If you have three, four, or even five months until you start PA school, here are three things you can do right now to make sure you are prepared for when you walk in the door.
Pre-Physician Assistant
How to Get Shadowing Hours During a Global Pandemic
Let me guess; you are struggling to find shadowing hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trust me, you are not alone. Many Pre-PA students looking to apply in the next 1-2 years have an extra challenge than those in past years, COVID-19! The global pandemic has changed the way applicants can volunteer, finish prerequisites, shadow, etc. […]
5 Best Ways to Give a Memorable PA School Interview
Congratulations! You’ve been invited to interview for a PA school. That email sprang into your inbox, and you responded faster than lightning. You saved the date, updated your Zoom video settings, placed a copy of When Breath Becomes Air in your visible background, or (if you are reading this post-pandemic) purchased your plane tickets. Now you […]
PA Programs with a 100% 5-Year PANCE Pass Rate
When deciding which PA school to attend, PANCE pass rates often enter the discussion. Although I agree that five-year PANCE pass rates reflect well on a PA program, I don’t believe they should be the most important part of your PA school decision matrices. Many factors can affect a PA programs PANCE pass rates, and […]
PA School is Like Drinking From a Fire Hose – Exaggerating? Definitely not!
In the first week of PA school, I remember being told that, “PA school is like drinking out of a fire hose.” Am I exaggerating? Definitely not! PA school is a crazy journey, unlike any other. Every PA program is slightly different, but the didactic year requires that you absorb A LOT of information. Anatomy, […]
Don’t Make This Critical PA School Interview Mistake!
Practice, practice, practice, for your PA school interview! But whatever you do, don’t sound rehearsed. We all know how important practicing is before interview day, but make sure you remember that memorizing answers is the kiss of death! In many ways, practicing is about confidence. When you’ve seen and heard the questions before, you’ve considered […]
How to Write the Perfect PA School Supplemental Essay
So you finished writing your amazingly perfect PA school personal statement that shows Admissions Committees your passion for patient care and interest in the PA profession. Now you are faced with a slew of supplemental essay prompts that must be addressed concisely and specifically. What is a Pre-PA Applicant to do? First, take a deep […]
Who’s Your Average PA? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Meet Melissa Mean. She is a 38-year-old female physician assistant working in New York State, earning $123,080 per year. She holds a master’s degree in physician assistant studies with a bachelor’s of science in biochemistry from Penn State University. She works 40.3 hours per week in an office-based family medicine practice. She is not bilingual […]
Why Choose PA Over NP? Here’s the Perfect Answer
A common PA school interview question that stumps many well-intentioned PA school interviewees is “Why did you choose PA over NP?” This is a classic question that you must be prepared to answer. Do you have an answer? How to answer the PA vs. NP interview question without being offensive Here is a clip from […]
31 (NEW) CASPA PA School Personal Statement Examples
Several years ago, I published a blog post titled 31 Physician Assistant Personal Statement Examples, which has been viewed over half a million times. The chance to read other people’s PA school essays proved so enticing that we even wrote a book about it. It’s called 101 CASPA PA school personal statement examples and is […]
What are Three Things You Wish You Could Say to Your Pre-PA Self?
Life is full of regrets because life is full of choice. I have collected a few regrets over the years, and if I were a betting man, I would guess you have some as well? Regrets come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s insignificant like choosing the wrong entree at a restaurant. Sometimes it’s […]
What’s Your #1 Personal Statement Struggle?
Are you struggling to write your PA School personal statement? Are you afraid your essay doesn’t stand out, it’s over the character count, or worse yet, it doesn’t even answer the simple question: “Why do I want to be a PA? Well, you are not alone! This year, as part of our PA school collaborative […]
How to Write the Perfect Physician Assistant Cover Letter
Whether you are applying to PA school, to your first PA job, or you are a seasoned PA interested in an exciting new career possibility, you are likely worried most about constructing an effective resume. But, one of the most overlooked and underrated components of the application is the cover letter. Like the PA school […]
You Have 625 Words and 2.5 Minutes to Get Into PA School: Use Them Wisely
The average person’s reading speed is about 250 words per minute. The CASPA personal statement allows a 5,000-character count (about 625 words). Therefore, a full-length statement would take an average of 2.5 minutes to read. If a PA program received 1,000 applications meeting or exceeding minimum screening qualifications, reading all of these personal statements would […]
7 Rules You Must Follow While Writing Your PA School Essay
You know you’re in a war, right? PA school, once a bastion for rebels looking to buck the normal medical school model is now more competitive than ever. The CASPA application is full of standard metrics like GPA, GRE scores, prerequisite requirements, and college transcripts which make it hard to differentiate yourself from the pack. […]
