Does ER tech count for PA school?
At the four programs we checked, ER tech is on the list of example jobs. UNC Chapel Hill, UW MEDEX, Charleston Southern and Yale all name emergency room technician, and UW MEDEX lists ER tech among its "competitive" examples. Each program still judges your actual duties, and paid-only and training-hour rules apply.
What CASPA says
CASPA's Patient Care Experience is work where you are "directly responsible for a patient's care." ER tech isn't one of CASPA's named examples, so CASPA says to choose the category from your actual duties. CASPA also says each program's definitions vary, so programs decide whether your hours count.
Four programs, side by side
| Program | How it lists ER tech | Paid only? | Training hours? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Chapel Hill Jan 2027 entry cycle | "Emergency room technician" | Yes, paid only | Don't count |
| UW MEDEX Northwest 2026–27 | "Emergency Room/Department Technician (ER/ED Tech)"; also a "competitive" example | Yes, paid only | Don't count |
| Charleston Southern page checked Oct 2026 | "Emergency Room Technician" | Not stated | Classed as health-related experience, not direct patient care, so they don't count toward the 1,000-hour PCE minimum |
| Yale current page (checked Oct 2026) | "ER Tech" is one of its examples | Not stated | Don't count |
Examples, not a ranking. UNC's (Aug 1, 2026), Charleston Southern's (Sept 1, 2026) and UW MEDEX's (Oct 1, 2026) deadlines have passed, so check each page again when your cycle's requirements post.
If you work as an ER tech, do this
- Count only hours you worked in the paid ER tech job, not hours from a course, certification or student clinical training you did to qualify. If your job starts with a paid orientation or training period, ask each program whether those hours count.
- Describe only the tasks you personally did with patients in your CASPA entry (for example, any vitals, EKGs or splinting you were trained and allowed to do). Don't list anything your job didn't include. UW MEDEX says it reads your CASPA job descriptions to decide what qualifies.
- Check each program's list and note the cycle and the date you checked.
Related guides
- Your first patient care job
- Patient care experience vs. healthcare experience
- How many patient care hours do you need?
Free: the Patient Care Hours Starter Kit. A 3-step check for whether a job counts at your schools, CASPA's categories on one page, and a simple hours log. Built from the same program pages as this guide.
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Does ER tech count as patient care experience for PA school?
At the four programs we checked, ER tech is on the list of example jobs: UNC Chapel Hill, UW MEDEX, Charleston Southern and Yale. Each program still judges your actual duties, and paid-only and training-hour rules apply.
Do ER tech training hours count?
Not at UNC Chapel Hill, UW MEDEX or Yale, which exclude experience gained in training. Charleston Southern classes internships and educational training as health-related experience, not direct patient care.
Sources (all opened October 2026)
- CASPA Applicant Help Center: Experiences: https://help.liaisonedu.com/CASPA_Applicant_Help_Center/Filling_Out_Your_CASPA_Application/CASPA_Supporting_Information/2_Experiences
- UNC Chapel Hill PA Program: FAQ: https://www.med.unc.edu/healthsciences/unc-pa/admissions/frequently-asked-questions
- UW MEDEX Northwest: Clinical experience prerequisites (2026–27): https://familymedicine.uw.edu/medex/applicants/clinical-prerequisites
- Charleston Southern University PA Program: Application requirements: https://www.charlestonsouthern.edu/programs/master-of-medical-science-in-pa-studies-mmspas/admissions/application-requirements
- Yale PA Program: Prerequisites, experience and skills: https://medicine.yale.edu/pa/admissions/prerequisites-experience-skill/