Are ACE credits a deal breaker for getting into Certified Anesthesia Assistant school

[zauh]

I'm considering getting a Bachelors with ACE credits at TESU. After that I want to do all the pre requisites for CAA school at my local community college. CAA schools require any kind of bachelor degree along side the pre-reqs. 

I was just wondering if anyone has gone this route and if it's even possible? I imagine the admissions people at these schools would be put off with most of the classes on the transcript not having a letter grade. 

Thanks!

[Hotdogman1]

It wouldn't be an issue. If you go to TESU without any RA Credits, you will need to complete 30 RA credits to graduate. With the CAA prereqs, you will be closer to 60 RA credits.

Edit: If TESU is the goal, then it would probably be cheaper to do the prereqs first (assuming 30 credits), transfer in 75 ACE credits, then complete 15 credits at TESU. Like you mentioned, you need the bachelor's and the prereqs. If you are worried about how the credits would look, you can consider completing CLEP exams (Free via vouchers from modernstate when you complete their course https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Modern_States)

[zauh]

It wouldn't be an issue. If you go to TESU without any RA Credits, you will need to complete 30 RA credits to graduate. With the CAA prereqs, you will be closer to 60 RA credits.

Edit: If TESU is the goal, then it would probably be cheaper to do the prereqs first (assuming 30 credits), transfer in 75 ACE credits, then complete 15 credits at TESU. Like you mentioned, you need the bachelor's and the prereqs. If you are worried about how the credits would look, you can consider completing CLEP exams (Free via vouchers from modernstate when you complete their course https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Modern_States)

Thanks for the reply. I actually have 42 credits already from community college. Let's say I get 15 more at TESU, that would be 57 total graded credits from my bachelors. There's about 8-10 pre-reqs that I would need to get. Let's say that's another minimum 24 credits. All together by the time I apply to CAA school I'd have at least 81 graded credits. 

Looking over it, it does seem like a good amount of graded credits on my transcripts. 

Is there a reason you recommended CLEP exams? Do they give a GPA when you transfer them in?

[Hotdogman1]

CLEP come in Pass/Fail. More info: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Co...on_Program. I don't think ACE or CLEP matters but if you care, CLEP is generally more known. However, you should be fine with 81 graded credits. If you are still worried, go UMPI and complete 30 for a total of 96 RA credits.

Edit: I just read your previous thread. What happened to CS? And what does FAFSA approved mean? If that is pell grant, the order is 100% do prereqs first then graduate. You lose pell grant after your first bachelor's (or if you use it all up)

[zauh]

CLEP come in Pass/Fail. More info: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Co...on_Program. I don't think ACE or CLEP matters but if you care, CLEP is generally more known. However, you should be fine with 81 graded credits. If you are still worried, go UMPI and complete 30 for a total of 96 RA credits.

Edit: I just read your previous thread. What happened to CS? And what does FAFSA approved mean? If that is pell grant, the order is 100% do prereqs first then graduate. You lose pell grant after your first bachelor's (or if you use it all up)

Yes I do have a pell grant.

The CS degree is still something I want to do, it's just that recently I've realized that I don't want to do something tech as a job, it's more of just hobby. To be honest I just want to have the first degree to fall back on in case I'm maybe not cut out for CAA school (probably not a good thing to say, but I am determined).

I do agree that I 100% should use my pell grant to cover my pre-reqs but I was thinking of taking a slower route to CAA school. It's recommended by CAA schools to have Personal Care Experience (PCE) of at least 1 year (ex.. Anesthesia Tech, Pharmacy Tech, etc...). I was planning on getting the bachelors and then working PCE for a year or two while I then grind out pre-reqs.

My goal since leaving High School was to have a Bachelors by 22 - currently I'm 21 but life got in the way a bit. I also know it'd make my mother proud as I would be a first generation college graduate. My siblings ended up dropping in and out of college so I know it concerns her regarding me.  

I understand it's not the optimal route as I will have to pay a couple grand later on for the pre-reqs. Then again, maybe I'm thinking about all this the wrong way.

[Hotdogman1]

PCE is nice to have as a cherry on top, but you should be fine with the minimum shadowing hours. It's mostly used to supplement your GPA/GRE/MCAT. It's honestly more important to have a better GPA.

I'd recommend shadowing a CAA before diving into any of this. Also consider pausing at an associates degree instead. Maybe UMPI associates, Complete 15 credits, then come back after the rest of the prerequisites and complete another 15 for the bachelor's. (Does this still work with the new second degree changes?)

[Duneranger]

I work in the profession.

I will be honest, AA school is getting much more competitive than it used to be. Not many jobs start at 250k+. Many applicants have solid science or clinical backgrounds from the get-go and are older with experience.

You are 21...no healthcare experience...and a potential accelerated ACE credit-laden degree (probably not a huge factor though).

Your chances as it stands are not the greatest.

[zauh]

I work in the profession.

I will be honest, AA school is getting much more competitive than it used to be. Not many jobs start at 250k+. Many applicants have solid science or clinical backgrounds from the get-go and are older with experience.

You are 21...no healthcare experience...and a potential accelerated ACE credit-laden degree (probably not a huge factor though).

Your chances as it stands are not the greatest.

Thanks for the honest advice. I think I'm gonna get the CS degree, try to work on pre-requisites later on, if it doesn't work out so be it, at least I have a degree I can use in the end.