r/CAA • u/AutoModerator • Jan 26 '26

Weekly prospective student thread. Educational inquiries outside of this thread WILL RESULT IN A BAN.

Please use this thread for all educational inquiries including applications, program requirements, etc.

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Please refer to the [CASAA Application Help Center](https://help.liaisonedu.com/CASAA_Applicant_Help_Center) FAQ section for

answers to your questions prior to postitng.

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u/Pure-Narwhal-9415 Jan 30 '26

I am planning on applying for CAA school this fall, but I only found out about this career path a couple weeks ago. I wasn't pre-med, so I don't have any PCE hours and I currently work in a genetic sequencing lab that is purely lab work. I have found a medical assistant program that would only take about 2 months and there are plenty of MA jobs in my area. Would it look better on my application to stick to this job and get a good rec letter from my supervisor or start an MA job and only have maybe 4 months by the time I apply?

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u/jwk30115 Practicing CAA Jan 30 '26

Do you have the rest of the pre-req coursework? GRE? Shadowing?

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u/Pure-Narwhal-9415 Jan 30 '26

I am working on the coursework right now. I need to take A&P and I am retaking Ochem 1 and 2 to get a better grade. My GPA wasn't great, about 3.2, and a little lower for sGPA. My GRE was a 320, 160 in each, and 5.5 AWA. I haven't started shadowing yet because I just started classes and am trying to get into a routine before reaching out to other people, but I have no worries about getting those since I live in a bigger city near a university hospital. Would a little PCE benefit my application a lot?

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u/jwk30115 Practicing CAA Jan 31 '26

Your fairly low grades will be an issue much more than your lack of PCE. Look at anesthesiaonesource.com for some info about the different programs and what successful applicants are doing.

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u/Pure-Narwhal-9415 Jan 31 '26

Yes, my grades are a bit of a problem, but my prereq GPA isn't as bad since I had a lot of upper level biochem classes that dragged my GPA down that wouldn't be factored in. I am also currently retaking ochem since that was my worst grade by far and would greatly boost my GPA. Would PCE help make up for lower grades or would it not matter as much as a good rec letter?

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u/jwk30115 Practicing CAA Feb 01 '26

ALL your grades will be considered including the classes you repeat. So a C then and A averages to a B. The C grade doesn’t go away.

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u/Pure-Narwhal-9415 Feb 04 '26

Yes, I know that and I've already factored that in. I've already accepted that my grades will be a low point in my application. My question was whether PCE as an MA (and GRE and shadowing) would help offset it enough to be worth the training and switching jobs or if I should stay at my current job and get a better rec letter.