Why do you want to become a Physician Assistant (PA)? Why not a nurse practitioner or physician? To help you answer this question, what follows is a direct comparison of these three educational and professional options, focusing on three specific programs. Using information from the top ranked programs from U.S. News and World Report for…
Why Should You Consider Becoming a PA?
Most of the clients I work with are dead set on becoming doctors. I believe this mindset exists because doctors have such a visible role in patient care historically, and are represented in the media as being at the very top of the healthcare hierarchy. The physician assistant (PAs) profession is a relatively new member…
What to Look for When Selecting a Physician Assistant (PA) Program
One of the keys to choosing the right physician assistant (PA) program for you is program data, including information on the programs’ matriculants. Unfortunately that’s more difficult to come by for PA applicants since the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) does not provide data on applicants or matriculants for individual PA programs, but…
5 Qualities to Highlight in Your Physician Assistant Program Application
In addition to identifying students with academic promise, physician assistant programs are looking for students who have a wide range of specific personal characteristics. Based on the criteria for the most competitive PA programs, there are five general areas in which students are evaluated. What character traits make for a stand-out physician assistant applicant? Academic…
How to Get Accepted to Physician Assistant (PA) Programs
Physician assistants (PAs) are similar to doctors in many ways and serve as important members of any healthcare team: They improve the ease and speed with which patients are able to see a healthcare provider; they take on most of the same activities as doctors in patient care; they see patients to diagnose, treat, and…
U.S. News Releases 2021 Best Physician Assistant Programs
U.S. News released its 2021 ranking of physician assistant programs. These rankings are based on peer assessment surveys completed by deans, other administrators and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools. All schools surveyed were sent an identical number of surveys. Survey responses were on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). There was…
Can You Graduate PA School With Little or No Debt? Daniela Did.
Learn how real students navigate their way through the graduate school admissions process and grad school itself with our What is Graduate School Really Like? series. Meet Daniela, a new PA and fitness enthusiast who shares how to achieve your dreams without breaking the bank. Daniela, thank you for sharing your story with us! How…
Why Should I Consider Allied Health Careers?
If the road to medical school seems too long, or you have financial constraints that prevent you from applying, you might want to consider a career that offers many of the same experiences a physician can have, but without the extensive schooling. Weighing your options: Pros & cons of allied health careers While length of…
How Did This Successful PA Applicant Get Accepted? [Episode 349]
Interview with Erica Cousins, entering PA student [Show summary] Erica Cousins, PA school reapplicant, shares what she did differently the second time around to get admitted to several programs. A soon-to-be PA student shares tips for gaining acceptance to physician assistant programs [Show notes] Our guest today, Erica Cousins, is happily anticipating the start of…
Macy’s Journey Through Yale’s Online PA Program
Learn how real students navigate their way through the graduate school admissions process and grad school itself with our What is Graduate School Really Like? series. Meet Macy, a student in a uniquely flexible, Ivy League PA program Macy, thank you for sharing your story with us! Was there a particular person or experience that inspired your…
What Do You Need to Know to Get Accepted to a Physician Assistant (PA) Program?
Your goal is to complete a top physician assistant program and move into a dynamic and exciting professional role as a PA. What are the steps you need to take to achieve this goal? What can you do to sharpen your competitive edge and get noticed from the overflowing applicant pool? What can you do…
Real-Life Tips from a New PA
Learn how real students navigate their way through the graduate school admissions process and grad school itself with our What is Graduate School Really Like? series. Meet Sarah, a new PA Sarah, thank you for sharing your story with us! Congratulations on recently becoming a PA! Where did you go to PA school, and when…
Yale’s Online PA Program: Is an Online Ivy League PA Program Too Good to Be True? [Episode 298]
Interview with James van Rhee, Director of Yale PA Online [Show Summary] Have you always wanted to be a PA, but did circumstances in your life just not allow for it? Yale might have just the right program for you – a PA program delivered primarily online, with clinical experience in or near your hometown….
How to Prepare for a PA School Interview
Physician Assistant program interviews are similar to medical school interviews. There are three possible interview formats: traditional, MMI (multiple mini interview) or a hybrid of these two. Traditional interviews involve anywhere from one to three people interviewing one to three students. It can be one-on-one or any other combination of these numbers. If a school…
Writing Your Physician Assistant (PA) Personal Statement
While there are many different ways to approach writing a personal statement (PS) for your PA application, I am including a successful example here. The character limit for the CASPA application PS is 5,000 characters with spaces. In this essay, you are responding to the question, “Why PA?” To write a compelling essay, take some…
The Inside Scoop on Life as a PA
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with medical school applicants and students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top medical schools and the med school application process. And now, introducing Andrea… Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as…
A PA’s Positive Outlook: If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with medical school applicants and students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top medical schools and the med school application process. And now, introducing Jazmine Kwong… Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study…
A PA with a Platform – Helping PA Students Push Toward Their Goals
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with medical school applicants and students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top medical schools and the med school application process. And now, introducing Savanna… Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as…
How Patients Inspired This Future PA
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with medical school applicants and students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top medical schools and the med school application process. And now, introducing Jourdyn… Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as…
Working as a Medical Scribe Led This Student to Her PA Dream
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with medical school applicants and students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top medical schools and the med school application process. And now, introducing Lorae… Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as…
