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You are here: Home / PA vs MD / A Surgeon Speaks: 7 Reasons Why You Should Choose PA Over MD

A Surgeon Speaks: 7 Reasons Why You Should Choose PA Over MD

BY Stephen Pasquini PA-C 41 Comments

A Fellowship Trained Surgeon Shares 7 Reasons You Should Choose PA over MD

I am a fellowship-trained surgeon.

Besides the financial aspect, the following 7 points will make your decision of PA vs. MD easy:

1.  It takes on an average at least 15 years (after high school) of head in the sand (books) to complete fellowship and reach the $200,000 debt figure that you are quoting.

2.  A 40-50 hour work week is a dream for most MDs. Most of my colleagues work 60 hrs and some up to 80 hours a week.

3.  Not counting the hours after you go home and come back for ’emergencies’.

4.  Family life is a ‘possibility’ for PAs. Look around and see how many MDs have kids before 30. You will be surprised by the small number.

5.  Most of my PA friends work two jobs (totaling 60-80hrs/week), so their salaries go up accordingly. Ever heard of an MD working two jobs. I guess 120-160 hrs/week is kinda difficult. Huh..

6.  PAs work just as well and earn just as much respect by their patients and colleagues.

7.  The only trajectory this trend is going is upwards. Mid-level providers’ need and utilization has been increasing exponentially.

I am totally happy with what I am doing. But if I were to advise an aspiring student for MD vs. PA, I would totally refer him/her to this post. I think the round 1 showdown is won by PAs, not MDs.

- Dr. S

Dr. S is a fellowship trained surgeon who was kind enough to weigh in on the PA vs. MD debate in the comments section of this blog.

What do you think? Is Dr. S spot on or dead wrong? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.  You probably know where I stand on this debate. 🙂

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About Stephen Pasquini PA-C

A PA since 2004 and creator of The PA Life and Smarty PANCE Board Review websites. A National Health Service Corps Scholar and a graduate of The University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (Rutgers) PA Program and the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Stephen's goal is to provide one-of-a-kind online resources for those interested in or practicing in the PA profession, to promote better access to healthcare for all and foster universal recognition/awareness of the PA profession. Read more about Stephen.

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Comments

  1. Stephen Peter Switek says

    January 2, 2022 at 9:20 am

    I am a retired PA. I worked in general surgery/urology for 20 years, followed by 20 more years in urologic oncology. I don’t get the author’s argument . My first job I made 50 cents more than the OR Techs and 2 dollars less than the RNs. Most of the docs were at best ambivalent and the rest hostile. The only reason the nurses tolerated us was because I was able to get a catheter in somebody they couldn’t, and they didn’t want to call the doc. I was on call as much as any surgeon, and took extra call to pay for my daughters’ college tuitions. As a surgical PA who do you think saw the patient pre-op, updated the consent and helped set up the robot, prepped and draped, etc while the Chief talked to his stockbroker? The office was no better. Mostly listening to patient’s complain about their incontinence and impotence ( even though they were cancer free) for 30 minutes and then when the Chief stuck his head in they would gush how he saved their life. So three quarters of the work for one fourth of the salary did not get annual hunting trips to Argentina.
    So why are you in medicine Doc? Read your Kipling. ” No stairway to heaven, just simple service simply given, to your own kind in their need”
    Thanks for letting me vent. I gotta go now, the fish are biting.`

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      January 5, 2022 at 5:49 am

      Well said, Stephen!

      Reply
  2. Paul says

    May 28, 2021 at 10:40 am

    This is a highly skewed view coming from a surgical MD. Surgical lifestyles are notorious for suboptimal work-life balance (with the exception of some surgical subspecialties like urology or plastic surgery). The majority of this post’s argument against choosing MD is based on a lifestyle factors. They do not even consider higher aspirations such as professional satisfaction and clinical expertise.

    But even speaking to the lifestyle argument: there are plenty of MD specialties that are very well compensated with normal work hours. For example, as an academic anesthesiologist in a large US city, I make $400k/yr and work a median of 45 hours per week and do not work on weekends. My work-life balance is great and my professional satisfaction is very high. It is more important to find the right fit for an individual person than to make blanket statements about the preferability of MD vs. PA.

    Furthermore, the surgeon who authored this post can very easily scale back his/her practice and make a more modest salary in exchange for a much better work-life balance. It is totally feasible. I find that most of my MD colleagues that complain about such things actually prioritize their financial goals over their personal goals, leading to dissatisfaction and burnout. More of a personal issue than an MD vs. PA issue in my view.

    Reply
  3. Matthew Morrison says

    February 3, 2020 at 12:25 am

    Doctors still have to carry much of the weight. They cannot throw off all of their work onto the PAs. Being a doctor despite the good salary does not mask or make up for mental stress and breakdowns that doctors suffer. Not to mention the epidemic problems of substance abuses and suicides. Yes, a lot of doctors in this day and age commit suicide more often than police officers or dentists. If you think money will make you happy – you are delusional and a naive child. Also, doctors salaries are declining and will decline dramatically once a single payer insurance/Medicare for all system is in place. Yes, single payer healthcare (socialized medicine) in the US is a forgone conclusion. If you are going to med school or any health profession to get rich – STOP! There are much easier, cheaper and quicker ways to get rich. One group of people who tend to get rich are inventors with engineering degrees.

    Reply
  4. Jill says

    October 24, 2019 at 4:54 am

    Oh please! Seriously? My son is an attorney and my daughter-in-law a physician. Yes, they work long hours but they also make phenomenal salaries! Enough to pay off any student debt within a few years.

    Reply
    • Matthew M. says

      February 3, 2020 at 12:28 am

      Oh puhleez! You embellish! Don’t be so thin skinned.

      Reply
  5. LHahn says

    March 22, 2019 at 4:03 am

    Hi –

    I am a practicing PA and I’m going to rebuttle every single statement above.

    1. It takes on an average at least 15 years (after high school) of head in the sand (books) to complete fellowship and reach the $200,000 debt figure that you are quoting. —> very falsely representing medical school and scaring people away without facts. A PA also takes on average 6 1/2 years after high school and has about 200k in debt / then they start working. A medical student is about eight years after high school Before they start getting paid and also have 200-400k in debt. The difference between when a PA and a medical student start generating income is only roughly two years. Once a medical student is a resident they are making a salary (and I know plenty of residents that are making about 60 K which is not far off from a starting salary of a PA.) Some medical students may have more debt than PAs (and they may not be getting paid as much is PAs as residents or fellows initially) however they’re taking a short term loss for a long-term gain, as once they graduate and are officially working as doctors their income is significantly higher than that of a PA for the rest of their life. The other big difference is that when doctors graduate they graduate with prestige and a lot more respect than what PAs get – also a significant amount more of education making them the expert and not a jack of many trades and a master of none.

    2. A 40-50 hour work week is a dream for most MDs. Most of my colleagues work 60 hrs and some up to 80 hours a week. —> I know many PAs working 60 to 80 hours a week just with their one full-time job. A lot of doctors are dumping work on their PAs so that they can have shorter work week’s which is in turn increasing the PAs workload.

    3. Not counting the hours after you go home and come back for ’emergencies’. —> Doctors are punting their call on PAs. Doctors do not like to take call so many PAs are the ones doing the night call for them now. This may be different for people who are surgeons that physically have to go in and do the surgeries that PAs cannot. But if you’re not working in a surgical department I would say for the most part doctors are giving up their call schedules to their respective PAs for an easier work life balance for themselves.

    4. Family life is a ‘possibility’ for PAs. Look around and see how many MDs have kids before 30. You will be surprised by the small number. —> Also completely in accurate. I know plenty of women who have gone through medical school that had children during the first four years. I also personally know somebody who was a Harvard graduate it attorney that went back to medical school and had one child each of her for years of the first four of medical school and is top of her class. Medical schools are more accommodating to women having children as you do not need to graduate with the class that you started with. Unlike PA school where you will graduate with the class that you started with because you don’t have the ability to stop and take a break if you needed to then jump back in.

    5. Most of my PA friends work two jobs (totaling 60-80hrs/week), so their salaries go up accordingly. Ever heard of an MD working two jobs. I guess 120-160 hrs/week is kinda difficult. Huh.. —> MDs don’t need to make money working two jobs because they’re usually making enough doing one. PAs are working two jobs to try to pay down their student loans or get out of debt and they’re working themselves to the bone to barely make what a primary care physician is. there will be a couple people from the top 1% who are probably making close to 180 or 200,000 but I would encourage those who are looking from the outside to look at the reality of PA salary reports or the AAPA salary port and see what the average salaries are that are being reported and keep in mind that average are those in between new graduates and people who have been working a very long time and you will see that the salaries are still nowhere near those numbers . Also to say that most PAs are working more than one job would be completely in accurate. I know plenty of PAs who are working for more than 40 hours a week just in their first job and the last thing they want to do is go work a second one afterwards.

    6. PAs work just as well and earn just as much respect by their patients and colleagues. —> Completely disagree with the statement. I have never been more disrespected then I have as a PA. I constantly feel like the middle child. The public still really doesn’t understand what we do and the hospital by laws in a lot of areas do not reflect their respect for us as we are restricted in what we can do practice wise. There are many positions that refuse to speak with PAs in demand to only speak with the physician. There are patients who asked to see doctors over their PA. There are administrators who will not speak with PAs and PAs are not allowed to park in the same parking lot as most positions or get free food in the hospital as positions are or access to the doctors lounge in many areas.

    7. The only trajectory this trend is going is upwards. Mid-level providers’ need and utilization has been increasing exponentially. —> I want to make it clear it’s been an active trend to not refer to PAs and NPs as “midlevels” as we do not provide midlevel care. More People are using us because we are cheap labor. I strongly believe with the changes in education for nurse practitioners and PAs changing to online format versus in person schooling we are generating a diploma mill that could result in over saturation. In many markets we are already dealing with oversaturation and it is driving down salaries.

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      March 22, 2019 at 6:32 pm

      Hi LHahn. Would you mind if I published your comment as a post on the blog? I appreciate your comment and it would be great to open this up to a wider audience.

      Stephen

      Reply
      • Lhahn says

        March 23, 2019 at 3:01 am

        Lol you’re welcome to but let’s fix my spelling errors I was doing talk to text early in the morning after a night of call

        Reply
        • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

          March 23, 2019 at 6:58 am

          Thanks! What you have said is timely and a very good rebuttal. Do you want to edit this and send it back to me for publication or are you OK if I perform the edits myself? Is there anything you would like to add to this?

          Reply
          • Lhahn says

            March 23, 2019 at 1:50 pm

            I could probably add a lot more to it. Shoot me an email

            Reply
    • Jared Wilson says

      June 8, 2019 at 9:37 am

      Lhahn, your rebuttal is spot on and hilarious to me… I was saying the same things to myself as I was reading the surgeon’s arguments.

      Reply
    • Jill says

      October 24, 2019 at 4:57 am

      You’re exactly right!!!

      Reply
  6. Christina says

    December 22, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    I disagree with this post. I am a practicing orthopedic surgery PA. First, being “on-call” is MD friendly, not PA friendly. The MD only gets called for being on-call if there is a surgery or procedure needed. The MD is paid by hospital per call just to be on call (not do anything) and then get additional pay by billing for any procedures they perform. PAs, on the other hand, must take all phone calls from ER, patients, pharmacies without extra pay PLUS attend any procedures, ER visits or surgeries. We are salaried and do not get paid per case while MDs do. MDs are much more motivated to work harder thus the PA works harder. But the PA doesn’t get paid per surgery or patient so the motivation is not there. I agree with above that the MD is living in expensive homes and buying cars in cash while the PA lives a much more modest lifestyle while working many, many more hours. Moreover, patients will criticize and complain much more freely to a PA than their MD and show more appreciating to their MD. Additionally, from an investment standpoint, there are few to none investment opportunities to PAs. Ambulatory surgery centers, medical device, medical billing, depositions and IMEs are all “physician only.” PAs can not invest and thus not gain capital like physicians can. If I could start all over again, I’d be a MD for sure. It is the financially savvy and lifestyle friendly way to go. MDs must choose a speciality to fit with a comfortable lifestyle. But ultimately, MDs make the schedule and can work when and how they want.

    Reply
    • LHahn says

      March 22, 2019 at 3:46 am

      I agree. I am a PA and if I could do it again I would do MD / DO any day of the week, I disagree with the statements from the surgeon above.

      Reply
    • Erica C says

      September 3, 2021 at 12:32 pm

      One benefit of being a PA (at least in my mind) is the ability to live where you want. It is important for me to be around family and have my children have their grandparents in their lives on a regular basis. As a PA whose able to work in many different fields, I could apply to various job listings. A physician who is specialized in one area, often only has a few options for job openings in a particular geographic area at any given time. The more specialized they are (us specialties etc), the more that could become a factor. Of course they can choose to open a private practice as well.

      Reply
      • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

        September 7, 2021 at 4:41 am

        I agree with your Erica! I have implemented this strategy myself, and it is a big advantage of being a PA.

        Stephen

        Reply
  7. Iryl says

    December 18, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    Why are we as patients having to spend just as much money for a PA as an MD on a visit that is just Not right. That is so wrong on so many levels ..corrupt even. We spend just as much for an office visit but we do not get a REAL Doctor ..

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      December 19, 2018 at 12:00 pm

      Offices and hospitals are often not reimbursed at the same rate for PA visits. Medicare and Tricare, for example, reimburses at 85% of the same visit performed by an MD. https://www.aapa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Third_party_payment_2017_FINAL.pdf

      Now, what the hospital, urgent care, ER or doctors office charges the consumer is entirely up to them. Should you be charged the same amount to see the PA? I’m a PA and my answer is no, but the entire system is unfortunately rigged against the healthcare consumer. That includes myself, who when I’m not providing care for my patients I or my loved one are consumers of it. Laws need to be changed and people need to stand up and demand more. We’re certainly paying more than anyone in the world for our healthcare. It would be nice if we actually got something out of it or consumers could enjoy a high level of care from PAs while also seeing a financial benefit as an option.

      Stephen

      Reply
    • JG says

      February 6, 2019 at 10:03 am

      While I can identify with your concern, you have to understand that PAs are trained on the same medical model as an MD. It is my belief that it all boils down to the individual who is treating you. I have worked with amazing PAs and absolutely atrocious MDs, and vice versa. MDs and PAs are both required to maintain continuing education. If the individual wants to be an amazing practitioner, then they will strive to do that and you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference.

      Reply
  8. Tom Carrino says

    June 13, 2017 at 2:03 pm

    I am a PA married for 34 years to a physician (Otolaryngologist). We met in the Air Force soon after I finished PA school and she finished her residency. She talked me out of applying for medical school saying more than a hundred times “I wish I were a PA instead of a doctor”. Our son, who we always thought would go to med school, saw the differences in our lifestyle – me going to all his soccer games; her being on call and going to the hospital/surgery instead. He is now a PA. Enough said.

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      August 26, 2018 at 9:37 pm

      Yes! Enough Said!

      Reply
  9. Luke says

    March 1, 2016 at 9:11 am

    This was an extremely helpful post, and I sincerely appreciate this surgeon’s integrity and honesty in posting these thoughts. There are a few out there who absolutely LIVE for the study of science and medicine; they eat, sleep, and breath it. However, those that I’ve known who are this way (not to sound mean at all) are NOT very well rounded in their interests. This is okay with them. They like it that way. For most people though, there is a desire to see and do a multitude of places and activities, respectively. I, for one, love to travel, read, daydream, exercise, be involved at my church, support my wife and family, and so on. My wife always tells me “You likely could be a neurosurgeon, a dad, a husband, a _______, etc. but you’re NOT going to have time to be GREAT at all of them. Something has to give. You have to decide what YOUR priorities are going to be in life.”

    My wife is super wise. I chose to go to PA school because I want to be more than a healthcare provider. I want to be a good dad, a good husband, a good friend, a good musician, a good brother, etc. and I knew that being a PA was going to give me more TIME to attempt to be those things in life, while still allowing me to touch peoples lives with the help of others, doctors, nurses, and PA’s alike.

    Bottom-line: I think it’s okay to be honest about it, in the right way. Telling someone you want to benefit others outside of medicine isn’t a bad thing.

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      March 1, 2016 at 12:58 pm

      Right on Luke!

      Reply
      • JOHN says

        August 13, 2016 at 6:16 pm

        I work for radiologists that work 40 hrs a week. They make 350 to 400 thousand a year. I think you need to look at more than internal medicine. The surgeon who states she works 60 hrs per week makes overer 500 k a year. I worked for neurosurgeons making 700k plus. Yes they work extreme hours. I think the numbers you obtained are from inaccurate sources or just internal medicine data. Most of it is extremely off. My mds pay cash for 70k cars and cash for 500 k homes, some literally drive a new 200k porsche to work. THEY SEND THERE KIDS TO PRIVATE GRADE SCHOOLS COSTING 25 K A YEAR. They are not making 32 per hour. I think we need to stop assuming being an md is a bad thing and stop THE NONSENSE PITY I FEEL sorry for them.
        Most pas saying this have regrets about their decision to become a pa and I believe are trying to somehow justify there chosen life. FYI I know those docs who drive a 200k porsche paid for in cash and live in $1.3 million homes. Where do you get your numbers they are nonsense. Don’t falsify the financial ability of all mds and don’t generalize. It make it seem like it was a great financial decision to become a pa vs md. I have been a pa a long time and make 110 000 a year pretty good for pas in general. But …..i sincerely do at least 60 percent of the work of my radiologists, work similar hours, and make 25 precent of what they make. I have been asking for a raise for 3 years and have not been given one. I have an extremely high level of responsibilities and do high risk procedures daily. I would rather be the radiologist and get paid adequately. FYI If you look at my PROCEDURE numbers I should be making over 150 k plus a year.

        Reply
        • Mark says

          January 23, 2018 at 10:06 pm

          Can anyone adequately address the concerns and examples of this poster? I dont know where he/she is from, but where I am at it is the same way. Most of the PAs I hear from are upset about the “ceiling” on the salaries when the actual duties (not legal this or additional training that) EXACTLY mirror that of the physician. If everyone (regulators, policy makers, public, etc) are in agreement that PAs are able to provide the same care (i.e. same procedural codes as in the above example) as those who have tens of thousands of additional hours of training (as the article states), then why the cap on the salaries for those doing the same tasks? Someone make good sense of this please.

          Reply
          • Sandra says

            May 20, 2018 at 8:18 pm

            ^bump up!
            Does anyone have a thorough explanation/answer to this? Interesting point!

            Reply
          • Michelle says

            June 26, 2018 at 10:37 pm

            Stephen Pasquini PA-C,
            Will you please address the posts above with your viewpoint and potential solutions for better pay/equity for PA’s? Looking forward to it!!

            Reply
        • mike says

          July 14, 2018 at 10:41 am

          Maybe you should leave your employer then if you are not getting adequately subsidized for your continued contributions to the practice. I feel like your entire post was based on the money factor, one cannot base their decision to go into something as difficult as medicine solely on money, and you cannot look at what others make and cry foul; you don’t like it leave, its that simple. You sound like a bitter employee, and if I was driving that 200K Porsche I would fire you so I could by the 90K dollar Range Rove to pull my 500k boat to my 2 million dollar beach house while I thanked you for your efforts.

          Reply
          • April says

            October 3, 2018 at 9:23 pm

            To be sure, the three posters above you didn’t ask about how you felt-they asked for a sensible position/statement of fact/explanation about the scenario outlined. You didn’t seriously address any of it. There is a ceiling and once you hit it, you can’t work “smarter”, but you WILL continue to work harder than your physician colleagues on the “team”.

            Reply
        • Brittany says

          August 26, 2018 at 10:05 pm

          I would say the fact the Medicare reimburses PA care at 85% of what they reimburse the same care given by a physician has something to do with it. AAPA has been working diligently to correct this. But as long as Medicare does this, most other insurers are going to follow a similar trend. Therefore, we will be paid less. I don’t agree that it should be this much less. But I work with several physicians who tell me they wish they had gone to PA school. That doesn’t reflect on me. I happily passed up on Med school to go to PA school because I wanted the flexibility of switching specialties freely and the better work life balance that is found for PA’s in most areas of medicine when compared to doctors.

          Reply
          • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

            August 28, 2018 at 10:01 am

            I agree, although I do see the reasoning behind different reimbursement levels. PAs were created as a lower cost high level solution to expand healthcare access. We do have a lower level of training when compared to MDs and it seems reasonable to reimburse less for our services because of this, even if in the end services rendered may have been essentially identical.

            Reply
          • Johnny says

            October 3, 2018 at 9:26 pm

            YES! the reimbursement needs to increase. Thank you for the added information you provided.

            Reply
  10. Megan says

    February 19, 2016 at 8:17 am

    I totally agree with all of these aspects, in fact they are why I changed my mind about becoming an MD after wanting to be a doctor my entire life (and your post about why your wife is happy you’re a PA and not an MD). But how do I explain this to an admissions committee without sounding lazy or selfish? I know that being a PA is tough work and will require long hours and lots of sacrifices, but spending 11 more years in school to work 60-80 hours a week and maybe have a family doesn’t sound like the life I want for myself. Is it really ok to be that honest about it?

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      March 13, 2016 at 11:49 pm

      Megan,

      I completely feel the same about this. It’s one of the main reasons as to why I am leaning towards PA school as well. I know at least 3 MDs on a personal level and they all seem to have either raised a lovely family without any issues or have been able to enjoy their personal life just as much as their work life. However, I know myself best, and I know that I’d prefer to have more time to doing other things that I am passionate about. I’m just afraid that the admissions committee would see it as, “You don’t seem to be dedicated to the field of medicine.” So I’m in the same boat as you and I’d like to know whether it would be OK to inform the committee of these things.

      Reply
    • Jessica says

      June 23, 2016 at 9:27 pm

      Yes! You can absolutely be honest about that in your interview! They will most likely ask you why you chose PA instead of MD or NP, so you should be prepared with an answer. You can definitely say you want a life, or you like the aspect of changing specialties, or you don’t want to spend 10 years in school, you could even say you want to get out and start helping people as soon as you can (though that may sound cheesy? Not sure…). They know all the perks of choosing PA, and it shows you understand the difference.

      Reply
      • Megan says

        June 24, 2016 at 8:38 am

        Hi Jessica!
        I’m not exactly sure what I all said during my interview…it was such a blur! But whatever I said worked because I start WesternU’s MSPA Program in August!! Woohoo!!

        Reply
        • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

          June 24, 2016 at 12:35 pm

          Congratulations!!! I wish you the best, you will have a great time!

          Stephen

          Reply
      • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

        June 24, 2016 at 12:36 pm

        Great advice Jessica!

        Reply
    • LT D says

      March 5, 2018 at 3:28 am

      Too much responsibility as a MD which means more time and energy. Taxes and liability for a doctor especially in private practice are highly expensive save you a whole lot of $$. PA Less time in school. PA Freedom to choose where you practice or if you want to practice or take a sabbatical. It’s also good for ppl like me coming in late in life and not interested in the rigor of MD life. I’m combining Dietitian work, Chaplaincy and becoming a PA so I can do more clinically and balance with the way I want to practice Western and untraditional medicine and not as a Chiropractor. If you’re interested in research and/or teaching while practicing, becoming a PA and later obtaining a Phd can give you the room for such and it may satisfy the desire to be called “Dr” When budgets are low and economy down, PAs will be hired to save $$ The route of training will have an impact on practicing style. Quality of life makes the difference between MD/DO vs PA. ..the hugest benefit, outside of the obvious pay. There are some ppl obviously gifted to combine skill and training to take the definite MD route. Gotta know your motives and outcomes you desire. The life of a FT MD is going to be more demanding. The good thing is you can start off training for PA and move upwards if you’d like without wasting time or $$. I would imagine a single parent could become a PA and not totally write off the practice. Being a PA could be a great fit or maybe even better fit for anyone with intellectual or medical disabilities (i.e. Narcolepsy) that won’t allow for the rigor MD work will bring. They could work as a PT if and when necessary and still have a living wage/salary without the debt to worry about. And please note not all disabilities of any type occur in grade school years but can develop anytime thereafter be it young enough to the latter adult years. I think one of the best guides is knowing which is your vocation or call or both and where does your passion lead you.

      Reply
      • Lucie says

        August 26, 2018 at 5:36 pm

        I love what you said! So true. Starting out at 34. years old to me and wanting to still have a family very soon seems to me that the MD route may not be worth it — I want to teach later on so your advice on the phd is awesome. What fields would you say are best for PhDs when wanting to teach PA students and medical subjects?

        Reply

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The ease, frequency, and promptness of communication were some of the best aspects of this service. I found the review and revisions to be very thoughtful and explained in a way where I knew exactly how to apply them to my essay. I would 100% recommend the PA Life PS review to any applicant, and especially enjoyed working with Carly. I am hopeful my personal statement will gain the attention of PA programs I am applying to.

Charlie, Pre-PA

My editor knew exactly what kind of edits I was looking for and addressed all of my questions/concerns I had about my essay. I will definitely be recommending this service to my club members and friends.

Stephanie, Pre-PA

Hi, I am beyond words to express how I feel, I got accepted, contingent on background check which I think is a formality. I want to say boldly that I am going to be a PA, thanks to you. You will be always blessed for the wonderful service you provide.  You were very kind and worked beyond what I thought could be offered. Thanks again!

Pavithra, Pre-PA

I used the personal statement editing service with Deanna Matzen (April/May 2021) and the mock interview service with Mary Jones (June 2021). Both were exceptional to work with and helped me to achieve my goal. I applied to three schools and received interview invites from all three (I’m a first-time applicant). I was waitlisted at one in June and later accepted in November, received early acceptance to my top choice in November (UTSW), and I chose to decline my third interview scheduled in December. Thank you for your services!

Rachelle, Pre-PA

Sarah was absolutely wonderful. She not only helped take my personal statement to the best level, but she also made it easy to understand why certain changes were better. In the end, she went through and used a highlighting method to show how we connected things to PA and skills that were good. This made it easier to visualize everything. I’d recommend Sarah to anyone applying to PA school that needs that extra push on their personal statements.

Taylor, Pre-PA

I just want to thank you again so much for being so awesome and helping me perfect my statement. I promised you that I would let you know if I got into any programs, and I was offered interviews at all the five universities I applied to. And I got offered positions at my top two school choices shortly after I interviewed. I am so ecstatic to say that I will be going to my number one school choice. I know multiple factors contributed to this opportunity being offered to me and the personal statement was surely a big one. Thank you so much for all that you do. It was really a great investment to have you edit my paper. I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day!

Elisa, PA-S

Duke helped me with my personal essay writing for PA school. He was very patient and helpful with me. I made lots of mistake on my Essay, but with Duke’s help I was able to write a sensible essay which was good enough to get Interview calls. I highly recommend his service.

Rajni M, Pre PA

Really helpful! Makes me feel confident.

Qui T. Pre-PA

This was just what my essay needed. I am confident that I have answered all the questions without sounding too “braggy”.

Kelsey, Pre-PA

Ms. Edmondson was incredible! She provided great feedback and answered all of my follow up questions. I will keep in touch as to my interview offers.

Ashley, Pre-PA

This was even more helpful than I anticipated! I am someone who finds it very hard to let others read my writing because it feels too personal. This made it much easier to let someone edit for me and all the suggestions provided really helped me pull together the parts I was struggling with. I would highly recommend this editing service to anybody who is having trouble strengthening their essay!

Lindsey C, Pre-PA

I am happy to provide an update. I received 5 acceptances for this cycle and will be attending Rush University PA Program starting in May 2022. Of course, I definitely have Sarah Schultz and Deanna Matzen from The PA Life to thank for their incredible help with my personal statement, instilling confidence in my ability to interview, and providing me with a lot of advice in this very difficult cycle.

Bristi (Future PA)

I was at a point where I kept reading my essay over and over again and not knowing what to change. After Sue looked over and thoroughly edited the essay, I had a completely new focus! I knew exactly what to tweak and her service really cleared up any uncertainty I had with my essay. I’m now much more confident as I finish up my CASPA applications!

Julia Spalding, Pre-PA

Sarah did such a great job editing my personal statement! She was receptive to my concerns and had awesome ideas to make my essay stand out. I am very happy with how it turned out and I am excited to submit it. Thank you!!

Hannah, Pre-PA

I had a great experience with The PA Life essay revision service. They were very professional and made revisions in a timely manner. My editor was very understanding about my schedule and when it would take me longer to reply to emails. I would recommend this service to any new grad PAs!

Sandy, Pre-PA

Thank you so much for making the personal statement process less stressful! Although I had been planning and brainstorming for months, the process of writing my journey in 5,000 characters was just daunting and overwhelming. Thank you so much for your kindness, flexibility, and your patience that helped me through this process. I appreciate how you listened and incorporated my feedback to make my personal statement a work of art that is truly representative of ME! I would highly recommend your services to any aspiring PA students who feel lost or overwhelmed by the process. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Cintia, Pre-PA

I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to have stumbled on this service. Like many other PA applicants, I was unsure of whether I was on the right track with my personal narrative. Reading Stephen’s two different PA school application essays showed me how to come up with something unique and creative, but the private personal statement review really made my essay shine.

Duke was so kind and helpful in helping me understand what admissions committees look for in a strong essay. Our phone conversations were so thorough, as we read through and discussed every word in my essay. Sue’s guidance helped me cut out the fluff to reach the character limit.

Melissa T. Pre-PA

Duke helped me write a great personal statement. I won’t know if I’ve been accepted to the program until Christmas/New Year’s, but I feel that it was worth every penny!

Alicia C. Pre-PA

During our first one-on-one session, my editor Sarah had the chance to understand who I am as a person before even editing. This was remarkably helpful in terms of making my voice stand out in my personal statement. I especially appreciated how thorough her comments were regarding the aspects of my essay that needed fine-tuning.

Austin, Pre-PA

Carly is absolutely amazing, and I would recommend her to everyone. She was very helpful and supportive with her edits and why she recommended certain changes. She is amazing, and she helped me tell my story.

Peter, Pre-PA

I am not sure if you remembered me, but you helped me exactly a year ago with my PA essay. Well, I got accepted into Barry’s PA program! I start this Monday. You were part of my journey and I wanted to say THANK YOU!

Catalina Bulla, PA-S

I used your service for my personal statement and my top school secondary. I feel this is an amazing service and have recommended it to many of my friends who are currently applying to PA school.

Jeff, Pre-PA

I have never used a service like this before. All I can say is that I wish I had discovered it sooner 😀

Rebecca G. PA-S

It’s very clear that Deanna, my editor, put a good amount of time and thought into this. She FAR exceeded my expectations, even providing me with two different possible drafts (my original copy was 1500 characters too long). After paying for two separate editing services, I was initially disappointed to find that the first had not provided anywhere close to the level of feedback/review/editing that I had hoped for. I thought I was on my own again with my personal statement and did not have high hopes for any additional edits at the time that I’d received the review from Deanna, of thePAlife. The first service I’d used provided reviews that were neither thoughtful, in-depth, nor helpful, but Deanna’s edits were each of those! My hopes had been shot down by the first service but were immediately uplifted after I received Deanna’s edits. Her feedback was timely, thorough, thoughtful, critical, and even supportive! She provided an exceptional service, and I would highly recommend her to anyone

Cierra, Pre-PA

Sue was extremely prompt and thoughtful in providing her comments, edits, and revisions. My essay had a good start but she helped me write it with admissions committees in mind. I will keep you updated on if I get interview invitations.

Kirsten, Pre-PA

Having my essay edited proved extremely helpful. I was having trouble connecting my thoughts, and the edit helped so much. I haven’t found out about acceptance yet. I’m just now about to submit my application!

Amber, Pre-PA

Thank you once again for your help in reviewing and editing my personal statement for PA school. Yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of accepting a position in the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Physician Assistant Program. The class begins in July 2022, and I am excited to begin this next chapter of entering the PA profession. I have no doubt that your invaluable assistance helped me produce a personal statement that promoted my application and paved the way for my successful interview, and I am sincerely grateful.

Angela, PA-S

I received an acceptance call from USC! I’m going to be a PA! 👩🏽‍⚕️ I’m so overfilled with joy and gratitude!! All of my experiences led to this, and I can’t help but feel immense gratitude for every single person that was part of this journey. You were a huge component of this journey, and I am so appreciative of all of your help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Cintia Chávez, PA-S

Carly took the time to listen to my concerns about my personal statement and apply them to what I had already written. I was so appreciative as I wasn’t sure where my personal statement stood before submitting it. I now feel more confident in my statement!

Chelsea, Pre-PA

Really great service, definitely worth the money! I am very pleased with the amount of work that went into editing my paper and giving reasons as to why sentences or paragraphs were changed around. Carly did an amazing job!

Christina, Pre-PA

This review is long overdue, but my gratitude for how much The PA Life has helped me will never fade. Ms. Schultz went above and beyond to help me tailor my personal statement to my unique stories and qualities. She was open to my suggestions and often thought from my perspective instead of imposing her thoughts on my essay. I appreciate the time she took to help me create a personal statement that expressed my thoughts clearly and concisely. I am happy to report that I have been invited to interviews, and I’m on the waitlist for one of my top schools. If I don’t get in this cycle, I will be using the editing services again. Big shout out to Ms. Schultz!! Thank you for all your encouragement, patience, and support! I am honored to have the chance to work with you. 🙂

Amy, Pre-PA

I came into this with a half written personal statement and not a lot of time left. I am beyond pleased with the work Sarah and I were able to accomplish together, and I’m so grateful to have gotten the chance to work with her. She has helped me so much with getting my writing to where I wanted it to be, and has instilled in me a great sense of confidence in myself and my abilities. I highly recommend this service to anyone going through the stress of applying! Keeping my fingers crossed as I submit my applications!

Celine, PRE-PA

This experience was great. They took my essay and gave great constructive comments that made it an even better essay. Very fast and efficient process.

Gabby, Pre-PA

Deanna was professional, prompt, and easy to talk to. I truly enjoyed working with her one-on-one for my personal statement. Her suggestions elevated my writing, and I appreciate all the work she put in my essay.

Jamie, Pre-PA

I am very happy with your service and would highly recommend it to any PA applicant. Duke helped me to put my thoughts in order and to make significant changes. My personal statement sounds great and seems easy and interesting to read now.  He took a lot of time to explain his way of thinking and to understand what I am trying to say. Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate what you are doing for others.

Olga N. Pre-PA

This service was very helpful. My essay was edited and returned to me within a few days of me submitting it. The feedback was thorough and detailed. I am already planning on sending my essay for a second edit!

Sabrina, Pre-PA

My editor with The PA Life was amazing! I will definitely suggest these services to anyone else applying to PA school. Thank you for everything!

Margarita, Pre-PA

I wanted to reach out and thank you for your help in editing my personal statement this application cycle. I have been accepted to the University of Utah and I was lucky enough to get a number of interviews! I know that your help with my statement definitely made a difference and I am so thankful! Thank you so much!

Nicole, Pre-PA

I’m not sure if you remember me but you helped me a couple of months ago on my PA personal statement. Just wanted to let you know — I got accepted into University of Pacific’s PA program! I’m overjoyed!

Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement! I really appreciate it.

Jennifer MurphyPRE-PA

Deanna was very opening to helping me with my essay. Although I had the material, the way she edited gave it a very nice and easy flow for the reader. She gave me her critical suggestions and comments that I would have otherwise missed. I am so glad I chose The PA Life revision services for my personal statement for PA school.

Yana, Pre-PA

Sue was awesome and ensured I received my edited version of the essay in a timely manner. The editing was above exceptional and exceeded my expectations. Thanks so much!! You guys are awesome!

HK, Pre-PA

I’m so happy with the amount of time and attention that Duke and Sue put into helping perfect my essay. I’m extremely fortunate to have come across Stephen’s page and this opportunity- I would have sent in an essay that unknown to me at the time, had issues and needed many improvements. I’m almost to the point where I’m going to submit my application, and will definitely update the team on prospective interviews. I cannot thank you guys enough for having this essay review service available, you definitely make it worth every dollar and more.

Tiffany Ly, Pre-PA

I am amazed by what Deanna was able to do in helping me get my supplemental essays in shape. I had hit a serious roadblock and she was able, and in an incredibly quick manner, help me remove those blocks. I am very grateful!

Lily, Pre-PA

Sue Edmonson has been a great help in ensuring my personal statement made sense and fit what information I was trying to convey. Her ability to find the pertinent parts in an essay and gain more information about me to make the essay seem relative to my pursuits was truly a Godsend. Would recommend her and your company to others. Thanks!

Christopher Ohsie, Pre-PA

Sue was great! She edited my essay in a short time frame and the comments and feedback were very informative. She helped link all of my main ideas and gave great advice regarding appropriate information for the essay. I highly recommend this service.

Michelle, Pre-PA

I wanted to send you a quick life update and another BIG thank you! I received my acceptance at the University of Utah’s PA Program on Monday and couldn’t be happier. Thank you for all your help with my essay and interview prep. Both of these services that you provided were so helpful in my success. I will highly recommend you to any future PA student.

Lily, Pre-PA

Carly was excellent! Not only did she make my essay much more compelling, but she understood the deadlines I wanted to reach and helped me do that! 10/10!!

Jesse Cordova, Pre-PA

This is my second time using this editing service and I am highly satisfied with the results! Sarah Schultz worked with me on both my personal statement and a supplemental essay, both times providing excellent advice and editing on my papers. It was a pleasure working with her, and I look forward to hearing back from programs soon to see if I receive an invitation for an interview.

Sarah, Pre-PA

Duke went above and beyond to help me. I so appreciate his help and would recommend this service to anyone!

Jessica H. Pre-PA

The comments and edits made by Sue are exceptional! They’ve helped a lot in terms of helping me express my thoughts more clearly and effectively. It felt as if she was there with me, reading my thoughts and helping me with the entire process in person!

Amy, Pre-PA

I got into my first choice program University of Southern California (USC)!!!!  Thank you so much for your help this cycle. I’m forever grateful.

Lanisha Cole, PA-S

An amazing experience. Glad to have worked with Duke. He did his best, and it was very enjoyable.

Anand T. Pre-PA

The feedback that I received through The PA Life editing service was more detailed than I expected! It gave me a clear idea of what direction I need to take in regard to my personal statement. I absolutely loved the edits!

Crystal, Pre-PA

Carly from The PA Life was amazing as I knew she would be based on her bio! She touched base with me when she received my personal statement and gave me a turnaround timeframe that she stuck to. In fact, she completed it earlier than expected. I am beyond satisfied!!!! Thank you, Carly, and The PA Life!

Pamela, Pre-PA

I just want to let you know I got into the pa program! I want to give you a huge thank you for helping me nail the interview and make a great essay. Thank you, x 100,000!

Rachel J, Pre-PA

Just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know that I got accepted to UC Davis, and have accepted their offer. I can’t thank you enough for your help through this process. I owe much credit to you and your amazing editing skills in helping me get in. With endless appreciation!

Jolene Duthie

I was extremely stressed out about writing my personal statement, and finally decided to search the internet for advice and assistance. I came across the personal statement editing service on the PA Life, and decided to give it a try. I received a response within a day, and my stress was instantly relieved. I worked personally with Duke to edit my statement, and he is a phenomenal writer. He didn’t change the content of my statement, but rather helped me tell my story in a way that is much more desirable! I cannot recommend this service enough to others seeking help on their personal statement. Duke was friendly, sincere, and definitely experienced! I felt 100% confident in his editing abilities, and we worked together the entire time so that we were both pleased with the results! Thanks again, Duke, for all of your help!

Chelsie W. Pre-PA

Sue was very attentive to details and her comments and edits made a perfect sense. Thank you for your help!

Margaryta, Pre-PA

About a year ago you helped edit my personal statement to get into PA school! I just wanted to let you know that I got interviews and was accepted to all the schools I applied to! I have decided to attend UAB in the fall! Thank you again for all your help!

Lauren Smith, PA-S

Susan did a fantastic job of editing my essay! She guided me and gave me suggestions for strengthening certain sections and equally took out weak parts. After I followed her recommendations, I really felt like I had an essay where every sentence mattered and reflected who I was. Thank you so much Susan for your help. I feel that I have a stronger essay because of your honest feedback and your help!

Patrick, Pre-PA

Very helpful. I needed help figuring out what to cut and Sue was great at showing me what could go without sacrificing what I was trying to convey.

Dave, Pre-PA

I am so thankful that this editing service exists. The personal statement is incredibly important which is why I was so nervous about it. It took me two weeks to even get started because I was so nervous about writing the wrong thing. After Carly helped me with my essay, I am now so much more confident in it. Her edits were very thorough and showed that she had a really good understanding of what is important for a PA personal statement. Her email detailing her overall impression of my essay also showed she understood every single point I was trying to make and what kind of feeling I was trying to give to people reading my essay. This has been the most reassuring thing.

Angela, Pre-PA

AMAZING EDITS. Really opened my eyes to a new perspective of what a personal statement should really be like!

Jasmine, Pre-PA

Thank you so much for helping me with my physician assistant program application essays and interview! I am so excited to let you know that I received multiple PA school acceptances and have decided that I will be attending Cornell University’s PA Program in New York City. The program begins in February 2019 and I cannot wait to begin!  I truly appreciate all your help and encouragement throughout my PA application process.

Christine Chen, PA-S

Oh my gosh thank you SOO much!!! I have been so busy with school so I haven’t been able to edit my personal statement, but I want to thank you soo much for making my statement look a heck of a lot better!!! I will be editing it over my spring break since that is the only free time I have, and I most likely will do a re-edit if I can (its $35 ish right?). Anyways thank you so much again!! Sorry for the late reply but I will get back to you again during my spring break if I need a second edit, thank you so much again for all your help!! I can already see how much of a difference you’ve made! Totally worth my money!

Melat Ashagre, Pre-PA

This is just a great service overall, because not only is it an editing service, it is specific to the PA personal statement. Sue did a wonderful job editing my essay, and pointed out important flaws in it that I otherwise might not have noticed. Her edits highlighted the main points that I was trying to get across in a much better way than I had originally written. Overall, very satisfied with the results, and will have to keep you updated about the interviews. Thanks so much!

Sabrina L. Pre-PA

I just want to let you know I received multiple interview invitations and got my first acceptance a few weeks ago! I am still preparing for more interviews, but at this point, I am pretty certain I will be going to Midwestern University, and I think so much of my success with applications is because of your help with my personal statement. Because of this, I wanted to reach out and say THANK YOU! I really appreciate your support and I would definitely recommend this service to anyone applying to PA school 🙂

Alli Cowan, Pre-PA

I am very pleased with the services provided! I received an email almost immediately upon submitting my essay for review, and within 24 hours my essay review was completed. I would definitely recommend this service to any PA school applicant before they submit their essay to CASPA! Thank you for your help!

Hannah Watson, Pre-PA

Sarah is the best! She gets me and puts all her efforts for my message to come across in a clear and concise way. Obviously, her editing skills are superb! But she also has a very sweet and pleasant way of being. I highly recommend Sarah and the PA Life Personal Statement Collaborative. I have not yet received an interview, but keeping my fingers crossed!

Raquel Poliwoda Pre-PA

I loved this service!!

Madeleine Zeichner, Pre-PA

I just wanted to share some amazing news with you! I have been accepted into the MEDEX PA program in Seattle!!! I can’t thank you enough for all your help!! I am beyond excited and still can’t believe it is actually happening! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!!!!! 😀

Pavitra, PA-S

I just wanted to share that I got into USC! Woohoo!!! They just called me to share the good news. I’m feeling pretty shocked since that interview did not go as well in my head. I can’t believe I got into school during my first round of applications. This would not have been possible without you, and I really appreciate all the support you gave me throughout this process. 😊

Tiffany, PA-S

Having my essay edited proved extremely helpful. I was having trouble connecting my thoughts, and the edit helped so much. I haven’t found out about acceptance yet. I’m just now about to submit my application!

Amber, Pre-PA

This was my third time applying to PA school and I wanted it to be my last so I figured getting help with the essay would make a difference in my application. Paying for the one on one service was the best idea I’ve had to date. Sarah was great in that she literally combined three different essays I had written into one phenomenal essay! I literally have no idea how she did it. Sarah helped me focus all of my thoughts and experience down into one concise, yet personal essay. I truly think this will help me get into PA school!

Anna M. PRE-PA

I am very thankful for all of the work and time invested in me.  I learned incredible amounts from Duke about writing. Though some of it didn’t make sense to me, I knew he was right and I learned to trust him. He helped me more than any of the other dozen people I had trusted with my essay. This is such a big part of my future and my dreams and I honestly appreciate all of his work to help me get in. Thank you, Duke.

Andrew N. Pre-PA

My editor thoroughly went through my essay and provided exactly what I was looking for to bring my essay to the next level.

Matthew, Pre-PA

The suggestions are great! My essay sounds better already and I’ve just started editing it. The edits are nicely explained and make sense, and I like that there are also comments about what sounds particularly good in my original draft, too. I like that, although you said I already had a very good start, there were still significant changes you suggested that, as I’ve heard others who used this service say, “elevated my work to a whole other level.”

Phong, Pre-PA

Sarah Morris Schultz was my PA statement editor and she was absolutely fabulous! She helped to shave my original 4-page long, winding PA statement down to a 2 page impactful, poignant, moving statement that lead me to get accepted to a Doctor of Medical Science program in Physician Assistant Studies. She has such a gift for writing and knowing how to say things in just the right way and use the right words! One of the DMS PA program committee members started off my video conference online interview by stating that my PA statement was the best he ever read, not “one of the best” but THE BEST statement. My heart leapt. My PA statement years ago had caused me NOT to get accepted to the school that I had hoped. I did get accepted to a good PA school, got my degree, and started practicing in this field that I love. However, this time I decided to humble myself and get help writing a good statement. Praise God, it paid off. I am so grateful for the PA Life service and fee for the one-on-one service is worth every penny! I recommend everyone get Sarah Morris Schultz. She’s the bomb.com! I love you, Sarah 🙂

Sonja D. PA-S

A couple of months ago you worked with me on improving my personal statement. I wanted to reach out and let you know that it worked out! I got 5 interviews and so far have been accepted to 2. I am so so thankful for all your help as I don’t think it would have worked out without your amazing editing skills. Thank you for all you do! Not just me but for all the applicants you helped get accepted this year!

Matthew B. PA-S

Working with Sarah was a wonderful experience. She was prompt, attentive, and incredibly supportive throughout the process. Sarah never deviated from the authenticity of my essay. Even after she made vast changes, the essay still felt true to what I wanted to express. Thank you, Sarah! I would recommend this service to anyone applying to PA school.

Ashley, Pre-PA

Carly was helpful and gave insightful comments while helping me to create more impact within my sentences. I feel confident and at ease knowing that my supplemental application has been reviewed in a thorough manner. Thank you for all your help!

Mina, Pre-PA

Deanna was amazing! She really went above and beyond the single-edit that I could afford. I consider myself a pretty good writer, but she helped me focus and ground my story without sacrificing the overall creativity of the original piece. All I can say is wow! If there ever was something worth the money, this service is it!

John S. Pre-PA

I got in!! I got into PA school and I can’t thank you enough for your hand in helping me with this process. I received 7 interviews out of 12 applications, I was waitlisted at Jefferson, Salus, and Chatham. And I was accepted at Drexel and Stony Brook. I will be starting PA school in June! Thank you so very much!!

Natalie, Pre-PA

Sue did a wonderful job. I know this is an extremely busy time of year as CASPA is accepting applications and Sue was great about responding to my initial submission and getting back to me. She provided thoughtful feedback and quality editing. Fingers crossed for an acceptance to PA school!

Jo Lynn, Pre-PA

I greatly appreciate the help because it answered questions and doubts I had about my personal statement. I feel much more confident in submitting to CASPA. Thank you very much, Sue!

Sarah, Pre-PA

This was an extremely helpful process! I still have work to do on my essay but Sue was very helpful by giving me criticism I needed to hear from an unbiased source as well as being very fast responding! I think this will help me moving forward and having a strong application!

Morgan Rial, Pre-PA

I absolutely love the way my essay sounds! I truly appreciate all of your help. I will definitely recommend prospective PA students your way! It’s been a pleasure.

Natalie, Pre-PA

I wanted to let you know how this application season was going for me so far.

I’ve had two interviews, still have at least three more scheduled, and I received my first acceptance last week.

Thank you again for your help!

Nancy Peterson, Pre-PA

Carly edited my essay, providing a generous amount of comments on why she believes that her changes make for a stronger essay. She gave amazing advice and I know that my personal statement is much more well written than before the edits were made. Definitely worth the money!

Alexa, Pre-PA

I was very pleased with this service. Writing has never been my strongest area. While I had the ideas that I wanted to convey I wasn’t able to articulate them as well as I’d hoped. Carly provided comments and suggestions without altering my central thesis. Any questions that I had were answered quickly and thoroughly. Any grammatical mistakes were also addressed which put my mind at ease. I would recommend The PA Life personal statement essay revision service to anyone applying.

Keith G, Pre-PA

Sarah was a pleasure to work with the entire time. I felt very overwhelmed when I was working on my personal statement on my own, but once I started working with Sarah, she made me feel at ease while getting my personal statement to look its best. Sarah is very knowledgeable, understanding, and professional. One of the things I loved the most about working with her is that no matter the time of the day she was always available and got back to you in a timely manner. The whole time we worked on my personal statement she made sure I felt comfortable with changes that had to be made and I appreciated this as well. Sarah is excellent at what she does and I would recommend her and this one on one service to anyone that needs it.

Odilia, Pre-PA

Working with Sarah felt like working with an old friend. Her thoughtful insight made the revision process easy. She had great advice for improvements to make while remaining within that difficult 5,000 character limit. Thanks, Sarah, you helped a ton!

Ryan, Pre-PA

I’ve had several people look at my essay in an effort to gauge whether the content was strong and to help clean it up and cut characters – none were as helpful as Carly. Carly’s editing truly helped make a difference in the quality of the essay, and while there’s still quite a bit of character cutting I have to do, I am more prepared now than I was before. I am so happy I chose to work with The PA Life.

Kristen, Pre-PA

Sarah is absolutely amazing and really helped transform my essay into the best version it could have possibly been!

Shannon B. Pre-PA

This was the most amazing experience! I felt so confident about my topic and essay after our meeting. Duke got back to me quickly and worked around my crazy schedule. The editing of the essay was professional and gave me insight I could not have received any other way. I only applied to one school because it is really the one I would like to go to the most and I got an interview!!! Thank you so much for all of your help!

Kathryn R, PA-S

Carly Hallman did an amazing job helping me with my personal statement! I was feeling conflicted and uncertain about my own personal statement, but she helped set my mind at ease! I now have peace of mind regarding my personal statement. She was so helpful in correcting any grammar errors and also informed me of what I could add to my essay. I knew I was missing something in my essay, but could not quite put my finger on it. Carly identified what was missing so I could make those changes to my essay. I’m so thankful for her help because I do not think I could have figured out that “missing piece” had it not been for her. I now feel confident about my essay and I am extremely happy with it! 🙂 Thank you so much!!!

Ramsha, Pre-PA

I must say, I originally thought I had a fairly strong statement. But after reading Sue’s comments/revision. The quality, structure, and overall flow of my statement was in fact leaps and bounds better than my original.

George, Pre-PA

Sue was amazing! She was very quick at replying to my emails and looking over my paper and application. She was so helpful and has a way with words. I know I will continue to use her services throughout my application process!

Miranda, Pre-PA

I LOVED the suggestions Carly made for my essay. Not only was she thorough with her edits, but she also provided a lot of quality feedback that really made my essay shine. Carly took my unedited, messy essay and helped me better convey what I was trying to say. I have nothing but positive things to say about this experience and feel this service was worth every penny.

Rachel, Pre-PA

I just wanted to reach out to you and let you know that I got accepted into PA School and wanted to thank you so much for all of your help throughout this journey. I truly could not have done it without your help! Thank you again so much.

Emily Sharpe, Pre-PA

Testimonials

Sarah is truly amazing! She gave me so many helpful tips and advice for my future interviews. She has a beautiful way with words. I am so grateful for her and look forward to working with her again.
Kiara, Pre-PA
This is my 4th PANRE, I graduated 25 yrs. ago as a surgeon assistant and physician assistant.  I have spent the last 20 years on a H+P service and I started my medical career as a USMC corpsman.  The USMC uses the accolade OUTSTANDING, your entire program is such , the attention to details to the answers, the 230 plus pages on PDF, the flash cards, your program built my confidence BIG TIME, Jesus has richly blessed my life BECAUSE of you , I never have to take this brutal exam again and can retire at 66 yrs old you played a prodigious part in me passing amen!!!
David Gavin PA-C
My editor knew exactly what kind of edits I was looking for and addressed all of my questions/concerns I had about my essay. I will definitely be recommending this service to my club members and friends.
Stephanie, Pre-PA
Thanks for your expertise and passion for developing this website.  It was valuable to me for studying for the PANRE.  Plus, love that it’s free, as opposed to the NCCPA who charges $35 per practice exam.
Keith RemoPA-C
I was very pleased with this service. Writing has never been my strongest area. While I had the ideas that I wanted to convey I wasn’t able to articulate them as well as I’d hoped. Carly provided comments and suggestions without altering my central thesis. Any questions that I had were answered quickly and thoroughly. Any grammatical mistakes were also addressed which put my mind at ease. I would recommend The PA Life personal statement essay revision service to anyone applying.
Keith G, Pre-PA
Awesome service. Duke did a great job editing my personal statement – his feedback was top-notch. For the 2014-2015 cycle, I applied to one school. I was selected for an interview and yesterday I received an offer of admission … which I quickly accepted. I know my Personal Statement played a huge role in my success. I highly recommend this service.
Nikki, Pre-PA
This was an extremely helpful process! I still have work to do on my essay but Sue was very helpful by giving me criticism I needed to hear from an unbiased source as well as being very fast responding! I think this will help me moving forward and having a strong application!
Morgan Rial, Pre-PA
Holy cow! I wanted to let you know I have been accepted to PA school.  I will be attending the Franklin Pierce Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2019 in West Lebanon, NH. I cannot thank you enough for being part of my journey. If you are reading this you might have been like me skeptical and trying to find a way to write a stellar essay for your PA application.  I want to share with you my exceptional experience using this service.  First, do yourself a favor and BUY the eBook, “How to Write Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement.”  I read it twice. Once before I started my essay draft and then again during.  I cannot stress how helpful the book was in clearly stating what the Admissions Directors are looking for in an application essay.  Next, the book reviews how to formulate a proper essay with clear instructions, easy reminders of the writing process, and excellent examples of good and bad writing choices.  After several drafts of my essay, I made an appointment to work with Duke Pasquini, one of the authors of the guide, through the internet and via phone to help with editing and my length issue.  Duke’s professional experience and kind and straight forward demeanor allowed me to create a winning essay that was an authentic representation of me.  Not only did I receive an interview from my top choice of PA school I was accepted a week later into their Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2019.  Thank you, “PA Life” for being a part of my journey.
Michele Williams, PA-S
Thank you so much for all your time and help again Ms. Schultz–not to mention your insightful tidbits on everything ranging from how past experience translates into applicability in the program and how it sets my application apart to set the stage about how weakness affected patient experience. It truly means a great deal–your constructive criticism and positive feedback are very much appreciated. Please let me know who I can forward and recommend your service to (aside from the feedback link) as you are not only professional, and an asset to the PA life, but also an expert as evident in your questions, feedback, and tips developed through years of well-honed experience.
May, Pre-PA
I wanted to send you a quick life update and another BIG thank you! I received my acceptance at the University of Utah’s PA Program on Monday and couldn’t be happier. Thank you for all your help with my essay and interview prep. Both of these services that you provided were so helpful in my success. I will highly recommend you to any future PA student.
Lily, Pre-PA

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101 PA School Admission Essays

Admissions Directors Know What They Want. Shouldn't You? You’re slaving away at your personal statement, but can’t help wondering if anyone will read past the first line. A troubling thought, isn’t…

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