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Archives for 2013
The Turkey Book – An Introductory Manual for The Wards
What do you get if you “Gobble” instead of Google? In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to give you my combined copy of the “The Turkey Book”. Designed to assist medical students on their clinical rotations the “Turkey Book”, as it is called, is a wonderful compilation […]
A Physician Assistant’s Guide to Becoming an Epic Failure
One of the hardest parts of PA school training is that we must fail when it counts most, and often, we must fail on somebody else. Here is why failure leads to success in PA school.
Virchow’s Triad: Social Medicine, Morality and Public Health
A Moral Understanding of Public Health Virchow’s triad is named after the eminent German physician Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902). It describes the three broad categories of factors that are thought to contribute to thrombosis. Hypercoagulability Hemodynamic changes (stasis, turbulence) Endothelial injury/dysfunction But, in my opinion Virschows most important contribution to medicine had nothing to do with three […]
PA School Finder – The Ultimate Physician Assistant School and Program Directory
Watch this introductory video to see the website in action Are You Trying to Find The Perfect PA School to Fit Your Needs? Are you interested in attending PA school, but you have limited resources and no idea where to begin? Do you worry about the program requirements and waste countless hours going from […]
The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative
Are you ready to get started? Choose your package, and we will begin today! Single Edit One-on-one Service Supplemental Essays Your success is our passion. (See just some of our 100’s of testimonials and comments below). We are ready to help. Our current PA school essay editing service status (): Accepting New Submissions (Photo: Me circa 1987, […]
How to Find The Direct Patient Care Experience You Need to Become a Physician Assistant
Read on: But you may also be interested in my newest post Healthcare Experience Required for PA School: The Ultimate Guide I could probably summarize this entire blog post with the following sentence: “THE MORE HANDS-ON PATIENT CARE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE, THE STRONGER YOU WILL BE AS A PA SCHOOL CANDIDATE.” How many healthcare experience hours […]
The Physician Assistant Interview: Thank You and Follow-up (With Sample)
Many people forget the post-interview work that needs to be done during the PA job search. They assume the interview happens, they either get the job or don’t get it, and it’s over. But in many cases, the interview is not the end and specific and strategic follow-up can make the difference in getting hired. […]
The Physician Assistant Job or PA School Interview – Email Etiquette
mail is unequivocally the number one technology you must be brilliant at if you are to succeed throughout the PA school interview or job application process. For that reason, you need to be VERY careful when you use email as part of a job search effort or part of your PA school application process. It […]
Use this Interview Hack to Get The Physician Assistant Job of Your Dreams!
There is a ton of scientific evidence that proves the importance of NONVERBAL CUES that govern how we think and feel about ourselves. We tend to ignore the importance of these nonverbal cues in favor of other, more conventional ideas. But this research has broad implications for everyone, especially people who suffer from feelings of […]
PA Link Love: From PA Study Guides to a Dermatological Instagram
{Every now and then, I publish a series of cool links. Enjoy!} PAs On The Web A PA Tumbler blog with a hidden gem of great study guides (look at the links in the sidebar) I have compiled his study guides into my own dropbox folder to simplify the process. It includes things such as […]
Pre-PA Hack of the Day: Use Volunteering to Gain Essential Experience as a Physician Assistant
Most people think of volunteering as something that can only be done for nonprofit organizations. What you may not realize is that you can volunteer virtually anywhere (although in hospitals and clinics this can be limited). You’ll find that few people turn down the offer of free help. And it is in here that lies […]
Free PANCE and PANRE Board Review – Email Series
Sign up for the FREE Daily PANCE and PANRE I am super excited to announce my Free Daily PANCE and PANRE board review email review series. It’s 60 days of PANCE and PANRE Board Review Questions and Answers delivered directly to your inbox. It is an easy and fun way to learn! A new question will […]
The Physician Assistant and the Frog: Kiss Many a Frog Before you Marry a Toad
Every night before bed my wife and I take time as a family to read to our kids. I love fairy tales as teaching tools. I particular love the story of the princess who had to kiss a frog in order to find her handsome prince. There is a moral here: “You have to kiss […]
Stop Making Comparisons on Your Road to Becoming a Physician Assistant
One of the biggest sources of discontent is comparing yourself to other people. Or comparing your life to what you see others doing (Instagram) or what you’ve accomplished compared to what others have done. “I wish I was more like him.” “Look at her! Why can’t I be more like that?” “Ugh, I just wish […]
The #1 Trait that Determines Long Term Success as a Physician Assistant
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Sir Winston Churchill I’ve come to realize that it’s not the best genetics, the highest GPA, or the most relevant healthcare experience that produces the most success, especially when it comes to being a PA or trying to […]
Make a Difference – Train the Next Generation of PAs in Sub-Saharan Africa as a Clinical Associates Mentor
Note: The Clinical Associates twinning partnerships in South Africa are made possible through the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in South Africa. Activities are carried out through institutional partnerships linking South African universities with counterpart institutions in the United States. […]
The Physician Assistant Applicant Attack Plan: Personalized Goal Sheet
Do you remember your New Year’s resolutions from January 1st? It probably went something like this: After waking up slightly (or seriously) hungover, you said to yourself, “this is the year I’m going to get into PA school!” or “this is the year I’m going to finish all my PA school prerequisites.” Maybe it was “I’m […]
Are you a PA Practicing Medicine by Design or by Default?
Default is the status quo. It is cookie cutter medicine. It is flowchart medicine. It is brainless medicine. Default medicine is continuing to prescribe Paxil when studies show it to be no more effective than a sugar pill, default is telling a diabetic patient to increase whole grains when you know it should be no grains, […]
Free PANCE and PANRE 120 Question Exam with Interactive Q&A
This PANCE and PANRE practice exam is designed to enhance your learning process. It is 100% free and makes a great review for both the PANCE and PANRE. There are in question answers and hints which provide test takers with immediate feedback. This is an excellent exam for board review and to introduce topics for […]
Physician Assistant Program Tuition and Costs – Comparison Table
Below is a cost comparison table of most Physician Assistant programs in the United States. *This table has been updated, please visit the 2017 PA School Tuition Comparison Table. PA Program Tuition and Cost Data Tuition and cost data of resident and nonresident tuition including length/duration of the PA program. Keep in mind that these are estimated costs and […]
Physician Assistants in Primary Care – A Dying Breed, Indeed!
Today I read this interesting article from the Annals of Family Medicine. It is titled: Physician Assistants in Primary Care: Trends and Characteristics It proved the point of a recent conversation I was having with my cousin – an orthopedic PA at Kaiser. My theory was that family practice PAs would soon see the same trend […]
Physician Assistant Salary Map: Compare Salary by State
Here at the PA Life, I am always trying to develop tools that make your life (and my life) easier. This might be one of my favorites. Trying to negotiate a salary is hard enough. This becomes even harder when you have to adjust for the never ending list of variables such as previous salary […]
The Costco Vitamin and Supplement Shopper: Patient Cheat Sheet
When it comes to vitamins I am not big on all the hype. That being said, I am a big fan of supplemental vitamin D3 and fish oil for most patients. I have some other recommendations in this area as well, as you will see below. The key though is compliance and in the world […]
The Top 46 Physician Assistant Applicant Interview Questions
Physician Assistant school interviews are extremely challenging. Here is a comprehensive list of forty-six high-frequency pa school interview questions you will likely encounter. This list of the “Top 46 Physician Assistant Applicant Interview Questions” is adapted from Andrew Rodican’s excellent book “The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Physician Assistant School,” Christina’s helpful video post from […]
The Reason I became a Physician Assistant in 20 Minutes and 46 Seconds
his is the video from our global medical mission trip October 2012. We were proud to serve over 600 people with combined medical and dental care. I have written several posts on the topic. It was an amazing experience and every time I need a reminder of why I love my job, I just look […]