Working in a health care environment with other members of the health care team is an indication of interest and commitment of the applicant to a career in healthcare. Emory requires 2,000 hours minimum of direct patient care. These are patient contact hours providing care, therapy, diagnostics, counseling, and education. It does not include administration, bench research, clinical work for professional program credit or office work. It does also not include observation or "shadowing" time. The average accepted applicant has completed over 5,000 hours.
Patient care experience offers the applicant an opportunity to understand the role of the PA on the healthcare team and better appreciate the interrelationships of all healthcare providers in the care of the patient.
Experience can be gained in a wide variety of areas, such as:
- Hospital/ED/Clinic Technician
- Nursing Assistant/Aide
- EMT/Paramedic
- OR Technician
- ED/clinic Scribe
- PT or PT Assistant
- Respiratory Therapist or Aide
- Radiology Technician
- RN or LPN
Applicants are requested to describe their responsibilities in the health care settings in their CAPSA application. Assigned value is based on level of patient care responsibility.
Applicants are highly encouraged to seek out interactions with PAs in a variety of healthcare settings to better understand the role of a PA in various specialties.