able to go med school in the US if i grew up in the US, i have not implied at all that it is a cake walk, just said with the amount of time and money to be spent on either option, i think DO school is better


@doctam

PA schools do not credit a lot of medical school subjects, that is what i have gathered in several PA school websites and since im an IMG that didn't do undergrad here in the US, i would have to take a lot of prereqs to even be eligible for admission.

i have been looking in several PA school websites, and have not encountered any information where they will gladly credit medical education, yes they will gladly accept IMGs but with no special consideration regarding what we have studied in the past.

aside from telling me, that my information is false, and most of my information has been through reading PA forums and here, i have not seen any welcoming arms from the PA profession for IMGs who can't match.

if you would be gracious enough to point me to your more accurate information, as you claim you know, i would appreciate it

[ArchivalUser]

I am thinking of making a list of PA programs and emailing them individually to know which courses I need to repeat as per their pre-requisite criteria.. Is there any better idea??