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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

January 30, 2020 By Stephen Pasquini PA-C 2 Comments

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

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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Comments

  1. Asrar Mohamed says

    October 21, 2022 at 1:53 am

    Hello, I’m Intern Physician Assistant in Chennai. I am looking PG or Fellowship course for Physician assistant. What we can do after Bsc Physician assistant in clinical side. Please let me know.

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      October 27, 2022 at 6:34 am

      Hi Asrar,

      From the standpoint of the ARC-PA, individuals educated as health care providers (MDs, PAs, nurses, etc.) outside of the United States are not treated any differently than any other prospective PA student regardless of degree. To practice as a PA in the United States, one must graduate from an ARC-PA-accredited program and be certified by the NCCPA. If interested in applying to a PA program, such individuals should contact the PAEA for information on specific programs.

      Here is a wonderful resource on the topic from the ARC-PA (they accredit US PA programs and determine who may sit for the PANCE exam): http://www.arc-pa.org/frequently-asked-questions/non-us-health-care-professionals/

      Before you can work in the US, you must contact the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) to complete a visa screening program which, in part, will determine if your education was equivalent to that from a US PA Program. If your education is comparable, you are eligible for a certificate that you can submit with your visa application to the US State Department. The State Department’s approval of your occupational visa may help you enter the U.S., but you are still not eligible to work as a PA in the U.S.

      To become a PA in the United States, individuals must also attend and graduate from an ARC-PA–accredited entry-level PA program and pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certifying of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

      For information on PA programs, contact the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA): at https://paeaonline.org/ and the directory of PA programs here: http://directory.paeaonline.org/.

      Eligibility criteria for taking the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) are available on the NCCPA web site: http://www.nccpa.net/.

      Additional information on practicing as a PA in the US can be found at the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) website: https://www.aapa.org/.

      To determine if an individual state allows non-US-educated physicians to practice as PAs without additional education and national certification, you will have to contact the licensing bodies of the specific states.

      To find PA programs that accept international students:

      I would start by searching the PAEA directory website and click the box “Accept int’l applicants.” Currently, 138 programs accept international students. From there, you need to narrow down further based on requirements. I would then use my PA program picker table. You can narrow your search even further using all your variables: https://www.thepalife.com/pa-program-picker/.

      Then, follow the links to the PA program websites and reach out to them personally. They will be able to guide you better than me since every program is a bit different. If you have any questions afterward, just shoot me a reply.

      You can also browse my website at http://www.thepalife.com or visit our knowledge base, where I am growing a list of guides intended to cover a broad range of topics.

      Stephen Pasquini PA-C
      http://www.thepalife.com
      http://www.smartypance.com

      Reply

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Sabrina, 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

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 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

I really felt the person who edited my essay, Sue Edmondson, took the time to get to know me as a person because she wanted my essay to reflect exactly who I am. I couldn’t have been more impressed with the edits and revisions she has given me along with the reasoning behind each revision.

Nicala, Pre-PA

Really helpful! Makes me feel confident.

Qui T. Pre-PA

Even at the busiest time of the year for applications, they got me my edit in a matter of days. They did a great job with grammar, punctuation and suggestions. I am very satisfied with the draft I got back from Sue.

Andrew, Pre-PA

Your service was able to help me figure out exactly what I needed to include, what did not belong and helped me display my experiences the best way possible to form a great essay. Carly was able to help me create my best essay by just editing the order and grammar without changing much of any of my written work. I am very happy with how my essay turned out. Definitely worth the money, thank you for all your help!

Nicolas, Pre-PA

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

Deanna has helped me so much with my essay. I will definitely be reaching out for additional editing help and am so thankful this service is available. My editor was impeccably prompt, communicated her role, suggestions, and time frame which was great.

Morgan, Pre-PA

I’m emailing you to let you know that I received an acceptance call yesterday! It’s my first cycle applying so I’m still in shock. This may sound weird to say, but you have been a part of my journey since the beginning when I was trying to figure out how to write my personal statement, to practicing for the interview that led to my acceptance. I genuinely believe that I would not have been accepted into the program if it weren’t for you.

Anthony, PA-S

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

Sarah was so helpful, accommodating my needs, and I would highly recommend her to a friend/peer. I love this company and the people that work here!

Erin Felter, Pre-PA

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

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

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

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

I read my personal statement again today and got the chills. I am so happy with it and just wanted to thank you for all your help with my PA school essay!

Mikaela, Pre-PA

The edits I received were extremely helpful and insightful. I think they really brought my essay to the next level, and I am thrilled with the outcome. Thank you!!

Kelsey, Pre-PA

I am so pleased with the review Carly provided me. Her responses were thoughtful and edits helped me in a lot of places where I felt totally stuck. So excited to be so close to a final draft with my personal statement. Thank you! TBD on the interview (fingers crossed)

Georgia Flynn, Pre-PA

I wanted you to know about my acceptance into Elizabethtown College’s PA program. I am incredibly excited – I loved the school, the program and thought the staff was incredible, especially the director. I know my personal statement was a key component of getting an interview with them, and I am so thankful for your help in getting my statement polished!

Steve, PA-S

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

We worked on my essays back in summer and oh, how much work it was! But it all paid off because I just got accepted into the school of my first choice! Thank you so much for your time and dedication to my success. I will also be glad to recommend your services to other pre-PA students at my school!

Jennifer, H 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

Carly was excellent! She was very quick to provide edits and did a thorough job. She really helped me with the flow of my essay. I will be sure to let you know if I receive any interview invitations. Well worth the money! I feel confident in my essay.

Casey, 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 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

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 wanted to reach out and thank you for your help with my personal statement. I received compliments about my essay at every interview I had. I also wanted to let you know that I will be attending Duke’s PA Program – my top choice. Your help was amazing! Thank you so much again!

Kelli Tseng, PA-S

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

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

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

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 want to let you know that I got accepted into Misericordia University PA program starting the Summer of 2021. So far, I have had two interviews, one rejection and one acceptance. I have two more interviews coming up, and other schools are still reviewing applications. You have been a huge part of my application process, and I just want to appreciate your time and efforts you put in during my application. Thank you, and God bless

Jani, PA-S

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

Jasmine, Pre-PA

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

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

Sarah was a tremendous help to me and provided me with thoughtful edits that really made my personal statement stand out from the crowd. She was very easy to work with and really seems to care about each of her clients. I really enjoyed working with her and highly recommend her as an editor. As of today, I have 3 interviews scheduled, including one at my top choice school! Thank you!

Andrew, Pre-PA

I absolutely loved working with Sarah! She provided the best feedback to my personal statement, while also being sensitive to the details regarding personal family trauma. At the end of our sessions, I always felt confident in the statement and knew that Sarah would help me best articulate into words what I wanted to say. My statement now is something I can be completely confident in, and know that Sarah has been able to help me achieve a statement that prospective schools will pay attention to. Thank you, Sarah (and The PA Life) for everything!

Elizabeth, Pre-PA

Sarah did such an excellent job editing my personal statement that I wanted her expertise for my supplemental essays. I’ve had multiple interview invites so far. I’m so glad I used this service, and I’m so glad I had Sarah’s help! She really took my essays to a whole new level and had good suggestions. I’m recommending her to my peers.

Emily Crenshaw, 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

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

I have been accepted to my first-choice program!! UC Denver, I don’t have to move! I have also received three other interviews so far. Thank you so much for your help with my personal statement. You eloquently helped me state my desires and strengths for the career. I am beyond thrilled and thankful.

Nika (Future PA)

I was accepted into PA last cycle and am currently in my second semester! I am a part of the inaugural class at Keck Graduate Institute. Your services really helped me during the application process. I enjoyed working with Sarah on my personal statement. She helped me view my experiences from a different perspective, making my personal statement more unique and stand out amongst other applicants. The mock interview was also very helpful and prepared me for my one and only interview. I was given great pointers and feedback on how to refine my answers. Thank you again for your services!

Michelle Chen, PA-S

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 have recently been accepted to a program that was one of my top choices, and I also was waitlisted with two other schools. I wanted to thank you again for all your help Duke.  Not only am I grateful for your knowledge of writing and grammar (which were invaluable), but most importantly your kind word and motivation, which I needed so much at the time.  You’re a great person!

Alex Taylor, PA-S

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

Loved this service and working with Sarah. She was super helpful and easy to talk with. Will definitely recommend this service to others.

Diana, Pre-PA

I just wanted to email you and let you know that 3 weeks post-interview with Gannon, I was accepted into the class of 2023! I am so excited and thrilled and I know that your help, helped me. So, thank you!

Cailin, PA-S

The service provided was excellent. I really appreciate Duke taking the time and reviewing my essay multiple times and at that same time, making sure I am comfortable with the wording. Thank you for all your help!

Foram Patel, Pre-PA

I am pleased to tell you that I have been accepted to PA school, starting in 2-weeks.? I appreciate everything you have done for me, from helping with my personal statement to preparing me for interviews. You have been with me since the beginning of the application process and I really wanted to thank you.

Shane, Pre-PA

I truly appreciate the ideas and comments Deanna provided for my personal statement. Without her expertise in having an understanding of what PA programs are looking for in a personal statement, I would have gone in a completely different and possibly wrong direction. I highly recommend this service!

Victoria, 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

Sarah helped to condense my detailed thoughts into a powerful essay. Over the phone, she was careful to collaborate with me before making any changes so that the piece remained under my control and in my voice. She served as a guide and insured the essay brought out my strengths and reasons for pursuing the PA profession. Overall, I’m incredibly happy with the service!

Julie, 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

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

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

Sarah from The PA Life was an incredible resource for editing my personal statement. Her edits took into account the big picture of the message of the statement and helped guide me when writing additional content my statement was lacking. Her edits and responses were both prompt and thorough, and I truly feel that she made a huge positive impact on my personal statement.

Travis, 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

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

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 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 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

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

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

I am so happy with the service Sarah provided! My personal statement turned out exactly how I was hoping it would!

Jennifer, 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

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 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

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

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

My experience with the PA Life personal statement collaborative was simply remarkable. My editor did an outstanding job making sure that my personal statement reflected my BEST work and addressed all of my concerns regarding the essay and other questions I had about my application. I can’t thank you enough for all the help I received during this process. Thank you!

Erika, Pre-PA

I used the personal statement editing service through The PA Life, and I worked with Sarah. She was AMAZING and made such a difference in both the quality of my personal statement and in my confidence as an applicant. That said, I’m so grateful to say I’ve been accepted into two out of the three programs I applied to and have an interview with the third on Friday of this week. I couldn’t be more excited!

Nikki, PA-S

Sue is so incredibly kind! I needed so much help on cleaning up my personal statement and overall flow of the writing. She provided great insights and explanation.

Laila, Pre-PA

Duke helped me with my essay and he was great! He really helped me fine tune my essay so it’s ready for submission and answered all of the question I had about small details in my essay. He was also great about responding to emails in a timely manner. I definitely recommend this personal statement review service to anyone who’s applying to PA school…even if it’s just as a final read-through before submitting it on their application.

Tyler J. Pre-PA

I really appreciated Carly’s attentiveness to my writing style and working to keep my message and content but working it in a way that reads easier. I appreciate her turnaround time, as well as priority deadlines for programs, are quickly approaching!

Jacob, 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

Awesome editing service! Everything was detailed, and I could tell that my editor really cared about helping me produce a great personal statement.

Ashanna, Pre-PA

Sue Edmondson was VERY thorough in her editing of my essay, as well as the promptness of her responses to me. She not only took the time to edit the grammar of my essay but helped me remove a large portion of it to focus on the important aspects of it and draw in more details. Overall, a fantastic service!

Megan Hunstad, Pre-PA

Sarah Schultz is such a gifted and talented writer. She is super sweet and is a joy to work with. I could not have asked for a better editor. She was able to articulate all of my ideas and thoughts seamlessly and effortlessly. Although challenging at times, her suggestions and edits were very insightful and necessary into creating a spectacular essay. I am extremely pleased with the outcome. It is now a true work of art. I am so grateful to Sarah for offering her time to helping individuals like myself to write the best possible personal statement. I would not have been able to write such a cohesive and smooth flowing essay without her help. Thank you so much!! I would unhesitatingly recommend The PA Life Essay Collaborative and Sarah Schultz.

Patrick, PRE-PA

I just wanted to give you an update! So far I have had two interviews and been accepted to both! I have three more interviews scheduled as of right now, and still waiting to hear from a handful of schools. Thank you so much for all of your help with my essay!

Jennifer Bidwell, PA-S

I just want to follow up and let you know that I have been so fortunate enough to have conducted 3 interviews and received 3 acceptances, and I have decided to continue my educational journey at the OHSU PA program. I can’t thank you enough for all the help you’ve provided me, from helping me with my personal statement to mock interviews. I couldn’t have done this without your help, thank you.

Yomiyu Gafesu, PA-S

My editor was amazing! She took everything I asked and did editing that was above and beyond. She was also great at communicating and taking my comments/opinions into consideration. 10/10 would recommend!

Ravee, 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’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

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

I just wanted to let you know that the majority of my interviews have gone really well! So far, I’ve received six interview invites and have interviewed for five schools. Midwestern (AZ) just got back to me a bit ago, and they sent me an acceptance email! I am beyond thrilled! I just wanted to thank you so much for your help! Your mock interview gave me a lot of confidence that I was able to carry into my interviews! I appreciated having the opportunity to practice my interview skills with you. I wanted to let you know just how much you’ve helped me with my application process (with my interviews, personal statement, and just my confidence in general)! Thank you so much for all of the advice over the past few months!

Sneh, PA-S

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 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

Deanna was an absolute joy to work with. Not only was she a wonderful writer and editor, but she helped me develop my thoughts and produce a personal statement I was proud to submit. She helped me refine my ideas, and concise my writing to illustrate my reasons for wanting this career. She was also very prompt in responding to my emails and questions. I am very happy with my personal statement and would recommend this service to anyone who is considering this service or feels stuck in their writing process.

Maddie, Pre-PA

Sarah is an amazing writer. She helped clarify my thoughts and encouraged me on this journey. When/ if I get an interview, it will be because of her amazing writing skills.

Araceli, Pre-PA

I just wanted to let you know that I got accepted into the RFU PA program! Thank you for all your help and support during the application process. Couldn’t have done it without you!

Zakira, PA-S

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

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 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

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

Very prompt response and turnaround time. While I did not speak with Duke over the phone, his team’s edits were thorough, clear and very helpful. Highly recommended.

Dave H. Pre-PA

Amazing Resources

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Favorites

  • A Physician Assistant’s Guide to Becoming an Epic Failure
  • How to Write The Perfect Essay
  • My PA School Rejection Letters
  • Personal Statement Workshop
  • The #1 Trait to Determine Long Term Success as a PA
  • The Top 46 Physician Assistant Applicant Interview Questions
  • Who Gets Into PA School?

The PA Life Resources

  • PA Schoolfinder PA Program Directory
  • The Daily Eponym – email series
  • The FREE Daily PANCE and PANRE Email Series
  • Smarty PANCE Board Review
  • How to Write Your PA School Essay Book

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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How to Write Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement

What Makes This Book Unique? We have worked with 1000’s of applicants through our Personal Statement and Essay Collaborative and have interviewed PA school faculty and Admissions Directors from 12…

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