So, you want to become a physician assistant? Congratulations, you have taken the first step on a lifelong journey filled with many joy’s, significant struggles and a lifetime of free pastries. Becoming a PA is relatively straightforward: Get prerequisites and healthcare experience Apply to and be accepted to any one of the 256 US physician […]
The PA Life Blog
The Ultimate Guide to CASPA Character and Space Limits
Does this sound familiar? That essay you’ve spent countless hours revising, run through grammar check over and over, asked your readers to proof it so many times they stopped answering your calls and had your computer read it back to you aloud for a final check, is done. You upload it into your CASPA application […]
The Tsum Valley Nepal Medical Mission: A Search for Clarity in the Valley
Written by Rabindra Adhikary, Nepali optometrist, and edited by Maria Ontiveros, team member. The essay originally appeared in Setopati, a Nepali digital newspaper. The Tsum Valley Medical Mission is recruiting physician assistants for its October 2018 fall effort. “These Himalayas are proof that God is real and that he loves us,” a delightful Canadian woman […]
Episode 61: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast
Ten Mixed NCCPA™ PANCE Content Blueprint Multiple Choice Questions Welcome to episode 61 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 […]
The Ultimate PA School Personal Statement Starter Kit
If you are struggling to write your PA school personal narrative, then this message is for you. Here’s why . . . PA school admissions teams have an uncanny ability (honed on the job) to detect when an applicant’s essay rings false. And you need to realize, that there is a cost to writing a […]
The #1 Mistake PRE-PAs Make on Their Personal Statement
What’s the #1 one mistake that potential PAs and pre-physician assistant students make while drafting their PA school personal statement? A failure to outline and plan! Outlining your personal statement is like following a proven recipe. Although strong personal statements do not all follow the same format (nor should they), there is a certain formula for success […]
Made by PA: MEDtakeovers and Medthusiast by Andrea Benedict PA-C
MEDtakeovers Medtakeovers’ creator and physician assistant extraordinaire, Andrea Benedict, launched this platform in 2016 to provide interested premeds and future healthcare professionals a behind-the-scenes look at various careers in medicine. MEDtakeovers is built upon a social media platform that allows healthcare professionals to bring you along with them for a day in their life as […]
2019 NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint Updates
Did you know that the NCCPA has updated the PANCE Content Blueprint for 2019? With the update came some changes both to my SMARTYPANCE Board Review Website and your board review checklist which I will be discussing here in detail. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint 2019 vs. 2018 The Big Changes The biggest change comes in […]
The 10 Best Cities For PAs to Move to in 2018
In its 2018 ranking of best health care jobs, U.S. News and World Report ranked physician assistant second in best health care jobs and third in best jobs overall. PAs are undoubtedly in high demand. As of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there were 109,220 working in the country. They are paid well, with […]
Episode 59: Emergency Medicine EOR – The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast
The Audio PANCE/PANRE PA Board Review Podcast Welcome to episode 59 of the FREE Audio PANCE and PANRE Physician Assistant Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten Emergency Medicine End of Rotation Exam (EOR) review questions from the SMARTYPANCE course content following the NCCPA™ and PAEA content blueprint (download the FREE cheat sheet). This week […]
The PA Advisor Series: Patient Contact Hours and Healthcare Experience
The 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 […]
The Perfect PA Program Picker: PA School Requirements and Admissions Tool
2018-2019 PA School Admissions and Requirements Table Search and sort through all 256 accredited and developing PA school programs by healthcare experience, resident and non-resident PA school tuition, PA program duration, GRE requirements, overall GPA, prerequisite GPA, and science GPA requirements. Search by PA program accreditation status, CASPA participation, PA school class size, five-year PANCE pass […]
How Much do PAs Make? Physician Assistant Salary and Compensation
PA Salary and Compensation How much money does a physician assistant make? In 2018, the median annual salary for PAs working full-time in the United States is $102,000 – $106,873 per year. PAs who receive an hourly wage, rather than an annual salary, earn an average of $60.00 per hour. PAs working in emergency medicine […]
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 Facts and Figures Physician assistant demographics have changed a lot over the years. From just four practicing physician assistants in the year 1967 to roughly 115,547 practicing PAs in 2018. That’s a big difference in just over 50 years! Below is the latest demographic and statistical data on physician assistants from the most […]
2018 Physician Assistant School Tuition and Fees: Cost Comparison Table
Tuition, Costs, and Fees of Resident and Nonresident Tuition For All 256 US PA Programs How Much Does it Cost to Go to PA School in 2018? Average cost of resident tuition + fees to graduate from an accredited physician assistant program in 2018 is: $79,941 This is an increase of 11% from 2017 Average cost […]
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, new job or 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 be great […]
