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
Short answer: yes, they exist — but there are far fewer than the internet will tell you, and “part-time” does not mean what most people hope it means. Here is what I could actually verify this week, from the programs’ own pages. I first wrote this post in 2014. For years it was one of […]
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 […]
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 […]
PA Interview Thank-You Email and Follow-Up: Samples & Timing
Send a PA interview thank-you email that sounds human. See job and PA school samples, follow-up timing, subject lines, mistakes, and what to write.
PA School and PA Job Email Etiquette: Thank-You & Follow-Up Tips
Not sure what to write to a PA program or employer? Here’s how to choose a subject line, say thank you, follow up, and avoid the mistakes that make people hit Delete.
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 […]
PA School Tuition Trends: How Much Costs Have Risen Since 2013
See how PA school tuition has changed since 2013, compare historical and current costs, and use live program data to budget beyond tuition alone.