Gap Year vs. Starting PA School Right Away

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

If you already meet (or are close to) a program's minimum healthcare experience hours, it is usually worth applying right away to the schools you really want, even if you might have to reapply. Taking a gap year to build hours can make you more competitive, but applying early shows initiative and helps you adjust to PA school's fast pace if you get in soon after finishing prerequisites.

Last Updated: June 12, 2026

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How many healthcare hours do PA programs really want?

Because PA school is so competitive, many programs set requirements for how much healthcare experience they want, along with volunteering and shadowing. Some of these minimums land in the thousands, often 1,000 to 2,000 hours, which can feel daunting if you are an undergrad or changing fields. For reference, 2,000 hours is basically a full year of full-time work.

On top of those minimums, the actual averages for accepted students are often much higher than the stated minimum [VERIFY]. That gap tells you a lot about how competitive the field is and how much work it takes to get in. It is not meant to discourage you, just to set realistic expectations as you plan your timeline.

In this post:

Should you take a gap year to build hours first?

This question comes up constantly, and I heard it again recently at a dinner with PAs in my area: is it smart to take a gap year to gather experience and hours before applying, specifically between finishing undergrad and starting a program?

Taking a year off to work does make you a more competitive candidate. But here is my honest take. If you already have the minimum requirements, or you are close, I think it is worth applying to the schools you really want to attend. Most people pursuing PA know that many applicants end up applying more than once. By applying initially, even if you do not get in, you set yourself up to be a stronger reapplicant, because you can show you took time to improve your qualifications and that you are still genuinely interested in the program.

So a gap year is not wrong, but it is not the only path, and applying early can work in your favor.

In Our Experience

In our experience coaching applicants, there is no single right answer to the gap year question, and I have seen students succeed on both paths. The applicants who feel most at peace are usually the ones who applied as soon as they qualified rather than waiting for a "perfect" number of hours that may never feel like enough. If you are close to the minimums and excited about a program, that is often a good sign you are ready to apply.

What is the advantage of starting PA school soon after prerequisites?

If you are able to start PA school fairly soon after finishing your prerequisite classes, which in some cases can be within a week, I think you have an advantage over students who have been out of school for a while.

That does not mean you are "better" than them. Once you are actually in PA school, the competition fades away and it becomes much more about teamwork. But when your study habits are fresh and you are used to a heavy academic load, you tend to adjust to the rigorous schedule a bit more easily.

This is just my opinion, and plenty of people thrive after a gap year too. The right answer really depends on where you are with your hours, your finances, and your readiness. Think about what will make you the strongest applicant and the most prepared student, then plan your timeline around that.

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

A quick benchmark: 1 year of full-time work is roughly 2,000 hours, so a 1,000-2,000 hour requirement is about six months to a year of full-time healthcare experience.

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Listen: Coming Back to PA After a Gap - Soon to be Student Emily

Emily decided she wanted to do medicine in seventh grade, when her mom went back to school to become a medical assistant.

Episode show notes & key takeaways

Emily decided she wanted to do medicine in seventh grade, when her mom went back to school to become a medical assistant.

She kept that thread all the way through. Biomedical science program, then Liberty University, where she built an interdisciplinary studies degree specifically so she could load up on pre-PA courses instead of taking classes that didn't serve the goal. She finished above a 3.8, scribed in an orthopedic office, and is starting at the University of Lynchburg in May.

The part I want to point out: she only applied to six programs, all in Virginia and North Carolina, because staying near family mattered more to her than casting a wide net. That's a real tradeoff, and she made it on purpose instead of by accident. That's the difference.

She also volunteered in Greece working with refugees, which gave her something genuinely different to talk about when her extracurricular list was shorter than some applicants'. Depth beats a long list every time.

What we cover

Using an interdisciplinary degree to line up prereqs efficiently
Scribing in orthopedics and what it taught her
Applying to only six programs, and why she narrowed by location
Deciding what you're willing to trade for staying close to home
Making one unusual experience carry real weight in your application
Timing PA school around a wedding and the rest of your life

Resources

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