mail is unequivocally the number one technology you must be brilliant at if you are to succeed throughout the PA school interview or job application process. For that reason, you need to be VERY careful when you use email as part of a job search effort or part of your PA school application process. It […]
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Pre-PA Hack of the Day: Use Volunteering to Gain Essential Experience as a Physician Assistant
Most people think of volunteering as something that can only be done for nonprofit organizations. What you may not realize is that you can volunteer virtually anywhere (although in hospitals and clinics this can be limited). You’ll find that few people turn down the offer of free help. And it is in here that lies […]
The Physician Assistant and the Frog: Kiss Many a Frog Before you Marry a Toad
Every night before bed my wife and I take time as a family to read to our kids. I love fairy tales as teaching tools. I particular love the story of the princess who had to kiss a frog in order to find her handsome prince. There is a moral here: “You have to kiss […]
Stop Making Comparisons on Your Road to Becoming a Physician Assistant
One of the biggest sources of discontent is comparing yourself to other people. Or comparing your life to what you see others doing (Instagram) or what you’ve accomplished compared to what others have done. “I wish I was more like him.” “Look at her! Why can’t I be more like that?” “Ugh, I just wish […]
The #1 Trait that Determines Long Term Success as a Physician Assistant
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Sir Winston Churchill I’ve come to realize that it’s not the best genetics, the highest GPA, or the most relevant healthcare experience that produces the most success, especially when it comes to being a PA or trying to […]
Make a Difference – Train the Next Generation of PAs in Sub-Saharan Africa as a Clinical Associates Mentor
Note: The Clinical Associates twinning partnerships in South Africa are made possible through the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in South Africa. Activities are carried out through institutional partnerships linking South African universities with counterpart institutions in the United States. […]
The Physician Assistant Applicant Attack Plan: Personalized Goal Sheet
Do you remember your New Year’s resolutions from January 1st? It probably went something like this: After waking up slightly (or seriously) hungover, you said to yourself, “this is the year I’m going to get into PA school!” or “this is the year I’m going to finish all my PA school prerequisites.” Maybe it was “I’m […]
Physician Assistant Program Tuition and Costs – Comparison Table
Below is a cost comparison table of most Physician Assistant programs in the United States. *This table has been updated, please visit the 2017 PA School Tuition Comparison Table. PA Program Tuition and Cost Data Tuition and cost data of resident and nonresident tuition including length/duration of the PA program. Keep in mind that these are estimated costs and […]
Physician Assistants in Primary Care – A Dying Breed, Indeed!
Today I read this interesting article from the Annals of Family Medicine. It is titled: Physician Assistants in Primary Care: Trends and Characteristics It proved the point of a recent conversation I was having with my cousin – an orthopedic PA at Kaiser. My theory was that family practice PAs would soon see the same trend […]
Physician Assistant Salary Map: Compare Salary by State
Here at the PA Life, I am always trying to develop tools that make your life (and my life) easier. This might be one of my favorites. Trying to negotiate a salary is hard enough. This becomes even harder when you have to adjust for the never ending list of variables such as previous salary […]
The Top 46 Physician Assistant Applicant Interview Questions
Physician Assistant school interviews are extremely challenging. Here is a comprehensive list of forty-six high-frequency pa school interview questions you will likely encounter. This list of the “Top 46 Physician Assistant Applicant Interview Questions” is adapted from Andrew Rodican’s excellent book “The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Physician Assistant School,” Christina’s helpful video post from […]
The Reason I became a Physician Assistant in 20 Minutes and 46 Seconds
his is the video from our global medical mission trip October 2012. We were proud to serve over 600 people with combined medical and dental care. I have written several posts on the topic. It was an amazing experience and every time I need a reminder of why I love my job, I just look […]
Physician Assistant Salary by State – 2013
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee […]
Overcoming Obstacles on Your Path to Becoming a Physician Assistant
Life is full of obstacles. They can be as simple as getting out of bed in the morning or as arduous as writing the perfect PA school application essay. Most of the time, the biggest obstacle is ourselves (affiliate link). The excuses that we create to avoid doing the things that matter most. This is […]
How NOT to be a PA Sellout: The Physician Assistant Vocation
So many PAs I meet are unsatisfied with their careers. I have met many a PA or NP who has become entangled in a web of profit-driven, incentivized-by-the-numbers healthcare. They have forgotten why they became a physician associate (PA) to begin with. We all become PAs with a great desire to help people, but it […]
Haiti Medical Mission Trip: Settling In, Resetting my Clock and Resetting my World View
This post is the third of a series about working as a physician assistant in Haiti. Growth happens at times when we are the most challenged And yes this almost always involves overcoming fear. There is no better way to travel than with the locals, no better way to experience the culture, no better way […]
How to get 100 CME Credits as a Broke Physician Assistant
Let me guess… Your employer is not reimbursing you for CME? Or, maybe you receive reimbursement, but your budget is limited. You get all those mailers about fabulous CME events in exotic places at fancy hotels only to flip it over and vomit at the price tag. With limited vacation time and limited money, maybe […]
I Want to Know if I am Making the Right Choice to be a Physician Assistant?
Let me guess, you’re asking yourself . . . “Am I am making the right choice of becoming a physician assistant over a doctor?” “Am I letting myself down?” “Am I selling out?” “Am I letting my family down?” “Am I giving in?” “Am I taking the easier road?” I know how important these questions […]
Physician Assistant Application Letter of Recommendation Samples: Applying to PA School
PA School Letters of Reference Here are two letters of recommendation I received when applying to PA school. I am not posting them here to fluff my feathers but merely to serve as an example of what I included as part of my actual PA school application. A great letter of recommendation weighs heavily in your favor. […]
Working as a Physician Assistant in Haiti: Organization & Logistics
This video is from the wonderful FREE EdX course: The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health The idea of working overseas as a physician assistant had always perplexed me. The laws governing PAs and our scope of observed practice in foreign, third world countries seem nonexistent. I know what we can do and I am aware that our level […]
My First International Trip to Haiti as a Physician Assistant – Preperation
This post is the first of a series I am excited to be going to do some work in Haiti this October. My whole life I have wanted to do medical work overseas and now I am seeing a dream fulfilled. I will be flying from San Francisco to Washington DC where I will meet up […]
Most Social Problems Do Not Have a Quick Fix
When Good Intentions Are Not Enough As I prepare for my first medical mission trip to Haiti, I question my intentions. I fear that this trip may turn out to be less about helping (because who can help anybody in a week) and more about fulfilling my desire to experience the “thrill” of international medicine. […]
Is Physician Assistant (PA) School Hard?
Is PA school hard? Here is a question I get asked all the time: Is PA school difficult? Of course, in many ways, it is equally as rigorous as medical school. The didactic part of PA school (your first year) is made up of traditional academic classes. In many ways, it is like studying for […]
Pulmonary System: PANCE and PANRE Examination Content Blueprint
The PANCE and PANRE: Examination Content Blueprint checklist 2017 The PANCE and PANRE Pulmonology Content Blueprint represents 12% of your exam and includes 32 diseases/disorders [genesis_column size=”one-half” position=”first”] Infectious Disorders Acute bronchitis Acute bronchiolitis Acute epiglottitis Croup Influenza Pertussis Pneumonias Bacterial Viral Fungal HIV-related Respiratory syncytial virus infection Tuberculosis Neoplastic Disease Carcinoid tumors Lung cancer Pulmonary nodules […]
31 Online Medical Calculators for Physician Assistants
A comprehensive list of medical calculators for the busy Physician Assistant (Just in case you forgot your iPhone) Absolute Neutrophil Count Calculator: A calculator for determining absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Absolute Reticulocyte Count Calculator:A calculator for determining absolute reticulocyte count (ARC). Anion Gap Calculator: A calculator for determining anion gap. Asthma Management Calculator: 12 Years of […]
Physician Assistant Shadow Online
If you are looking for a PA to shadow, or if you are a practicing PA who wants to help out a pre-PA student in need. Start Here! I have created a shadowing schedule here as well, and will try to make myself available once per month. We may have other opportunities at our clinic […]
Why Do You Want to be a Physician Assistant?
Have you spent hours thinking about your answers to why you want to be a PA? Do you have the perfect pre-formulated answer just waiting to deliver; hook, line, and sinker? Or, maybe you are approaching this question as I did: You have a pretty good idea of what you want to say and figure, “the […]
How Clay Aiken and Reality TV Helped Me Ace My PA School Interview
am embarrassed to admit: I am a big fan of reality TV. I don’t watch much TV but when it comes time for a new season of Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance, or dare I say The Bachelor (I can’t believe I just admitted that) I can’t stop myself. I justify this to […]
How to Write the Perfect Physician Assistant School Application Essay
Want to write a PA school essay that gets you an interview? Learn from my mistakes and avoid the common pitfalls that many applicants make. Read my real essays (the one that got me accepted and the one that didn’t) and discover how to create your perfect PA school personal statement.
A Conversation Every Physician Assistant Has Had
If you are a practicing Physician Assistant this will surely make you laugh! How many times have you had this conversation? The Conversation Highlights: What are you doing these days? I have a great girlfriend, Kim and she’s a nurse I met her here at the hospital where I sometimes work as a physician assistant […]
