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You are here: Home / International Physician Assistant / The Indian Physician Assistant (PA): Past, Present, and Future

The Indian Physician Assistant (PA): Past, Present, and Future

BY Stephen Pasquini PA-C Leave a Comment

The Indian Physician Assistant (PA) Past, Present, and FutureThe 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.

View all posts in this series
  • As Good As You Can: The PA Model Around the World Part One
  • American Cheese: The Origin of the U.S. Physician Assistant
  • PAs in the Netherlands: The Dutch Physician Assistant
  • Why We Really Need PAs in The UK: The British Physician Associate
  • Meet The PA Pioneers of Israel: The Israeli Physician Assistant
  • Trials and Tribulations of the Liberian Physician Assistant
  • South Africa’s Clinical Associate (Clin-A): The PA Model Around The World
  • The Indian Physician Assistant (PA): Past, Present, and Future
  • The Australian Physician Assistant: The PA Model Around The World
  • Laos: The Birthplace of the U.S. Physician Assistant?
  • Little Big Men: The Rise of Kenya’s Clinical Officer

The Chicken Came from the Egg or Miles and Miles to Go before We Go to Sleep

India shares a lot in common with South Africa's PAs.

Traditionally, many of their trained doctors go abroad to work in countries like the United States, United Kingdom Australia, and Canada.

Both have national health care and public facilities that struggle to properly serve their poor populations. And both are just starting to make use of midlevel providers.

The 14'th Annual Conference

At their 14th annual conference [i] in Hyderabad, 2017, the Indian Association of Physician Assistants (IAPA) was in the process of standardizing their curriculum to petition the national government for recognition.

Even though PAs have been practicing in India’s wealthier southern states since the turn of the century, they have been trained and employed only by private institutions, which use them in various specialized capacities, from simple record keeping to assisting with heart surgeries and research.

The “need for more hands” by private hospital chains, such as Fortis, Apollo or CARE, is the driving force behind the adoption of physician assistants.

Now, with legislation of PAs under the Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2018, it remains to be seen if they will fill shortages in primary care in public hospitals and rural areas or whether they will continue to specialize in the private facilities in major urban centers that created them, whether they will continue to leave practice in large numbers for more lucrative positions in pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and whether they, like doctors, will increasingly seek employment in countries where they can get additional education and a higher standard of living, such as in the U.S. or U.K.

That is when I thought of the PA

The father of the PA movement in India is Dr. K.M. Cherian, Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, who simultaneously built a cardiac surgery, Madras Medical Mission, and a PA program in the 1990s based on his experience working with U.S. PAs, Vietnam veterans assisting heart surgeons at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. “Until 1987, I was working in the public sector, that means, in the government,” he said.

"I was a railway employee. And when we started a small hospital, we had the plans of starting, but we did not have a building. So we rented the premises of a small hospital and started work there. Probably this was the first specialty hospital in this country, in India. So as we started working, I realized that the patient load is very big. We were not able to cope up [sic]. We had only one operating room. And I used to operate almost four to five cases a day in one operating room. So I was thinking about how we can overcome that. And that is when I thought of the PA [ii] program, which I was used to when I was in Birmingham, Alabama."

Dr. S. Rajan was working under Cherian when they began the PA program. “In fact, me and my mentor, Dr. Cherian, visited the U.S. in the early 90s. Dr. Cherian had spent time in the U.S. even earlier,” he recalled.

“So in the early 90s, we devised a concept and started the physician assistant program in our own institute as our own program, initially. And then we started as an off-site campus combination with the Madras Medical Mission Physician Assistant Program, which became one of the biggest hits in the Indian scenario.”

The first PA degrees from Madras Medical Mission, 1995, were issued by Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, with the help of Prof. C. V. Ramakrishnan but are now granted by M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai.

The 1990’s

Nalla Swanpna Cardiology PA in India talks to a patient 2017
Nalla Swanpna Cardiology PA in India talks to a patient 2017

1992 India The first PA program starts in India under the direction of Dr. K. M. Cherian, a renowned cardiac surgeon. Image: Nalla Swanpna, cardiology PA in India, talks to a patient, 2017. Photo courtesy of Adam Halbur. (source: The International PA Timeline)

I talked to one of Dr. Cherian’s first graduates, Chitra Perumal, who still works with him at Frontline. When I asked why she chose to study as a PA, an unknown profession at the time, she said,

"Actually, our family background—I’m not that financially affordable [sic]. I wanted to become a doctor of medicine. I wanted to give service to the people, mankind. But I didn’t get it. So I was working as a teacher. I was a teacher at that time when they had the entrance exam. I was a teacher. I thought this would help me in servicing people and at achieving my goal also to becoming one member … of the medical profession."

A Very Versatile Profession

Perumal now has over 17 years of experience in operating a cardiopulmonary bypass (heart-lung) machine as a perfusionist and over five years as a surgical assistant. She is now learning intensive care.

“It’s a very versatile profession [iii],” she said. “And if you want to be in one particular discipline, you can just excel in that—the option is yours.” This flexibility has meant a lot to Priya Jebakaran, a PA and thoracic organ transplant coordinator at Madras Medical Mission who could no longer assist in operations after losing her right hand in an auto accident. “Definitely it was a disappointment,” she said, “but life doesn’t end there. There are a lot of avenues as a PA, there are a lot of avenues to explore, and one should not think that is the end.”

Part of the flexibility of the PA profession, Dr. Rajan noted, is that it allows PAs to go abroad. In fact, in India, this is a selling point of many educational programs, not only in medicine. Ganga Hospital and Ganga Institute of Health Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, seeks to promote their four-year BSc Physician Assistant degree in this way.

A Market for Them

“[Students] want to have a career,” said Rama Rajasekaran, managing trustee. “So they go into different avenues. And if they know there is a market for them [iv] I mean, there are opportunities for them abroad, I think more people will take up this course. Because one of the reasons why a lot of people take up nursing is they can work abroad.”

One student mentioned that she wanted to be a medical missionary and another inquired during the interview about PA master’s programs abroad. For me, this was somewhat troubling as an undergraduate education is much cheaper and experience is more easily obtained in a country like India, where one can start practicing earlier, whereas in the U.S. most must pay tens of thousands of dollars for a bachelors, log thousands of patient contact hours in a lower-level medical profession and pass the GRE just to apply to a PA program.

Also, for the most part for decades, India, which has high unemployment among those it educates, has not allowed foreigners to work in the country, including a female U.S. PA I met in South Africa in 2017 who was married to an Indian.

Our Physician Assistant

I was able to see some Ganga-produced PAs in action, assisting Dr. Balasubramani with a percutaneous tracheostomy. He explained the procedure and the PA’s role:

"It’s being done in the ICU. It’s people requiring long-term ventilation, people who will not be able to come off the ventilator in the near future. Just to help them come off the ventilator, we do the tracheostomy. So the tracheostomy can be done in theater as well as in the ICU, the percutaneous tracheostomy. What we use is the bronchoscope. So normally, it is our physician assistant [v] who does the bronchoscope, and I do the percutaneous tracheostomy, or my other colleagues do the percutaneous tracheostomy."

Dr. Balasubramani said the PA is very helpful throughout since their theoretical knowledge tends to be as good as newly minted medical students.

“I am one of the trainers for them,” he said, “so the syllabus they have undergoing is much much [sic] similar to the MBBS doctors’ undergraduate training. And more of it is focused, and it also includes the other aspects, which is not taught in our medical curriculum, like resuscitation, and about triage, and patient discussion, communication.”

He added that since PAs do much of the follow-up work in the wards, they often know the patients better than the doctor, a sentiment echoed by other doctors.

Why Can't You Harvest a Donor Heart?

While the PAs I met in Coimbatore worked more closely with and subordinate to the doctors, established PAs can be much more independent. Anitha Chandrasekhar, at a Fortis hospital in Chennai, moved from harvesting veins to radial arteries, to mammary arteries, and finally to hearts:

You know, this is what my boss tells me: ‘So if you can harvest veins for bypass surgery, why can’t you harvest a donor heart [vi] for a transplant. So we are one of the busiest [sic] transplant units in the country. And we do around 70, 75 transplants every year.

At the time of the interview, Chandrasekhar had already harvested over 100 hearts. She said, however, that not everything always goes well due to conditions beyond her control; there is a narrow window within which a heart can be harvested before it dies, and legalities can slow things down. Another accomplished PA, Nalla Swapna, works fairly autonomously in electrophysiology at the CARE hospitals in Hyderabad, where she sees about 30 patients a day.

I'll see Those Investigations Done

“As soon as the patient comes,” she said, prescreening will be done by me, history-taking, physical examination, and then sent to the doctor. He will write some investigations, I’ll see those investigations done [vii] properly without any discomfort to the patient, and I’ll collect those investigation reports and report to the consultant physician. And if he advises any medications, I’ll explain them. And also if he advises for any procedures or surgeries, I schedule those things. And I also explain what type of procedures, what are the complications, risks involved, and what the follow-up is going with it. And I also schedule the follow-up."

Her main consultant physician is Dr. Narasimhan, a world-renowned electrophysiologist. “I am fortunate to work with him,” Swapna said. “He’s one of the topmost doctors in Asia.”

Healthcare for All 2020 and Sustainable Development of 2030

With examples like Chandrasekhar and Swapna, it would have been hard for the Modi government not to recognize PAs in the push to meet the WHO Health for All Goals of 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 [viii] and provide national health care. The years of fighting and frustration for R. Shivakumar, IAPA president in 2017, and former president Gomathi Sundar have largely been put to rest. At the time of the interview, Shivakumar said that they had miles and miles to go before they could sleep and that it's whether the chicken came from the egg or the egg came from the chicken … whether to produce more PAs and go for recognition or whether to get recognition and produce more PAs—that's the billion-dollar question. But I suggest both things should happen…

The chicken has already laid the egg and/or the egg has already hatched.

What remains, again, is how the PA will be (re)distributed throughout India.

Two PAs from Mumbai, Sandeep Sinha, and Ashish Gaur, who were educated by Dr. Cherian’s Madras Medical Mission but who chose to do in-service training at government hospitals to gain more rounded experience, described the future challenge.

“When we talk about health care,” said Sandeep, “there are two nations within India[ix] One is developed states where you have everything … like Tamil Nadu, which has excellent primary healthcare facilities—southern states. But if you go to the north and east, yes, there is a lot of dearth in terms of infrastructure, in terms of human resources, in terms of medicines... There is a big difference in India also between primary and tertiary health care. If you talk about private setups, we can compete with anywhere in the world … our cardiac surgery numbers are almost equivalent to any good center in the United States, but in the government set up it is totally … it's not much.”

Sinha said that even in some parts of the most developed states, the doctor-to-patient ratio can be 1 to 1 lakh (1:100,000).

India PA Quick Facts

  • Name: Physician Assistant
  • Can US PAs practice in India; Yes
  • India PA Salary: ₹ 15,794.09 (INR)/ month /₹ 189,528(INR)/yr  ($200 / month and 2,623.07 / yr USD)
  • Number of PA programs: 47
  • Number of PAs practicing in Indian: 1,100 +
  • Prescription rights: Yes but limited that is in specified areas and under specified conditions
  • India Professional PA Association: Indian Association of Physician Assistants (IAPA)
  • India PA certification exam: Developing
  • India Certification Maintenance: Developing
  • India PA Day: No

Where PAs and Physician Associates Can Work Internationally

About the Author

Adam Halbur is a writer and teacher living in Tokyo, Japan. A short version of his film As Good As You Can, As Professionally As You Can premiered at the 11th annual conference of the International Academy of Physician Associate Educators. Watch the “American Cheese” segment of the longer version here. Watch a short of the 50th AAPA Conference with interviews from Ruth Ballweg and David Kuhns here. Halbur is entirely self-funded, so if you appreciate his work, please consider making a small contribution to his feature documentary on the Kenyan clinical officer.

Links, references and resources:

  • [i] https://youtu.be/hw4PDMm1FJQ
  • [ii] https://youtu.be/BKYi9nqSD2c
  • [iii] https://youtu.be/WXri3s4KVwM
  • [iv] https://youtu.be/-YF04Kl3ayM
  • [v] https://youtu.be/bfZRv5yqcBc
  • [vi] https://youtu.be/4uUiz1ut3jg
  • [vii] https://youtu.be/TBKCDlHnZbU
  • [viii] https://youtu.be/7DYU8e3NO7Y
  • [ix] https://youtu.be/Vd4PC9sXQrQ
  • https://mosthustleanddesire.github.io/as_good_as_you_can/
  • https://youtu.be/wYJUwusxwXg
  • https://youtu.be/y5aTRFjxDMw
  • https://youtu.be/vELcTqrvp1M
  • https://paypal.me/pools/c/8e6BvsmBe0

Be Notified of The Next Post

View all posts in this series
  • As Good As You Can: The PA Model Around the World Part One
  • American Cheese: The Origin of the U.S. Physician Assistant
  • PAs in the Netherlands: The Dutch Physician Assistant
  • Why We Really Need PAs in The UK: The British Physician Associate
  • Meet The PA Pioneers of Israel: The Israeli Physician Assistant
  • Trials and Tribulations of the Liberian Physician Assistant
  • South Africa’s Clinical Associate (Clin-A): The PA Model Around The World
  • The Indian Physician Assistant (PA): Past, Present, and Future
  • The Australian Physician Assistant: The PA Model Around The World
  • Laos: The Birthplace of the U.S. Physician Assistant?
  • Little Big Men: The Rise of Kenya’s Clinical Officer

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I thoroughly enjoyed working with you, and I am profoundly grateful for your help. I wish you all the best in the future.

Stephanie Dwyer, PA-S

I just wanted to update you that I got waitlisted for Drexel but accept to Dominican University of California. I still have other interviews coming up. Thank you for your help!

Karmen Wu, Pre-PA

Sue’s comments were very helpful. Her quick turnaround time is very impressive. She responded to my concerns and questions promptly. She clearly knows what to present to the PA school admissions team. I am very happy with her work.

Kitti, Pre-PA

I wanted to let you know that after 4 interviews and 4 waitlists, I was informed a seat opened up at my number one school Drexel in Philadelphia!! So I have officially enrolled in a PA program. This feeling is the lightest I have ever felt and it is incredible. Aside from myself and my mom who has emotionally supported me through this all, you were a huge part of making this happen. I cannot thank you enough for helping tell my story. If you ever want a review to be written somewhere, I would be glad to write one. I have nothing but respect for your talent in listening and translating someone’s intention and experiences into a rounded and full story. Thank you again.

Sarah, R PA-S

I am so impressed by Carly’s editing, advice, and insight. It was incredibly thorough and helpful. I wish I would have done this sooner. I had three interviews this cycle and three waitlists. I believe I would have gotten more interviews this past cycle if I would have done the essay edit last year. As a waitlisted applicant preparing for another application cycle, I submitted my essay to two other services at the same time and The PA Life gave the most helpful, detailed, and professional edit.

Jenn, 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

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

I am mind-blown by my editor Carly’s work. My original essay is like an ill-fitting suit. She hemmed and adjusted it in all the right places and now it looks perfect. I don’t think I’m a bad writer, but I don’t write often and I have spent the past 10 years of my life focused on health sciences. I may have never been able to do this on my own. Thank you thank you, I consider this essay service a bargain.

Rebecca, 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 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

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

Carly was extremely prompt and helpful! She helped edit my personal statement into something that I am extremely confident applying with!

Danielle, Pre-PA

Your services have eased the stress and anxiety that results from guessing whether or not your essay contains the content that many PA programs are looking for. Your services were prompt and genuine. It is clear that you have the applicant’s success at heart. Thank you!

Madison Pre-PA

Well worth the money. I consider myself a decent writer but found I was stuck on a few key points of my personal statement. After a few edits on my own and with a few people I trust, I decided to submit my essay for editing through ThePALife to make sure I was really on the right track. I am supremely satisfied. The essay I wrote turned out to be a solid base, but Sarah went to work, and every change and suggestion had a logical place. She polished it up and made it shine. Thank you so much!

Conor K. Pre-PA

I am extremely pleased with this service. It is exactly the kind of constructive criticism I was hoping to receive. I had my essay reviewed by “myparesources” and was not very satisfied with their general comments. Sue put a lot of time and effort and gave me concrete examples of how to change my essay for the better. I WILL recommend this service over all others. Thank you so much!

Joe, Pre-PA

I thought that the service was very helpful in helping me with my personal statement. Duke was always prompt with responding to emails and made himself very available throughout the process. He was also good and helping, but also making sure that I was the one doing the writing. I think that the structure of the service helped me put in enough time to come out with a very good finished product.

David H. Pre-PA

Duke is great! I had such a great time with him editing my personal statement. So glad I found this site!

Melissa Nicole Aguilera, Pre-PA

I submitted my application this morning so I am not able to answer if I received an interview yet but I am THRILLED that I found this service. Sarah has been such a blessing working on my personal statement with me. She took my ideas and mediocre paper and turned it into a beautifully written story about my life. She helped me write exactly what I wanted to say and guided me with how to say it. I would recommend, without reservation, this service to anyone who is applying to PA school. I am one hundred times more confident about applying knowing my personal statement is exactly where it needs to be. Instead of feeling stressed and overwhelmed when I submitted my application this morning, I had complete peace. Thank you, for being a shining light full of kindness to applicants like myself.

Savannah, Pre-PA

Sue did an exemplary job at editing my personal statement. Her service was particularly useful once my essay was ready for fine polishing and trimming down – she really pulled the fat off leaving the meat of my personal statement remaining. I would recommend this service to others.

Sarah, 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 am so happy I used your service. It really took all of my frustrations and anxiety about my personal statement away. I am really happy with the final product. While Maura did a great job with editing my grammar and making my essay sound better overall in my first edit, Sue did an amazing job turning my essay into a story that flows in my final edit.

Marissa Pre-PA

Deanna gave me excellent feedback on my personal statement, and I couldn’t be more grateful. She was very articulate and gave examples for me to work with on the rewrite. What I struggled with most was the organization of my writing, and Deanna helped me structure my paper so that it was easy to read. I would 100% recommend this service to a friend applying to PA school. Thank you so much!

Daniela, Pre-PA

I just wanted to let you know I was accepted to Mercy College’s PA Program last night! To say I’m ecstatic is an understatement! I wanted to thank you once again for all of your help with my essays and my interview. You helped me so much with everything and I couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you for everything.

Anna Mantikas, PA-S

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

Mr. Pasquini was very patient, accommodating and direct in his editing/advice. He was honest, in a way that I needed due to the importance of the letter. I even picked up a few tips to enhance my writing from our meetings. Great experience and will definitely recommend him to others!

Alana P. Pre-PA

I was so glad that I chose to have Duke look over my essay, he turned it from long, rambling, and scattered to a much more concise, well written essay. I really feel as though it represents me well! Duke always responded quickly and I felt as though I got a lot of value for the money. Thank you!

Jennifer B. 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

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

Thank you so much for your help with my personal statement. The process was everything I could have wanted and more. You were wonderful to work with and I appreciate very much how you were able to connect to my personal experiences and combine that with the traits that you know make a statement successful. I have applied to my first two PA schools and I owe a big part of that to you! Once again, Thank you very much!

Louis T. Pre-PA

Very detail-oriented and took the time to explain the process, so our expectations were on the same page. Excellent editing and feedback on the content. Helpful comments on how I could maximize limited character count to make the most impact on the reader. I very much would recommend this service!

Esmeralda, Pre-PA

I wanted to give you an update and thank you. I just received my first acceptance and at the interview, they commented on how well written my personal statement was. I appreciate your hard work and working with me to create such an awesome piece! Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we talk- maybe our paths will cross again one day!

Janne Kim, Pre-PA

Just wanted to let you know I got into UC Davis! I can not thank you enough for all your help!

Rachael Thomas, PA-S

I wanted to share exciting news with you – I got accepted to UT Health San Antonio’s Physician Assistant program!!! I am so thankful for ALL of your work and talent that was put into my personal statement and supplemental essays. I could not have gotten through this process without you. I extend a thank you from my mother, Tammy, as well. We were so blessed to be paired with you. Your hard work and dedication to helping me as a Pre-PA student-led to success during the application process. I hope 2021 is treating you well and you have a blessed year!

Aubrey, PA-S

Sue was very quick to edit my essay and give feedback. Any questions were answered very promptly. I am very pleased with the service provided.

Brandon, 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

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

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

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!

Amanda, Pre-PA

This is my third time applying to PA programs. With my first two attempts, I only had close friends, family, and peers help me with my personal statement. I never even thought about going through a professional personal statement review service until after I had failed to get into PA programs my second time around. My prerequisites are expiring soon and the thought of going through the entire process of applying a fourth time terrifies me. I was hesitant to purchase the one-on-one service but after going through it, I am so glad that I did. Sarah was my editor and she is incredible. She genuinely understands how frustrating yet exciting this process is. I submitted my initial personal statement to her and within a day, she had already gotten back to me with detailed feedback. She even goes as far as telling you how many characters she wants you to add in different parts of your essay – this was extremely helpful for me because I tend to be a little wordy sometimes rather than succinct. Sarah helped me to highlight my strengths, experiences, and reasons for why I have spent so many years pursuing the PA career. This is an incredible service and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it! I am still in the process of completing my supplemental applications but I am more confident now than I have been with my first two attempts!

Christian S. 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

My editor did an amazing job of quickly getting my rough draft back to me. I paid for your service very late in the game, yet The PA Life worked with my timeline and was very thorough in the editing process. I am very impressed with how eloquent I sound in the personal statement. I can not recommend your service enough!!

Katie, 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

Duke and I worked really well together. Seeing my first draft in comparison to my final draft was like night and day. I really appreciate all the help!

Kenzi H. Pre-PA

I hope this email finds you well. I would like to thank you for your help with my PA school personal statement. I’m glad to share that I did get into my top choice – Drexel!

Ashley, Pre-PA

Deanna was an amazing editor and provided wonderful feedback to my personal statement. I was very hesitant and nervous prior to approaching an editing service, but I do not have any regrets. Deanna not only critiqued my personal statement, but also gave guidance and reasoning behind her critiques. I now feel confident and excited to fully present my self on paper to admissions. I highly recommend her and the services provided for any future applicant. I hope to receive an interview and acceptance this year for next fall. Thank you!

Alexis, Pre-PA

I owe you a lot! Thank you so much for helping me in this important process. God bless you.

Catalina, 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

I had an excellent experience with this service. Deanna was thorough, attentive to my essay, and very easy to contact. She did a great job and I would highly recommend this service to anyone.

Grant, 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

My editor with The PA Life was a grammar goddess! She provided amazing feedback and was quick with responding back to any emails, questions, and concerns!

Saniha, 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

Thank you for taking the time to edit my paper! The feedback was constructive and very helpful. I liked how you highlighted all the strong points in my essay. It made me feel reassured that my essay was heading in the right direction. I also liked how you told me exactly what I needed to add to make it stronger.

Juliana, 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

This service was invaluable – I felt decent about my essay, but it’s remarkably better. I appreciate the level of detail and courtesy even with my discounted rate. You guys are too great!

Taylor Hamstra, Pre-PA

Carly was so helpful and encouraging! I truly felt like I was in good hands, and I know my personal statement is much stronger now because of her!

Chloe, Pre-PA

Thank you so much for editing my essay and for your kind words. Your edits have definitely made it a stronger PS and I am proud to have it as a part of my application. Thank you for alleviating my stress on arguably the most nerve-wracking part of the CASPA app. You are incredibly talented and well-spoken, and any person that has you edit their essays is incredibly lucky! I will let you know if I have any questions, but I think each one of your edits are meaningful and super clear. I appreciate you shortening it and making it flow better. Thank you again!!!

Karina Kapani, Pre-PA

Sarah was super helpful and flexible in my schedule. Her editing really turned my essay around, and made me a much more confident applicant! I am so glad I utilized this service. I will keep you updated on my results for this round 🙂

Mollie, Pre-PA

Excellent service! The editor did a great job of working with me to write my personal statement as I wanted. They also provide some pointers and tips on how to write which is good for supplemental essays and writing prompts.

Ryan, Pre-PA

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

I love Deanna! She was incredibly helpful and encouraging. I liked the way she constructively gave me feedback and I liked her ability to really strengthen my own ideas instead of dismissing them like other services. She is amazing at seeing things from different angles and that way rearrange and enhance my narrative. I did get an interview from the top choice and an offer a week later. Thank you so much and I will definitely recommend ThePALife to future prePAs.

Klam, Pre-PA

Carly did a great job helping my personal statement flow from paragraph to paragraph. She truly helped me show throughout the essay why I wanted to become a PA. What I really appreciated was she explained why each change was made; comments and reasons which not only helped with this one time essay but for all my future essays as well. Definitely was worth it!

Kathleen, Pre-PA

Sarah was amazing and so helpful with thoroughly explaining her edits! I was so impressed with the first edit. She really took my theme to the next level and really helped tighten the flow of my essay. During our first phone call, I was amazed by how quickly she incorporated my new ideas/suggestions. Sarah is extremely clever with re-wording and cutting down unnecessary words, allowing you to elaborate more on important things. I can’t say enough good things about Sarah! I am so thrilled with my result!

Khanhi, Pre-PA

Kelly M. provided an exceptional experience with detailed recommendations. I am upset that I did not find The PA Life editing service sooner! I will be referring anyone I know applying to pa school to this platform!

Manny, 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

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 wanted to let you know that I was accepted in the UW MEDEX program at my home campus in Anchorage, AK. After the long journey I’ve had, I finally was accepted to my top choice! It still seems surreal and I couldn’t be more excited! Thank you so much for the help and insight you gave me. I truly believe it helped prepare me and not be as nervous. I will definitely recommend you to anyone I know who is applying in the future.

Melanie, PA-S

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

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

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

After receiving two edits from Carly I feel extremely confident in my personal statement. She not only fixed grammatical error and syntax, but helped me better organize my thoughts into a competitive essay. To other Pre-PAs looking to submit their essays: I know it’s a bit of an investment but the peace of mind, comfortability, and confidentiality is so worth it! Thank you The PA Life!

Elizabeth, Pre-PA

I worked closely with Duke and Sue for the revisions on my personal statement. They must have edited my original version half a dozen times before they felt it was good enough to send off and never made it seem like an inconvenience. They always responded to my e-mails within a 24-hour time frame but usually got back to me within a few hours. I am very pleased with how my personal statement turned out thanks to all of their time, ideas and direction. The service the PA Life provides is well worth the money spent!

Personal Statement Collaborative

Michelle Murphy, Pre-PA

My editor did an excellent job with my essays. I struggle with writing emotionally and she took my material and really personalized it. I feel very confident sending in my essays after having her look at them. She promptly returned my essays and did a stellar job. Thank you!

Danielle, Pre-PA

I wanted to update you and say I’ve been accepted into two programs (waiting for two more responses) with Jefferson University (my program of choice) being one of them. Thank you for all your help and your tips and for making this a genuinely joyful 2022!

Yejin (Future PA)

Sarah is amaaaaaaaaaaazing!! She is super kind and helpful. My original essay was very long at about 9,000 characters and I had no idea how to trim it down. Sarah helped me decide what to include and eliminate from my personal statement while correcting many of my grammatical errors. She was a complete professional and very easy to work with. I would recommend Sarah and The PA Life personal statement revision service to everyone, they are absolutely wonderful!

Fariha, Pre-PA

Carly blew away all my expectations. She not only suggested edits to refine the content, but she also made grammatical and structural changes that fine-tuned my essay and allowed it to flow. I came into the editing process feeling hopeless about my personal statement, but with her edits, I feel confident that it will stand out. On top of all that, Carly was very timely in editing and returning my essay – I got it back within a few days! I’m very pleased with her service and recommend it to anyone out there who needs a fresh, professional set of eyes on their personal statement.

Stephanie, Pre-PA

Deanna (my editor at The PA Life) is the GOAT. She went so far above and beyond all my expectations. My jaw was on the floor reading my personal statement after she worked on it.

Austin, Pre-PA

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

Susan did a fantastic job 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!

Amanda Pre-PA

Duke really pushed me to write from the heart and explore my true reasons for applying to PA school.  I was very pleased with the outcome.  I haven’t yet received an interview, but my fingers are crossed!

Emily P. 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

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

Sarah was absolutely incredible to work with! My initial draft conveyed all the ideas that I wanted it to, but I wasn’t sure that it flowed well or was memorable. Sarah did a great job with helping me make my introduction stand out and also helped me immensely with the overall structure of my essay. My personal statement had initially been a source of stress but I am so happy with my final draft and extremely grateful to Sarah for her thoughtful insights!

Tina, 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

I was very pleased working with Duke on my personal statement. I’m currently in the middle of applying to PA school, so I haven’t heard back from the programs. I’m looking forward to the experience though.

John R. Pre-PA

I finally have amazing news. So first of all, in total, I was offered 13 interviews. I was just offered a seat at Nova Orlando! I am finally going to be a PA and a big part of that was from all of your help with my personal statement. So thank you very much for helping me succeed during this round.

Jennifer, PA-S

I had an overall great experience working with Duke. He was open to my suggestions and provided great feedback on my essay. So far I haven’t gotten any interviews yet, but it is still early in the process. I will keep you updated when I get interviews. Steve

Steve Koehler, PA-S

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!

M.S, Pre-PA

I want to say thank you, first off for providing such a service. It was difficult having to write a personal statement and then have others critique it, when there is not a clear rubric to follow. I think having to write a personal statement is such an emotional process, and then having others edit it, can be a very harsh pill to swallow. Thank you for your edits, I have no doubt that this process will make my personal statement more compelling and hopefully a more competitive applicant.

Stephanie, Pre-PA

Testimonials

I am so happy to have gone through this editing process! I did not think you would take so much time to not only give me great feedback but also to edit and revise my paper like you did. I am so happy with my new revised paper and will definitely tell my friends!
Eric, Pre-PA
Thank you again for doing the mock interview with me a few weeks ago. The interview at St. John’s University went very well, and I received an acceptance letter this week! The interview helped me so much and allowed me to fine-tune my answers, thank you again.
Colleen, 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
Deanna Matzen was my interviewer and she was awesome! She gave me great feedback and went the extra mile to find out some information for me even after the interview. I think this practice was so helpful!
Amanda, Pre-PA
Thank you for all of your help with my essay. You used my content, but refined it and made it more relatable. I believe due to your help I gained three interviews this cycle! I was accepted to two of the three schools and I will be going to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston this May. Again, thank you for all of your help, it has definitely changed my life.
Lauren Clewley, PA-S
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
I was so glad that I chose to have Duke look over my essay, he turned it from long, rambling, and scattered to a much more concise, well written essay. I really feel as though it represents me well! Duke always responded quickly and I felt as though I got a lot of value for the money. Thank you!
Jennifer B. Pre-PA
Sarah was amazing to work with. I love that she is able to take what I am trying to say and form concise sentences that flow together so effortlessly. Every time I read a paragraph that she ‘cleans’ up for me, my immediate response is “WOAH!”. Simply put, she was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend The PA Life personal statement editing service with her to anyone!
Jamee, Pre-PA
This is Tyler. I hope you remember helping me with my essay back in May. As promised, I wanted to update you with news of my PA school journey and I am excited to tell you that I was accepted to Stony Brook’s PA program!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH for helping me write an essay that was truly reflective of who I am as a candidate and as a person! It played a pivotal role in this whole nerve-racking process and has helped me achieve a major life goal. You are a godsend to Pre-PA students.
Tyler, PA-S
Very helpful! Many of my responses needed fine tuning, some of them needed a bit more in-depth work, and a few of them hit the nail on the head. Feedback from an impartial professional like Sarah is crucial in figuring out what I’m doing right, what I’m doing wrong, and how I can improve moving forward. Thank you!
Brian ceballos, 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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