How to Get Direct Patient Care Hours

Let’s talk direct patient care hours (PCE). These hours must be spent with hands-on treatment and care of patients. People ask me all the time what I did for my hours and how I got them in because I went straight from undergrad to PA school (only 2 days with graduation and moving in between). The number one thing I recommend you doing if you are looking to go to PA school is to get a certification/job that will count toward your hours NOW. Don’t wait because it can take a long time to stack up those hours, and although there’s no guidance on how many hours are competitive, most schools have requirements to even apply. If you're deciding to change careers or just recently decided PA was the route for you and you are just starting, don't fret! I'd say most people I know, and the majority of my PA cohort all took at least one gap-year in order to get their hours in. 

After talking with many of my classmates and other PA students, here are some of the jobs they held before being accepted into PA school:

•EMT

•Paramedic (more schooling than an EMT)

•Patient Care Tech

•Phlebotomist

•Medical assistant

•RN

•Respiratory therapist

•Scribe (most schools accept these hours, some don’t so double-check with the schools you are interested in)

•CNA (some schools are not accepting these hours as DIRECT patient care now so double-check too)

As for me, I took an EMT course my junior year of college at night and did a lot of my clinical hours super early in the morning before classes, or on weekends. I then worked at a summer camp as an EMT, and since I was the only medical person on the grounds, it meant I worked all day, and sometimes much of the night/middle of the night. This allowed me to accrue my hours super quickly, but this job was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that kind of fell into my lap (and I’m so grateful for). After camp was over for the summer, I worked for a private ambulance company, doing a few shifts on the weekends, and then working events and concerts at night. I completed about 750 hours within the 7 months before I applied to PA school, and although it worked for me, I don’t necessarily recommend trying to cram it in as much as I did. 

Camp EMT Courtney

Sometimes it can be a drag to have to do all of this before school, but it can ease you into patient care and you will learn valuable lessons during your time working! Because I was an EMT, I believe I was more prepared for my clinical rotations and felt more comfortable interacting with patients. Let me know if you have any questions or need recommendations for your own hours!

✤Courtney