PA undergrad degree most beneficial for this field

[draghkari]

Hey all, I'd like some input from a few (or many!) of you who are actually working in the field right now. What is it that you desire most, education and work experience, from the PA's you work with? Particularly referring to a bachelor's degree. I am currently a Kinesiology student, but I am starting to wonder if a more rounded curriculum that included nutrition and exercise science would serve me better with patient care in the future (EXW: Fitness and Wellness major is what I'm looking at). Thank you for the insider's opinion!

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[Mad Jack]

Your undergraduate degree doesn't really amount to much if you jump right into PA school. Experience in the field is going to be your biggest factor when getting hired. Next up would be related experience (general surgical PA, for instance). Next up might be your school's reputation, your grades, and your letters of recommendation. Your undergraduate degree might be somewhat useful to you, but it won't matter to your employer, as they will train you for what they want you to do post-hire.

Now, if you had time practicing as a physical therapist or athletic trainer, that would be somewhat useful experience, as it would allow you to provide better recovery care instructions. But just some courses you took in undergrad several years prior that you never applied? Yeah, not doing you any favors. But that's just, like, my opinion.

 

[draghkari]

Your undergraduate degree doesn't really amount to much if you jump right into PA school. Experience in the field is going to be your biggest factor when getting hired. Next up would be related experience (general surgical PA, for instance). Next up might be your school's reputation, your grades, and your letters of recommendation. Your undergraduate degree might be somewhat useful to you, but it won't matter to your employer, as they will train you for what they want you to do post-hire.

Now, if you had time practicing as a physical therapist or athletic trainer, that would be somewhat useful experience, as it would allow you to provide better recovery care instructions. But just some courses you took in undergrad several years prior that you never applied? Yeah, not doing you any favors. But that's just, like, my opinion.

Well it's just, like, a good opinion My background consists of 7 years as an orthopedic manual therapist. You can't get much more *hands-on* than that, but it seems most medical professionals disagree and dismiss it out of turn. As far as schooling, I simply want to be prepared for the fire hose that is PA school.