Welcome to episode 9 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. The Audio PANCE and PANRE is an audio board review series that includes 10 Multiple Choice PANCE and PANRE Board Review Questions in each episode. I created this audio series to help you fill some downtime when you are unable to read (like in […]
Prerequisite Coursework: How to Design the Perfect Pre-PA School Curriculum
* To compare top ranking PA schools and download your FREE PA School Prerequisite Worksheet click here This post is part of my 5 steps to PA school series to go from zero to PA school hero: Complete the necessary prerequisite coursework Obtain the required medical and hands-on patient care experience Successfully prepare for and take the GRE (or avoid […]
The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast Episode 7
Welcome to episode 7 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. The Audio PANCE and PANRE is an audio board review series that includes 10 Multiple Choice PANCE and PANRE Board Review Questions in each episode. I created this audio series to help you fill some downtime when you are unable to read (like in […]
If You Take the Red Pill: Reflections on the Future of Medicine
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhumane.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. This blog post is an excerpt (and my PA friendly adaptation) from a speech by Dr. Paul Farmer given at Harvard Medical School, Class Day June 5, 2003. Featured in “To repair the world”. The […]
2015 Physician Assistant Program Tuition and Cost Comparison Table
Updated 2015 Physician Assistant Program tuition and cost comparison table. Tuition and cost data for resident and nonresident tuition including length/duration of the PA program. Based on this 2015 data table: Average cost of resident tuition for a two-year physician assistant program is: $65,564 Average cost of non-resident tuition for a two-year physician assistant program is: $76,134 *For […]
The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast Episode 5
Welcome to episode 5 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. The Audio PANCE and PANRE is an audio board review series that includes 10 Multiple Choice PANCE and PANRE Board Review Questions in each episode. I created this audio series to help you fill some downtime when you are unable to read (like […]
What is the Number One Regret People Have in Life?
The ward was bleak. Always eerily quiet. A clinical world where clock ticks seemed to scream and that vile smell attacked more than the air, the walls, and the floors. It attached itself to the people themselves as if they, too, had been harshly scrubbed down with disinfectant. The worst part was the uncertainty. You never […]
Physician Assistant School and Program Directory eBook
Are you Looking for a good end of the summer read? I am so happy to offer my newly compiled PA Programs eBook to you for FREE. The Physician Assistant School and Program Directory is a complete list of every accredited Physician Assistant Programs in the United States. And best of all: It’s been fully […]
The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast Episode 3
Are you bored to death in the car and worried about your upcoming PANCE or PANRE? Do you have a long, painful commute to your next OB rotation and had enough NPR? Do you have time while on a run or at the gym that is filled with tracks by Maroon 5 or Katy Perry and you know […]
The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast Episode 1
Welcome to episode 1 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. The Audio PANCE and PANRE is an audio board review series that includes 10 Multiple Choice PANCE and PANRE Board Review Questions in each episode. This is an excellent way to learn on the go! Now you can study for […]
Do You Recognize These 7 Common Mistakes in Your Personal Statement?
You’ve written your essay. You know what you want to say. But will the admissions committee get your message? You’ve read through countless PA school essay samples. You’ve chopped and changed the order of the paragraphs. You’ve polished each sentence. After all that hard work, you’re still not sure whether your essay flows along nicely. Will readers […]
Which State Has the Largest Number of Physician Assistant Programs?
Hint, You May be Surprised (Or not) Programs in these four states make up more than one-third of all programs, roughly (34%) I am a native Californian who traveled 3,000 miles East (the day after I got married) to attend PA School at Rutgers University in New Jersey. If you are trying to make it […]
Physician Assistant Programs Offering Part-Time Options
Are you looking to be a PA on the DL? While updating the PA Schoolfinder Physician Assistant Program Database, I was surprised to learn that there are only three Physician Assistant Programs in the United States offering part-time options. Physician Assistant Programs Offering Part-Time Options Rutgers University Physician Assistant Program – New Jersey University of Detroit […]
The Daily Eponym: A FREE Email Series That Will Impress Your Preceptor and Save Countless Lives
What is an Eponym? f you are, or ever have been a PA student and you are not familiar with eponyms then you just may be living under a rock. “Eponyms” is best known as an app that gives a short description of more than 1,700 common and obscure medical eponyms. Why are Eponyms Important? The case […]
The Virtual PANCE and PANRE – It’s Like Having a Pearson VUE Testing Center in Your Living Room
When preparing for your PANCE or PANRE Board exam, it is hard to know what to expect on test day. Yes, you can watch the preparatory NCCPA PANCE Video or PANRE Video and you should, because they are informative. Usually, after I watch them two or maybe even three times, I feel more knowledgeable but also increasingly anxious. […]
Who is the Ideal PA School Candidate? Surprising Lessons From Olympic Ice Skating
I love Olympic figure skating. It is the ultimate test of human grit. Here are people who have spent four years and countless hours practicing for what comes down to a life-changing two-minute event. This is a lesson on life, it is a lot like preparing for your PA school interview, finally pressing submit and […]
My PA School Rejection Letters – How to Turn Your “Set Back” into a “Set Up”
If I fail more often than you, I win! I have written before about the importance of becoming an epic failure and how this is a fundamental part of becoming an epic success. I was cleaning out some of my old file cabinets today and came across my PA school application documents from 2001. I will be […]
MD Versus PA Showdown Round 1 – Show Me The Money!
The net hourly wage of an internal medicine physician is 1.13 times that of a high school teacher and 1.25 times LESS THAN that of a physician assistant! Read more…
The Meaning of a Physician Assistant Life
I was going to bed last night and powering off my iPad when something wonderful happened. I received two kind messages, one from a long-time patient of mine and one from a reader of this blog. Both were a message of kindness and gratitude. They were so unexpected and so genuine that they touched me. […]
Trying to Decide if You Want to be a Physician Assistant? Then “OOCH!”
Trying to Decide if You Want to be a Physician Assistant? Imagine a “hypothetical” student, Steve, who has decided to go to physician assistant school. What makes him think that’s a good option? Well, he spent months toying with other possibilities —medical school and even law school— and he eventually decided PA school was the best […]
Attention Procrastinators: Introducing The Daily PANCE and PANRE FAST-TRACK Email Edition!
Get a full 90 days of official board review email questions in just 30 days! Of all the things I offer here on the PALife blog, few have been as popular as the free Daily PANCE and PANRE board review email series. If you haven’t already signed up for the free series you can do […]
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 […]
