A key component of your physician assistant school application is gaining a variety extracurricular experiences inside and outside of the field, as well as involved in your community. This experience is gained through shadowing, health care volunteering and/or patient care experiences, and community engagement. Explore the ways to get experience in and out of the field before you attend pharmacy school on this page.
Direct Patient Care Experience
Most applicants for physician assistant school have some kind of direct patient care experience; therefore, it's important to gain this experience where you can. It can also open doors for shadowing opportunities and additional employment opportunities. Check out some of the certifications that you can obtain below. This is not an exhaustive list of opportunities, and students are encouraged to find opportunities or training programs in their area through their own research.
Emergency Medical Services (EMT)
- Learn more about Emergency Medical Services from the National Association of Emergency Medicine Technicians (NAEMT).
- LifeStart EMT Training
- Longhorn EMS
- ACC Health Sciences, Emergency Medical Services Program
- San Antonio College, Emergency Medical Technician Program
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs
- Filter by Emergency Medical Services Programs for accredited training programs by your location.
Medical Assistant (MA)
- Learn more about Medical Assisting from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).
- ACC Continuing Education, Medical Assistant Program
- Alamo Colleges, Medical Assistant Program
- Online Medical Assisting Programs
- CAAHEP and ABES Accredited Medical Assisting Programs
- Once on the search pages, filter by Medical Assisting for accredited training programs by your location.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Learn more about Certified Nursing Assistants from the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA).
- ACC Continuing Education, Certified Nursing Aid Program
- Alamo Colleges Continuing Education, Certified Nursing Assistant Program
- Texas Regional Health Care Training - CNA Training
- Texas Health and Human Services - Become a CNA
- Select “Traditional Nurse Aid Route” and search in the directory for programs.
Additional Experiences
- Phlebotomy
- Learn more about Certified Phlebotomy Technicians from Mayo Clinic, College of Science and Medicine.
- ACC Health Sciences, Phlebotomy
- Alamo Colleges Continuing Education, Phlebotomy Technician
- American Medical Technologist, Registered Phlebotomy Technician Certification
- Physical Therapy Technician
- Learn more about Physical Therapy Assistants or Aides from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- College of Health Care Professionals, Physical Therapy Technician
- American Medical Certification Association, Physical Therapy Aide Certification
- Optometric Technician or Paraoptometric Assistant
- Learn more about Paraoptometric Assistants and Technicians from Optician Certification.
- ACC Continuing Education, Ophthalmic Assistant
- American Optometric Association, Paraoptometric Resources
- American Optometric Association, Paraoptometric Certification
Volunteering
Competitive applicants will have both health care related volunteering and general community engagement volunteering in their application. They both serve different purposes. Health care volunteering allows you to learn about the health care system as a whole and what it means to be a part of that system. Whether you are volunteering in a hospital gift shop supporting patient families or taking vitals at a walk-in clinic, these experiences are vital to understand the multiple roles that make up the health care system. General volunteering shows your dedication and involvement in your community, as health care professionals ultimately serve the community they work in.
Check out some of the opportunities below for recommendations to get started. This isn't an exhaustive list, and we encourage you to do your own research in your local community.
Healthcare Volunteering Opportunities
Healthcare volunteering opportunities do not have to be strictly related to physician assistant duties or direct interactions with patients to be relevant. However, we do encourage finding those direct care experiences where you can, especially if you do not have direct care experience yet. Often times, clinics and hospitals will graduate your responsibilities over time, so it's important to remain committed when you can.
- Ascension Texas Foundations - Various Austin metropolitan area volunteer sites, including but not limited to Dell Children's Medical Center, Dell Seton Medical Center, and Ascension Seton Medical Center. Requires a 6-month commitment.
- St. David's Medical Center
- St. David's North Austin Medical Center
- St. David's South Austin Medical Center
- People's Community Clinic
- CommUnity Care Services
- Hospice Austin
- Austin Volunteer Healthcare Clinic
- Heart Hospital of Austin (Requires a 6-month commitment)
- C.D. Doyle Clinic
- US Dept of Veterans Affairs - Student Volunteer Program
- Austin Speech Labs
- University Health Services
Community Volunteering Resources
Austin Volunteering Opportunities
This is not an exhaustive list of opportunities in Austin. Please do additional research if there is a community or cause that you would like to support through your volunteering efforts.
- Volunteer Match - Volunteer Opportunity search function, filterable by location
- Do512 - Volunteering in Austin
- Austin Partners in Education
- Central Texas Food Bank
- Habitat for Humanity (Austin)
- Inside Books Project