Utilize all your resources + Network
Many students don’t realize how many resources are available until they do the work to find them. Social media is one of the most helpful platforms that has tons of resources available. There are many social groups to discover mentors and those ready to help anyone in need. Many practicing PAs hold an instagram or facebook account sharing their past experiences, stats, helpful tips, and much more! There are national organizations like AAPA that you can affiliate yourself with as a pre-pa member, that provide you with tons of resources.
In all the positions you hold (volunteering/job/mentee,) try your best to create meaningful relationships with healthcare providers you work with. The more meaningful relationships you create, the more advice, recommendation letters, future mentors, and job opportunities you can get.
Volunteering + Shadowing
Volunteering and Shadowing are very important aspects of your application. Shadowing gives you the opportunity to really understand the ins and outs of the profession in each speciality. You may think you really love a certain speciality, until you shadow and realize it is not for you. This shows PA programs that you have really thought about your decision of going to PA school. This can pave the way for recommendation letters and can also help you get a sense of all the different specialties. Having more than the minimum hours of shadowing a PA program offers is ideal. Now during COVID, there are plenty of online platforms offering virtual shadowing, which shows you put the time and effort into learning.
As for volunteering, it is a great thing to have on an application/resume. It is important to volunteer for things that you are passionate about or have an interest in and not just because it will look good on an application. It is good to be a well-rounded student, that is what PA programs look for. They look for students who are passionate about medicine and have other outside interests. So, seeing that you are involved in things that aren’t all medicine related is great. Also, it is better to have a few volunteer opportunities that you
are really committed to than an overwhelming number of uninspired opportunities in an effort to impress admission teams.
Testing, Personal statement, and Patient Care Experience
The usual testing for PA school is the GRE, although some schools do not require this. If you are able to pay to take the GRE, it is good to take it so you have a wider range for PA programs to apply. My best advice is study, study, study! If you do not feel strong about your score, apply to programs that do not require the GRE.
The personal statement is the part of the application that really makes you shine. You are able to talk about yourself and everything you deem important. You are able to explain why you want to become a PA. Make sure your personal statement stands out and makes the admissions office really take interest in your essay. There are so many personal statements they will be reading, so make sure to stand out!
Patient care experience is one of the most important parts of this application. To be competitive, you need to have paid healthcare experience where you are directly responsible for patients. Some programs require 500-2,000 hours of patient care experience. Examples include medical assistant, patient care tech, EMT, dental assistant, and much more.
Apply early and GPA
As for applying early, this can help increase your chances of acceptance, since many programs do rolling admissions. As long as you have all of your applications complete and strong, apply early. Many programs open their applications April-May, so then or a little bit after that would be preferential.
Make sure your GPA is in the range of what a PA program accepts and not too far off. GPA matters, but isn’t the only factor. There are plenty of applicants who have gotten accepted when their GPA is lower than what the program wants because of the other parts of their application.
Ending reminders and other options
You can do it! Have confidence and make sure you are trying your best to be the best PA applicant you can be. Even if you don’t have all the necessary prerequisites or clinical experience, you can take a gap year to complete them! There are many applicants who are non-traditional, or are 2, 3, 4 or even 5 time reapplicants. You can do it, even if your situation changes.
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Facebook Pre-PA Mentors and Mentee Instagram @sparkles_and_scalpels_
- By Kasey Diaz
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