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 PA Life Blog
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 […]











