Have you seen the big news? For the third year in a row, Physician Assistants/Associates are the number two healthcare job in America in 2026 and the number five of the 100 best US jobs overall with an overall score of 7.0 out of 10. While we slipped a couple of spots from #3 to […]
PA
10 Best Cities for Physician Assistants in 2026 (Salary vs. Cost)
Discover the top 10 cities where physician assistants thrive in 2026! With PA jobs ranked #2 in healthcare and #4 overall by U.S. News, these professionals enjoy median salaries of $130,020+ and 28% projected growth. Find out which cities offer the best balance of high salaries, job availability, and affordable housing—from Baltimore’s exceptional 53% salary-to-home price ratio to Hartford’s overall winning combination.
Who Gets Into PA School in 2025? Here’s What You Need to Know
Leslie Mean is a 25-year-old single white female who presents to the PA school admissions committee on her second attempt to get into PA school. She has a 3.6 overall GPA and a 3.5 science GPA. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, had an SAT score of 1,200, and a GRE score of […]
How Long Does It Take to Become a Physician Assistant/Associate?
How Long does it take to become a PA? It’s a common question and one that I am often asked, so let me try to answer it. Whether you are in undergrad, figuring out your career path, or looking into your second career, thinking about becoming a PA can be overwhelming. There are so many […]
Podcast Episode 85: Ten Mixed Multiple Choice Questions
Welcome to episode 85 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA 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). Special from today’s episode: Download your copy of the Free Trello Smarty PANCE NCCPA™ Blueprint […]
How Much Money Do Physician Assistants (PAs) Make?
According to the latest NCCPA data, the average projected salary of certified PAs in 2024 is $120,204 per year or $57.74/hour, $10,017/month, and $2,313/week. The median projected annual salary of a PA is $115,000 per year. This is 218% of the US median salary. According to the NCCPA data, the average total income for Certified PAs has been increasing by 8.7%.
How to Answer Tricky PANCE and PANRE Test Questions Part 2: Podcast Episode 83
Welcome to episode 83 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA Board Review Podcast Join me as we welcome Joe Gilboy PA-C back again to cover best practices that make answering even the toughest PANCE and PANRE Board review questions (and EOR exam questions) a breeze! Below you will find interactive audio with clips covering the […]
The Australian Physician Assistant: The PA Model Around the World
This is part eight of a ten-part series by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the PA model around the world. Today we take a captivating look into the life of Australia’s pioneering physician assistants. Holy Hell!: The Aussie PA’s determination If I learned anything about physician assistants from Australia, it is that the profession can […]
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 […]
How to Answer the Hardest PANCE and PANRE Test Questions: Podcast Episode 82
Welcome to episode 82 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA Board Review Podcast Join me as we welcome Joe Gilboy PA-C back again to cover best practices that make answering even the toughest PANCE and PANRE Board review questions (and EOR exam questions) a breeze! Below you will find interactive audio breaking down each […]
Podcast Episode 81: Internal Medicine EOR Cardiology Questions
Welcome to episode 81 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA Board Review Podcast. Join me as I cover ten internal medicine rotation EOR content blueprint questions from the Smarty PANCE physician assistant board and rotation review website. Special from today’s episode: Check out the new Smarty PANCE Internal Medicine Rotation (EOR) Review Course Download […]
How to Study for Your PANCE: Podcast Episode 79
If you can’t see the audio player click here to listen to the full episode. Podcast Episode 79: How to Study for Your PANCE Welcome to episode 79 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA Board Review Podcast. In this episode 35-year PA veteran and PANCE/PANRE board review expert Joe Gilboy PA-C shares his top […]
The Indian Physician Assistant (PA): Past, Present, and Future
The Indian PA: Past, Present, and Future This is part eight of a nine-part series by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the PA model around the world. Today we take a fascinating look into the real-life of India’s pioneering PAs. The Chicken Came from the Egg or Miles and Miles to Go before We Go […]
Podcast Episode 77: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast
Welcome to episode 77 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA 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). Special from today’s episode: Download your copy of the Free Trello Smarty PANCE NCCPA™ […]
South Africa’s Clinical Associate (Clin-A): The PA Model Around The World
This is part seven of a nine-part series by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the PA model around the world. Today we take a fascinating look into the real-life of South Africa’s pioneering PA-like clinical associates. South Africa’s Clinical Associate (Clin-A) Starting with programs at Walter Sisulu University and the University of Pretoria (2008) and […]
Trials and Tribulations of the Liberian Physician Assistant
This is part five of a nine-part series by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the PA model around the world. As God Would Have It When I visited in 2017, Liberia was celebrating 150 years since its founding by Christian American slaves in 1867. It is the only country in the world that has had […]
Podcast Episode 75: Ten FREE PANCE and PANRE Audio Board Review Questions
Welcome to episode 75 of the Audio PANCE and PANRE PA 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 general board review questions based on the NCCPA PANCE and […]
Meet The PA Pioneers of Israel: The Israeli Physician Assistant
This is part four of a nine-part miniseries by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the PA model around the world. The Test: PAs for Israel Israel, the only Middle East country other than Saudi Arabia to attempt a physician assistant program, graduated its first trial cadre in 2017, retrained emergency medical technicians to fill shortages […]
Why We Really Need PAs in the UK: The British Physician Associate
Welcome to part three of this nine-part miniseries by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the PA model around the world. Growing the Physician Associate in the UK In the United Kingdom, PA stands for physician associate. “This is a moniker with a more exacting ring,” according to Jeannie Watkins, then clinical placement lead in the […]
PAs in the Netherlands: The Dutch Physician Assistant
Welcome to part two of this powerful nine-part miniseries by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the physician assistant model around the world. The Advent of the Dutch Physician Assistant I met Quinten van den Driesschen, a pioneering Dutch physician assistant, at AAPA in Las Vegas, about which he quipped, “In the Netherlands, we say, ‘A […]
American Cheese: The Origin of the U.S. Physician Assistant
This is part one of a nine-part series by documentary filmmaker Adam Halbur on the physician assistant model around the world. What do American Cheese and PAs Have in Common? U.S. Patent 2759308, for the first American processed cheese wrapper, was submitted in 1956, and individually sheathed slices of imitation dairy started rolling out. At […]
The Interview That Got This Pre-PA Into 5 PA Schools
The Mock PA School Interview That Got This Pre-Physician Assistant Into 5 PA Schools Have you been asking yourself the same question as Tolu? How do you prepare answers for your PA school interview without sounding rehearsed? How do you effectively talk about your weaknesses or discuss your strengths without sounding like a braggart? Just […]
Top 5 Reasons NOT to Become a Physician Assistant
Here are the Top 5 Reasons NOT to Become a Physician Assistant (PA) 1. You are becoming a PA because it’s (enter your reason here) than becoming a doctor Examples include: It’s easier than becoming a doctor It’s more convenient than becoming a doctor It’s more practical than becoming a doctor It’s my backup plan […]
5 PA School Essays That Got These Pre-PAs Accepted Into PA School
Ever wonder what PA school admissions directors are really looking for in a winning PA school essay? Have you been searching the internet and physician assistant forums for samples of PA school applicant essays for reference? Have you ever thought that your personal statement might be a bit, well, boring? We’ve got your back. In […]
10 Questions Every PA School Personal Statement Must Answer
There’s no one right way to craft your PA personal statement. In fact, it should be as individual as you are. However, there are basic things to include, that together, answer the question: “Why do you want to be a PA?” Here are 10 questions every PA personal statement needs to answer What brings you […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to Become a Physician Assistant (PA) in 8 Easy Steps
So, you want to become a physician assistant? Congratulations, you have taken the first step on a lifelong journey filled with many joys, significant struggles, and a lifetime of free pastries. Becoming a PA is relatively straightforward: Complete the required prerequisites and healthcare experience Apply to and be accepted to any one of the of […]
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 […]
