The Pre-PA Advisor Series Welcome to the PA Advisors Series – a special series of posts where PA school applicants like yourself ask the tough questions and admissions directors from top-ranking PA schools provide the answers. Today We Will Discuss: Patient Contact Hours and Healthcare Experience Requirements for PA School Here are some of the questions […]
The Power of Picmonics Plus Get 20% OFF!
Let’s start with a simple question… You’re studying for your PANCE exam, and you need to memorize 1000’s of clinical pearls from 467 topics covering 13 content blueprint organ systems, the culmination of two years of hard work and endless pimping from sadistic, but well-intentioned, attending physicians. How, exactly do you go about memorizing all this […]
Episode 57: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast
The Audio PANCE/PANRE PA Board Review Podcast Welcome to episode 57 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten PANCE and PANRE Board review questions from the SMARTYPANCE course content following the NCCPA™ content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet). This week we will be covering ten endocrinology […]
Made by PA: The Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs
The 2018 Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs The Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs written by Mark Volpe, MPH, MMSc, PA-C and Brittany Hogan PA-S, provides prospective PA program applicants with detailed information regarding all accredited PA programs in the United States. The book also provides helpful tips for applicants to improve their chances at success during […]
Physician Assistant Stats, Data, and Demographics
Physician assistant demographics have changed a lot over the years. From just four practicing physician assistants in the year 1967 to roughly ~126,000 practicing PAs in 2020. That’s a big difference in just over 50 years! Below is the latest demographic and statistical data on physician assistants from the most recent AAPA Salary report. I […]
PA School Prerequisites: Admissions Directors Answer Your Burning Questions
As you probably know by now, if you want to get into PA school, you must complete the necessary prerequisite coursework. I have discussed this in detail in a previous post Prerequisite Coursework: How to Design the Perfect Pre-PA School Curriculum. Today, we are going a step further by giving you answers to some of the […]
Torn Between PA or MD? Here’s How You Decide!
Are you struggling to decide between PA or MD, NP or PA, pre-nursing or biochem, a new job vs. your comfy job, CNA vs. MA, or scribe vs. EMT? One day you favor option A and the next day you flounder back to option B or worse, you start looking at option C. Wouldn’t it […]
Episode 55: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast
The Audio PANCE/PANRE PA Board Review Podcast Welcome to episode 55 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten PANCE and PANRE Board review questions from the SMARTYPANCE course content following the NCCPA™ content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet). This week we will be covering ten general board […]
Going Midlevel Midlife: Michelle’s Story of Becoming a Physician Assistant in her 40’s
After 16 years of teaching high school wellness, Michelle Roush felt ready for a greater challenge to leverage her interest in health. After much planning and preparation, she is now studying to become a physician assistant, and loving the journey. Tell us a little about your background… I am a married, 41-year-old mother of two […]
20 Answers to The Question: Why Do You Want to be a Physician Assistant?
Why Do You Want to be a Physician Assistant? You will be asked many different times: “Why?” “Why do you want to become a physician assistant?” “Why don’t you just go to medical school or NP school?” “You will make more money as a physician; you will have more prestige and recognition as a physician.” […]
The 10 Best Websites for Physician Assistant Job Search in 2026
The twelve job platforms actually worth a PA’s time — PA-only boards, the big generalists, locum, travel and telehealth — plus the two free tools that tell you whether the offer you got is any good.
Episode 53: General Surgery End of Rotation Exam – The Audio PANCE and PANRE Podcast
Welcome to episode 53 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten PANCE and PANRE Board review questions from the Academy course content following the NCCPA™ content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet) and the PAEA End of Rotation™ Exams Blueprints & Topic Lists. This week we will be […]
PA School Mock Interviews: Prepare with a LIVE, Recorded Video Interview
A 60-minute live mock interview with a practicing PA-C — recorded so you can rewatch every answer, with honest feedback and a plan to improve. $125 flat, and your first 20 minutes of AI voice practice with Maya are included. Why do you want to be a PA? When you book with The PA Life, […]
300+ PA School Interview Questions You Should Be Ready to Answer
So, you have an upcoming PA school interview. Congratulations you’re almost there. Now, of course, there is another hurdle to cross, and that is sounding as amazing as you appear to be on your CASPA application. This isn’t hard because YOU ARE as amazing as you appear to be on your CASPA application, so the […]
Welcome to Your Virtual PA School Clinical Rotation
What if you could take a virtual tour through the NCCPA Content Blueprint? Not just mindless memorization of key terms and test-worthy pearls but matching those facts with faces. What if you could go bedside and visit patients with real conditions, even rare conditions from the comfort of your home? What if each of these […]
Applying to PA School with a Low GPA: Admissions Directors Answer Your Questions
How to Get Into PA School With a Low GPA PA school administrators from ten top-ranking PA programs answer your questions on how to get into PA school with a low GPA. A low GPA is probably the hardest area to improve. This makes sense – it was years in the making, and can’t be […]
Episode 51: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast – Comprehensive Audio Quiz
Welcome to episode 51 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten PANCE and PANRE Board review questions from the Academy course content following the NCCPA™ content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet). This week we will be covering ten general board review questions based on the NCCPA PANCE […]
Book Review: Atul Gawande The Checklist Manifesto
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right in a World of Increasing Complexity e live in an era of gratuitous inventions and negative improvements. Consider the DaVinci Robo surgeon, for example, a drool-inducing twenty-second-century $1.7 million remote-controlled machine designed to help surgeons do laparoscopic surgery with more maneuverability inside patients’ bodies and fewer complications. […]
PA State Licensing: How to Get Licensed, What It Costs, and What Your Board Decides
Find your state PA licensing board on an interactive map, then see what licensure actually involves — the four credentials you need, what it costs, how long it takes, and what happens if you let a licence lapse.
Episode 49: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast – Comprehensive Audio Quiz
Welcome to episode 49 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten PANCE and PANRE board review questions from the Academy course content following the NCCPA™ content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet). This week we will be covering 10 general board review questions based on the NCCPA PANCE […]
PANCE and PANRE Pass Rates: What the National Numbers Actually Say
The national first-time PANCE pass rate year by year from the NCCPA, the PANRE first-attempt and ultimate rates, and why your program’s published number is a different figure entirely.
PA vs. MD: Understanding the Differences [2026 Infographic]
PA vs MD in one graphic: what it takes to get in, time to practice, cost, salary, and burnout — every number updated and verified with 2026 data.
How to Create a Winning Physician Assistant Résumé (Step by Step)
No design skills, no template wrestling, no fight with Microsoft Word. Here’s the complete step-by-step walkthrough of the free PA Life Application Studio I built — from first click to print-ready document. Here’s the kicker — the hardest part of a PA résumé was never the content. You lived the content. It’s the formatting: the […]
5 Things I’ve Learned Going Into My Fourth Physician Assistant Application Cycle
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up – Thomas Edison I will be honest; this is not an article I ever thought I’d be writing. I submitted my first PA school application immediately after finishing my undergrad, and here I am, three […]
101 PA School Admissions Essays: The Book!
You’re slaving away at your personal statement but can’t help wondering if anyone will read past the first line. A troubling thought, isn’t it? A Great Personal Statement Does Matter It’s what makes you different from the millions of other applicants hoping for attention from the Admissions Committee. After all, everyone is cranking out healthcare […]
Finding a Physician Assistant Mentor: The Foolproof PA Shadowing Guide
Let’s face it, finding a PA to shadow is no easy task. When I first contemplated a career as a physician assistant, I was hard-pressed to find a PA to shadow. I was dying to connect with a PA and pick their brain, hear about everything they did, and shadow for a day or two. […]
Episode 47: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast – Comprehensive Audio Quiz
Welcome to episode 47 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover 10 PANCE and PANRE board review questions from the Academy course content following the NCCPA™ content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet). This week we will be covering 10 general board review questions based on the NCCPA PANCE […]
Secrets of Successful PA School Letters of Recommendation
Your essay is your voice about yourself. A recommendation letter is someone else’s voice about you. Whether we like it or not, other people’s opinions matter. A good letter of recommendation can make your day; a great letter of recommendation can change your life. Whether it is a dating review on Tinder, a restaurant recommendation […]
Physician Assistant Postgraduate Residency and Fellowship Programs: The Ultimate Guide
Postgraduate PA School Residency and Fellowship Programs Just here for the list? Every active PA residency and fellowship in the country is in one live, searchable table further down — updated continuously, never hand-typed. Jump to the residency table ↓Open the Residency Match tool → As a new or even experienced PA, it is normal […]
Murmur Madness: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Episode 45
Welcome to episode 45 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Today we are going to take a brief detour away from 10 daily questions and instead cover the murmurs you need to know for your PANCE and PANRE exam. I have still included an 11 question exam at the end […]