CASPA 101: What you Need to Know About CASPA for PA School Applications

The process of gathering information and understanding the process of PA school applications can be daunting and overwhelming. Having an understanding of the application service prior to getting started will make the process easier and just a bit less stressful. If you need additional information on CASPA and the application process, check out the Pre-PA Workbook.

What is CASPA?

CASPA is the universal application service for the majority of PA school applications. CASPA stands for “Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants,” and it is the universal application service for most PA programs that is operated by PAEA.

You input all your information, choose programs to apply to, and send your application to everyone with the push of a button.

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It is divided into four sections: Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials. Each section requires specific information and documentation, which I recommend familiarizing yourself with by reading the CASPA FAQ. If you have any specific questions about CASPA, you can reach out to CASPA directly through their customer service line, email, or social media channels.

When Does CASPA Open? 

CASPA typically opens at the end of April. Verify  the exact date on the CASPA website or through official announcements to ensure accuracy. For updates, you can also subscribe to The PA Platform newsletter. It's important to note that while CASPA is technically open year-round, there is a period it closes between March and April where you won't be able to apply to any programs or access the application. It's best to wait until CASPA officially opens before starting your application to ensure that all the necessary information gets saved to your account properly. Once CASPA opens, you can begin working on your application, requesting transcripts, and notifying your letter writers. Keep in mind that letters of recommendation are often the component that takes the most time, so it's crucial to give your letter writers ample notice. As for information that carries over from previous applications, most of it should transfer, but you will need to re-upload your personal statement and request letters of recommendation again.

How Many Sections Are in CASPA?

CASPA consists of four main sections: Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials.

• Personal Information: In this section, you provide your biographic information, such as your name, contact information, demographics, and background details.

• Academic History: This section focuses on your educational background. You will enter information about the high schools and colleges you have attended, including details about your coursework, grades, and transcripts. CASPA requires you to manually enter your course information, even though they have access to your official transcripts.

• Supporting Information: This section is where you include various supporting materials. It includes sections for experiences, evaluations (letters of recommendation), licenses, certifications, and your personal statement. You will input details about your healthcare experience, shadowing, volunteering, and any other relevant experiences. You will also request and manage your letters of recommendation in this section.

• Program Materials: This section is specific to individual programs and may not be present for all programs. Some programs utilize CASPA to collect additional materials, such as supplemental essays or prerequisite courses. It is important to check each program's requirements and application process on their respective websites.

It's important to note that each section may have additional subsections and specific requirements. Take your time to thoroughly read and understand each section's instructions and enter the information accurately.

I’ve Never Applied, but CASPA Says I’m a Reapplicant

If CASPA is indicating that you are a reapplicant, it means that you have previously submitted an application to at least one program through CASPA. CASPA tracks your application history and labels you as a reapplicant based on that information. However, it's important to note that individual programs will only consider you a reapplicant if you have previously applied to their specific program. Other programs that you are applying to for the first time will see you as a first-time applicant. It's also worth mentioning that being a reapplicant does not necessarily have a negative impact on your application. It's a common occurrence, and many applicants successfully gain acceptance in subsequent application cycles. If you are a reapplicant, it's essential to reflect on your previous application, identify areas for improvement, and articulate your growth and readiness to succeed in your personal statement and interviews.

What Moves Over from Cycle to Cycle?

In CASPA, certain information should hypothetically carry over from one application cycle to another. However, it's important to note that not all information will automatically transfer, and you may need to review and update your application for each cycle. Here is an overview of what information typically carries over:

• Personal Information: Basic biographic information, such as your name, contact information, and demographics, may carry over. However, it's always a good idea to double-check and update this information to ensure accuracy.

• Academic History: In most cases, your academic history, including the colleges and universities you have attended, your coursework, and grades, will carry over. However, it's crucial to review this section carefully to confirm that all your information is accurate and up to date.

• Supporting Information: Some supporting information, such as your healthcare experiences and volunteer work, may carry over. However, it's essential to review and update this section, as your experiences and involvements may have changed since your previous application. Personal statement and essays will not carry over between cycles. Save these elsewhere.

• Letters of Recommendation and Personal Statements: Unfortunately, letters of recommendation and personal statements  do not carry over from one cycle to another. You will need to request new letters and have them submitted to CASPA and enter your personal statement again for each application cycle.

It's important to thoroughly review and update all sections of your CASPA application to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information is included. Remember to check the CASPA website and resources for specific instructions and guidelines for each application cycle. Do not use CASPA as the primary place to save your application information. We recommend Mappd, a free application tracker, as a great option for saving experience details, planning your school lists, and getting the most accurate GPA calculations. 

When Should I Submit My Application?

The best time to submit your CASPA application depends on several factors, including the specific programs you are applying to and their application deadlines. In general, it is recommended to submit your application as early as possible, especially for programs with rolling admissions. Submitting your application early allows you to be considered for more interview invitations and increases your chances of securing a spot in the program.

Aim to submit your CASPA application in mid to late May or early June. This timeframe typically provides enough time for your application to be processed and verified before programs begin reviewing applications. However, it's important to note that some programs may start interviewing very early, even in June. Therefore, it's crucial to check each program's specific timeline and deadlines to ensure you submit your application in a timely manner.

If there are specific reasons that are holding you back from submitting your application, such as working on your personal statement or following up on letters of recommendation, it's essential to address those concerns and take steps to overcome them. Identify the reasons for the delay and develop a plan to address them promptly so that you can submit your application in a timely manner.

Remember, submitting your CASPA application early does not guarantee acceptance, but it does increase your chances of being considered for admission. Take the time to ensure that your application is complete, accurate, and reflective of your qualifications and experiences. If you would like to schedule an application review, book a session with one of our pre-PA coaches to ensure you’re ready to go..

When should I send my transcripts to CASPA?

Your application will not be verified until all of your transcripts are received. If classes are in progress, you will need to wait until the grades are processed if you want them to be included in your GPA calculation and verified by CASPA. Transcripts should roll over between cycles, but if they are sent while CASPA is “closed” you’ll likely need to resend once CASPA opens. Transcripts will be sent to CASPA and not directly to programs unless specifically requested. 

What is CASPA verification?

CASPA verification is the process where CASPA reviews and confirms the accuracy of your application, including your transcripts and GPAs. When you submit your application, CASPA will verify your transcripts and calculate your GPAs based on the coursework you have entered. This verification is done only once per application cycle. It is important to note that if you make any updates or send additional transcripts after your initial submission, CASPA will not re-verify those courses or update your GPAs. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully review and enter all your coursework accurately before submitting your application for verification.

How Long Does it Take for Verification?

Based on the information from my interviews and experiences, the CASPA verification process typically takes around 2-4 weeks. However, it's important to note that this timeframe may vary depending on the volume of applications being processed and any potential delays or issues that may arise. It's recommended to submit your application as early as possible to allow ample time for verification and to meet program deadlines. It's also important to ensure that you accurately enter your coursework and submit all required documents to avoid any potential delays in the verification process. CASPA states to allow up to 6 weeks for verification. 

In summary, there are a few things you can do ahead of time to prepare for your PA school applications. 

Familiarize yourself with the CASPA application: Take the time to thoroughly understand the CASPA application, including its various sections and requirements. This will help you navigate the application process smoothly and ensure that you provide all the necessary information.

Start early and stay organized: Begin the application process well in advance to allow ample time for gathering all the required documents, such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. Create a checklist or a timeline to stay organized and ensure that you complete each section accurately and on time.

Pay attentiion to detail: CASPA requires attention to detail, especially when entering your coursework and grades. Double-check all information for accuracy, as any mistakes or discrepancies could affect the verification process. Be sure to enter your courses exactly as they appear on your official transcripts.

Remember, the CASPA application process can be complex, but with careful preparation, attention to detail, and ample time, you can submit a strong application that reflects your qualifications and dedication to becoming a PA.

Everything You Should Know About the Casper Test for PA School Applications

We all love another test added to physician assistant school application requirements, right? Just kidding! But the Casper test is pretty unique in that you can’t really study for it. If your eyes just bulged a little, don’t worry. I’m going to break down everything you can do to prepare and what you need to know going into this exam. 

To start off on a positive note, think of this exam as an opportunity to show the admissions committee a little more about who you actually are outside of grades and stats, which hopefully gives you a higher chance of getting an interview or acceptance. Some programs are also requiring the entire Altus Suite, which is a combination of assessments - Casper, Snapshot, and Duet. We’ll cover those here as well. 

What is the Casper test?

First of all, the Casper test is behavioral based and meant to judge your responses to ethical and difficult scenarios in a time-based manner. This makes it different than a strategy or knowledge-based test like the GRE or PA-CAT that are also sometimes required for PA school applications. Essentially, due to entering a profession in healthcare as a PA where you will inevitably be faced with some very difficult situations, schools are looking for a way to assess your on-your-feet decision making skills. The exam currently costs $40 to take and $12 to send to each additional PA program. 

During the test, you’ll complete two sections. One where you type responses and the other where you record a video response. Some of the scenarios are word-based and some are video-based. This can feel very strange if you aren’t used to frequently typing or videoing yourself. Each of the presented scenarios will be followed by 3 open-ended questions, and you will have 5 minutes to respond to each of the questions if typing, or 1 minute to respond by video. Expect the exam to take around 2 hours to complete. 

You will need a computer with a webcam and microphone to participate in the Casper test. This may also be necessary if you do virtual interviews, so we have a few that we recommend in our Amazon store. This test doesn’t happen in a testing center, so you’ll need a quiet place at home or if that’s not an option, see if your local library or university has a room you can rent. 

Why do PA schools use the Casper test?

The PA school application process has portions that are objective and portions that are subjective. When assessing an applicant on paper, it can be difficult to narrow down the field to a select few that will receive interviews, and even fewer that will receive acceptances. The academic preparedness is extremely important, and can be demonstrated through grade performance, but that doesn’t often show personality. On the Casper website, you’ll find a list of the qualities Casper assesses for, which includes: collaboration, communication, empathy, equity, ethics, motivation, problem solving, professionalism, resilience, and self awareness. 

Schools use the scores from the test as a way to look for red flags and as just a piece of the decision making process when forming their classes. As with all of the application sections, each program is going to put different weights on different parts of the application, and some may look at the Casper exam more heavily than others. At the time of writing this article in 2022, there are 49 PA programs requiring the Casper exam. 

Can you study for the Casper test?

Practicing skills such as typing responses to questions on the spot and videoing yourself are ways to feel more comfortable with the format of the exam. This may not improve results necessarily, but familiarity will lead to more readiness on test day. Make sure to do a system check with the software and all of your equipment to avoid any technical issues. 

There is a free practice exam on the Casper website and I highly recommend taking that before your real thing to help you get a bit more comfortable with the process and what to expect. If you have a copy of the PA School Interview Guide, check out the chapters on MMI and Ethical questions to help prepare for the content of the Casper exam. It seems like the timing of the exam is what causes many people to struggle when discussed in the Pre-PA Club Facebook group. Make sure to take this into account when you’re preparing, and if you feel you “messed up” in one section, be ready to let it go quickly and move on to the next question. 

A few simple tips are to smile, sit up straight, and make sure you’re comfortable. Nerves are normal, just like with an interview, but you can’t let them stand in the way of your performance. Spelling is not considered in your typed responses, so don’t worry about that too much. The Casper FAQ states that typed responses can be either bullet or paragraph form so I would practice both to see which you prefer. 

When should I take the Casper test?

If a school requires the Casper exam, it should be stated on the PA program website, along with any notable deadlines or test dates. It is recommended that you sign up at least 3 days before your desired test date to make sure you have time for verifying your identity and any payment issues. Testing accommodations are available, but must be requested with documentation 3 weeks before your exam. Scores can take 2-3 weeks to be distributed to programs, and are sent automatically to the programs you assign. 

It’s important to note that Casper scores are only good for one application cycle, so if you do need to reapply later, you would also potentially need to repeat the exam. 

What is a good Casper score?

The scoring of the Casper exam is interesting because it is actually rated by a team of people. Anecdotally, I previously graded standardized 8th grade essays in Georgia before I started PA school, and I imagine the training and scoring system are similar. We had to extensively go through essays to train and qualify by scoring a specific set of essays and continually had quality checks throughout scoring. Each rater scores a different scenario, which is somewhat similar to an MMI style interview, but schools will not see your individual responses to questions. 

One thing about the Casper test that is a little different is that you will not receive a score, but a quartile that shows your performance relative to your peers for the typed part of the exam. This is similar to how the PANCE is scored. Only the schools will see how you did and will have their own criteria on what makes a “good” Casper score. 

Is the Casper assessment hard? 

While there’s no material to study, the Casper exam isn’t “hard” in that sense. On the other hand, it’s a fast paced judgment test, and that may be stressful. I recommend using all of the time given to respond and practicing ahead of time by thinking or writing out your responses to questions. Using MMI techniques to show versus tell will also be helpful to make sure you are fully covering everything for each prompt. 

Can you fail the Casper test?

It wouldn’t necessarily be considered failing, but there is a chance that your score falls in the lowest quartile for the typed section, and this is the only information you’ll have access to. Don’t let that get you down too much though because the video section is not included in this and you may have done well in that portion. You cannot retake the Casper exam more than once in the same application cycle. 

What is Snapshot and Duet? 

Other parts of the Altus Suite assessment, outside of the Casper test, include Snapshot and Duet, and these are also being required more regularly now. Snapshot is basically a video interview, but no one is actively asking you questions. You know how I always say to practice interview skills by videoing yourself? That’s also a great way to practice for Snapshot. The sample questions listed for the Snapshot portion are very similar to traditional interview questions that frequently come up. 

Duet is similar, but more specific to a program and will help to show how a program fits what you specifically are looking for. We never want to apply on stats alone, but on a connection to feeling a program is a mutual great fit. 

These parts of the assessment are included when you sign up for Casper, so even if a program you’re not currently applying for doesn’t require them, it may be in your best interest to complete these portions in case you need them later. Each section should only be an extra 15 minutes or so, and these parts can be completed anytime after you book Casper and within 14 days of actually taking the test. 

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Hopefully, all of this information makes you feel a bit less stressed about the process. If you are a reasonable person with common sense and some empathy towards your patients, I think you’ll be just fine. Always remember that the application process is complex with a lot of gray area and many factors that account for your success, so if you struggle with one portion, you have other opportunities to shine. 

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Pre-PA Email Templates

We are often asked how to correspond with specific people throughout the application process. Over the last year, we have been sharing these email templates for our Instagram followers. Here is a full collection of them for you to refer to! Let me know in the comments what other templates would be helpful. Please remember these are JUST templates, a guide for you. Be sure to add your own personal touch to these.

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How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation

It's time to give your letter of recommendation letter writers a head's up! Not sure how? Here are some tips and templates. Put these in your own words, but this should give you some direction.

When possible, ask through email so there is a paper trail and written reminder. Depending on your relationship with the letter writer, a phone call, text, or asking in person may also be appropriate.

Give your letter writer an idea of what you would like them to cover in the letter. For example, a professor's letter should speak to your academic successes, not your demeanor during patient care. Sending your resume and personal statement can be helpful as well. Also, include the desired deadline of when you would like to submit your application. Letters frequently hold up application verification.

Don't forget that LORs DO NOT roll over cycle to cycle so do not request them through CASPA yet. Just give your letter writers a heads up right now.

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How to Ask to Shadow a PA

Found a PA you would like to shadow? That's great! Here are some tips for when you’re asking to shadow a PA.

Keep it professional! It's a crazy time in the medical field. A lot of PAs are very busy right now. If a response doesn’t come as quickly as you would prefer or you get a canned response. This seems like common sense, but I’ve seen some correspondences that are a little surprising in the tone.

Get to the point and be as brief as possible. In respecting your email recipient’s time, be concise and direct. Take out as much fluff as possible. If you have a question, make sure that’s clear without sharing your life story, but just include enough details to get an adequate response.

Be specific. I know I just said to be brief, but give your reader enough information to know their relationship to you and why you want to shadow them.

Remember, they are doing you a favor by allowing them to shadow you! Remember to be professional, polite and courteous.

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What to say when Communicating with Programs

Multiple acceptances? Congrats! What a great problem to have! A lot of the questions you’ve been sending in are asking how to actually turn down a spot in a PA program. Here are some tips for when you’re communicating with a PA program.

Keep it professional! Whether you’re accepting a spot, declining, or asking for feedback, remember that the program faculty are very busy and doing the best they can. If a response doesn’t come as quickly as you would prefer or you get a canned response. This seems like common sense, but I’ve seen some correspondences that are a little surprising in the tone.

Get to the point and be as brief as possible. In respecting your email recipient’s time, be concise and direct. Take out as much fluff as possible. If you have a question, make sure that’s clear without sharing your life story, but just include enough details to get an adequate response.

Be specific. I know I just said to be brief, but give your reader enough information to know what you’re talking about and not have to go searching. Including identifying information will help with figuring out who you are among the thousands of applications a school receives.

Another common question is do you need to respond to a waitlist or acceptance offer? Yes. I recommend responding to any direct correspondence from a program to make sure they are aware that you received their email.

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How to Ask a Program for Feedback

We always encourage pre-PA students, who are planning to reapply next cycle, to ask the programs they applied to cycle for feedback.

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Reapplying to PA School

If you have not received an interview invite or acceptance by late November/early December, although there is still a chance you will hear back from your program this cycle, it is wise to act as though you are going to have to reapply.

PA school is getting more and more competitive each year, and much more difficult to get accepted. Because of this, many people have to apply more than once before they are accepted. That is becoming more normal. As a re-applicant, your goal with your application is to show the admissions committee that you have improved yourself and been working towards your goal since the first time you applied and if you are given an interview, those things will be your focus as well.

First and foremost, don't give up! Look at your application and reflect on your interview to see what you could improve on. Some options that you may want to consider to make your application stronger include:

- Revise your personal statement. You don’t have to rewrite the entire essay but consider updating it to reflect on what you have accomplished this year and how these accomplishments have helped you realize that a career in the PA profession is still one you want to achieve. Feeling stuck? I wrote an entire book to help you craft the perfect personal statement. Don’t forget, we offer professional editing here at The PA Platform.

- More healthcare experience. If you've been working in the same field or at the same job for a long time, consider switching to a different job to expand your experience.

- Look at your transcript. If you have any questionable grades, you may want to repeat these classes to show you are able to do better and also to raise your GPA. Also, check the programs you are interested in, and if there are any additional classes they recommend taking, you could take these to improve your application and again, raise your GPA.

- Volunteer. Find something you're passionate about and volunteer for the cause. If it's medical that's fine, but even if it's not, giving your time looks good on your application, and will probably make you feel pretty good too.

If you are offered an interview as a re-applicant, take some time to reflect on what you have learned over the past year and how it will make you a better classmate and future PA.

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What is the PA-CAT? - with Researcher and PA from Exam Master - Scott Massey, PA-C and PhD

The PA-CAT seems to be on everyone’s mind. Do I need to take the test? Is it replacing the GRE? How do I study for it? We went straight to the source with this interview with Dr. Scott Massey, a PA with tons of educational experience and a PhD. Dr. Massey has spent his career researching PA education and trying to improve it, and he shares his involvement in the development of the PA-CAT and why this test is the next step in PA admissions.

P.S. This blog post is also a podcast episode! Listen to it here.

Dr. Massey: My name is Scott Massey, and I’ve been a PA for 36 years. I’ve been a PA educator for 29 years. To make a long story short, I've been in leadership positions in 4 PA programs, and I’ve been an active researcher over the years in particular about predictive factors for success in PA education. A couple of years ago, Exam Master approached me and the executive of Exam Master came to one of my presentations and asked if I would be interested in participating in this exciting project, which was developing and launching a PA admissions exam. He asked me and Dr. Johnna Yealy to be the co-investigators of this project, as there would be an 18 month research component for that. I won’t go into everything else as far as my PA career, but I’ve worked in numerous settings including more emergency medicine than anything else. I also worked internationally for a year, and I’ve worked in several countries around the world participating in projects as well. At this point in time, I’m focusing on research and education, and another part of my time is spent working on this project. So that’s a summary of me! 
Savanna: So a little bit of everything but sounds good! Yeah so I'm going to be perfectly honest. I am not exactly sure what my thoughts are on the PA-CAT, so I'm excited to learn more. I have been a PA for 5 years now, and I think if I was in a pre-PA’s shoes, I would be a little bit terrified. But as someone who has been through it and has helped pre-PA students throughout the process, I can see the benefits of a test that is designed like the PA-CAT to be more specific than say, the GRE. So I'm excited to hear more and see if it helps my thoughts on it a little bit more. So you said it wasn't your idea; you just got involved, is that safe to say? 
Dr. Massey: I was one of the principal investigators. When you launch something of that magnitude, there has to be some robust research behind it. The exam was launched in a research phase in 2018, and it’s been administered to over 2,000 students, both who are first years matriculated into PA programs and to participants who are in the interview phase. So obviously, because this has to be approved by Institutional Review Board, we cannot ethically administer this exam to pre-PA students in the case that people would use it for the purpose of making decisions. Up until now it has been in the research phase, and this will continue into the future as well. 
As far as what you mentioned about the concern from pre-PA students regarding PA-CAT vs. GRE, I can tell you honestly as a PA educator, I’ve been involved with admissions for now 28 years. I can tell you that whatever tools the educators are going to use to admit students, they are going to use. I’ve read virtually all the research that PA education and PA educators have done on the GRE and predictive factors and on the PANCE and its success. And it’s not strong. It’s not a great instrument. The comment I want to make to all those students is that do you want PA educators to use a tool that’s not very strong vs. one that is a better identifier of students’ success in the PA program. There's nothing we can do to really to allay their fears, it's going to be a process but we'll get into that more detail as you ask questions.

Savanna: Looking at applications and talking to students, I find it hard to help students understand that PA schools have to standardize patients to a degree. There is so much variety in where they are taking classes and getting their experience, there has to be some way to even the playing field a bit. So what have schools used traditionally up until this point? 

Dr. Massey: Unfortunately, they use science GPA quite a bit. We just got the data from a research phase for this project, which looks at several hundred students and their relationship to prerequisite science and admissions, basically like the first year of a PA program and the first year PACKRAT. The relationship between those variables are very, very weak. And what research shows is that science GPA, which intuitively we would think that looking at grades and performance in chemistry would be an indicator, and it hasn’t panned out. I’ve done my own assessment, so I’m involved with a lot of assessment. I have assessed several years of data looking at, here at Central for example, looking at how well science GPA predicts PANCE performance in an academic format, and there is a negative relationship, which means it is not strong. So PA educators are going to use that, even though it is not a great predictor. Interviews and other personal things, I think, are probably one of the more important things. We try to identify that by using MMIs, group interviews, and personal interviews. I think looking at personal statements are important. 

There are qualitative types of variables and the quantitative. 51% of the PA programs, as of last year, are using the GRE. So they plug the GRE score into a spreadsheet and formula, and they say, oh here is the score on the GRE, we will give the student however many points. So that’s kind of what happens. It’s not an exact science to admit students, and I’m the first to tell you that my whole career has been about student success. I work with students who have failed PA school. I worked with students who are trying to remediate and develop their remediation tools. At the end of the day, not every student who applies is able to handle PA school. It’s our moral and ethical responsibility to not admit students who are not going to be successful. So it’s tough, it’s a tough job.

Savanna: So what are the end goals and end points of the PA-CAT? Is it seeing a better performance on PANCE, better GPAs in PA school, less matriculation – how do you figure out if it is effective? 

Dr. Massey: I believe the best way to find out if it is effective is to see a slight decrease an attrition. Whether someone gets 450 or 500 on PANCE, I could care less. But you know, attrition rates in PA programs ranges from virtually 0% in some that only accept students in the top 10% of GPAs to much higher in programs that are trying to admit candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds and those kinds of things. So, if this tool at the end of the day, lowers some attrition, then that will be successful. So it's really about student success. Basically to me, it's the best tool in the arsenal that will probably be available to programs to look at cognitive factors. So the other thing I'll say is that some programs that have a mission to admit students that might get lower scores on this exam could still use this exam to try to identify those that need a pre-matriculation type of program as well. So, they have multiple uses. 

Savanna: That's interesting. So can you even compare the PA-CAT to the GRE?

Dr. Massey: Not necessarily because it is testing different types of skills. There is the verbal and quantitative. I think there is some overlap with quantitative because it is testing some statistics and some chemistry. But for the most part, it’s really testing basic science knowledge and social science knowledge. It is most closely aligned with the pharmacy CAT. There’s a PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test). During the development phase, the committee looked at the PCAT because that was probably the closest aligned exam that already existed. The MCAT, which has undergone some evolution, is basically testing the same thing. It is testing the typical undergraduate courses that PA students will have already taken. It does not assume that students have advanced biological science courses, for example. It’s based on the average prerequisites of all PA students in the country. We did a large assessment of that to make sure we are not overtesting content that is beyond the scope of what PA students are experiencing. 

Savanna: Okay. And I listed out the subjects on my website. There's a lot of them, so I don't know if you want to list them, but we can either direct people there or if you want to go over them, you can. But I want to know more the logistics of the test, like how long is it, how is it scored, that type of thing.

Dr. Massey: So the exam is going to be 225 questions. During the launch this year, 25 of those questions are going to be what are called “field test” questions. 200 questions will actually be scored. It will be based on the one minute per question framework. As far as scale, the scale process is very similar to what the PACKRAT uses. So with scaled scores, basically all the students in the country, the lowest score might be 200 and the highest might be 800, and students find out where they are in terms of their percentile. If they scored higher than 61% of people taking the exam, it will be 61. So they will be total scale percentile scores and subscores, which we are combining the subscores for biological science and AP chemistry and social sciences. 

Savanna: I guess with it being so new, is there anyway to tell someone the score they should aim for or what schools are looking for?

Dr. Massey: Not yet, it will probably take several years to get to that point. I will use the example of PAKRAT again, which has been used for 20 years now. There is research out there that looks at scoring PACKRAT. It doesn’t say this is the score you want; you research it, look at the data. Same thing here, it will take time. Each year, applicants will be scored against other applicants. It’s not going to be, here’s the score. Programs, just like they do now, take that data and begin to identify how the scores relate to their own specific departments. You can’t generalize all programs. They will also look at the relationship of the PA-CAT with the PACKRAT, EORs, and the PANCE. Like any instrument, it will take time to get to that point. The PACKRAT is administered on a psychometric model called the The Rasch model. Rasch is the framework of developing a scale and looking at performance within a group. We are not looking at everyone who has ever taken the exam; we are looking at all students within a specific testing window that year. 

Savanna: Okay, and I know you said every school uses their own parameters. Do you see this as something that could potentially replace the GRE or become something that is mandated for every single PA program? 

Dr. Massey: No admissions exam can be mandated unless the program decides to. Does PAEA condone the PA-CAT? PAEA is neutral. It doesn’t condone it one way or other other; it doesn’t say PA-CAT is better than GRE or vice versa. Programs will choose to adopt this exam and choose to use it in their cycle if they want. It is available.

Savanna: I’ve seen some programs have started to implement the PA-CAT in this upcoming cycle; do we know how many programs?

Dr. Massey: There is estimated to be about a dozen right now. There may be as many as 25-30. Upcoming years, it is really grassroots. As more PA educators hear about this exam, for example I’ve given webinars to PA educators, so they know about it. I don’t know exactly the percentage of programs that will use it; but I think it will probably grow. 

 Savanna: Alright, so what is going to be the cost of the test, and are there going to be fee waivers? I’ve gotten questions about cost being a limiting factor. What does that look like?

Dr. Massey: The cost of the actual exam is $149. When students register, they're also going to be paying the prometric testing center fee at the same time. So with the total cost, it’s comparable to the GRE. As far as the waivers right now, Exam Master is developing a program to support economically disadvantaged students, so they're connecting with various constituency groups. I know that the executive director is talking to the president of AAPA, trying to reach out to see how that can be done on as well as in state chapters. Certainly, that is the desire if students are challenged economically, to be able to have a scholarship program and offer it free of charge. I honestly don’t know how much that is happening with current exams, like the GRE or CASPER. But that is the intent of Exam Master. 

Savanna: Okay, and how would students send scores? I know with the GRE, students are able to send it to 3 schools for free, then you can add more later. Is it similar to that? 

Dr. Massey: When students register, there is an articulation with CASPA. The number of schools the students apply to, CASPA would then forward the scores. It’s a process, and I can’t tell you exactly how it is transmitted, but it will similar to the process the GRE uses. There will be a school code, and there is a transcript students can download. So that’s how it’s going to work.

Savanna: Okay, cool. So another question I’ve gotten is that students who have seen certain programs require the PA-CAT now are asking how to prepare. When I was studying for the GRE, I went to the library and checked out some books. But how can students actually study and prepare? 

Dr. Massey: First of all, I would say the preparation is not going to be necessarily as robust as looking at setting up and preparing for the GRE because it's a different kind of exam. Students will get you know review books for the GRE and the more that you practice those exam questions, the better you will do – the customer test phenomenon. Because the PA-CAT is based upon the typical undergraduate courses, Exam Master now has a downloadable document, which is like the outline of the exam. Students can go to their own content and their own textbooks and use that document as a guide. There may be some more truncated review books for certain subjects like biology and that’s up to them. Along with the payment for the exam, students do get access to a free practice exam, and that will give them an estimation for their scaled score. So if they go ahead and they take the practice exam. If they score a 450 for example, which is lower, that’s an indication they may have to study more. I can tell you that the outline is quite detailed, they can go into chemistry and review those concepts. I know that depending on when students have taken certain courses, I mean there are certain students that get to their senior year and applying to PA school – it’s been 3 years since they took organic chemistry. So they may have to go back and spend more time focusing on that. Because the concentration of the exam is a bit less on chemistry as opposed to biology and physiology, it’s not going to have as much of an impact on the scaled score.

Savanna: Okay great, so there is some guidance. Last time I checked the website, it wasn’t up yet, but I’ll link that so everyone can find it and feel more reassured. I think you have covered all of my questions. Are there any questions that you are getting regularly? 

Dr. Massey: Yeah we look at blogs sometimes, and there are concerns that come up. Let’s see… how heavily weighed will it be in the application process? That depends on the program and how heavily they want to weigh it. Some programs may use a percentile program; some may use a watch-and-see approach and gather all the data first. The other concern I’ve seen is that it’s being implemented under people’s feet, as in they already took the GRE, now they have to take the PA-CAT. The process of putting a new requirement for an applicant is based on, if it’s early in the cycle, it’s pretty permissible to include. Once before the application is due, that’s how programs will look at it and will put it on their website so applicants will know ahead of time. Applicants have to realize that individual programs have the ability to require various elements from their students, so same thing here. I’ve spoken to a few directors that are choosing to make it voluntary this year and phase it in. 

Savanna: Do you think there are any programs that will require the GRE and PA-CAT, or is that overkill?

Dr. Massey: I don’t know that for sure. Everyone I’ve spoken to so far is choosing to go to PA-CAT instead of GRE. Again I think the cost to students is concerning if you require both exams. Also, I’ve gotten the comment that if the PANCE score is high, why would you another instrument? Again, I’m going to go back to wanting to reduce attrition. If it helps reduce overall some attrition, then it’s worth it. So the message I want to get across the pre-PA applicants, is that this is about trying to ensure success. It is not about adding more barriers or eliminating people. It’s about ensuring the people who are in programs have a higher probability of succeeding. They’ve also got to realize that when you take 5-10% attrition across states – we are talking about hundreds of people that are being dismissed from programs across the country! So if that's lowered, it's worth it.

Savanna: Yeah, I completely agree, and I think sometimes too it's difficult from a pre-PA standpoint, when you haven't been to a PA school yet. With my class, we started with 44 and ended with 40. One person from my class who graduated never passed the PANCE. I mean, it sounds small, like 4 or 5 people, but that’s life-changing for those people. So, I think if there was something that could have prevented them or kind of indicated that maybe they weren’t going to be able to succeed in PA school, that would have been helpful in the long run. 

Dr. Massey: Making programs, myself included, we will look at like any predictive variables that may indicate where students might need more remediation along the way. So if we look at that, what programs do is that they look at applicants who get lower scores in certain classes. And we ask, what do these students need? Do they need study skills? More support? Sometimes it’s a number of things. Sometimes it’s just study skills they need to adjust. Sometimes it’s science knowledge and science aptitude or the ability to handle the fast pace of the program. Some programs also look at those scores and implement a pre-matriculation program review process or some form of intervention for those students. Some medical schools already do this. So I think it opens the door to those things too, not that Oh, I’m just going to reject you because your score is X.

Savanna: Yeah, just the more information, the better. I think that's great. Where can people find out more about the PA-CAT and ask their questions? 

Dr. Massey: They can head to the PA-CAT website: https://www.pa-cat.com/pa-cat-candidate-page/. There are a lot of resources on there now.  

Getting Started: Prepping for PA School Applications as a Sophomore in College

Ashley is back for the second part of her series about preparing for PA School Applications. She wrote a guest post last year about preparing for PA School Applications as a Freshman and is back with advice for those in their sophomore year of college. Follow Ashley’s journey at @akoch_coke

Throughout the ending of my freshman year in college, I continued to prioritize my studies along with staying an active member within my university’s Pre-PA Club. However, once March began everything changed. A couple weeks before my Spring Break, I was notified by my school that I needed to be moved out of my dorm by the ending of the following day due to the corona virus. Although there were so many things going through my mind within this moment, I never stopped to realize how much this then termed global pandemic would affect my entire Pre-PA activities and requirement fulfillments.

After leaving my dorm, the rest of my semester consisted of finishing my classes as strongly as possible and trying to find something to do during the summer. Originally, I had set in my summer schedule to be shadowing a surgery PA, which at the time was the specialty I was obsessing over. However, this plan was soon canceled due to the corona virus. 

Once summer began, I admittingly spent a lot of the beginning time on the app Tik-Tok where I eventually stumbled upon a couple of online programs for Pre-PA and general Pre-Healthcare students to get a variety of shadowing and seminar experiences. I ended up participating in Lenox Hill Hospital’s BRAINterns seminar series along with a couple of Medshu Club’s profession sessions. These two programs were very exciting to be a part of due to the fact that they allowed me to learn more about different healthcare professional’s careers and specialties. Along with this, in the BRAINterns series there were several days per week where some of their doctors would present a case they encountered and run through how they diagnosed and treated the patients along with talk through recorded surgeries within some of these cases. Along with these online programs, I was also taking an online course for school to help boost my GPA and dedicating spare free time to learning about how to read an EKG.

Towards the beginning of my sophomore year, my school’s Pre-PA club was re-electing officers, and I became the new president of the Pre-PA club. In this position, I discussed with the fellow officers about our plans for the upcoming semester and everything we would like to do. Throughout the semester, we had several virtual club meetings that consisted of us reviewing one of the key requirements for most PA schools. During one of our final meetings of the semester, one of the people on our college’s PA admissions team attended!

Along with my position as president of PA club, I also joined Biology club and Medlife club which were both very fun. As the semester progressed, I found myself constantly working on my schoolwork and having very little social time. Although my school was and still is the top priority, I was still wanting to have some time to spend with new friends. Because of this, I decided to informally rush and join a sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. Through this, I not only met many girls that were on the same profession path as me, but also will get to continue volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House through not only PA club but now also ADPi. Even though this semester consisted of being half in person and half online, with extra hard work I ended up boosting my GPA and making Dean’s List. 

Once the semester ended and Christmas Break was around the corner, I was eagerly awaiting to start gaining my shadowing hours scheduled during the break. However, within a couple days of my first day I received a notice from the PA stating that I would be unable to shadow her due to case numbers rising. Although this news was very heartbreaking, I decided to start partially preparing for potential PA school interviews through reading The PA Platform’s “Interview Guide” book and taking diligent notes on the different types of interview styles. While to some this preparing sounds to be way too early, my mindset was by the time I get invited to interview at a PA school, I will already have detailed information on all of the different interview styles and expectations so this way I can focus more on how to answer the potential questions for the specific school instead of how the interview will be conducted. Along with this, I also added several new spreadsheets to my list of PA school requirements one that consisted of my logged virtual hours from the past summer, my grades throughout my completed semesters so far, list of my planned extracurriculars for each semester so I don’t sign up for more than I can handle and planned out class schedules for my remaining semesters in order to not have too many hard sciences at the same time.

Toward the beginning of this semester, I found out days before that the EMT class I scheduled to take in order to attain PCE hours got canceled due to the fact that not enough people registered. This cancellation on top of the several shadowing and volunteering opportunities I had already lost hurt and made me feel hopeless, that I would never fulfill PA school requirements. However, even though these cancellations happened, I was able to make use of my now free time to put it towards other areas of the application. Currently, I am in the process of potentially starting to shadow a PA along with volunteering at a local hospital near my college. Along with this, I am also planning out an exciting semester for my college’s Pre-PA club alongside my fellow club officers and completing training to start working in a glioblastoma research project.

Even though it is still a very challenging time to fulfill application requirements, with hard work and determination there will be opportunities to not only fulfill these but to also show future PA schools that you are worthy of becoming a Physician Assistant.

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Non-Traditional PA School Applicant - Teacher to PA Student

Sean Childress has a great story. He is a husband, dad, former high school coach and teacher, and now he is a PA student! Following a lingering dream, he made decisions and sacrifices to reach his goal. After moving from Texas to North Carolina, Sean started PA school recently at Campbell University. We discuss what that was like for his family, how he decided when the best time to quit his job was, and how he completed organic chemistry in 3 weeks! IG - @sean_childress

Listen or watch this interview on The Pre-PA Club Podcast

Sean: I'm 33 years old. My name is Sean Childress. I am a husband and father of two. And I did not take a traditional route to this. There have been a lot of twists and turns. But I actually spent a decade working as a high school football coach, baseball coach, and I taught every subject you could imagine. This was not really necessarily what I went to school thinking I was going to do, but it’s where I ended up. I still love spots, even though I'm kind of leaving that realm somewhat. 

That is where I spent 10 years non-stop and it kind of ran me into the ground. My family and I just moved to North Carolina for PA school from Texas. My wife is on board, and my kids are on board. And it’s really a team in our house. So everybody's really been supportive from multiple levels. But this is a dream that I've had for a long time. And it's just now coming to fruition at age 33. And I couldn't be more excited. We actually start class this week. So we're about 48 hours away. So I'm pretty excited and nervous, but I’m ready to go! 

Savanna: Okay, so you went from teacher and coach to PA. I actually get a lot of messages from people who are teachers who want to make that jump but aren’t sure how to. First let us know your mindset and how you decided that you wanted to pursue the PA profession and what that looked like.

Sean: If you go back when I was an undergrad, I actually started out as a journalism major. This is how into sports I was; I wanted to be like a SportsCenter anchor or something! I never really lost that desire necessarily, but I was introduced to the medical field and amazed by it all. 

Coincidentally, in one of my writing classes, one of my classmates was a physical therapy tech at a clinic. I got really into fitness at that time and was interested in helping people. I thought that would be a cool part-time job. 

That's just kind of how it started. So I took on this job during my sophomore year college as a PT tech. And initially, when I first start working there, I thought I wanted to become a physical therapist. It seemed like they had a blast, listening to music, talking all day long. Also, I didn't even know what a PA was. I've never had an encounter with a PA until I worked at the clinic. The first exposure I had to the PA profession was when another PT tech I worked with got accepted into the PA program at Texas Tech. She was my age, and I asked her what that was. She kind of explained it a bit. It really registered for me because she basically said you can choose which avenue you want to go instead of being kind of stuck in one area. You can use your degree to do a variety of things; you can work two jobs at once. I definitely didn't see myself doing the same thing for the rest of my life. I don't have any desire to do one thing for 40 years or whatever. Then I actually broke my hand. And I was treated by a PA, kind of pro-bono through our clinic. I actually spent a couple days shadowing a PA at that time. And I switched from journalism to a health promotion major, which is what I graduated with. 

I gotta be honest though. The first red flag on my application was when I took anatomy & physiology. I went to high school where I never had to study once. I didn't have to study until that point in college at all. Long story short, I didn't do well in the class, but it was the first time in my life where I was definitely afraid that I was going to fail. I was definitely discouraged. I spent about one year on the pre-PA track. I just didn’t move forward after that. I thought I genuinely couldn’t do it and thought I needed to go a more comfortable route. I finished my degree, but my degree did not require a lot of PA school pre-requisites. I ended up having to take all the pre-requisites, including the few classes that did cross over. Again, I was quite intrigued by the profession but the first time I faced failure and adversity with it, I quite simply gave up. So that led me to teaching. 

Savanna: Well, I think that's a very relatable thing. I don't think you're alone in that. And even someone I was working with recently kind of said the same thing. You know, it was just in her mind that she couldn't do this. So that led her down a different path into respiratory therapy. So I don't think you're alone in feeling that way. I think the classes that are required kind of make us all think that way at some point throughout the process. So you ended up teaching, and at what point did you decide to switch? Was that always in the back of your mind? Or did you revisit it later and felt like being a PA would fulfill you more?

Sean: It’s kind of a combination of all of that. So I’m a super positive person. I try to make the most of everything. When I got into teaching, I tried to look at the bright side of it all. I didn’t feel like I let anyone down or let myself down. I just felt like I was suppose to be there at that time. Even throughout the whole process, I don’t have a ton of regret because I learned a lot in those 10 years of being a professional. I think throughout the years, staying in touch with other people who went into medicine, those thoughts never went away. They slowly continued to grow. At one point I wanted to be a head baseball coach, and I did that. And I didn’t feel fulfilled. In fact, I was coaching in the state semi-finals. And we won! But I just didn’t feel like I was fulfilled. I mean, of course it is fulfilling to make a huge impact on kids. But I just felt like I wasn’t giving everything I could to my life. 

Ultimately, was there a trigger point for my decision? So there kind of was. Like I said, I would periodically reflect and think about it, and it would weigh on me at times. But in my last year of teaching, I made a decision that I was going to step away from teaching right before spring break. And on that day, I was nominated for teacher of the year. So I spent this whole spring break, sitting there thinking, “Am I making the right decision? Is this a sign I am suppose to stay?” Then the day after spring break ended, I talked to the principal before school and told her that I’m going to step away; I gotta pursue this. I’m going to make it happen. And the very next day, one of my students actually committed suicide. And it was like the most eye opening -- something I think about every day. It made me realize, obviously, like how fragile life is, how fragile time is. It definitely made me think that I was probably making the right call to kind of move forward and try to pursue the PA profession. I did think like, “What if I never go for it? What does that teach my kids, that I didn't go for a dream and I didn't try to accomplish a goal?” So you know, essentially, it kind of took off from there! So that was the Spring of 2017. I started taking pre-reqs and stuff that Fall.

Savanna: So a couple things there. I think it's really easy to get comfortable. And we get comfortable in our circumstances. We see these other things as these big hurdles, even if they’re things we have to overcome to get to where we want to go. I think that’s why a lot of people don't even take those steps towards just their goals and dreams. I probably have 100 new ideas a day that everyone at work, my husband, and my parents have to listen to. And they all think I’m crazy. But I think the only way we grow and can see what we are capable of is to try things and take those big steps. Another thing I talk about a lot or when I do mock interviews, is the pivotal moments. Maybe you did not have a dramatic experience with a PA saving you on the side of the road or something. But there are these points in our lives where everything makes us think about stuff and kind of pushes you in one direction or another. Maybe it’s not one event, but it’s multiple things that kind of culminated. I think those pivotal moments encourage you to move forward. It sounds like you went through some of those steps.

Sean: Even when I wrote my essay to apply to PA school, I was doing a lot of reflection. Some people sit on the sideline their whole life, and you can live your whole life on the shelf. But you don’t have anybody to blame but your own self. That’s kind of the thought I had. If I look back, I at least tried. So I agree, totally.

Savanna: I get a lot of emails about that. “I don’t know where to even start. I don’t have any hours. I don’t have any coursework finished. I’m a teacher.” So how did you start? What did you do after you quit your job? I mean that’s a huge decision. What happens next?

Sean: Yeah, so I just want to point out that I did have an advantage with thousands of hours as a PT tech, just sitting in the bank, if you will. So the first thing I did was to attack my biggest hurdle and mental block at the time which was tackling anatomy & physiology. I also needed to find a part-time job. I found a part-time job with a PT I used to work with to accumulate more hours. I didn’t necessarily care about how long it would take. I was just going to do one class in the fall – anatomy & physiology. At the time, I was 31 years old, and I went into a college class with all these 19-21 year olds. And they don’t really know how to work and focus well. It seemed easy to me. I had a lab partner and I would basically coach him along. So I took that one class. And I realized very quickly that having worked full-time, really double full-time as a coach, that taking one class and working part-time felt like nothing. So the next semester, I went kind of crazy! I signed up for A&P 2. I also took statistics and knocked that out. I was also taking Chemistry I. I also had a mental block about chemistry as well. But I got in there and loved it, that’s when all of this clicked for me. There was no turning back now. I could do this. The mental hurdle was cleared that summer.

During that whole time, that’s when I reached out to you. I heard about this book on your podcast, and I definitely recommend it: The Applicant's Manual of Physician Assistant Programs. It makes the process a lot easier. Every time that I would apply to a school, I would put a sticker in there. My wife cracks up at my OCD. I would write out the pre-reqs over and over, just to write them out and check them off because I wasn’t sure. I’d email the admissions staff at the school to ask if my prereqs worked before I submitted the application fee. From there, I started applying shortly after the cycle opened. I didn't want to do it too early, because I had quite a few hanging pre-reqs on deck that were still pending. But I think I applied to 21 schools. 

I got waitlisted to interview to three schools. I was straight up denied from a lot. And I started thinking this wasn’t going to happen. I knew like I prepare myself for this – that it may not happen the first time. But along the way, I got an interview invite. The first one was in July to be set in October. Then I got a last minute one in August. And that was like the following week in Pennsylvania! So I bought your interview book. It helped tremendously. I only had 3 or 4 days to prepare for that one, and it went okay. I got waitlisted, but I was a nervous wreck. I felt a lot of pressure. But in many ways, it felt a lot just like a job interview. It was good exposure. I went to another interview at a school in NC in Sept. And then I got an interview late October at another school, which I got accepted to, which is Campbell University. Before I got accepted, I really didn’t think I was going to get in. So that took a lot of pressure off. It was late in the cycle for them, so I just kind of went for it. I was just going to go and be myself. When I went there, I wasn’t afraid of anything. During the introduction when I had to introduce myself, I just thought that I wanted to stand out. I just said to everyone, “I'm older than all of you in here. I have two children at home. And they're both named after famous baseball, iconic, historical things. My son is Nolan named after Nolan Ryan. And my daughter is named Wrigley after Wrigley Field.” And that stuck with everybody. Later on, there were people who didn’t interview me who asked about that. I thought that was cool. 

Now are back to organic chemistry. I had enrolled in it thinking I was not going to get in this cycle. It was an online, self-paced course and we had 8 months to finish it. At that point, I got the call on a Monday from Campbell that I was accepted. And I was fired up and excited. Then I remembered that they had an organic chemistry requirement, but I was already enrolled in it, so that was good. But it was November 6th, and they needed everything done by the end of November! So I told my wife, and she was like, “There is no way you are not going to do it. You’ve come so far.” She was so supportive. At that point, I just needed to pass the class. I did not work those entire 3 weeks. I would wake up everyday at 4:30 in the morning, study until my kids got up, get them ready for school, and then everyday, I studied until 4:30 pm. I didn’t feel good during that. I was just so sedentary, reading and reading and reading and drawing all those hexagons. I planned to take a test every 2-3 days because there were 5 tests total, and you got to take each test twice. I would take the first once, and I planned to take it no matter what. The first pass gave me some exposure to the material. The first two tests went great, and the third one wasn’t good. Then I rebounded. So at the end, I passed, and now we are here. So it can be done. I took me 3 weeks. I would not recommend it. I basically had to just make it happen. 

Savanna: This is why I always say like, do not put a course on your application if you are not actually taking it or planning to complete it. I’ve talked to a few people who had to give up their acceptance because their acceptance was pending completing of passing this one specific course! And at that point, they either couldn’t enroll in the class or couldn’t complete it in time. Your wife sounds super supportive by the way! Also, can you share which online school you used?

Sean: Yeah, we moved across the country, left her job, all that. She is second to none! And I took the organic chemistry course at University of New England. It was expensive, but it was great. It's super user friendly, and very flexible!

Savanna: Okay I’ve heard of that one! So go back to your mindset when you were trying to decide if this is something you wanted to do. What tips would you give to others in your situation? Someone who has a pretty stable career, maybe a family, but has other interests in medicine or becoming a PA?

Sean: Well one of the things I had was the support from my family. My wife carried the weight of me worrying and financially quitting my job going from two incomes to one. I don’t think we could have done it if my son had not started kindergarten; we had to have daycare. And daycare is like a mortgage. The timeline wouldn’t have worked out, and I would’ve had to wait longer. But you got to make sure you've got a financial plan. And you gotta have support from your family, and I also had support from my extended family – my mom and my aunt Kelly were absolute saints. So my advice for others in my situation is to go for it. It sounds generic, but you can sit there and think you are going to do it when you are ready. But if you wait until you are ready, you will never do it. I don’t even know if I’m ready right now! And I start PA school this week. 

But if I could change anything about it, I wouldn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. In fact, I was just talking to my wife. She asked how I feel about starting school this week, and I actually said that the journey to get here was such a road, and that has all been lifted from my shoulders. But I kind of miss it in a way. And now it’s going to be a different journey. It just seems surreal that this is all happening. And I wouldn’t change a thing about it. 

Savanna: So what are you most nervous about with PA school?

Sean: I think it’s quantity of work with being a dad. Basically I’m going to have Saturdays open, and that’s family time. That’s how I’ve operated through all of this, and that won’t change, period. It’s just going to be lack of sleep and all that. I’m not necessarily afraid of the material because I am so excited. I think being 33 and having a set goal and leaving a career… Just being a student is nothing compared to tacking on your full-time job and being a parent. I think I’m in a different set of circumstances than if I was 23. So I'm just a little bit afraid of the balance. My wife is super supportive, and we have talked about didactic year being THE year. It’s more of the unknown than anything. If you give me a month, I feel like I’ll be more adjusted. 

If you are a non-traditional applicant make sure to check out my Youtube video the Non-traditional PA School Applicant and How to Handle Anxiety in PA School with Deceleration and make sure to check out my interview with Neurology PA and Non-Traditional PA Applicant, Brie!

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Moving for PA School and Choosing an MPH/PA Program with Mansi

This post is a transcription of a Pre-PA Club Podcast with Mansi. To listen to this podcast, click here.

Mansi: Hi everyone! My name is Mansi. I am a recent graduate from University of Georgia. I just graduated this past May with a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion in the College of Public Health. I've been taking my gap year since then, just trying to get my patient care hours and also applying at the same time. I applied this past cycle, and I am currently working as a medical assistant at a pediatric and primary care office. I'm actually the lead medical assistant there, so I get to do a lot of training, working with different people, and a lot of admin type stuff too. But I enjoy it! And my time there is ending soon. But as you all know, as everything with COVID continues, I might be working there for longer. Who knows! 

Savanna: I’ve only taken one health promotion class because my roommate was a health promotion major, and we wanted to take a class together. I think that was one of the first years they offered the major. But now it seems very popular. 

Mansi: Yeah, it's getting really popular, especially with public health kind of coming back up. I think a lot of people are getting more interested in it. And I got to do a lot of kind of advocacy for the major throughout my time there, so I definitely was able to help recruit more people in it. It was really fun. I really enjoyed my time! 

Savanna: Did you go into school as a health promotion major, or what made you choose that over something like biology or chemistry? 

Mansi: I actually went into school as a biology major, just like everybody else. I was interested in medicine and healthcare. But I actually took a sociology course, which was part of the different requirements for the biology major. In the sociology course, there was a section about medical sociology, and we focused mainly on public health during that time. Even though it was only like two weeks, I became super interested in public health that way. I had never really heard of public health as a career, so I did more research about it. I didn't even know that UGA had a School of Public Health because it was so small. That convinced me to change my major because of how interested I was in it. So, I was like, “I should probably change my major, explore a little bit more into that.” I changed my major going into sophomore year of college. 

Savanna: So tell us a little bit about your application cycle and what that was like. 

Mansi: I took my GRE in November of 2018; that was fall of my senior year. I actually decided on the PA track between sophomore and junior year, so it took me a little bit of time to get into the mindset of everything I needed to check off in terms of my application. Throughout my spring semester of senior year, I did an internship, as a clinical research assistant, and it was actually pretty time consuming. So, I didn't have any time to apply, which was one of my biggest regrets now. I actually applied really late; I submitted my CASPA for my current program sometime in early July, which was really stressful. When I finished my internship, I spent about a month to a month and a half working on my personal statement. In my major, we had to write a lot of different papers and projects. I was on the faster side of getting my personal statement done, but I did have to go through several edits. Once I had my personal statement done, it took me about two weeks to finish the CASPA including the transcript entry. All in all I applied early July, and I received my interview invite around the end of October. It definitely took its sweet time getting processed! I interviewed in mid-November and was accepted 10 days later. Ever since then, I've just been a little relieved. For most of my summer, it was just peak stress level with my job and trying to submit everything on time. 

Savanna: It's stressful! I was just doing a talk about CASPA. It’s hard to explain, but it’s tedious. So how many schools did you apply to? 

Mansi: So I applied to 22. I actually applied to a lot against everyone else's advice. I think my main issue was because I was applying so late. I wanted to kind of make sure that I really didn't want to apply twice; that was my main thing. That’s another reason as to why my application period was so stressful because of all the supplementals I was filling out. Luckily, the physician I work for was super super supportive, and she let me take off as many days as allotted for interviews. So I was offered 11 interviews, to which I declined 3 of them. Out of the ones that I went to, I was accepted to five programs. I was definitely very busy, but I genuinely enjoy interviews so much more. It was actually probably the most enjoyable part of the application cycle. I loved getting to meet new people and talking to different program faculty. 

Savanna: I loved interviews too, which I think is kind of weird. But I'm like right there with you. Well, that’s impressive! 

Mansi: I was not expecting that at all when I applied because that's that's the main reason I applied to so many. I was expecting to get responses from maybe 3, if I was lucky. 

Savanna: So you were in the fortunate spot of getting to decide on a program! So what were you looking for? Did you go to any interviews and feel like, “yeah I don't want to go there.” Or did you ever feel like you knew instantly? What did you use to decide? 

Mansi: So the main thing I thought about during my interviews was the feel of the school. During my very first interview, I was a nervous wreck. I wasn't really paying attention to anything other than my own performance and how I thought I did. However, as I went on during the interview process, I really was able to get a good feel of the faculty, the campus, the different resources I would have, so location was actually a big thing for me. I've been in Georgia for the majority of my life. While I do have ties here, I didn't mind having the opportunity to explore and go to different cities especially because PA school is only 2-2.5 years. In addition, I really wanted to be in a big city where I would be able to access to multi-specialty hospitals for my rotations. I also considered the kind of faculty at the programs and how I felt while talking to them. Another big consideration I looked at was the alumni outlook. For a lot of the programs I interviewed at, we were able to speak to PA students and alumni, which gave me huge insight into how well the program could prepare me to go into my career. So, a lot of schools that I went to interviews for Actually, we got to speak to. Obviously I paid attention to the PANCE pass rate, class size, the student-faculty ratio, and those other main topics. 

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Savanna: That’s awesome. Congratulations! So the program you will be attending -- it’s a PA/MPH program right? Does this make it longer to get the additional public health degree? 

Mansi: Yes it does. I'll be attending George Washington University, and it's a PA/MPH dual degree, so it’ll actually take 3 years. 

Savanna: Is that optional or does everyone do that? 

Mansi: There was an extra part of the application that you fill out if you choose to apply for the additional MPH degree. I did that just because I want to have that dual degree going into my PA career. The interview itself was the same for all students; I interviewed with other students who were applying to be just in the PA program. So the MPH adds 1 whole year to the program, which is the first year. The second year will be the PA didactic year, and the 3rd year will be the PA clinical year. 

Savanna: Okay, cool. Did you apply to any other MPH programs? 

Mansi: Yeah, I actually got accepted to Nova Southeastern. They have an MPH option, so you can choose that once you are a student. So I was looking into that option as well. Being in D.C. was my main factor that made me choose GW. It really sold me due to the location, especially being in the public health area and being near the policy making capital. 

Savanna: Great! So you do have a lot of interview experience. Throughout your interviews, did anything come up from your application? Like was there anything that you feel really made you stand out, or anything that was a red flag that kept coming up? 

Mansi: Yeah! One of the main things was definitely the organic chemistry series. I didn't do well on those at all during school, so during my interviews, I made sure to bring those up. If it ever came up or if the conversation surrounded academics or GPA, I definitely brought that up. And everybody received it really well. I wasn’t grilled. I think they definitely appreciate that I brought it up and owned up to it. Another red flag would have to be my patient care hours. Going into my application cycle, I only had about 1200 hours. I was kind of nervous for some of the schools that didn't count forward those hours, so I made sure to apply to schools that do count forward. And if a school had a certain cap, I just wouldn't apply to those, especially some of my reach schools that had averages of 4,000-5,000 hours for their accepted students. For me it was a red flag just because I didn't feel like I was strong in that aspect. But I would say I was able to turn it into a pro because I talked about the quality of my patient care hours and how much I was able to do as a medical assistant in a small practice without many staff members. We were able to get insight into all different aspects of the clinic and how it ran. 

Savanna: Yeah, I feel like everyone has things in their application -- organic chemistry was mine too! So I think it's interesting, like I never really looked at schools that had public health options, but I think the whole idea of it's really interesting. It would be very helpful. As someone who already has some public health knowledge, how do you feel that will help you in your career as a PA? 

Mansi: So, I want to say my undergrad major really gave me the background that I needed in order to go into clinical medicine and look at different things that make a patient. You know, look at a patient more holistically in that aspect. That definitely was one of the reasons why I was interested in getting an MPH. But I want to say the reason why I chose to do MPH in general was that I really want to be able to push my scope of practice as a PA once I go into the career. I have a lot of different interests - maybe pursue research in the future, be in hospital leadership, or, depending on how things go, 

maybe form a public health program specifically for a target population that I have in mind. I felt that having an MPH would help me be able to achieve those things. 

Savanna: Yeah that’s great. I think more and more people are choosing that as an option, which is really cool. And more programs are offering it. So let’s talk a bit about how you'll be moving from Georgia to D.C. at some unknown time in the future. Is there anything you've done to prepare for that? How do you plan that move that’s very far away with having to get everything in order? What steps have you taken? 

Mansi: I’ve networked a lot, so I talked to a lot of people who I know that have personally moved from Georgia to D.C. I reached out and talked to them about their position. Actually, I got really lucky, and there's a girl who's older than me in the program. She also went to UGA, so our journeys were very similar. She’s a year ahead of me, so I was able to kind of connect with her. She walked me through the different nuances of what life in D.C. is like. I think cost of living is a big thing. I know D.C. is an expensive city, so that was a huge adjustment for her. I’m looking into that as well. Obviously, I know there will be some sort of culture shock going from the South to the center of America’s capital. I’m definitely looking forward to that, but I think I'm ready for it, especially because I've lived here for a long time. So I definitely want to get that exposure by living somewhere else. And in terms of kind of preparing to actually move up there, I'm connected with people from my program to make my circle a little bit smaller and a bit more familiar. I've actually found a roommate as well. So I'm hopefully going to start making those social connections as well which I think will make the move a lot easier. 

Savanna: That’s so exciting! So, where do you see yourself ending up? I know it’s hard to know and it’ll probably change, but what are your thoughts on that after school? 

Mansi: I know it's hard to say right now, and I do want to keep my options open. I Definitely I know rotations are gonna change my mind. Right now, the clinic I work at sees a lot of asthma patients because I work for a pediatric pulmonologist. We kind of the routine pediatric visits but also very severe asthma cases. I know as of now, I am really interested in pulmonology. Although, I don't know if that's where I see myself ending up, but that is one of my interests. And definitely with the coronavirus going on, I do see myself more and more into critical care and wanting to learn more about it. I was actually able to shadow a critical care physician assistant during my application time, so I got to see a little bit of that as well. I think I've gotten a little taste of both worlds. So that's where I’m leaning towards right now. 

Savanna: Okay, sounds good! And where can we find you and follow along? 

Mansi: I recently created a blog on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/mansithepa/. I'll just be posting things about my life, about my journey, about my program, and trying to help out other pre-PAs as well. Thank you for having me! It was really fun. 

MYTH BUSTED: You Cannot go to PA School Straight from Undergrad - Guest Post by Jada

If this were a true statement, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this blog. With a little hard work (Okay- maybe a lot of hard work) and some planning ahead, it is possible to go straight from undergrad to PA school. 

While Gap years are great for some people, they aren't for everyone. In my case, I have known I wanted to be a PA since I was 14 years old and I have been ready to get into practice. Knowing this I got my CNA in high school and started planning my college course accordingly. I worked all of my summers and breaks and spent my free time volunteering and shadowing just about anyone who would let me. Because I knew early on in my career, by the time I graduated from college I had been working towards this goal for 8 years. I was ready.  

I did spend some time contemplating taking an official gap year, but I ultimately decided to try my luck at applying my junior year of college- again, this took careful planning to ensure that I had completed all of my pre reqs by the time I applied. I applied with the mindset that if I didn't get in, then I simply wasn't ready, and I would use the gap year and apply again next cycle. But the truth is, I WAS ready. Why did I decide to go to PA school without a gap year? Well, a few reasons: 

•  I was ready- When I applied to PA school my junior year of college I had more than enough hours, tons of shadowing, volunteering and community involvement. I had the grades and the relationships to ask for strong LORs. When I thought about taking a gap year, I felt like I would grow more as a person by starting PA school rather than working another year as a CNA. Don't get me wrong, I learned A LOT as a CNA, but I felt like I was coasting, and like I needed to challenge myself in order to continue to grow and eventually become the best provider that I can be. 

• Staying in School Mode - Another appeal of going straight out of undergrad is the continuation of school mode, if you are going straight from undergrad you have most likely been in school since you were 5, school is just part of your normal routine and life, so the transition into even more school is a little easier than if you had taken time off and been out of the classroom  for a few years. 

• Starting my Career- With knowing I have wanted to be a PA for so long I am so ready and eager to start my career. I am so amazed and in love with the PA profession that I just want to work in it for as long as I can. The longer I am in the field, the more I can learn and hopefully give back to students as so many of my professors and mentors have done for me. 

These are a few of the reasons I chose to apply straight. The way I did things isn't better than the way someone else did it, it was just best for me. Despite the people that told me otherwise.  

 To the student that is going straight and has heard something along the lines of “You are too young, not mature enough, or not ‘READY’- Whoever told you that- is wrong. You were accepted for a reason. You were chosen out of thousands and thousands of applicants for a reason. You are ready for this. You are enough, and you are going to be amazing! 

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 Side note: I think oftentimes when we talk to people about their thoughts on Gap years, they tend to support the idea that what they did was “Best”. We are all different, and no one's experience is identical to our own. I challenge you to think about YOUR needs and YOUR Personal pro and cons to taking a gap year when making a decision. This is your education, not someone else's.  This blog is not meant to sway your opinion, rather to give you an experience and my reasoning so you can make a decision for yourself. Chances are, if you are reading about this you are already ahead of the game. YOU can do this!! Keep going, and don't give up. And if an admissions decision pushes you into a Gap year that you did not initially plan for, take that as a gift of time to learn more and be even more prepared when you do get accepted to absolutely CRUSH it in PA School! 

PA school is filled with students of ALL ages. There is no “right” age to go to PA school. Gap years are great because it gives you time to truly immerse yourself in the field and soak up just about everything that you can, it's also great to go straight into school because you are already in school mode, your knowledge is fresh and you are used to having a school routine, this can be helpful in the PA School transition. You have to do what is best for you, and when you do you will come out as an incredible provider and I am truly honored to call you all my future colleagues. 

 Best of luck to you. I will be cheering for you. 

If you have any questions or just want to stay in touch you can follow me on Instagram @JadaMarie.PA

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Top 5 Tips for Applying to PA School - Guest Post by Melissa Lilian Elist

So you decided to apply to PA school? Congratulations on this big decision. The pathway to PA is highly competitive (and getting worse), but do not be discouraged! As someone who has been there, done that, here are some of my top tips for getting into your dream PA Program.

By the time you begin the application process you have most likely finished all of your classes (or almost finishing up) and have done most of your clinical hours and volunteer work. You should take a moment before even beginning your application and realize how far you have come. Most people (including myself) are so tough on ourselves that we rarely give ourselves credit for how far and how much we have accomplished and achieved at this point. Before beginning this process, reflect and realize that so many people have wanted to take this path and were not able to achieve it for whatever reason that may be. Give yourself a pat on the back that you have made it to at least this finish line.

Tip #1: Do not stress out, try to enjoy the process.

Beginning the application process can be very overwhelming because once you register via CASPA, everything hits you all at once and it's completely normal to feel anxiety about it. Do not worry or stress out, you should try to enjoy this process too. Every chapter in life has its own beauty and rewards, do not forget that you are in the process and will make it to where you want to be, just be patient and trust the timing of your life.

Every aspect of beginning PA school and applying has its own growth factor and time so take it all in. It's a marathon, not a sprint - you are not going to finish the application process in a day or a week, so take your time and try to be efficient and as effective as you can throughout this cycle. Do not forget that this is not a competition; so do not compare yourself to other people’s path and timing around you.

Tip #2: Make a to-do list and plot out your goals for your application.

Do not rush through it, try your best and start to slowly plan/map what you want to get done everyday or every week. Doing this will make it easier for you to stay on track with your schedule and not get overwhelmed or fall behind.

I started off by making a weekly to-do list so whatever I was working on would be productive. I would put my energy and mind to whatever section of the CASPA application I chose for that week. Some people are different, some people like to do a little bit of every section of the application everyday and that is completely fine if that is what works better for you. I just found it to be more efficient and less mentally draining to work on a whole section and then move on to the next once I felt ready.

Tip #3: Prioritize which parts of the application process should be done first.

One of the first things you should take care of as you start the PA School application process is to get your transcripts from your college or colleges that you have attended. It takes some time for schools to process transcripts and for CASPA to receive it.

The next thing I would start working on is thinking of which PAs, doctors, mentors, professors, etc. to get letters of recommendations from. Having a letter of rec from where you have done your clinical hours probably looks best on your application too. I would also recommend getting letters or recs from places that you volunteered or did medical missions with (if you did any).

My advice? Take care of these 2 easy steps first before continuing the rest of the application. Begin inputting any of your shadow, volunteer, clinical experience and etc after these 2 steps.

Tip #4: Tips for your personal statement.

While working on my statement I found myself asking myself: what could make me stand out the most? I did not want to sound boring, generic, or similar to many other statements. I realized that maybe incorporating some of my personality (while staying professional and academic) was not a bad idea. Any experience that you have had, anything that you have learned, grown from or gained medical insight from your experiences is also great to incorporate into your statement. Do not be afraid to be yourself in your personal statement, after all these schools are looking for people that stand out from the crowd.

Tip #5: Do not get intimidated.

Many people will try to scare you or will try to take your motivation away from you throughout this whole process. They will tell you things like “PA school is so hard”, “the application process is so hard”, or that “maybe you should think of another career path, it is getting competitive to get into”. Let this all be outside noise to you.

You are not them and they are not you. Do not lose sight of your future and goals ,and stay motivated in the path that you chose. If you have decided that this is the career you feel that you will thrive the most in, don’t forget why you began in the first place. While you are working hard and pushing throughout this journey, don’t forget that this will all be worth it in the end because nobody did this for you, you did it all yourself.

Once you begin to plot and start the application process you will see your stress begin to fade away and all of your hard work begin to flourish and work itself out. Stay persistent, consistent and motivated when beginning and completing the application. Do not forget to believe in yourself, because at the end of the day you are your own number 1 fan! Nobody else is going to be a better support system for you then yourself throughout this all. Good luck!

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Melissa Lilian Elist is currently a physician assistant student at University of California, Davis, cohort of 2021. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and an emphasis in Disability Studies from University of California, Los Angeles. She is a preventative care advocate and is very proactive in mindfulness, consciousness, and self-love. You can find Melissa on Instagram @melissaelist or reach her via email at melissaelist@gmail.com

Listen to Melissa’s Episode of The Pre-PA Club Podcast here.

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Successful First-Time Applicant - George @george.shian

George is a current PA-S attending SUNY Downstate’s Physician Assistant Program and will be set to graduate in 2021. He had an incredibly successful first-time application cycle and sat down with us to detail his experience in applying to PA school, give advice, and much more! 

How many schools did you apply to? How many schools did you hear back from and receive interviews from? How many acceptances did you receive?

This is the most common question! I thought I was going to get nothing. I applied to 10 schools. I got 9 interviews, but I did not attend 2 of them because there was no point. I got 7 acceptances. Pretty crazy! This whole year was crazy for me; the whole experience this whole year was crazy for me. If you asked me last year if I would have 7 acceptances, I would be like, “yeah, okay… where?!” It’s a huge blessing to be able to make a decision, to be able to choose between schools. It's such a great advantage. I know a lot of people pray to even get into one school. I'm really, really happy and just very blessed. 

Why did you choose to attend SUNY Downstate over other programs?

There are many factors such as distance and my personal goals as a PA. I want to work as a PA in Brooklyn, in the city, with a particular patient population. I just felt like SUNY Downstate would do a better job at preparing me since their hospitals are primarily in Brooklyn and in New York City. I felt like the best way of preparing myself for my actual career is just literally working with the same patient population that I'll be working with the rest of my life.

The campus is just 20 minutes away if I drive, and it saves me a lot of money. Overall, when I went to the interview, the location, the vibe, it just felt like home. Honestly, I was like, “wow, I feel home.”

Something else I really liked is that SUNY Downstate starts off slow-ish, and then they pick up the pace. The first semester is summer semester, and I only had three classes then it picked up. You don’t just jump in, like some of the new programs here in New York start in the Fall with 9 classes. In addition, I'm actually saving $50,000 in terms of loans! My tuition for SUNY Downstate is about $40K for the entire program.

Everyone wants to know how you got in! Give us a rundown of your stats please.

For undergrad, I went to City University of New York, Brooklyn College. I was a psych major and a chemistry minor. My overall GPA was 3.51. My science GPA was 3.47. I didn’t transfer schools. I took all my prerequisites there, and I think that shows consistency. I took every single science class that Brooklyn College offered. When I was a sophomore, I had a D in Orgo Chem 1 Lab and a C+ in Orgo Chem 2 Lab. I knew that on interviews, I would get asked about those, but I wanted to get it together and show them I am ready for the intense coursework of PA school. I took every single science course that I could as a prerequisite, I took all of those and I got really good grades in them. My last six semesters I was a 4.0 student. So I think that looks really good because you have that upward trend. In addition, I did not retake those classes that I got a C and a D in.

When I was about to start my junior year in college is when I realized that I wanted to be PA. That was the first summer that I started volunteering. That's when I met a PA for the first time and I did my research. I realized that that is what I want to do. Having that sense of direction and being goal driven; that certainly gives you the push to get it together and do what you have to do to get to your goal. That’s exactly what happened to me. 

In terms of hours, I had 630 hours of volunteering in general as HCE (health care experience). With PCE (patient care experience), I had about 4,500 plus hours. I spent three years working nonstop at different jobs. I submitted my resume to about 50 clinics. Then I became a medical assistant at a vascular interventional radiology clinic. Finally, I became a medical assistant at a pain management office. 

I also did research at Maimonides Medical Center. I didn’t like research at all; it wasn’t for me. I went around asking, “What else should I do?” I networked and found this research position. I did research for only 38 hours because it wasn’t for me. I had a total of 8 letters of recommendation, and I know that CASPA only allows 5. However, the other 3, you can take them to interviews with you because that’s allowed. Most of the schools took them. At the end of the interviews, I told the schools that “I have other letters of recommendation – these 3 over here. These are also like people that I worked with.” Most schools shouldn’t have problems with that. I think that’s it!

I just want to clarify that you got a C and a D on your transcript, and you still got so that many acceptances. That’s one of the main questions I get is, “I have a C in this class. Can I still get into PA school?” 

Yes! These grades definitely came up in the interviews, and I was prepared to answer the questions. I was very honest because honesty is always appreciated. I told them that I was lazy. I didn't do what I was supposed to do. I was late to class, I didn't do my assignments. 

They like honesty. You know, I didn't sugarcoat it. I just told them the way it was. I wasn't prepared for like the intensity of the class at that time because I didn't have the right study habits to tackle the science classes. And I was not the right kind of student. Then as I went on, as I became more driven, I definitely develops strong study habits and was able to prioritize academics over everything.

Would you say those grades were the most concerning part of your application? Are there other things that you are worried about?

Yeah, those grades were the most concerning part. They were the biggest red flags of my application. 

Did you take a gap year? 

Yes I did!

One of the questions we had is that people feel like they aren’t ready to apply. My rule of thumb is that you can prepare your application forever, but if you meet the minimum requirements for a program, go ahead and apply. How did you deal with just feeling like you weren't good enough, or knowing that you were ready and competitive enough to apply?

That's a great question. I was actually asked with myself. I thought I was going to apply back in 2017 but I didn't. I still didn't take some prerequisites. I had four classes that were still outstanding. I literally just didn't feel like I didn't feel confident. If I had applied back then, I don’t think I would have gotten in. 

This time, it took me like 6 months to work on my personal statement. It took me a while to get my hours together. I think I made the right decision back in 2017. I improved my GPA from a 3.4 to a 3.5. I think overall it’s a feeling that you feel, if you feel confident in your application and if you meet the minimum requirements. If you just feel good about what you are putting out there, just go for it! 

What would you say made your essay stand out? Did you use anything to help you prepare? What resources did you find helpful?

Actually, every single day, I was on the PA Platform website. There’s so much information on there. I was on Ashley Kay’s page all the time! She helped me a lot. I also attended your IG lives, and I would take notes. For the personal statement, I talked about how my life has changed from living in Armenia, experiencing loss, and then coming to a whole different country and starting over. I talked about how that experience back home sort of influenced me to go into medicine, have that interest in medicine, how that experience back in home sort of influenced me to go into medicine, and how I came about choosing the PA profession.

I knew that I wanted to be in the medical profession, in the medical field. I just didn't know which career path to choose. Those are really the same exact words I use in my personal statement. Then after shadowing, working with all these difference healthcare professions, you kind of figure it out for yourself. That’s what I did. 

You have to like discuss these things briefly because you are only given 5,000 characters.

You have to really spend time on it. It took me a while because you have a very limited amount of words, and you want each character, each word, to really make sense in your personal statement. Each word really counts, so you have to choose your words wisely and use them well.

You have to connect your life story plus how that led you to the PA profession. For the conclusion, you bring it all together. You have to keep it short and sweet because the admissions committee reads thousands of letters. You have to ask your friends, people with better grammar skills than you, to read it. 

Let's talk about interviewing. One question was, how did you afford to go to your interview? Did you plan for that?

I worked throughout my college career, so I saved up some money. Also, I applied to schools only in New York State and one school in New Jersey – Rutgers University. All my interviews were around here. That's why it was easier for me to because I didn't apply to schools in California. At a lot of the schools I went to for interviews, other applicants were from Alaska, California, Texas. I remember I went to Cornell for an interview, and we had a girl there from Hawaii. Thankfully, I didn't have to pay for hotels and have to pay for flights. It was very convenient.

As far as interviews, what was the hardest part? What is your best advice for interviews? 

Interviews are exhausting because you have to maintain yourself. You have to be smart, and you have to be super nice. You want them to like you, and you have to dress nicely. It’s stressful. I was worried about my accent and worried if I would articulate myself properly.

For the Stony Brook interview, I remember they were super nice. That’s the one thing that was surprising to me. They’re all super nice and trying to get to know you. They’re not trying to intimidate you. They’re just trying to get to know you and have a conversation. It's just that simple and you talk to them like you’re talking to your friends, but a little more professionally. The interview season wasn't the toughest. For me, it was the application part that was tough for me.

The Physician Assistant School Interview Guide by Savanna Perry was basically my Bible. As long as you try your best and are being truthful, the admissions committee sees that, and they really like that. I liked interviews. You sit there and talk about yourself! 

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Do you consider yourself a traditional or non-traditional student?

Traditional. 

I think so too. So how long did it take you to fill out your application? And when did you submit?

When I applied, CASPA opened April 24. I submitted mine May 12th or May 13th. I prepared beforehand. You have to prepare for this! The first day, I would really just to enter your grades and make sure it's correct and start to get your letters recommendation. Be on top of that! It’s the only part of your application that you’re not in control of; you’re waiting for other people to submit it for you. I submitted it within 2-2.5 weeks. 

What else do people have to know?

I have this rule, the 75:25 rule for your PCE and HCE. When entering your information on CASPA, I say 75% of your job is PCE and 25% of your job is HCE. That’s how I divided it, and it worked for me! For example, for my medical assistant job, I was mostly with my patients and taking care of them. There's 25% of the job where you're doing correspondence, calling prescriptions, talking to other doctors, setting up appointments and scheduling, and all of the administrative aspects of the healthcare setting. I actually was keeping track of my hours because when I got a paycheck, it says how many hours I worked. I would just like add them up, and I would keep my pay stub. I didn't overestimate, which was fine. 

In terms of shadowing and asking, you are going to have to be prepared for rejection. You have to just take it, and try your best. My advice is just don’t get discouraged!

Contact George on Instagram here: @george.shian

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How COVID-19 Will Affect PA School Admissions 2020

As if applications aren’t stressful enough, the uncertainty of COVID-19 affecting PA school admissions can make this even more challenge for pre-PA students. This entire situation is outside of everyones control and something worth addressing.

Disclaimer: These thoughts and opinions are strictly my own; they are not thoughts and opinions of any specific program. If you listen back a couple episodes to when we talk to admissions committee members and admissions directors of different programs (Meghan from @emergencymedmentor and Jed Grant, admissions director at University of the Pacific), they both touched on COVID as well. Today’s opinions are strictly my own, so I could be completely wrong. However, I've talked to enough admissions members and looked at enough websites to have a good idea of what they think. 

Please be graceful with programs right now

I know that you have a lot of questions and to be perfectly honest, they probably do too. Everyone is trying to figure this situation out. Programs need to juggle their clinical year students who may have been kicked off of rotations and need to graduate. A lot of the programs that started in the summer are trying to figure out how to move their didactic portions online. Plus, they're trying to figure out what to do with the whole application process and what changes they're going to need to make.

The people who are running the PA program jobs just got a lot harder trying to juggle everything that is going on. If a school takes a little time to respond to you or don't give you a very distinct answer, just know that they are trying their best! They will figure it out, one way or another.

I'm am giving my personal opinions on how I think this will affect the application cycle for this year. A lot of questions I've been getting are: 

Do you think that schools are going to change their requirements or bend their prerequisite requirements to allow students to apply if they don't meet the requirements? Especially for applicants who have been unable to secure additional shadowing, volunteering, and working hours. 

Personally, I don't see those requirements changing very much. All this COVID stuff started happening around mid-late March, and that's really only a month before CASPA opens. I think the way PA schools view it is that someone who is ready to apply to PA school should have all of those boxes checked ahead of time and already have everything done.

When it comes to the applications coming in, the schools are still going to have plenty of qualified applicants to choose from; there's not going to be a shortage of applicants. Around 30,000 people apply to PA school every year, and there are not nearly that many spots available. It may actually make their lives a little bit easier because maybe they'll get less applications this year. I still think there will be enough qualified applicants to fill their classes with what they're looking for. So I don't think we are going to see any need to change those requirements. 

When it comes to coursework and prerequisites, some schools have been giving the option for students to choose Pass/Fail instead of receiving a letter grade, especially the classes that have moved to online. From what I’ve seen, when it comes to Pass/Fail classes, the majority of programs still do not accept a Pass/Fail class as a prerequisite requirement. They still want to see a grade for those prerequisite classes.

If you are taking a “filler” type class such as English or Dance to fulfill your university’s requirement, the program you plan on applying to will not care as much if those type of classes are P/F as they are not incorporated into your GPA when CASPA calculates it. I've seen a few programs that have said that they will take it on a case by case basis, especially if you weren’t given a choice to switch to Pass/Fail. However, if you choose to make a prerequisite Pass/Fail, I think you need to plan on retaking that class for a grade for a future date.

In regards to online classes, from what I’ve seen, most programs are accepting classes and labs that have moved to an online format. That is not something you could have predicted or signed up for, and you don’t really have a choice. Since the semester is over, if the majority of your class and lab was in-person, the PA schools are being a bit more flexible with their requirements in regards to this.

I have also seen that some schools are putting a limit to this online classes/labs policy i.e. just spring semester or spring/summer semester. You have to triple check with the PA program websites, especially as these changes are occurring in real time with a lot of discussion around them. If you have been on the Pre-PA Club Facebook group, there is a lot of discussion about this on there as well. Members have been great and updating our posts as soon as they hear things from different programs, which has been very helpful.

Let’s talk about testing. 

I know some students have been unable to take the GRE or PA-CAT because your tests got cancelled. I'm hoping these testing centers will be opening up soon, but they have started an at-home test taking option. Some schools are actually waiving their GRE requirement for this cycle, and some schools are still requiring it. You technically should still be able to take it. Yes, it is more difficult, and scheduling is a huge issue, but that is something many programs are still requiring. Make sure you are double-checking the websites and whether the school is requiring the GRE/PA-CAT or not. 

What about applicants who are unable to obtain hours now due to cancellation of shadowing, volunteering, or working opportunities/positions? 

When it comes to working, depending on what your job is and your qualifications, you can certainly be looking for new jobs. I know a lot of people, even a lot of PAs, have been furloughed or fired. It is actually very difficult to find PA jobs right now because patient census numbers are low across the board. If you are looking for a position, see if there is anywhere you can help and as soon as things get back to normal-ish, there will be a need for people in every single position. Some people who lost their jobs during this time may even figure out that they don’t need that position and do not want to go back to work. Be on the lookout and start researching positions now. 

With volunteering, as soon as you can go back, do it. I have had some people tell me that they have been making masks and if they can put that down as volunteer hours. You could, but I personally would not. I will get into that a bit later. Unless it is a formal volunteer event/organization with a supervisor that you can list, I typically would not place that in the volunteer section in CASPA. 

It has been more difficult to get those shadowing hours as well. Even med students and PA students have been unable to complete their rotations because of lack of PPE and safety of students. Shadowing opportunities will come back. Unless the programs you are applying to have changed their requirements, I would probably only apply to those schools for which you meet the minimum requirements.

If a program only has a recommended requirement or no requirement at all, go ahead and go for it. There likely will be some leniency there, and you would want to go to a program who is looking at everything that is going on right now and taking it into consideration. You just need to go with what you got and make the best of it. 

You can also use this “downtime” to really work on things. You can use this time to really work on your personal statement, your experience details, organizing your information, ordering your transcripts, and just getting everything together for your application cycle if you’re applying this year. That will decrease your stress when it’s time to go back to work or volunteering too! 

What about letters of recommendation? How are you suppose to ask for a LOR during this weird time?

Just ask! You don’t know what that PA is going to say. A lot of jobs have a lot of downtime right now, so maybe they will be able to write you that letter, unless they are in one of those really busy areas or specialties. You never know until you ask. If they do say that they are unable to write you a letter at this time, the sooner you ask, the more time that gives you to find a back-up/another option. 

How you ask mostly depends on your relationship with that person. Just think about how well you know that person and which method they would be the most receptive to. In general, you should always have some backup letter writers in mind just in case something falls through. I’ve even heard of an applicant who asked someone for a LOR and that person unfortunately passed away. You always want back-ups in mind! You want to ask those people who know you best but also fulfill the requirements for the programs you are applying to. If you have a question about any of the schools requirements, reach out to them!

Now let’s talk about CASPA’s COVID essay. 

This is new this year. My personal opinion is that they created this essay so that everyone’s personal statement wouldn’t just be talking about COVID. So this is an optional COVID essay, which is 2500 characters without spaces. This is what it says on CASPA:

Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a physician assistant. The questions listed in the application can help you get started, but you do not need to limit your responses to only these considerations.

1. ACADEMIC:

   1. Did your school move to an online only curriculum? 

   2. Were you able to interact with your professors?

   3. Did you have to learn an academic program stateside or abroad? 

   4. Did your school require you to move to the Pass/Fail grading system?

   5. Did your original GRE exam get cancelled or delayed? 

   6. Were there other academic barriers? 

2. PROFESSIONAL:

   1. Did you have to go out and seek new job opportunities?

   2. Did you lose a job? 

   3. Were there other financial or professional barriers that you faced personally? 

3. PERSONAL:

   1. Did you have to move out of the house or dorm?

   2. Did you have to cancel travel plans?

   3. Did you modify your planned experiences related to healthcare or volunteer opportunities?

   4. Did you seek out volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis?

A question I get a lot on Instagram is, “Will I be thought of poorly if I don’t write this essay?” I am a firm proponent of using every space, given on your application.

I think it's worth using that space to at least address something! At the very minimum, this has shown us a lot about healthcare and either hopefully reassured your passion for wanting to be in medicine (because this is real medicine happening right now!) or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe it has made you a little bit scared to be in medicine, and that is something you are going to have to look at and kind of evaluate yourself. I would at least put a paragraph in there about how this has affected you because I do think it has affected all of us in some way or another. 

I would not personally use this as a place to make excuses. I would focus on it being a very positive essay, more about how you made the most of this time and what you got out of it. If there is something that happened as far as limiting your job, hours, academics, or anything, I would just state that very clearly with how it affected you. For example, “I had to leave my job as a CNA because there was no need for me anymore, but I've learned XYZ about this whole process. It's made me more grateful.” Really take the time to self-reflect on that and figure out what this has meant to you personally.

How will interviews be affected? 

Some schools have already moved to an online interview format, especially the ones that were still interviewing in March and April. I can see that happening more and more.

As an applicant, that's going to cut down on costs for you with traveling, and maybe schools will see that that's a viable option. Unfortunately, you won't get to actually see the program. I think schools will have to adjust their interview cycles, maybe push them out a little bit more, maybe think about where they're interviewing people from and try to stick to people who can drive versus fly. It is hard to say exactly how this will affect interviews. 

I do think you should be prepared to get asked about this, similar to those questions that are on the COVID essay, like how it has affected you. I could see some ethical questions coming up about ventilator uses, as that's been a hot topic. It’s something that you need to be aware of, somewhat well versed in, and definitely need to think about a little bit. 

Overall thoughts:

My biggest piece of advice is, just make sure you're double and triple checking websites for each program. Just stay on top of it as much as you can. Ask questions! I'm also happy to try to find you answers or point you in the right direction. Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas. Thank you for reading! 

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Writing a Resume for PA School

Although not necessarily required by CASPA, it is important that you have a professional resume prepared when you are in the process of applying to PA School. A resume for PA school is clean, simple and professional. It highlights your education, healthcare experience and volunteering hours. To help get you started, I have created a FREE resume template download!

Why do you need a resume for PA school?

1. For letters of recommendation

   When asking for letters of recommendation, you want to make sure your recommender has all of the pertinent information they need to write you a strong recommendation. Although you should include a personalized letter that explains why you are asking for a recommendation from this specific person, it is helpful for the writer to know where else your experience comes from.

2. As part of your supplemental application for the program you are applying to

   The committee reviewing your application is also reviewing the applications of thousands of other students. A resume is a quick and effective way to understand who you are as a professional. Not every program will ask for a resume, but it does occasionally come up.

Resume vs Curriculum Vitae (CV)

For the majority of people applying to PA school, there won’t be a huge difference in the resume and CV. Thing of a resume as a snapshot of your experience and qualifications, while a CV is a more detailed look into the various components included in your resume.

For example, if you’ve done research or writing, you would provide more information on the CV in regards to what the focus of your content was. A CV will usually be longer than a one-page resume because there is so much more detail included. Don’t worry about the differences too much.

What should be on my PA school resume?

Your resume should highlight who you are as a candidate for PA school. This is not the place to highlight every job you have had since you were 16. Focus on the experiences that make you the ideal PA student. Your resume should include the following: (p.s. all of this is set up for you in my FREE resume template download!)

• Your Education

• Work Experience (PCE, HCE, other related work experience)

• Volunteer Experience

• Shadowing Experience

• Leadership Experience

• Research Experience

• Certifications

• Achievements/Honors

• Affiliations/Memberships

Don’t worry if you don’t have information to fill in all of these topics. Feel free to omit any sections that don’t pertain to you specifically.

PA School Resume Tips

Similar to a resume for a job, your resume should be clean and concise. Here are a few tips for you to keep in mind when writing your resume:

• Make it ONE page — no exceptions! Committees have access to your entire application in CASPA — this is just an overview of your experience. You can always elaborate on your experiences when it comes to your interview.

• Use an easy to read font such as Times New Roman or Arial. This is not the time to experiment with fun and creative fonts. You don’t want someone to stop reviewing your resume because they can’t read it. There’s a current trend of resumes with graphic design elements, but keep your audience in mind. Most of the PA faculty are traditional, and you’re applying for a professional program.

• Make your fonts a legible size. It may be tempting to use tiny fonts and margins to squeeze in ever bit of information you want to share but again, they can read more into who you are on CASPA.

• Don’t write in complete sentences. For example, if your PCE includes your experience as a paramedic, instead of…

  During my time as a paramedic, I assessed the condition of patients and determined a course of treatment

  say….

  Assess a patient’s condition and determine a course of treatment

• Make sure to read, re-read, and ask others to proofread! The last thing you want is for your resume to have a typo in it! Don’t rely on your computer to catch all of your mistakes either!

What questions do you have about your Resume for PA School? Ask them below in the comments!

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Tips for Less CASPA Stress

When I started this post, I was trying to come up with a number so this could be titled, The Five Things You Need to Know About CASPA, but I couldn’t because once I started to write about it, I would think of new things that I wanted to cover also. Today, I am going to go over the main things that will help create less CASPA stress but I want to encourage you to check out The Pre-PA Club Facebook group where thousands of pre-PAs are asking and answering questions for one another. Alot of the questions are good ones that pop up every application cycle and make sure to check out my Youtube video All About CASPA - How to Apply for PA School! It’s a really great resource to have!

CASPA GPA

All of this is explained in the CASPA FAQ that they have online and I highly recommend reading through the entire thing, it is definitely worth your time. It can still be a little bit confusing until you're actually applying on the CASPA website though. However, if you are still confused, make sure to check out my Youtube video where I go through a CASPA walkthrough and give tips for PA school. and Everyone seems to be most concerned about GPA. CASPA calculates a bunch of different GPAs, like a whole page worth. The main ones you need to be concerned with are you overall and your science GPA. Here is a post I wrote that can help you determine your CASPA. In this post, you can break down how they calculate your CASPA GPA. In regards to GPA, the main point I want to emphasize is that every single grade from every single course you have ever taken goes into your CAPSA GPA. No courses are averaged. If you retook a class and your school “replaced” the grade, CASPA will not do that. They will see that you took O Chem three times and got an C, B, and an A. They will not average these grades together, they just count them all in the calculation. Most schools are going to take that highest grade into consideration. There are a few that will say we want your initial attempt but that's not very common. Every grade goes into the GPA calculations.

How to Calculate Your CASPA GPA

CASPA does not calculate your GPA until you've submitted your application. So there is no way to know exactly what your CASPA GPA will be before you submit. Once you've submitted and it's been verified and they go through all your coursework, that's when those GPAs are calculated. You'll be able to go back into your application and see that. For a lot of people, their CASPA GPA is less than what they expected. It may be different than the GPA that's on your transcripts because, if you did repeat courses, a lot of schools like universities will not include that first attempt in their calculations. This can be a shock to a lot of people and that's why I do recommend trying to figure out if you can with the GPA are ahead of time and that blog post I mentioned has a GPA calculator where you can plug in your grades.

We can do this for you at The PA Platform. We have a Pre-PA Assessment service where we do GPA only and try to estimate that for you with an interactive Excel document. Just don't be surprised if your GPA are different and most likely lower. Every once in a while, someone’s CASPA GPA will be high which is awesome but for the most part, it’s a rude awakening for a lot of people and can even take you out of the running for a program if your CASPA GPA drops you below that 3.0 mark.

Can my GPA Improve in the Same Application Cycle?

The second point I want to make about CASPA GPA is after you have been verified, they WILL NOT recalculate your GPA again for the application cycle. Let me try to explain this. Let's say that you're currently taking classes, and your semester is about to end. You've already submitted your application because you wanted to get it in for schools that had a July or August deadline, but you're thinking that if you wait for other schools that have a later deadline, you can submit these courses and it will boost your GPA. That's not how it works. Those GPAs that come up and your initial application will be the ones that are calculated and sent to the schools. It doesn’t matter how much new coursework you add, your CASPA GPA will not be recalculated until the next application cycle. This is something to think about if you are applying to a future cycle, especially when it comes to spring and summer courses because CASPA opens in April but if you submit in April and you are waiting for the spring semester to finish up, those new classes and grades will not be included until NEXT April when you apply again.

Some schools will allow you to send them an update and say, ‘I completed XYZ course’ and take that into consideration but some schools will not, they strictly go by what's on your application. That's really important because it messes up a lot of people and I see this over and over coming up in the Facebook group and the discussions.

What Carries Over Cycle to Cycle?

Another question that I'm getting is about GRE scores and what carries over. Remember that hypothetically anything that you enter, will carry over as long as it's not a letter of recommendation or your personal statement. Letters of recommendation have to be submitted every single cycle and your personal statements should be entered every cycle. If you've sent a GRE a score to a specific school (because each school has their own code), if you sent your transcripts, if you've entered experience, hypothetically that should all be there every once in a while, there are issues and CASPA has to reset something and it all gets lost. You can't bank on that and CASPA shouldn't be the only place you have your information, but usually things carry over.

CASPA does not currently use anything like InnerFolio to save letters and so that's something to take into consideration too. Important to note, those letters have to come directly from the letter writers they cannot come from you and they're submitted electronically. I've written letters for people, first I have to sign in and then I had to answer some questions on a scale about the person — their work ethic and whether you recommend them— then you upload the letter and it sent into CASPA.

You can add more programs if you want to apply to more perks after your initial submission, and you can add more experiences. If you are getting additional hours, have switched jobs, or shadowing more, volunteering more, you can. You cannot edit an old entry for experience but you can add a new one which will get sent out to the programs as an update — whether or not they look at that is going to be program specific, so you may want to shoot them a separate update, let them know that you are still working towards this goal, that you're still available, and that you are ready and willing to come in for an interview.

Something that is new on The PA Platform is the PA programs map. Go there you will see that we have a map now this interactive as every state and every program listed right now it just has their contact information, we will be slowly going to be adding more info as people tell us what they think is going to be most helpful, but that makes it super easy for you to find the email address, phone number and website link. That is a tool that you can use, just to reach out to those schools and give them those updates if you need to, those are the main basics that I've been seen issues with as far as CASPA goes right now.

If there is something that I missed or something you want more information on, let me know in the comments below! Thank you for reading. If you would like to listen to this in a podcast format, you can do so here.

Other helpful CASPA Posts:

CAPSA Walkthrough and Tips - Podcast

All About CASPA

My Top 5 CASPA Tips

How to Make PA School Applications Cheaper and More Affordable

Applying to physician assistant school is expensive. There’s no denying that. It takes many sacrifices of time and money to fulfill the requirements and steps necessary to become a PA. Jamie (@jamienicole_pa on Instagram) previously wrote a guest post on the unexpected expenses of applying to PA school, but today we’ll get into ways to make the process cheaper.

First of all, there are reasons the process is set up the way it is. The requirement of a bachelor’s degree and the hours of patient care experience, shadowing, and volunteering are what separates becoming a PA from nursing and medical school. You have to put in the time and money up front to get the benefit of a shorter training program. Being married to a medical resident, the amount of money required for medical school and the time and lack of adequate salary for residency is a huge sacrifice as well. For nursing, you would finish sooner, but not make the salary or have the responsibilities of a PA. If the time and requirements were all the same, there wouldn’t be as much differentiation between the various career paths.

“You must have a good amount of self-motivation as a PA because there’s a lot of learning to be done on the job.”

For some background on myself, I don’t come from a medical family. My parents were both teachers. They worked extremely hard to give me great experiences growing up and encouraged my education. I’m very thankful for that. I worked hard in high school to earn a state scholarship that paid for the majority of my undergrad education at a public school and my parents helped me with living expenses. When it came time for PA school, there was no way they could afford to pay for it. I took out loans like the majority of my classmates. I come from a financially stable background (at least, that’s what my parents portrayed, but now that I know how much things cost in the real world, I know they made huge sacrifices), but it wasn’t always easy. To complete all of the requirements during undergrad, I sacrificed my time. During undergrad, I went to a CNA program every Saturday for 3 months that was an hour away and did my clinical during spring break. I actually never went downtown to party, I was too busy studying. I worked full time in the summer while taking classes to graduate early and save my parents the expenses of an extra semester. Looking back, I might would change some of those things, but I achieved my goals and I’m happy with where I ended up.

PAs are known for being resourceful and go-getters. You must have a good amount of self-motivation as a PA because there’s a lot of learning to be done on the job. When it comes to finding time to shadow and volunteer, you’ve got to make it happen. This can be tough as an undergrad having to work multiple jobs or as someone with a family to support. Sometimes the answer may be taking a little bit longer and spreading things out to reach your goals. There tends to be a rat race with pressure to get to the finish line as soon as possible, and while sacrifices will certainly be required, it’s okay if it takes you longer than you would prefer. Make sure you meet all of the requirements of a program before you apply so you don’t waste your time or money. I’ve seen way too many applicants applying with GPAs or grades below the requirements, and the schools will never see your application with that method.

Even if you have small chunks of time, use them wisely. Find something you enjoy doing as volunteer work so it doesn’t just feel like you’re checking a box. Finding shadowing hours is difficult, but eventually someone will say yes if you keep trying. Ask your neighbor’s cousin who works with a nurse if they have any connections and you may be surprised. You’ll never know until you ask. Cold call offices like I did, and even if only one calls you back, it’s a start. Instead of getting bogged down by the many requirements and your lack of time, take it one step at a time and realize that if you’re doing the best you can, that’s all you can do!

Sometimes becoming a PA may mean taking a pay cut to get patient care hours. Many entry level jobs don’t pay that well or even much more than minimum wage. Being frugal for a few years may have benefits in the end. Put the numbers down on paper. Look at everything you spend money on, and see if you can make it happen. Most of us have a good bit of stuff, and I know I’ve personally raided my closet and put things on eBay to reach financial goals at times.

Look for waivers and scholarships. One of my biggest regrets from undergrad was not applying for more scholarships. A simple Google search will bring up many options, and a lot of them are geared toward healthcare students. You never know if you don’t apply, and it doesn’t take that long to fill out a form and write a short essay. Go to your financial aid office and see what’s available from your school. The GRE and CASPA both offer income based waivers to help cover the costs associated with applying. CASPA’s fee waiver covers the first application fee of $179, and is given on a first come, first serve basis so you need to have everything organized before it’s time to apply. The GRE costs $205 and the waiver covers 50% of one testing. On test day, you can send your score to 4 programs for free. Make sure you have a CASPA account set up to take advantage of this. Plan ahead and know the expenses that are to come so you can start saving even if it’s just a little bit along the way.

When it comes time to interview, start thinking about it ahead of time. Pay for everything possible with a credit card that will earn you points for travel, and try to pay it off in time. My bills, tithe, and everything go on my card and those points add up. The Southwest card by Chase is a popular option that helps with flights. Look for cheaper hotels or find someone else to share a room or Airbnb with. Start looking for your suit early so you can get in on a deal. Check out the thrift stores nearby, or ask a friend to borrow theirs. Mine came from the Banana Republic Factory Store clearance rack.

Put in an effort to look for resources because they are out there. If you go back and read through the blog posts on The PA Platform, listen to The Pre-PA Club podcast, watch the videos on YouTube, join the Facebook group, and read previous Instagram posts and watch the highlighted stories, I can guarantee you’ll find most of the answers you’re looking for and get great advice. And it will all be free. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, go to Google, And if you STILL don’t find the answer, email me and I’ll get you one. You’d be amazed at the number of messages and emails The PA Platform receives daily. While we can’t evaluate everyone’s individual application completely, we can point you in the right direction. We continue to put out content in an effort to make this entire process easier for everyone. And I’ll be honest, it takes a ton of time.

Instead of just complaining about the issues, let’s try to figure out ways to do something about it. That’s the point of The PA Platform being a resource offering information to make the application process easier.

When to Apply to PA School

When should you apply to physician assistant school? This is a very personal question that comes up very often. The first step to deciding if you’re ready to apply is understanding the application cycle for PA school.

When you decide to apply, you essentially will need to submit your application approximately a year before you start school. A few programs with January starts are the exceptions to this rule because you would apply in April and potentially begin the program less than six months after receiving your acceptance. For most schools with a May or August start, submitting in April would give you a full year to interview and plenty of time before starting your program. You have to take this into account when choosing which year to submit your application.

Application Timeline Download

Here is a step-by-step timeline to help keep you on track throughout the application process.

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I’ll use my application as an example. I started working on my application in April 2011 and submitted in June of 2011. I was scheduled to graduate in December 2011 (I took an extra online class to finish in 3.5 years), and I knew that I would prefer to NOT have to take a gap year, so that meant applying at the end of my junior year.

If you want to avoid a gap year, you’ll need to apply at the end of your junior year or beginning/during your senior year.

I had my first interview at the beginning of September with 2 weeks notice. Soon after, I received a second interview invite for the beginning of October. I actually got my acceptance call from the first interview there! And 2 weeks later, my 2nd acceptance came in. That sounds confusing, but basically I received my acceptances in the fall of 2011. One program started in May 2012 and one started in January 2012, and I chose the one that started in May. To put it in terms of cycles, I applied in the 2011-2012 cycle for a 2012 start.

You won’t apply in April for an August start of the same year. It will be the NEXT year that you are applying for. This confuses a lot of applicants.

Taking a gap year isn’t a bad thing, it just wasn’t my preference. Once you’ve figured out when you would ideally like to start, the next step in deciding when to apply is making sure you meet the requirements of the program. As confirmed in Episode 55 of The Pre-PA Club Podcast with PA Professor, Wes Johnson, if you don’t meet all of the school’s requirements, your application will never be evaluated. They probably won’t even see it!

As a general rule of thumb, if you meet the minimum requirements of a program and can check all of the boxes, go for it.

When it comes down to it, you could always take more time to improve your application, and you shouldn’t stop doing that, but you also shouldn’t delay applying for too long. Eventually, you just have to go for it!

Once you’ve decided this is your cycle, you’ll increase your chances if you apply earlier to programs with rolling admissions. In the past, July-August was considered early, but with the competitiveness of PA school, May-June is now more ideal. Does that mean if you submit later than that you won’t get any interviews? No way! But it can help you out more just by submitting earlier. Rolling admissions means as soon as an application is marked as “complete” it is evaluated, and if they like what they see, you’ll get an interview, which hopefully results in an acceptance.

Comment below with any questions about the application timeline!

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Top 5 CASPA Tips - Guest Post from Brittany at PA Fanatic

I'm so excited to bring you a guest post today from Brittany at PA Fanatic.  I first got into contact with Brittany on Instagram, and she did an amazing job with sharing some tips.  If you want more advice from Brittany, and to follow along as she starts PA school shortly, check out her website or follow on Instagram @PAfanatic.  I did a post on Brittany's site with 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting PA School, so make sure you read that one too! 

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Every pre-pa needs to know these CASPA hacks. 

If you’re applying to CASPA right now, you already know how time consuming this process can be, but I promise it’s worth it! All the effort you’ve put into your application will be worth it once you get your first interview invite! I had my fair share of struggles with CASPA so I came up with 5 tips to help when applying to CASPA!

1. Since I know you’re all busy little bees and have been volunteering, working, trying to have a social life, all while tying to get good grades, life can get hectic pretty quick and it’s easy to get disorganized. That’s why one of the most important things you can do for yourself when applying is to create an excel spreadsheet to help you organize all your activities! I found myself frequently changing my experience description up until I submitted my application. I found it way easier to work in excel than to keep changing things in CASPA until I submitted. I recommend finalizing everything in excel before plugging and chugging it all into CASPA.

• I made a tab for each category in CASPA

• I made a table with columns for each piece of information needed to add an experience in CASPA

Healthcare and Shadowing Experience Log Download

It's essential that you keep great records of your healthcare and shadowing hours. Use this Excel form to have all of your information organized and ready to go for CASPA!

Full Name

Email*

Submit

2. Keep track of all of your school deadlines! This is harder than it seems since so many schoolshave varying deadlines ranging from August all the way to December or even January! I found it helpful to write down each school’s deadline in my planner as well as having a post it note with each school’s deadline kept on my desk. It’s really important to pay attention to the deadline because some schools require you to be “completed” by the deadline, meaning your application (and supplemental if required) has been submitted and considered complete, while other schools require you to be “verified” by the deadline, meaning that you application not only has to be considered complete, but also reviewed by CASPA. The verification process can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks depending on when you submit so keep this in mind when deciding on when to submit your application!

3. Don’t underestimate the power of your supplementals! It’s easy to get burnt out completing your CASPA application and personal statement, but it’s still important to put a lot of effort into your supplementals. With the thousands of applications that each school receives, it’s hard to stand out on paper. Supplementals allow you to personalize your application a little more and if done right, could be the difference in you getting an interview spot over someone else. When I filled out my supplementals, I tried to treat each one like my personal statement. I periodically tweaked it and had 3+ people read them all over to ensure I had no grammatical mistakes. The PA Platform offers supplement review!

4. Always remember to update your application! As someone who applied my junior year of college (I was personally aiming to not take a gap year), it was important for me to continually send colleges my updated transcripts so that they could see what upper level science courses I was taking (schools love this btw). It’s also important to do this if you’ve accrued volunteering hours, or have continued to rack up PCE hours at your job! It shows that not only are you gaining more experience, but you also care to specifically update the program. If it were to come down to deciding between two similar applicants for who should get an interview spot, I think admissions would go with the applicant still gaining patient experience. I took the opportunity to reiterate why I was excited about a certain program when emailing them updates on my application. 

5. Set a deadline for yourself on when you want to submit your application! For me, I set the deadline as my birthday because I didn’t want to have to worry about CASPA on my birthday or the days following. Personally, I think this was extremely helpful because it was a solid date that I had to hold myself accountable for to finish my application by. If you’re anything like me, you’re a little type A and either 1) want to finish your app as fast as possible and rush through it or 2) will keep tweaking it forever. Setting a deadline helps you decide how many hours a week to devote to CASPA without getting overwhelmed and gives you a cutoff for when you just need to stop critiquing your app and have to just trust yourself! 

Lastly, but most importantly, have faith in yourself. If you’re not confident in yourself, how can you expect someone else to be? If you’ve gotten to this point, you’ve worked extremely hard so hats off to you! During this arduous process it’s important to remain positive, you’ve got this!

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Brittany recently graduated from Drexel University and will be attending Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for PA school this June! She originally thought she wanted to be a PT, but after more exposure in healthcare, she knew PA was for her and is excited to see where this journey takes her!  For more of Brittany's posts, check out PA Fanatic. 

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My Thoughts on CASPA's Changes to Healthcare and Patient Care Definitions

First of all, take a deep breath.  It will all be alright.  

This past week right before CASPA reopened for the 2017 cycle, there was a lot of buzz around some recent changes to the recommendations on how to classify experience on applications, and whether it should be categorized as healthcare experience (HCE) or patient care experience (PCE).  In the past, HCE was defined as working in a medical setting, but without directly interacting with patients in a way that involved their care (receptionist, billing, transport, etc.).  PCE was defined as any job in which there is direct patient interaction and care, such as nursing, EMT, paramedic, CNA, MA, etc.  These were more of roles where you were performing skills and had more responsibility.  Scribe has always fallen somewhere in between.  

Moving on to the new definitions. Here is a screenshot from the site, but you can see more here. 

CASPA's Healthcare and Patient Care Experience Definitions

This made a lot of people angry.  CASPA basically changed it so that CNA and MA are categorized as HCE instead of PCE, according to their guidelines.  The idea is proposed that a role is only PCE if you are more responsible for a patient's care and contributing to decisions about a patient's care.  CASPA also stated that these changes were made based on feedback from PA programs.  Obviously, this has many people who have worked hard for their hours feeling like they've wasted their time.  

I get it.  I worked as a CNA, and it's no joke.  I work with MAs all day long, and there is no denying that they are very involved in patient care.  But this may not be the case for all positions deemed CNA or MA, and I think that has been part of the problem.  If you work as an MA, but you're usually in the front office answering phones or working on prior authorizations and paperwork, that is more accurately HCE.  If you're taking vitals, performing venipuncture, and counseling patients, that's more PCE.  

Let's talk about why this will all be ok.  The final decision is up to each program, and unless they decide to change requirements last minute, all of the experience you've accrued should be fine.  CASPA gives you some discretion with statements like these: 

• "Please review the definitions below, consider the duties which you performed during your experience, and use your best judgment to determine which category your experience falls into."

• "CASPA advises applicants who have prerequisite requirements to confer with their individual programs if they are unsure how these programs will consider their experience."

• "If you have any questions in regards to your experiences fulfilling an individual school’s requirements, you should inquire with that school directly."

Healthcare and Shadowing Experience Log Download

It's essential that you keep great records of your healthcare and shadowing hours. Use this Excel form to have all of your information organized and ready to go for CASPA!

Full Name

Email*

Submit

Ultimately, you can decide where you feel like the experience should.  If it were me, I would list the experience where it was recommended based on CASPA's preferences.  But I would be very thorough in describing what my experience entailed and what my responsibilities included.  Make it clear to the programs how involved you are in patient care, but as always, be honest.  

If you're unsure about how a program will categorize your experience, the first step is to check the website and see if it's listed.  If you are unable to find an answer, consider contacting your top few programs to clarify.  Just keep in mind that they are probably getting a lot of these calls right now, so be patient.  

I hope this gives you some clarity, and if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer or find an answer. CASPA is complicated (and confusing) at times, and I do my best to keep up, but I am not the final say!  It's also convenient that I planned for the May webinar to cover HCE and PCE (before CASPA even changed anything!).  Make sure to mark May 24th at 8 PM on your calendar so you don't miss out.  Comment below with your questions! 

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April Webinar: All About CASPA- How to Apply to Physician Assistant School

This was a LIVE recording on April 19, 2017. In this video, I go over how to apply for PA school and everything you need to know about CASPA.

For most up-to-date CASPA information, please visit the CASPA website.

Please comment with any questions you make have.

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What is my CASPA GPA?

There's no way to get around the fact that your GPA is extremely important for gaining acceptance to PA school.  When it comes to calculating your overall or science GPA, it is much more involved than taking a simple average of all of your grades.  In this post, I'm going to explain how your GPA is calculated for CASPA since that is what the schools will be looking at.  Nothing stinks more than to do the wrong calculations, think you have a 3.2, and then CASPA calculates at a 2.9.  That completely alters the plan of where you'll be able to apply!  The reason CASPA does these extensive calculations is to standardize GPAs across all colleges and universities is so PA programs can compare students as fairly as possible. 

CASPA takes into account how many hours each course was, as well as the grade.  This is called "Quality Points."  These points are calculated by multiplying the amount of credit hours by the grade you received.  For example, if you took a 4 hr course, and made a B, this would count as 12 quality points (4 x 3.0 = 12).  To calculate your overall GPA, you divide the total amount of quality points by the total amount of credits.  If you have 50 quality points, and 20 credits, that would result in a 2.5 GPA.  All calculations are done based on the semester system.  If you have quarter hours these will convert at 1 quarter hour = 0.667 semester hours.  

There are multiple categories that are calculated separately.  Each year is separated (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, post-baccalaureate, and graduate) and then there is science and non-science.  The subjects in the science GPA include Biology/Zoology, Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Other Sciences.  You will choose what category courses fit into when you enter your courses, but these may be changed during the verification process if it appears that a course was entered incorrectly. 

CASPA includes all grades in it's calculations, including courses that have been repeated.  When some undergraduate programs calculate GPAs on transcripts, they will sometimes only include the grade from after the course has been repeated, which will result in an inaccurate number.  Withdrawals are not included in the CASPA calculations unless they are "WF," which will count as an F.  Pass/fail and AP credits are counted similarly to the W, and just as credits without associated grades.  On the website with information pertaining to GPAs, CASPA has some great charts pertaining to how they count different letter grades and how grades are converted in both the US and Canada.  

PA programs use these calculated GPAs differently.  Some will take exactly what is calculated by CASPA with no modifications.  Other programs will recalculate the GPA based on the highest grade after retaking courses or based solely on the last 45 or 60 hours of coursework.  They may still look at the overall CASPA numbers, but they will place different weight on these calculations if they do their own.  

If you want to try your hand at calculating your own GPA, this link to this GPA calculator is the best I've found, and calculates the same way CASPA does.  

For any questions I haven't answered, check out the CASPA FAQ page on GPAs.  

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