Undergraduate education: Southern Methodist University
Overall GPA: 3.91
Science GPA: 3.82
GRE: 316 total with a 159 verbal and 157 quantitative. I also received a 5.0 for writing.
Total PCE hours: At the time of my application I had 2,400 hours of direct patient care. My experience came from a total of four roles. The summer before my senior year of college I became certified as a CNA and started working as a patient care tech in the ICU on the weekdays. To try to make the most of my summer, I also took a job on the weekends as a Rehabilitation Aide at a nursing home. This role was part CNA work, but mostly I helped a set schedule of patients with their daily rehab regimens ordered by their physicians. This included assisting with gait, performing splitting and contracture care, and facilitating passive and active range of motion exercises. I held both of these roles for a few months, but ultimately stopped working to focus on school work my senior year. I was a 2020 graduate with plans to start a clinics research position after graduation, but when Covid hit I had to unexpectedly move home and was told that the clinical research would be put on an indefinite hold. I was then forced to look for something new where I could get my hours, but still keep my family safe as I was living with my immunocompromised brother, so in May of 2020 I started a job as a remote medics scribe for a Neurosurgeon in Seattle! After a few months of that, I was able to move back to Dallas (where I went to college) and started a job as a Medical Assistant at a Urogynecology Clinic. I have been working as an MA for the last year and a half now!
Total HCE hours: I had 184 hours of healthcare experience. The bulk of my hours came from teaching CPR classes in college. I got involved with an organization on campus that paid for me to get my AHA BLS Instructor certification. In exchange, I taught class 1-2 nights a month for students, faculty and staff members for free! It was a perfect opportunity to get a lot of hours and get really comfortable with CPR. Later on, I also gained HCE by volunteering at Covid vaccination clinics doing anything from checking in patients, monitoring patient after their vaccinations, answering questions and administering vaccines.
Shadowing hours: I had 40 hours of in person shadowing with an Orthopedic Surgery PA. I shadowed with her for a few hours each year during my winter breaks home from school. It was great getting to build a relationship with her during that extended time period. I also had 27 hours of shadowing with a dermatology physician. With Covid, it was hard to find in person shadowing experience, so to expose myself to PAs in more specialties, I sought out 10 different practicing PAs to do “virtual shadowing” interviews with. This involved me speaking with them about their daily routine, they type of patients they see, their scope of practice and more. I also got to learn about their background and what brought them to the speciality they are current working in. Each PA had a unique perspective to share that I found very helpful and encouraging! While this type of “shadowing” certainly isn’t traditional, it was a great way to supplement my in person shadowing, expose myself to PAs in a variety of settings and make some amazing connections!
Volunteer hours: I volunteered a lot in college and when I applied I had 617 hours from several different organizations. I found most of my hours through on campus organizations that either host local events or connect students with ongoing service opportunities.
How many times did you apply?: Twice! I applied originally in 2019 before my senior year of college. At that time I only had about 400 hours of experience and I submitted my application in mid August. I received two interviews and was placed on the waitlist for one program. Ultimately, I ended as the #1 seat on that programs waitlist, but was not accepted. My second application was not until this most recent cycle in 2021. This time my stats were much better and I made sure to apply early! I received 4 interview invites and was accepted right after my interview for one of my top choice programs!
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Why PA? I was initially drawn to the PA profession because in addition to clinical practice, I am also interested in other areas of healthcare such as teaching or administration. I felt that the PA role would provide the most flexibility, both in that sense and with the ability to change between specialities. As I started to interact with more PAs and learn more about the role, I loved the relationship PAs get to build with their patients and their coworkers. Being part of a team as an MA showed me how much I valued a collaborative role, yet really enjoy my individual time spent with patients. I also really appreciate how supportive the PA community has been. Every PA I have interacted with had been so welcoming and willing to help me with my journey in any way they can. I look forward to getting to do the same for pre-PA students who come after me!
How many programs did you apply to? 9
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I received four interview invites, but only participated in two. My second interview was with a top choice school close to home, so after I was accepted I declined my invitation to interview with two other programs. The other interview I completed offered me a seat on the waitlist which I decided to decline as well.
Where will you be attending? I will be attending the UNT Health Science Center PA Program in Fort Worth, Texas!
Anything you found interesting about interviews? I was surprised with how many opportunities I was given to ask questions. I think because my interviews were over zoom a lot of programming involved time to ask questions at the end. I would make sure I was prepared with a few more questions handy to ask throughout the day!
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, webinars, etc) you used to get through prerequisites courses, the application or interview process? I used websites like the PA Platform to help me understand the application process. I had very little understanding of what makes a successful application when I started, so it was helpful to reference advice from previous applicants about what helped them. I also prepared for interviews using a prep book another student passed down to me. That being said, I think the most helpful thing was attending different programs information sessions. Hearing directly from a program what they look for helped me tailor my responses to better appeal to each individual program!
Any advice for other pre-PA students? You don’t have to take the expected route, there is only one way to get accepted! Even though it feels like you have to take certain classes and be involved with specific things, the programs want to see that you are an individual that can bring a unique perspective to their program. Of course they want to see continued volunteering and involvement in organizations, but get involved with things you actually care about whether they are medically related or not. You should be able to demonstrate that you have a passion and interest for the things on your resume, not that you volunteered at the hospital just because you thought you should! For me, that meant that I pursued a Business degree instead of a traditional science major because I was interested in having that kind of background. I also volunteered with my church and started a service project to benefit homeless women because those were causes that really spoke to me. In the end, I think I was better able to write about my experiences because even though they may not have been the tradition pre-health resume builders, I was able to demonstrate that I am a hard worker and am really passionate about everything I do!
Where can we find you? Instagram: @adarajpatel
