The contemporary physician assistant/associate (PA) movement began in North America and Africa in the mid-1960s. As of 2018, the adoption of PAs has spread globally across a variety of health systems and at least fifteen countries have been in various stages of expansion of PA-like medical workers (nonphysician clinicians) that function under the supervision of a […]
The PA Life Blog
Why Are So Many Women Becoming PAs? Here’s One Man’s Answer!
Although the physician assistant profession began as a male-dominated workforce, women now comprise over 72 percent of physician assistants (PAs) in the United States. In fact, in the 51 short years since our careers’ inception, it was only the first 20 that saw a male-led majority. In 1972, five years after the inaugural class of PAs […]
How Many PANCE and PANRE Practice Exams Should You Take?
Along with practice questions, taking full-length PANCE and PANRE practice tests is an indispensable part of preparing for the PANCE and PANRE. How many full-length mock exams should you take, though? And how often? Let’s use a sports analogy to shed some light on these important questions. What Sports Teams Can Teach Us About PANCE and PANRE […]
The Top 5 Reasons People Choose to Become a PA: Put To The Test
What are the most important considerations for a career path after PA school for PA students and future PAs? Here are the top 5 reasons PA students give for choosing PA school Work-life balance Availability of jobs Stable, secure future Ability to pay off debt Relationship with supervising physician For those answering the most recent Physician […]
Podcast Episode 65: Hepatitis B Breakdown With Joe Gilboy PA-C
The Audio PANCE/PANRE – The ABC’s of Hepatitis + The Hepatitis B Breakdown Welcome to episode 65 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA Board Review Podcast. In today’s episode, I welcome my friend, exclusive smartypance lecturer, and PA board review extraordinaire Joe Gilboy PA-C who will be breaking down Hepatitis B as you’ve never seen […]
Mock PA School Interview With Pre-PA Kassidy Anthony
Welcome to the second video in our Mock PA School Interview Series: Ten blog posts featuring ten amazing Pre-PAs who have graciously shared their recorded mock PA school interviews with one singular intention: To help you achieve success on your path to PA school and be more confident on the day of your PA school interview. Today’s […]
The 4 Best PANCE and PANRE Study Guides and Review Books
What are the best PANCE and PANRE review books? Here are my picks for the top PANCE and PANRE review books of 2018 that have helped me score in the top 5% on both the PANCE and PANRE exams. You can browse my complete list of reading recommendations or sign up for my reading list newsletter […]
Mock PA School Interview With Pre-PA Lily Boyle
Welcome to the second video in our Mock PA School Interview Series: Ten blog posts featuring ten amazing Pre-PAs who have graciously shared their recorded mock PA school interviews with one singular intention: To help you achieve success on your path to PA school and be more confident on the day of your PA school interview. Today’s […]
Episode 63: The Audio PANCE and PANRE PA Board Review Podcast
Ten Mixed NCCPA™ PANCE Content Blueprint Multiple Choice Questions Welcome to episode 63 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 […]
Mock Physician Assistant School Interview With Taylor Hill Pre-PA
Ever wanted to know what a mock PA school interview looks like? Thanks to Taylor Hill and ten other remarkable Pre-PAs just like him you are about to find out. Welcome to the first video of our Mock PA school Interview Series. Ten blog posts featuring ten amazing Pre-PAs who have graciously shared their recorded […]
Life as a Single Mom in Physician Assistant (PA) School
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Jennifer of The PA Cafe. My name is Jennifer, a United States Army Veteran, single mom and currently enrolled in both the Master’s of Public Health and Master’s of Medical Science (PA program) in Davie, FL. The journey through PA school has been both challenging and humbling […]
How to Become a Physician Assistant (PA) in 8 Simple Steps
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 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 […]
