You have 3 years to work on your interview skills. As far as grades, here's the thing about entry level HCE... It's not impressive compared to grades. You aren't going to compel a school to take you by having mediocre grades, but a boatload of butt wiping experience. If that tended to work, you'd see struggling students just camp out as CNAs until they amassed a large amount of hours to impress a PA program. You'd be better served by not distracting yourself with a job and just throwing yourself at school. 3000 doesn't even equate to more than 1.5 work years full time. That's nothing. Most schools don't require near that. Programs would rather have a good student with the minimum amount of hours and good grades. The reason why that is is because anyone can be a CNA and do those easy skills that CNAs have. But PA school is hard, and seats are too valuable to waste on someone that is at risk of flunking out. They want somewhat of a guarantee that they will get your entire $100,000 you will pay for tuition. Good grades prove to them that you have what it takes. Being a CNA for a year and a half means nothing. The LAST thing on your mind should be for you to waste energy trying to land a job that anyone could get. Worry about positioning yourself to get good grades. If that means working in a call center for 4 hours at a time instead of pulling 12 hour shifts at the hospital, then that's what you do. Otherwise, you'll be one of the folks that is asking advice in 3 years on how to get into PA school with a 2.9 GPA because you tried to juggle too much. The answer to that question is "you don't get into PA school with a 2.9 gpa in 3 years because it's too competetive.
Oh no, I don't expect to have a 2.9...I won't let that happen. If that did, I would retake bad courses before ever applying. I'm currently reading the O. Chem chapters two months before the class begins. I'm really wanting to change my situation and I'm getting older so I don't see myself giving up.
I've been visiting the PA forum as well as this one and it appears that the majority of people were accepted to their schools with around a mid 3.0. If someone were in the higher 3.0, then they were applying to schools like Yale, Stanford, and Duke. But I've been reading around a lot and people say that some schools prefer to look at GPA/numbers while others prefer more HCE hours...and there's no clear way to decide which they prefer. Accepted students in those forums and on youtube have said they were surprised to be accepted into more difficult schools while rejected from the easier ones.
They say HCE is required and/or expected by all programs because a lot of the material in the program requires knowledge of how the hospital works. People say their class is held back by those few students who lack HCE because simple hospital procedures, terminology and practices have to be explained to them. It is a very short program, so they don't have time to spend catching people up. Med School doesn't require experience because they have 4 years to learn. It has also been brought up that historically, the PA position was conceived for those who had already been a professional in the health field and wanted to move on to greater responsibilities/more independence. So admissions boards want to respect this to an extent, even if it isn't something like respiratory therapy or radio tech - PA is not an entry level position, but rather, one that requires a lot of hospital experience. To add, they understand that the health field is not for everyone and fear having someone figure that out in the middle of the program. They don't want dropouts and poor grades to represent them. They probably prefer a position higher up than MA or EMT, but understand that through school, these are what students can handle. A 2 year program (rad tech or other) might be heading too far off the necessary path. They simply want you to be around the hospital and to be dealing with hospital patients.
To add, I've been working anyways while getting through school. I have to make payments and with the occasional bump in the road, I do get behind. So I can't possibly afford to not work through school. I've been working as a server, which PA schools do not particularly appreciate or consider. It is time to get some experience in health care. Part time would be necessary.