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When picking an undergraduate program, I had to decide which program would be most applicable towards my future as an orthopedic PA. With the orthopedic aspect, I decided that a major in kinesiology would give me the most background knowledge towards my future career.

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There are many prerequisite courses required in order to be able to apply for PA school. Some of those courses are not available within the Kinesiology program, so to make it easier to take those classes, I decided to add a co-major to my undergraduate degree: Pre-Health. In doing this, I am allowing myself access to necessary courses and

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Picking the right graduate PA program for you is an important step in your journey. You want to research which school is right for you, and understand what their application requirements are. After research, Miami's PA program is what will suit my needs best. In order to save money, I can live at home with my parents and commute, while not having to deal with rent and food.

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In order to attend PA school, or even get into a school, you have to meet your required shadowing hours for admission. In my case, it will be 20 hours of shadowing in a clinical setting with a certified Physician Assistant. I have started my hours, and kept a record, at Mercy Hospital with Dawn Sodders.

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Another required pre-requisite for PA school is face-to-face patient care experience. In Miami's sense, I will need 200 hours of patient care experience. How to gain this can be through many different paths; in my case, I want to become an EMT.

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In order to obtain the 200 hours of clinical patient hours, I will work to obtain my EMT licensure, and work as an Emergency Medical Technician. I will hope to be able to work over the summer as an EMT or work near campus at McCullough-Hyde as an EMT. This is a necessary step, and one that is more attainable than other clinical patient experiences.

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An aspect to the application process is obtaining letters of recommendation. In Miami's case, I will need three. One must be from a certified healthcare provider. This can be obtained from the PA that I shadow for required shadowing hours. The second must be from a professor, which I will hope to obtain from doing research with one of them, which is also helpful in building your PA school application. The other must be from another healthcare professional colleague, which I have one in mind--my high school's athletic trainer that helped me choose what I wanted to be in my future.

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In order to be accepted into PA school (specifically Miami's), you will need to take the Graduate Record Exam. In Miami's case, there is no required minimum score, however doing your best on this exam will further help your application stand out to those who are overlooking said application.

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Once you are accepted into a program, you have to complete it and graduate from it, obtaining your certificate/degree. Miami's program is a 27 month long program. This equates to 2 years and 3 months. During this time, studying and retaining all information learned, and absorbing it, because of not only the next steps you will take in the process of getting a job, but also the fact that this is your entire future, and knowing everything like the back of your hand is crucial for your future.

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Once I graduate from Miami's PA program, I will have to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). This can be applied for 180 days before completing your program, and once accepted, you have 180 days to take the exam. It can be retaken 3 times per calendar year, and once passed you can receive your certification and move onto the final step.

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Before you can obtain your state license, you will need to apply for an NPI (National Provider Identifier) number, which is from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. You will also need to register with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency). This will be required when heading to the step of obtaining your state license, so it is best to complete this prior to doing so to ensure a smoother process.

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Once the physician assistant certification is obtained, you need to obtain the state license in which you want to practice in. I would like to practice in Ohio, so I will have to apply to the licensing board of Ohio and follow the instructions necessary, and then begin job hunting.