The Pre-PA Club

Brittani and Cameron - Married PAs in GYN and Interventional Radiology!

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:06:00 -0400

I'm back, and I brought two people I really wanted you to meet.

Brittani and Cameron are married PAs. She's in gynecology, he's in interventional radiology - two specialties that could not look more different from each other. They also became foster parents, which is its own enormous thing to take on while building careers in medicine.

We talk about what it's like going through PA education as a couple. Studying next to someone who's just as exhausted as you are helps. It also means nobody is holding down the rest of your life while you're gone.

Interventional radiology is a specialty almost no pre-PA has heard of, so Cameron explaining what he actually does is worth the listen on its own.

And they're honest about the emotional side of fostering while working demanding jobs. It's not a tidy story, and I appreciate that they didn't make it one.

What we cover:

Two PAs, two very different specialties
What a gynecology PA does day to day
What interventional radiology actually involves
Going through PA school as a couple
Becoming foster parents alongside medical careers
Building a life around two demanding schedules

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

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Low 2.99 CASPA GPA to PA School Acceptance! (How She Did It!)

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 10:24:00 -0400

2.99. One hundredth of a point under the number everybody says is the cutoff.

Sarah Matthews applied with that GPA and got in. She's now practicing in OB-GYN and urogynecology.

I want to be careful here, because this is not me telling you GPA doesn't matter. It does, and a 2.99 makes everything harder. What Sarah's story shows is that programs read whole applications, and the rest of yours has to be strong enough to carry the number.

So we get into what she did - how she handled the GPA question head on, what she built around it, and how she chose where to apply. Being strategic about your program list matters enormously when you're below a threshold.

If you've been told a low GPA disqualifies you, this is the counterexample. Just don't mistake it for permission to stop working on your grades.

What we cover:

Applying with a 2.99 CASPA GPA and what that felt like
Building the rest of an application strong enough to carry it
Addressing a low GPA without making excuses
Choosing programs realistically
Life as an OB-GYN and urogynecology PA
What she'd tell someone sitting just under a cutoff

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Becoming a Dermatology PA with NO Experience

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 10:21:00 -0400

Dermatology is one of the hardest PA jobs to get with no derm experience. Amanda Lark got one anyway.

And she didn't do it by applying to postings and waiting. She got creative about how she reached out, which is the part of this episode I'd rewind if I were you. Most good first jobs are not filled off a job board.

Her road to PA school wasn't smooth either. She hit obstacles and kept going, and she's clear that stubbornness is an underrated qualification for this whole process.

We also talk about what a derm PA actually does all day, because it's a specialty people picture completely wrong - it's not all cosmetics, and skin cancer is a serious part of the job.

If you already know you want a competitive specialty out of school, start building toward it now.

What we cover:

Landing a derm job without derm experience
How she approached practices instead of waiting on job postings
What a dermatology PA does day to day
Obstacles on her path to PA school and how she got past them
Why hands-on patient care shaped her more than anything else
Advice for anyone targeting a competitive specialty

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

@lyssllo from TikTok! - Alyssa - New Grad ENT PA!

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 10:20:00 -0400

We recorded this right around Alyssa's first day as an ENT PA. You can hear the nerves.

You might know her as @lyssllo on TikTok. She's a brand-new grad, and this is that specific window where you've passed the boards, you have the credential, and you still feel like someone's going to figure out you don't know anything.

Everybody feels that. It passes. The people who do well in it are the ones who stay curious and keep asking questions instead of performing confidence they don't have.

She also talks about how shadowing and working different roles in healthcare shaped her, and about how much of this job is teamwork. Nobody practices alone, and being easy to work with is an actual clinical skill.

ENT wasn't on her radar at first, which is its own good lesson. Stay open. The specialty you end up loving might be one you've never thought about.

What we cover:

Day one as a new grad ENT PA
The gap between graduating and feeling competent
Shadowing and different healthcare roles before PA school
What PA school was hardest at
Teamwork and collaboration in a real clinic
Ending up in a specialty you didn't plan on

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Personal Statement and Interview Tips with Pre-PA Coach, Peter Alfano, PA-C

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 10:31:00 -0400

"I want to help people." That sentence has never gotten anyone into PA school.

Peter Alfano is a family medicine PA and one of our coaches, and he's back to talk about the two places applicants lose the most ground: the personal statement and the interview.

The pattern he sees over and over is vagueness. Vague reasons for choosing PA. Vague descriptions of experiences. Vague answers in interviews that could apply to literally anyone. Specificity is the fix for all of it - one real moment, described in detail, beats three paragraphs of general enthusiasm.

In interviews, the same rule holds. Don't tell them you're a hard worker. Tell them about the shift where you stayed late and what you did.

Peter reads a lot of these and sits on the other side of a lot of practice interviews, so this is what he's actually seeing go wrong.

What we cover:

The most common personal statement mistakes
Why "I want to help people" isn't a reason
Turning an experience into a story with a point
Being specific under pressure in an interview
Answers that sound rehearsed versus answers that land
How coaching changes what you can see in your own writing

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Money and Finances as a PA with Kristin Burton, PA-C of Strive with Kristin

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:56:00 -0400

Nobody teaches you money in PA school. Then you graduate with six figures of debt and a real salary for the first time.

Kristin Burton is a PA who runs Strive with Kristin, and she came on to talk about the stuff we all avoid. Student debt and how to think about paying it down. Investing when you're starting late because you spent your twenties in school. And salary transparency, which is still weirdly taboo in medicine.

That last one matters most for new grads. If you don't know what the job is worth, you will accept less than it's worth. Talk to people. Ask numbers out loud.

Standard disclaimer, and I mean it: I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice. Kristin shares her approach and her experience. Talk to a professional about your specific situation before you make big decisions.

What we cover:

Why financial literacy is missing from PA education
Approaches to paying down student loans
Starting to invest when you feel behind
Salary transparency and knowing your worth as a new grad
Negotiating a first PA contract
Building habits now that matter later

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Interview with Joy Moverley - Touro University California Joint MSPAS-MPH Program Director

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0400

A PA degree and a public health degree at the same time. That's Touro University California.

Joy Moverley directs the joint MSPAS/MPH program, and I wanted to understand who this is actually for. Because it's not for everyone, and that's fine.

The idea is that a lot of what makes your patients sick isn't happening in your exam room. Housing, food access, transportation, income. A PA who's trained in public health walks in already thinking about those things instead of learning it the hard way ten years in.

Joy talks about how their curriculum builds that in, including lifestyle coaching for diabetes prevention - teaching students to actually change patient behavior rather than just prescribe and hope.

The program is built around community engagement and serving diverse populations. If that's the medicine you want to practice, look at this one carefully.

What we cover:

What a joint MSPAS/MPH program covers and how long it takes
Social determinants of health in a PA curriculum
Lifestyle coaching and diabetes prevention training
Who this dual-degree path fits and who it doesn't
Touro's approach to community engagement and inclusivity
What Joy looks for in an applicant

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

2023 The PA Platform Recap!!

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 01:17:00 -0400

2023 was a big year over here, and a lot of you don't know half of what we added.

So this is the recap. Quick, useful, and mostly a list of things that might solve a problem you currently have.

We added PA school tutoring through partnerships with Rosh Review and Blueprint, which is for people already in a program who are drowning in a class and need actual help instead of another study playlist.

We launched the Pre-PA AI, which is free and answers your application questions any time of day using my own material.

And Pre-PA Academy, which is the structured version of everything I teach - the whole path in one place instead of scattered across a hundred podcast episodes.

Thank you for listening this year. Genuinely. Let's go get 2024.

What I cover:

Everything that changed at The PA Platform in 2023
PA school tutoring through Rosh Review and Blueprint
What the free Pre-PA AI does
Pre-PA Academy and who it's for
Which resource to use for which problem
What's coming next

Resources:

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What is my CASPA GPA?? How to Use Mappd

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:33:00 -0400

"What's my CASPA GPA?" is the question I get more than any other.

And the honest answer is that it's probably not what you think, because CASPA calculates it differently than your school does. Every attempt counts. Retakes don't erase the original. That surprises people every year.

So in this episode I walk through Mappd, which is where you can actually build this out - enter your coursework, get your real CASPA GPA breakdown, log your experiences and hours as you go, and track which prerequisites you still owe each program.

The reason I like it is that it turns a vague anxiety into a number and a list. You stop wondering whether you're competitive and start seeing where the gaps are while there's still time to close them.

Mappd also has one-on-one advising and mock interviews if you want a person involved.

What I cover:

How CASPA calculates GPA and why it differs from your school's number
Setting up your coursework in Mappd
Logging experiences and hours as you earn them
Tracking prerequisites program by program
Spotting weak points early enough to fix them
Advising and mock interview options inside Mappd

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Dietitian to PA Student of the Year to PA - with Cassidy

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 18:24:00 -0400

Cassidy was a clinical registered dietitian. Then she became AAPA's 2022 PA Student of the Year.

Her dietitian background wasn't a detour. It was direct patient care, in a hospital, with real clinical responsibility - exactly the kind of experience that makes an applicant credible. She graduated from Missouri State and clearly made the most of it.

What I want you to take from this one is how deliberately she picked her schools. Not by ranking. By program size, tuition, and how much support students actually get. Those three things shape your next two years far more than a name does.

She was also proactive about landing her first PA job. She networked during rotations instead of waiting for postings to appear after graduation. That's how most good first jobs happen.

What we cover:

Working as a clinical dietitian and using it as patient care experience
Choosing programs by size, cost, and student support
What being PA Student of the Year involved
Getting the most out of PA school beyond grades
Networking during rotations to find your first job
Advice for anyone coming from another healthcare field

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

3-Time Reapplicant to PA Student - Interview with Jacklyn

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 16:53:00 -0400

Watching your friends get in while you're getting rejection emails is its own specific kind of awful.

Jacklyn lived that for three cycles. She's honest in this episode about how discouraging it got, which I appreciate, because the highlight-reel version of this process helps nobody.

What she did between cycles: worked as a medical assistant, retook science courses, shadowed, volunteered. Not one dramatic fix. A stack of small, boring improvements that added up.

She's now in the inaugural cohort at Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont, and she's proud of that - being part of the first class at a program is its own kind of opportunity. Newer programs are worth a serious look, especially as a reapplicant.

Three cycles is a long time to hold onto something. She did it.

What we cover:

Three application cycles and what changed each time
Working as an MA to build patient care hours
Retaking science courses to move a GPA
Handling it when peers get in before you do
Choosing a brand-new program and what that's like
Staying committed when the timeline stretches

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

FAQ + Pre-PA AI - PA Week 2023

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 12:50:00 -0400

Happy PA Week. I built you something.

The Pre-PA AI is free, it's available around the clock, and it's trained on my own material - the books, the podcast episodes, the videos, all of it. So when you have a question at 11pm about interviews or CASPA or a specific part of the process, you can just ask instead of scrolling through five years of episodes hoping to find the one.

It's not a replacement for talking to a real person about your specific situation. But for the questions that have straightforward answers, it's faster than waiting on me.

The rest of this episode is FAQ, with a focus on two groups. If you're waitlisted, there are things you can do rather than sitting and refreshing your email. And if you're reapplying, the work starts now - find the weakest part of your application and go fix it before the next cycle opens.

What I cover:

What the Pre-PA AI is and how to use it
Questions it handles well and questions it doesn't
What to do while you're sitting on a waitlist
Diagnosing the weak spot in your own application
Planning a reapplication instead of repeating one
Listener questions from PA Week

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

3 Time PA School Reapplicant - Interview with Rachel

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:53:00 -0400

Rachel applied three times. She's in.

Two rejections is where most people quit, and I understand why. It's expensive, it's exhausting, and it starts to feel personal. Rachel kept going, and more importantly, she kept changing things.

The move I want you to steal from her: after a rejection, she asked the schools for feedback. Not every program will give it, but some will, and that's information you cannot get anywhere else. It beats guessing at what went wrong for another twelve months.

She's a radiologic technologist, which gave her strong patient care experience and a non-traditional path into this. That background became an asset once she learned how to frame it.

If you're staring at cycle three, listen to this. Persistence only works when it's paired with change.

What we cover:

What happened in cycles one and two
Asking programs for feedback after a rejection
What she actually changed between each application
Rad tech experience as patient care hours
Staying in it emotionally through repeated rejection
Knowing when to adjust your program list

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Live Mock Interviews - 2023

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 20:13:00 -0400

Three volunteers. Real questions. No editing.

This is live mock interviews, and it's uncomfortable to listen to in the best way. You hear people think on their feet, land some answers, fumble others, and get feedback in real time.

We hit the two questions that come up everywhere. "Why do you want to be a PA?" - which sounds easy and is not, because most people answer it with a story about their aunt instead of a reason. And "What's your biggest weakness?" - where the trap is picking a fake weakness like caring too much. Pick a real one. Say what you're doing about it. Move on.

The thing that makes mock interviews work is hearing your own answer out loud. It sounds completely different in your head. Every time.

I also mention Mapped, our application tracker, which keeps your programs, deadlines, and requirements in one place instead of scattered across six browser tabs.

What I cover:

Three unedited mock interviews with live feedback
Answering "why PA" with an actual reason
The biggest weakness question and how not to blow it
What interviewers hear that you don't
Practicing out loud before it counts
Tracking programs and deadlines with Mapped

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

2nd Career PA - HR to PA Student with Cierra Pennal

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:16:00 -0400

Cierra spent five years in human resources before going back to medicine.

Medicine was her first love. She talked herself out of it, built a career somewhere else, and then couldn't stop thinking about it. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you.

The logistics are the hard part and she doesn't sugarcoat them. She knocked out prerequisites while working full time. She volunteered. She scribed. Nights, weekends, whatever fit. Career changers don't get a clean runway - you build the new thing while the old one is still running.

What I'd add is that HR gave her skills most applicants don't have. Difficult conversations. Reading people. Handling conflict without escalating it. Those transfer directly to patient care, and she knows how to say so.

What we cover:

Leaving HR to go back to medicine after five years
Fitting prereqs around a full-time job
Getting healthcare experience through volunteering and scribing
Translating non-clinical skills into something admissions values
Handling doubt from yourself and from other people
What she'd do differently if she started over

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Low GPA to PA Student - Interview with Elijah

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:57:00 -0400

Elijah's undergrad transcript was rough. He got in on his first try anyway.

That combination almost never happens by accident, so I wanted to know exactly what he did.

He did a master's program and performed. That gave admissions recent, graduate-level evidence that he can handle the coursework, which is the whole thing they're worried about with a low GPA. He also stacked up varied patient care experience instead of grinding out hours in one place.

What that builds is an upward trajectory, and that's the phrase to hold onto. Committees aren't only looking at where you started. They're looking at the direction you're moving.

He also didn't hide from his record. He owned it, explained it, and let the newer work speak. That's a much stronger position than hoping nobody notices.

If your GPA is the thing keeping you up at night, listen to this one.

What we cover:

What his early academic record actually looked like
Using a master's program to prove current academic ability
Building varied patient care experience on purpose
Showing an upward trend instead of explaining away a number
Addressing a weak GPA in essays and interviews
Getting in on the first try with a rough transcript

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

How to Prep for PA School Interviews - Part 2

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 18:32:00 -0400

Wear the suit. Yes, even on Zoom.

Part two of interview prep is the logistics episode - the unglamorous details that quietly shape someone's first impression of you.

Dress professionally. A suit is still the standard, and virtual doesn't change that. Nobody has ever been rejected for being too polished. Check your background, your lighting, and your camera angle ahead of time, and do a test call with a friend.

For in-person, bring copies of your resume if they ask for them, and a headshot if it's requested. Know where you're parking. Get there early.

Then the part everybody actually worries about: nerves. Being nervous is fine and normal, and interviewers expect it. What helps is preparation, not pretending to be calm. And be genuine. Rehearsed answers land flat, and faculty have heard the polished version a thousand times.

What I cover:

What to wear for in-person and virtual interviews
Setting up your space, lighting, and camera for a virtual interview
What to bring to an on-campus interview day
Managing nerves without faking confidence
Being genuine instead of reciting a script
Practicing enough that you stop thinking about the format

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Laurel Miller - PA Professor at Point Loma Nazarene University

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 16:09:00 -0400

The advice your cousin got when she applied five years ago might not apply to you anymore.

Laurel Miller is an assistant professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, and she's watched this process shift. Clinical hour expectations have moved. More programs are taking applicants straight out of undergrad than they used to. What was true in 2015 isn't automatically true now.

What hasn't changed is what makes someone stand out: professionalism, real life experience, and resilience. She can tell in an interview who's been through something and who hasn't, and she's honest about why that matters in this job.

We also spend time on choosing programs. Check accreditation status - provisional versus continuing - and understand what that means. And don't write off newer programs. They often have smaller cohorts, faculty who are extremely invested, and less competition for a seat.

What we cover:

How clinical hour expectations have changed over time
Applying straight from undergrad versus taking time
Professionalism and resilience as admissions criteria
Reading a program's accreditation status
What newer programs can offer that established ones can't
What faculty notice about applicants that applicants don't realize

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

How to Prep for PA School Interviews - Part 1

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 16:42:00 -0400

Interview invites don't warn you. Some programs give you two weeks' notice.

So start prepping the day after you submit. Not when the email lands. That's part one of this interview prep series, and it's the mistake I watch people make every single cycle.

On mock interviews: schedule one two to three weeks out from your actual interview. Early enough that you can fix what's broken, late enough that the practice is still fresh. Doing a mock the night before just makes you nervous.

We also cover the two formats you'll run into. Traditional interviews, where you sit with faculty or a panel and talk about yourself. And MMIs, where you rotate through short scenario stations. They test completely different things, and prepping for one does not prepare you for the other.

The goal isn't a memorized script. It's being comfortable enough that you sound like a person.

What I cover:

When to start prepping and why it's earlier than you think
Timing your mock interview for maximum benefit
Traditional interviews versus MMIs
The question types you'll see in each format
Practicing out loud instead of in your head
Building confidence without sounding rehearsed

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Assistant Professor at Charles Drew University and Creator of EDGE program - Interview with Sam Paik

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:31:00 -0400

The PA profession does not look like the patients it treats. Sam Paik is doing something about it.

He's an assistant professor at Charles Drew University and he created the EDGE Program, which exists to help underrepresented Black male applicants get into PA school. That group is one of the most underrepresented in this profession, and the barriers are structural, not personal.

EDGE gives applicants what a lot of people get for free through their networks - guidance, mock interviews, someone reading their materials, someone answering the questions you don't know to ask.

Sam also pushed back on something I say a lot. I preach applying early. His point: complete beats early. An application submitted in May with a rushed essay and missing letters will lose to a strong one submitted a few weeks later. Fair.

We also talk about preparing before PA school starts, using Qbanks, and why so many students struggle in the first semester.

What we cover:

The EDGE Program and who it's built to support
Barriers Black male applicants face in this process
Complete application versus early application
Mock interviews and why coaching changes outcomes
Preparing academically before day one of PA school
Cross-cultural competency and social justice in the PA curriculum

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Supplemental Essays for PA School

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 16:44:00 -0400

You submitted CASPA and thought you were done. Then the supplementals showed up.

Supplemental essays are not a formality. Programs use them to figure out whether you actually want to go to their school or whether you just added them to a list. And you can tell the difference in about two sentences.

So tailor them. Read the program's mission, look at what they say they care about, and connect it to something real in your background. Generic answers with the school's name swapped in are obvious.

We also talk about the prompt everybody dreads - the one asking you to explain a weak semester or a bad grade. Answer it directly, own it, say what changed, and stop. Don't spiral and don't blame anyone.

And I built the Supplemental Library on The PA Platform so you can see real prompts from programs ahead of time and stop being caught off guard.

What I cover:

Why supplemental essays carry more weight than people assume
Tailoring answers to a program's mission without sounding like a brochure
Explaining academic weaknesses without over-explaining
Reusing material across programs the smart way
Budgeting time for supplementals during a busy cycle
Using the Supplemental Library to see prompts in advance

Resources:

Supplemental Application Library: https://www.thepaplatform.com/supplemental-library

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA-S1 at Nova - Interview with Nina

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 05:39:00 -0400

Keep a journal. Starting today.

That's Nina's advice and it's the single most practical thing in this episode. Write down what happened at work - the patient who scared you, the moment something clicked, the shift that made you sure. Two years later when you're staring at a blank personal statement, you'll have material instead of a vague memory.

Nina is a first-year at Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, with a public health background. She talks about how that degree gave her a different lens than the standard bio major, and how she used it to stand out.

She's also honest about how hard PA school is, and about protecting your mental and physical health while you're in it. Skipping sleep and exercise to study more is not a strategy. It's a slow-motion problem.

And patient care hours did something for her beyond checking a box - they confirmed she actually wanted this. That's what they're for.

What we cover:

A public health background as an application strength
Journaling your experiences for a future personal statement
What patient care hours are really telling you
Networking your way into information and opportunities
The academic pace of first year and how she keeps up
Protecting your health when the program wants everything

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Pre-PA Q&A - CASPA and Personal Statements - Part 2

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 05:34:00 -0400

Part two of the Q&A, and this one gets into the weeds of CASPA coursework entry.

This is the tedious part that quietly costs people. How you categorize a class changes which GPA it lands in. A course called "Human Biology" and a course called "Biology of Humans" might get sorted differently depending on the subject you assign it, and your science GPA moves with it.

So be accurate, be consistent, and use your transcript's own language. Don't creatively reclassify things to make your science GPA look better. CASPA verifies, and getting flagged is worse than a lower number.

We also cover AP credit, which confuses everybody. Whether it counts depends on the program, and some won't accept AP for prerequisites at all. Check each one.

And send in your grades. Waiting on one transcript stalls verification for the whole thing.

What I answer:

Categorizing coursework and how it changes your GPA
Which classes count as science on CASPA
AP credit and whether programs accept it for prereqs
Submitting grades and transcripts on time
Common CASPA entry mistakes that trigger delays
More personal statement questions from listeners

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Interview with Dr. Thibodeau - Director of Admissions at EVMS

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 18:24:00 -0400

The waitlist is not a rejection. Dr. Thibodeau wants you to hear that.

He's the Director of Admissions for the PA program at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and his take is that a waitlist spot means you're qualified and you're close. Sitting on one is miserable, but it's information, not a no.

On numbers: he says competitive applicants there generally have somewhere around 1,000 to 1,500 hours of healthcare experience plus a solid GPA. Check with the program for their current expectations, since these shift.

But what he keeps coming back to isn't numbers at all. Integrity. Drive. Actually wanting this profession rather than wanting a fallback. Those come through in an interview whether you mean them to or not.

He also walks through what EVMS offers - full cadaver dissection lab, heavy simulation, standardized patients, and a Doctor of Medical Science track for people thinking about leadership down the road.

What we cover:

What admissions weighs beyond GPA and hours
The hours range that makes an applicant competitive there
Why the waitlist is a good sign
Cadaver lab, simulation, and standardized patient training
The Doctor of Medical Science track and where it leads
Traits that make someone succeed once they're in the program

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Pre-PA Q&A - CASPA and Personal Statements - Part 1

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 18:06:00 -0400

Application season makes smart people panic. Let's bring the temperature down.

This is a Q&A on CASPA and personal statements, answering the questions I get asked most this time of year.

First, the shape of the thing. CASPA has four sections: personal information, academic history, supporting information, and program materials. That's it. It feels enormous because it's tedious, not because it's complicated. Work through it one section at a time.

Then personal statements, with a focus on reapplicants. If you're applying again, your essay cannot be last year's essay with a new opening line. Programs remember, and some of them keep your old application. Show what's changed - new hours, new coursework, a clearer sense of why you're doing this.

Growth is the whole story for a reapplicant. Tell it.

What I answer:

The four sections of CASPA and what goes where
Where people get stuck and lose weeks
How much a reapplicant should rewrite
Demonstrating growth since your last cycle
Which experiences to log and how to describe them
What to do when you're not sure you're ready to submit

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

2023 Live Personal Statement Editing for PA School Applications - Part 2

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:42:00 -0400

Part two of live personal statement editing, and this time I'm also going to nag you about your timeline.

Rolling admissions means your application gets reviewed whenever it's complete. Not on a deadline. Whenever. That means people who submitted in May are already interviewing while you're still tinkering with paragraph three.

So here's the order of operations: figure out what's actually blocking your submission - a transcript, a recommendation letter, one essay - and go fix that today. A finished application beats a perfect one that's three weeks late.

Then we get into the essays. Same drill as part one. I read them, I mark what's working, and I show you where the writing goes vague.

Once you submit, start prepping for interviews. They come faster than you expect.

What I cover:

More live essay edits with specific feedback
Why rolling admissions punishes late submissions
Identifying the one thing holding up your application
Getting recommendation letters and transcripts moving
Common fixes that tighten an essay fast
What to start working on the day after you submit

Resources:

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Live Personal Statement Editing 2023 - Part 1

Fri, 26 May 2023 21:48:00 -0400

Real essays. Real edits. Out loud.

This is part one of live personal statement editing, where I read submitted essays and tell you exactly what's working and what isn't. It's the closest thing to sitting in on an essay review without paying for one.

The patterns repeat every single year. Wordiness that buries the point. Vague statements that could describe any applicant. Long setup before we ever get to why PA. And essays that never actually answer the prompt, which is simply: why do you want to be a physician assistant?

What I keep looking for is specificity. One concrete moment beats five paragraphs of adjectives. If a sentence could appear in someone else's essay, it doesn't belong in yours.

Listen to these with your own draft open. You'll catch things in your writing that you couldn't see before.

What I cover:

Reading submitted essays and editing them line by line
Answering the prompt instead of circling it
Cutting wordiness without losing your voice
Replacing vague claims with specific moments
Showing you understand what a PA actually does
Openings and closings that don't sound like everyone else's

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free Personal Statement Email Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Yale Online PA Student - 1st Year - Sara

Fri, 19 May 2023 15:59:00 -0400

Online PA school is real, and people have a lot of opinions about it.

Sara is a first-year in the Yale Online PA program, and she came on to tell you what it's actually like. She was a child life specialist before this, which is one of the best backgrounds I can think of for understanding patients and families under stress.

Her main warning about online: you have to be able to teach yourself. Nobody is walking you to the next assignment. The content is just as hard, and the structure is looser. Some people thrive in that and some people drown.

We also talk about Yale's early decision option and why submitting on time matters more than people think.

And yes, we address the program's probation status head on. Sara explains why she's still confident in it. If you're considering any program, look up its current accreditation status with ARC-PA yourself before you apply - this episode is from 2023 and those statuses change.

What we cover:

Going from child life specialist to PA student
What online PA school actually requires of you
Yale's early decision option and application timing
Clinical rotations when your didactic year is remote
Talking honestly about a program's accreditation status
Who online works well for, and who it doesn't

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Personal Statement Boot Camp

Fri, 12 May 2023 13:18:00 -0400

If you're waiting until CASPA opens to start your personal statement, you're already behind.

This is my personal statement boot camp, and the first thing I'll tell you is to start early. Before April. Before the cycle opens. Good essays take drafts, and drafts take time you won't have in June.

Your personal statement has one job: explain why you want to be a PA and what actually led you here. Not why medicine is noble. Not a summary of your resume in paragraph form. Your reasons, your experiences, in your voice.

I walk through structure - how to open so someone keeps reading, how to close without a cliche, and how to make sure you're answering the prompt instead of the essay you wish they'd asked for.

And one hard truth: you're too close to your own writing. Everyone is. Get eyes on it from someone who reads these for a living.

What I cover:

When to start and a realistic drafting timeline
What the prompt is actually asking you
Openings that work and openings I've read a thousand times
Choosing which experiences make the cut
Showing your reasoning instead of announcing it
Editing, feedback, and knowing when it's done

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free Personal Statement Email Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Mary Ann Stahovich, PA-C - Director of Admissions at California Baptist University

Fri, 05 May 2023 20:25:00 -0400

You want to know what admissions is actually thinking. So I asked one.

Mary Ann Stahovich is the Director of PA Admissions and didactic coordinator at California Baptist University, and she's been a PA for over 25 years. She reads these applications. She sits in these interviews.

The thing she wants you to get right: know the difference between healthcare experience and patient care experience, and log them correctly on CASPA. People blur these constantly, and it makes an application look careless before anyone reads a word you wrote.

Her other point that stuck with me is about geography. If you're only willing to go to school within an hour of your house, you've cut your odds dramatically. Being flexible about where you live for two years is one of the easiest ways to improve your chances.

She also talks about what makes students succeed once they're in - and it's not the highest GPA in the class. It's the ones who notice their study method isn't working and change it.

What we cover:

Healthcare experience versus patient care experience, defined
What admissions actually looks at first
Why geographic flexibility changes your odds
Traits that separate students who thrive from students who struggle
Getting involved with specialty organizations early
How the PA profession and its career paths have changed in 25 years

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

CASPA Walkthrough Webinar

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 14:48:00 -0400

CASPA is open. Let's walk through it together.

This is the audio from my CASPA walkthrough webinar, where I go section by section - personal information, academic history, experiences, supporting documents - and point out where people get stuck.

A few things I hammer on. Keep your contact info current, because programs will email you and you will miss it. Request every transcript from every school you ever attended, including that one summer class you forgot about, because a missing transcript stalls your entire application. And expect CASPA to crash near deadlines. Build in buffer.

I also cover the COVID essay and how to answer it without writing a novel. Short, honest, specific. Move on.

The biggest mistake I see isn't a bad answer. It's an incomplete application sitting in verification while rolling admissions fills seats.

What I cover:

A section-by-section pass through CASPA
Transcripts, verification, and how long it really takes
Logging experiences and hours correctly
The COVID essay and how much to say
Planning around CASPA slowdowns and crashes
Why submitting early beats submitting perfect

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Supplemental Application Library: https://www.thepaplatform.com/supplemental-library

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Interview with Pacific University PA Student Adam

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:07:00 -0400

Adam found out what a PA was in middle school, at his own doctor's appointment.

He's now a didactic year student at Pacific University Pennsylvania, and he got there by starting early and staying consistent. EMT work for patient care hours. Volunteering. A pre-health advisor who actually knew what PA programs wanted.

That advisor piece matters more than people realize. A bad advisor will hand you a pre-med checklist and let you find out two years later that you're missing prerequisites. Find someone who knows this specific path, and if your school doesn't have one, go find one somewhere else.

His advice on hours is simple and correct: start accumulating them now. Not after you decide you're serious. Now. Hours are the one part of your application that only time can fix.

We also talk personal statement, because he put real work into his and it shows.

What we cover:

Discovering the PA profession as a kid and holding onto it
Working as an EMT for patient care hours
Why volunteering still matters alongside paid experience
Finding a pre-health advisor who understands PA, not just pre-med
Writing a personal statement that isn't generic
What didactic year at Pacific has actually been like

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What to do with a 2.9 GPA?

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 13:50:00 -0400

A 2.9 science GPA with a cumulative above 3.0. What now?

That was a listener voicemail, and it's one of the most common situations I see. So let's talk about it honestly.

Most programs want a 3.0 minimum, and schools do not round up. A 2.97 is a 2.9 to them. That's the hard part nobody wants to hear.

The fixable part: your science GPA moves if you make it move. Retake the courses where you earned a C or lower, and add upper-level science classes where you can genuinely earn A's. Every new grade dilutes the old one. It's slow, but it works, and I've watched a lot of applicants do it.

GPA gets so much weight because PAEA's research keeps showing it's one of the better predictors of who makes it through a program. Committees aren't being cruel. They're being cautious.

Run your actual numbers before you plan anything. Guessing at your GPA is how people apply a year too early.

What I cover:

Why a 2.9 science GPA is a real obstacle and not the end
Overall versus science versus prerequisite GPA
Why schools don't round up
Retaking C's and adding upper-level science courses
How much your GPA can realistically move, and how fast
Deciding whether to apply this cycle or wait

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Must Read Books Before Starting PA School

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 22:08:00 -0400

You will not have time to read for fun in PA school. Do it now.

I'm sharing the books I think every pre-PA should get through before they start, and they're not textbooks. They're the ones that change how you think about medicine and about patients.

Atul Gawande shows up more than once on this list. Complications and Better are both worth your time, because he's honest about uncertainty and failure in a way most of medicine isn't. That's the stuff nobody teaches you.

I also included fiction. Still Alice will wreck you a little, and that's the point - it puts you inside a patient's experience and inside a family watching it happen. You cannot learn that from a lecture.

One more reason to read these: they give you something real to talk about in interviews. "What have you read recently?" is a question that trips people up constantly.

What I cover:

The books I'd hand every pre-PA before day one
Why Gawande belongs on your shelf
What fiction teaches you about the patient side
Ethical dilemmas you'll face and how these books prepare you
Using what you've read in an interview answer
Building a reading habit before school eats your calendar

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

FAQ! Red Flags? GPA Calculations? CASPA Questions?

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 13:51:00 -0400

Most of what you're calling a red flag isn't one.

This is a listener question episode, and the theme that kept coming up was fear. Someone transferred schools and took time off to serve in the military and was convinced it would sink their application. It won't. Framed well, it's a strength.

Another listener wanted to know where to even start. My answer is always the same: pick your programs first, look at their actual prerequisites, and then build a plan backward from that. Applying to schools you were never eligible for is the most common waste of money I see.

We also get into GPA math, which nobody enjoys but everybody needs. Know your CASPA science GPA and your overall GPA before you decide where to apply. Run the numbers instead of guessing.

And fill out your CASPA completely. All of it. Schools use those fields to evaluate you, and blank sections don't help you.

What I answer:

Whether transferring schools or a military gap is a red flag
How to frame time away from school so it works for you
Where to actually start if you're brand new to this
How CASPA calculates your GPAs
Why blank CASPA fields hurt you
Finding the weak spot in your own application before a committee does

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PT to PA - Interview with Ashley

Sun, 01 May 2022 16:41:00 -0400

Ashley already had a doctorate. She's going back to school anyway.

She's a traveling physical therapist, and she loves patient care - she just wanted more of it. More autonomy, more of the medical decision-making, more say in what happens next. So she started working on PA prereqs while working full time and moving around the country.

We talk honestly about the money side, because going back to school when you already have a career and student loans is a genuinely different calculation than doing it at 22. She's clear-eyed about it. I'm not a financial advisor, and nothing here is financial advice, but hearing someone talk through the tradeoff out loud helps.

Her PT background is a real asset on an application. Years of hands-on patient care, documentation, working with physicians. She knows how to talk about it, and that's half the battle.

What we cover:

Why PT wasn't enough and what pushed her toward PA
Knocking out prereqs while working full time as a traveler
The financial reality of going back to school mid-career
Getting support from her workplace during the process
Using PT experience as patient care hours on CASPA
Researching program prerequisites before you waste a semester

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Virtual Shadowing with Jourdyn - ER PA

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 16:25:00 -0400

Can you put virtual shadowing hours on CASPA?

Yes. But schools weigh it differently, so don't assume every program will count it the same way. Check with the ones on your list.

This episode is a virtual shadowing session with Jourdyn, an emergency medicine PA and one of our coaches. She walks through real cases from the ER and talks through how she actually thinks - what she's ruling out, what she's asking, how she decides what happens next.

Emergency medicine is fast and loud and nothing like TV. Jourdyn is honest about the pace, the teamwork, and how much of the job is communication rather than procedures. If you've only ever imagined yourself in the ER, this will either confirm it or save you some time.

What we cover:

Whether virtual shadowing counts on your CASPA application
Real ER cases and how she worked through them
What a full patient evaluation looks like in emergency medicine
Communication and teamwork when everything's moving fast
What surprises people most about the ER
How to get shadowing hours when nobody will let you in the building

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Should You Get a Master's in Respiratory Therapy? - Interview with Amanda Dexter, Program Director at Jacksonville University

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 04:11:00 -0400

PA isn't the only good option in medicine, and I'd rather you hear that from me than figure it out three years in.

Amanda Dexter directs the Master of Respiratory Care program at Jacksonville University, and she came on to explain what respiratory therapy actually is as a career. RTs are in the ER, in critical care, in home care, and increasingly in telehealth. If cardiopulmonary medicine is the part that lights you up, this is a real path.

Right now you can practice with an associate's degree, but the field is pushing toward a bachelor's as the standard, with 2030 as the target people keep pointing to. Jacksonville's master's program is one of only nine in the country.

A lot of pre-PAs use RT as their patient care experience and then apply to PA school. Some of them stay. Both outcomes are fine. What's not fine is picking a career because it's the only one you've heard of.

Check with programs directly for current degree requirements, since those timelines shift.

What we cover:

What respiratory therapists do and where they work
Associate's versus bachelor's versus master's, and where the field is headed
What a master's in respiratory care adds
Telehealth and expanding roles for RTs
Using RT as patient care experience for PA school
How to tell if this fits you better than PA

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PSLF Deep Dive - How to get Student Loans Forgiven with Meagan Landress of StudentLoanPlanner.com

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 07:13:00 -0400

PA school is expensive, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness is one of the few real ways out from under it. It's also one of the most misunderstood programs in existence.

Meagan Landress is a student loan consultant with Student Loan Planner, and she walks through the five boxes you have to check: you work for a qualifying public service employer, you're full time, your loans are direct federal loans, you're on an income-driven repayment plan, and you make 120 qualifying payments.

Miss one of those and the clock isn't running. That's how people end up ten years in with nothing to show for it.

Her most useful tip is a practical one - look up your employer's EIN and run it through the PSLF help tool on studentaid.gov before you assume you qualify. Don't guess.

Heads up: student loan rules change constantly, and this episode was recorded in 2022. Verify everything at studentaid.gov before you make decisions. I'm not a financial advisor and none of this is financial advice.

What we cover:

The five PSLF requirements, one at a time
What counts as a qualifying employer and how to check
Why your loan type and repayment plan can quietly disqualify you
Using the PSLF help tool and your employer's EIN
Common mistakes that reset people's progress
How to think about loans before you sign for PA school

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Chapman University Simon Scholar PA Program - Full Tuition! - Interview with 2 Students

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 23:24:00 -0400

Full tuition. Covered.

The Simon Scholar program at Chapman University pays for PA school, and I don't think nearly enough people know it exists. So I brought on Raina Walker and Courtney, two students actually in it, to explain how it works.

The criteria are specific. They're looking for first-generation college students from underserved backgrounds who've been through real adversity and who plan to serve communities in Orange or San Diego County after graduation. If that's you, this is worth your attention.

You can apply alongside your PA school application or after you've been accepted, and the window they described runs May 1 through September 15. Check with Chapman directly for current dates and requirements before you build a plan around this, since these things change year to year.

And the scholarship isn't only money. Raina and Courtney both talk about the support and mentorship that comes with it, which honestly might matter as much as the tuition.

What we cover:

What the Simon Scholar program covers and who it's built for
The eligibility criteria and what "underserved background" means here
Applying with your PA application versus after acceptance
The application window and how to prepare for it
The service commitment in Orange and San Diego County
What being a Simon Scholar has actually been like for both of them

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Reapplicant to PA Student - Nelson

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 16:01:00 -0400

Eleven applications. Ten interview invites. Three acceptances.

That's Nelson's second cycle. His first cycle looked nothing like that.

So what changed? He added patient care experience. He knocked out more prereqs. He applied early to rolling admissions programs, which matters more than almost anything else people obsess over. And he rewrote his personal statement to actually sound like him instead of what he thought they wanted to hear.

That last one is the piece I see most often. Applicants write a personal statement performing a version of themselves, and it reads flat. Nelson figured out that being honest was the stronger move.

If you're staring down a second cycle right now, listen to this one and then go make a list. Reapplying without changing anything is just paying CASPA twice.

What we cover:

What his first cycle looked like and where it fell apart
Adding patient care hours and prereqs between cycles
Rewriting a personal statement to sound like an actual person
Applying early to rolling admissions programs
Reaching out to current students and faculty before you apply
Going from almost no interviews to ten

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA Platform Coach Interview - Peter

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 09:07:00 -0400

"Apply anyway."

That's Peter's advice, and I want it tattooed on every pre-PA's forehead. So many of you talk yourselves out of applying because of one number, one semester, one thing you think disqualifies you. Admissions committees are weighing a lot more than you think.

Peter is a family medicine PA and one of our coaches. He majored in Medical Biology at the University of New England, worked as an EMT, and went to PA school at MCPHS. He knew early, which meant he could line his prereqs up from day one instead of scrambling later.

He's honest about the first few months of PA school being rough. The way he studied in undergrad stopped working almost immediately, and he had to rebuild the whole system on the fly. That's normal. Nobody tells you that.

Now he's in family medicine, where no two patients are the same and he's constantly moving between working independently and working with his physician. He talks about how that balance actually feels in practice.

What we cover:

A pre-PA track in undergrad and whether it's worth it
Working as an EMT for patient contact hours
Why the first months of PA school break most people's study habits
Family medicine and the range of what walks through the door
Autonomy versus collaboration in a real PA job
Applying when you feel underqualified

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Coming Back to PA After a Gap - Soon to be Student Emily

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 21:07:00 -0400

Emily decided she wanted to do medicine in seventh grade, when her mom went back to school to become a medical assistant.

She kept that thread all the way through. Biomedical science program, then Liberty University, where she built an interdisciplinary studies degree specifically so she could load up on pre-PA courses instead of taking classes that didn't serve the goal. She finished above a 3.8, scribed in an orthopedic office, and is starting at the University of Lynchburg in May.

The part I want to point out: she only applied to six programs, all in Virginia and North Carolina, because staying near family mattered more to her than casting a wide net. That's a real tradeoff, and she made it on purpose instead of by accident. That's the difference.

She also volunteered in Greece working with refugees, which gave her something genuinely different to talk about when her extracurricular list was shorter than some applicants'. Depth beats a long list every time.

What we cover:

Using an interdisciplinary degree to line up prereqs efficiently
Scribing in orthopedics and what it taught her
Applying to only six programs, and why she narrowed by location
Deciding what you're willing to trade for staying close to home
Making one unusual experience carry real weight in your application
Timing PA school around a wedding and the rest of your life

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA Platform Coach Interview - Christa

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 18:32:00 -0400

Christa took the MCAT twice before she figured out she wanted to be a PA.

That's a hard thing to admit out loud when you've spent years telling everyone you're going to med school. She talks about that pivot honestly - what pushed her toward PA, and why she's never looked back.

She works in urgent care and family medicine, and she loves the range of it. Every door is something different. That flexibility is the whole reason a lot of us picked this profession.

Her best piece of advice is about interviews, and it's one I give constantly: the interview is not an interrogation. You're evaluating them too. Programs are expensive, long, and you have to live there. Ask questions like someone who has options.

Christa is one of our coaches at The PA Platform, so if you want to work with her directly, counseling is the place to start.

What we cover:

Two rounds of the MCAT and the decision to switch to PA
What urgent care and family medicine actually look like day to day
Treating the interview as a two-way fit conversation
Questions to ask a program before you commit
Balancing health and wellness with a demanding schedule
Her advice for anyone changing course mid-plan

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Interview with PA Platform Coach - Emma - GI PA

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 16:30:00 -0400

Emma didn't get in the first time. She's a GI PA now, and one of our coaches here at The PA Platform.

I wanted her on because reapplicants get treated like they failed at something. They didn't. Emma applied, didn't get in, figured out what was actually weak, fixed it, and got in the next cycle. That's not failure. That's the process working.

She also talks about her jump from internal medicine to gastroenterology, which is a good reminder that your first PA job doesn't lock you in. GI is a specialty most pre-PAs have never even considered, and she walks through what her days actually look like.

The other thread through this conversation is mentorship. Emma had people in her corner, and now she is that person for other applicants.

What we cover:

Finding out the PA profession existed while she was in college
What went wrong in her first application cycle and what she changed
Moving from internal medicine into GI, and why
What a GI PA actually does day to day
How clinical experience and volunteering shaped her application
Why having a mentor changes the whole process

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Respiratory Therapist to PA Student - Interview with Alden

Sat, 15 Jan 2022 04:49:00 -0400

Alden was bartending at Chili's. Then she met a couple of respiratory therapists, and that conversation changed her whole life.

She became an RT first. Loved it, and then hit the ceiling of what she was allowed to do. That's a feeling a lot of you know well - you're in the room, you understand what's happening, and you can't be the one to make the call. So she went after PA.

Her academic record wasn't spotless. She had to retake classes. And she was strategic about where she applied, because holistic review meant her whole story counted, not just a number on a transcript. Nine applications, four interviews, two acceptances. That's a strong return, and it wasn't luck.

If you're a career changer sitting on some old grades you're not proud of, this one's for you.

What we cover:

Going from bartending to respiratory therapy to PA school
Why she wanted more than her RT scope allowed
Retaking classes and rebuilding a GPA that wasn't working
Picking programs that do holistic review, and how to spot them
Her actual application numbers and what she thinks made the difference
Advice for anyone switching careers into medicine later than planned

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Studying Effectively in PA School with Jono of Quill Notebooks

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 00:58:00 -0400

Jono started PA school with one daughter. He finished with three.

He's a PA in Washington, and he's also the guy behind Quill Notebooks. Those two things are connected. He couldn't study the way everyone else was studying, so he built a system that fit the hours he actually had.

That's the part I want you to hear. Most study advice assumes you have unlimited time and a quiet apartment. A lot of you don't. You've got kids, a job, a commute, a partner working opposite shifts. The answer isn't studying more hours. It's studying differently.

Jono also says something I'll repeat until I'm blue in the face: no program and no career is worth losing your relationships or your health over. PA school is two years. Your people are forever.

What we cover:

Going through PA school as a parent, and what actually made it work
Why he started making his own notebooks instead of buying study guides
Building a study system around short, unpredictable blocks of time
The difference between reviewing material and actually learning it
Protecting your family time when the program wants all of it
What he'd tell a pre-PA who's worried they're too busy to do this

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Study Skills for PA School: An Interview with Dr. Adam Rosh of Rosh Review

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 20:05:00 -0400

Memorizing is not learning. In PA school that difference will find you fast.

Dr. Adam Rosh created Rosh Review, and this conversation is about how to actually study medicine. His whole approach is built around questions rather than passive review, because answering a question forces you to retrieve information, and retrieval is what makes it stick.

This is why so many PA students live in question banks. It's not because the questions are magic, it's because getting something wrong and then understanding why is the fastest way to learn.

For pre-PAs, start practicing this in your prereqs. Close the book and test yourself instead of rereading highlighted notes. Rereading feels productive and mostly isn't.

What we cover:

Why memorization fails once the volume gets high
Studying with questions instead of passive review
How Rosh Review got started and what it's built for
Connecting book knowledge to real clinical decisions
Study habits pre-PAs can build before they're accepted
Managing the sheer amount of material in PA school

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What Is the Future of the PA Profession?

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 12:33:00 -0400

"Is it too late to become a PA?" No. Here's where I think this profession is going.

Heading into 2022, a few things kept coming up in my inbox, so I made an episode out of them. Online and hybrid PA programs are growing. There's an ongoing conversation about moving the profession toward a doctoral-level credential. And after the pandemic, people are nervous about whether PA jobs will still be there.

On that last one, my honest read is that healthcare is not running out of patients. The demand for providers is not the thing I'd worry about.

On the doctorate question, that debate has been going for years and it moves slowly. Don't make decisions today based on a change that may or may not happen.

What I cover:

Where PA education seems to be heading
Online and hybrid programs and what they mean for applicants
The doctoral degree conversation, explained plainly
Job availability for PAs after the pandemic
Why demand for providers isn't going away
What actually matters for your decision right now

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Budgeting in PA School with PA Money Sense

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:26:00 -0400

You will have no income for two years and a lot of expenses. Somebody should talk about that.

Evan and Ginger are recent PA school grads who built a budgeting tool specifically for PA students, because they went through it and found nothing that fit. Their whole thing is knowing your actual numbers instead of borrowing a round number and hoping.

Standard disclaimer from me: I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice. This is two people who just did it sharing what they learned.

The piece I'd underline for anyone pre-PA is that the borrowing decisions start before you even matriculate. Where you live, whether you have a car, whether you take the max loan amount because it's offered. Those choices compound.

What we cover:

Why budgeting in PA school is different from budgeting anywhere else
The tool they built and what it tracks
Understanding what you're actually committing to when you borrow
Cost-of-living decisions that make the biggest difference
Habits to build before you start school
What they wish someone had told them

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

2021 PA Gift Guide: Ideas for Pre-PAs, PA Students, and PAs

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 16:23:00 -0400

Buying for a pre-PA, a PA student, or a working PA? Send this to whoever keeps asking what you want.

This is my 2021 gift guide, split by where someone is in the journey. Applicants need different things than students, and students need different things than a PA who has been in clinic for five years.

The practical stuff always wins. Good shoes. A blood pressure cuff that isn't garbage. Coffee. Anything that saves time. And for someone in the thick of applications or didactic year, a resource that actually helps them move forward beats another mug.

I also talk about building small themed baskets, which is my favorite move when you don't want to spend a lot but want it to feel personal.

What I cover:

Gifts for pre-PAs still in the application grind
Gifts for PA students surviving didactic and clinical year
Gifts for practicing PAs
Practical picks versus the fun ones
How to build a themed gift basket cheaply
Ideas that work all year, not just in December

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Career Change to PA School: An Interview with Emily of The Unconventional PA

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 09:07:00 -0400

Thirteen years into a successful sales career, she started over.

Emily spent thirteen years in medical device sales before becoming a PA student at Wake Forest. She was around medicine constantly in that job, and the thing she kept wanting was the part she wasn't allowed to do: actually take care of the patient.

What I appreciate about how she talks about the decision is that she didn't romanticize it. She researched hard, sat with it, and eventually weighed the risk of regret against the comfort of a stable paycheck. Then she went and retook science courses and built patient care hours from scratch, which at that stage of life is not a small thing.

If you're mid-career and wondering whether it's too late, this is your episode.

What we cover:

Leaving a thirteen-year career for PA school
The moment she realized sales wasn't going to be enough
Retaking science prereqs years after undergrad
Building patient care experience as a career changer
Weighing regret against stability
What she'd tell someone stuck in the deciding phase

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

The PA Blueprint: Career Resources for New PAs with Jordan and Shane

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 09:45:00 -0400

Graduating PA school is not the finish line. It's the start of a career nobody taught you how to run.

Jordan and Shane wrote The PA Blueprint to cover the parts that fall through the cracks after graduation. Job negotiation, career moves, money, and not burning out before year three.

I keep putting episodes like this on the feed for pre-PAs on purpose. If you know what the job and the career look like on the other side, your reasons for wanting this get sharper, and sharper reasons make better applications and better interviews.

On the money parts, they're sharing their perspective and I'm not a financial advisor. Take it as a starting point for your own research.

What we cover:

What The PA Blueprint covers and why they wrote it
The parts of a PA career nobody prepares you for
Advancing without leaving clinical work
Protecting your wellbeing early instead of after you crash
Why new grads should think about this before they sign a contract
What they'd tell someone still trying to get in

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Pre-PA Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Interview Prep: Ethical Questions and the MMI

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 08:16:00 -0400

Ethical questions are not asking you to be right. They're asking you to think out loud.

This is another live webinar session, this time focused on ethical scenarios and the MMI format. We ran mock stations with participants and gave feedback on the spot.

The MMI throws you into a scenario with no clean answer, on purpose. A coworker is cutting corners. A patient refuses treatment. A friend asks you to do something you shouldn't. What they're evaluating is whether you can see multiple sides, name the tension, and reason your way to a defensible position without panicking.

The worst thing you can do is answer instantly and confidently in one direction. Slow down. Say what makes it hard. Then decide.

What we cover:

How the MMI format works station by station
Ethical scenarios worked through live with participants
A framework for reasoning out loud under pressure
Why acknowledging both sides scores better than certainty
Common mistakes people make in ethical stations
Real-time feedback on real answers

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Listener Questions: Withdrawals, When to Apply, Application Costs, and Study Plans

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 08:32:00 -0400

Voicemail day. You asked, I answered.

This one covers four things that come up constantly. Whether a withdrawal on your transcript is going to sink you. When in the cycle you should actually apply. What applying really costs once you add it all up. And how to build a study schedule that survives contact with real life.

On withdrawals, short answer: one or two won't end you. A pattern of them will raise questions. Address it briefly, own it, move on. Do not spend a paragraph of your personal statement explaining a W.

On cost, budget more than you think. Application fees, transcripts, supplementals, and interview travel add up fast, and nobody warns you about the supplementals.

What I answer:

How to handle withdrawals and bad grades in your application
When to apply in the cycle and why early matters
What applying to PA school actually costs
Building a study schedule for prereqs and for PA school
How to prioritize when everything feels urgent
Whether to reapply or wait a year

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Supplemental Application Library: https://www.thepaplatform.com/supplemental-library

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Interview Prep with Live Examples

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 10:09:00 -0400

Reading about interview questions is fine. Hearing people actually answer them is better.

This is from a live webinar where we went through real interview questions and real answers from participants, then talked about what worked and what didn't. That feedback loop is the whole point, because you cannot hear your own filler words and rambling until someone points them out.

A pattern I see constantly: people answer the question they wish they'd been asked. Or they give a perfectly nice answer that doesn't actually say anything about them. Specificity is what makes an answer memorable.

Also worth saying, everyone in that webinar was nervous. You are not uniquely bad at this.

What we cover:

Common PA school interview questions, worked through live
Real answers from participants and what I'd change
How to be specific instead of generically pleasant
Handling questions you didn't prepare for
What nerves do to your delivery and how to manage it
Why practicing with other people beats practicing alone

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Becoming a Physician Associate in the UK: An Interview with Sofia Hiramatsu

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 09:48:00 -0400

We talked to a UK doctor about physician associates. Now here's an actual UK PA.

Sofia Hiramatsu is a qualified physician associate working in primary care in the UK, and this is the practical companion to that earlier conversation. She walks through how you become a PA over there and how the process has tightened up. Personal statements and aptitude tests are part of it now, on top of a health-related academic background.

One thing that surprised me: patient care experience helps but isn't required the way it is here. That's a huge structural difference from the US model, where hours are often the gating factor.

Her day sounds a lot like a US primary care PA's day. All ages, everything walks through the door, working alongside physicians on the same team.

What we cover:

How to become a physician associate in the UK
What the UK application process looks like now
Whether patient care experience is required over there
What Sofia's day in primary care actually looks like
How PAs and physicians work together in the NHS
The biggest differences between the UK and US paths

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What Is a PA? Back to the Basics

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 09:39:00 -0400

Start here. Seriously, if you're brand new, this is the episode.

What is a PA? What do you need to get into PA school? What should you be doing right now? I answer all of it from the ground up, because I get these questions weekly and there's no shame in being at the beginning.

Here's the honest part. This process has gotten harder. Programs get more applications every year and the numbers people are getting in with keep climbing. That's not meant to scare you, it's meant to keep you from planning around outdated advice you read on a forum in 2014.

The good news is the requirements are knowable. Prereqs, GPA, patient care hours, shadowing, letters, essay, interview. That's the whole list. It's just long.

What I cover:

What a PA actually is and what the job involves
Prerequisite courses and how they vary by program
What GPA you realistically need
Patient care experience and how much
Shadowing, letters of recommendation, and the personal statement
How to build a timeline instead of scrambling

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Planning Finances as a PA with PA the FI Way

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 09:31:00 -0400

Nobody teaches PAs about money. Kat decided to fix that.

Kat runs PA the FI Way, and this episode is about financial independence, which in the FI community means building enough savings that work becomes optional or at least dialed way back. She explains the framework she follows and how she got into financial literacy in the first place.

I want to be clear that I'm not a financial advisor and this episode isn't financial advice. Kat is sharing her approach and her experience so you have vocabulary and questions, not a plan to copy.

What I do think is universally true: the habits you build as a broke student carry forward. If you learn to live below your means while you have no income, that skill doesn't disappear when the paycheck shows up.

What we cover:

What financial independence means in the FI community
How Kat got interested in financial literacy
Why budgeting is the boring foundation of all of it
Things pre-PA and PA students can do now, like chasing scholarships
Lifestyle creep after graduation and how to see it coming
Where to learn more without getting overwhelmed

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Student Loans for PA School with Andrew Paulson of StudentLoanAdvice.com

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 03:16:00 -0400

"How does anyone actually pay for PA school?" I get asked this constantly, so I brought in someone who does this for a living.

Andrew Paulson from StudentLoanAdvice.com walks through how student loans work for graduate health professions students. Federal versus private, what the protections and repayment options actually mean, and where people get themselves into trouble.

I am not a financial advisor and nothing here is financial advice. This is a conversation with an expert so you know what questions to ask and what terms to look up before you sign anything.

The theme that stuck with me: borrow for the education, not for the lifestyle. The amount you take out in didactic year follows you for a decade.

What we cover:

How graduate loans work and why federal ones come with protections
What to think about before deciding how much to borrow
Budgeting while you're in school with no income
Repayment options and forgiveness programs at a high level
Common mistakes students make with loans
When it's worth talking to an expert

Andrew's site: https://studentloanadvice.com

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

How to Study in PA School with Professor Moini from Sketchy PA

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 04:53:00 -0400

The way you studied for orgo will not work in PA school. Ask anyone.

Professor Moini is a clinical PA and educator who helped build a PA program at Charles Drew University, and she's worked on Sketchy PA, the visual learning platform. So she thinks about how people actually retain information, not just how to deliver content at them.

Her background is in oncology and nutrition, which shapes how she teaches. She's big on training PAs as whole clinicians rather than walking flashcard decks, and that comes through in how she talks about curriculum.

If you're pre-PA, the useful part is this: start building study systems now. Prereqs are your practice run. Figure out what actually sticks for you before the firehose turns on.

What we cover:

Why undergrad study habits break down in PA school
How visual and story-based learning helps with retention
What Sketchy PA is and how students use it
Building a PA program around the whole clinician
How oncology and nutrition shape her teaching
Study advice you can start using before you're accepted

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA-CAT Insights with Johnna Yealy, PA-C

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 11:16:00 -0400

Another test. Great. Do you actually have to take it?

The PA-CAT started showing up in my inbox constantly, so I went to the source. Johnna Yealy, PA-C, was involved in creating it, and she explains what the exam is, why it exists, and what it's trying to measure that GRE scores and GPA don't.

We also brought in a student who had recently sat for it, because a test creator and a test taker give you two very different kinds of useful.

My practical take: only a subset of programs require or accept it, so check your list before you spend the money and the study time. Don't take a test nobody on your list wants.

What we cover:

What the PA-CAT is and what content it covers
Why it was created and what it's meant to predict
Which programs use it and how they weigh it
What the exam day experience is like from a student who took it
How to decide whether it's worth it for you
How to prepare if you do need it

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

A Full Tuition Scholarship for PA School: The Chapman University Simon Scholars Program with Dr. Jerry Glavaz

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 09:30:00 -0400

Full tuition. Covered. That's not a typo.

Dr. Jerry Glavaz is the associate dean over the Simon Scholars program at Chapman University, which awards full tuition scholarships to PA students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. Cost is the single biggest thing that stops qualified people from becoming PAs, and this program exists specifically to remove it.

I wanted this episode on the feed because most applicants never look for program-specific scholarships. They assume loans are the only option and stop researching. Individual programs fund things like this all the time, and almost nobody applies.

Jerry walks through who it's for and what the application involves. Check Chapman directly for current details before you build a plan around it, since scholarship terms change.

What we cover:

What the Simon Scholars program covers and who it's designed for
Why removing cost barriers changes who becomes a PA
What the application process involves
How diversity in the profession affects patient care
Why you should hunt for program-specific funding
Jerry's advice for applicants who think they can't afford PA school

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Day in the Life of an Infectious Disease PA, Part 2: Ngan and Josh

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 09:22:00 -0400

Part two with Ngan and Josh, and this is where it gets into the honest stuff.

In part one we covered what infectious disease PAs do. Here we go deeper into what the job costs and what it gives back. The rewarding cases, the frustrating ones, the patients who stick with you.

ID is one of those specialties where you never stop studying, and both of them are clear-eyed about that. New pathogens, new resistance patterns, new guidelines. If continuous learning sounds exhausting to you, that's useful information. If it sounds great, that's also useful information.

This is the value of day-in-the-life episodes. You get to try on a career before you commit years to getting there.

What we cover:

The most rewarding parts of infectious disease work
The hardest parts, said plainly
How much continuing education the specialty requires
What patient care looks like on a consult service
How the field has changed and where it's headed
Their advice for pre-PAs choosing a direction

Start with Part 1 if you haven't heard it.

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Day in the Life of an Infectious Disease PA, Part 1: Ngan and Josh

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 09:03:00 -0400

Two PAs with the same job title and completely different days.

This one is a blast from the past. Ngan and Josh put together a full presentation on life as an infectious disease PA for one of our virtual shadowing sessions during ID Week, and it ran about an hour and a half. I split it into two episodes so you're not stuck listening all at once. This is part one.

Ngan is one of our mock interview coaches at The PA Platform. She graduated from FIU at the end of 2017, started out in ENT, and moved into inpatient ID at a VA hospital in Orlando. She also has an MPH with an infection control track and worked as an epidemiologist at two health departments before PA school, including a CDC-funded hepatitis C project and the tail end of Ebola.

Josh is in Dallas and has been doing HIV and ID care since 2017, mostly outpatient. His day looks nothing like Ngan's, and that is the entire point of this episode.

There's a really useful piece in here about hours, too. Ngan's epidemiology work counted as healthcare experience, not patient care experience, so she worked as an MA in an HIV clinic to get her PCE. That distinction trips up a lot of applicants.

What we cover:

What infectious disease PAs actually treat, from HIV to TB to travel medicine
Ngan's inpatient day: consults, rounding with the attending, chasing down cultures
Josh's outpatient day: HIV primary care, telemedicine, and the insurance side nobody warns you about
How each of them landed in ID, and why one rotation changed Josh's whole plan
HCE versus PCE and why the difference matters on your application
Why being nice to people pays off later, since one of Ngan's old contacts is now her attending

Heads up that this was recorded during the pandemic, and Ngan has since moved to a different specialty. Part two picks up right where this leaves off.

Resources:

Mock Interviews with our coaches: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Surviving Didactic Year: Mount St. Joseph PA Students Kate and Huston

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 11:25:00 -0400

Didactic year is the part nobody can fully prepare you for. So let's hear it from two people who just did it.

Kate and Huston went through the PA program at Mount St. Joseph, and they're refreshingly specific about what worked. Studying together was the big one. They both figured out fast that the volume is too high to white-knuckle alone, and that the study method that carried you through undergrad probably won't carry you through this.

Huston did it with kids at home, which is its own separate skill set. If you're worried about doing PA school as a parent, listen to how he structured his time.

They also talk about being in a newer program, where the faculty were actively adjusting the curriculum based on student feedback. That's a real perk people don't think about when they're chasing name recognition.

What we cover:

What didactic year actually feels like
Study methods that survive the volume
Why studying with classmates beat studying alone for them
Doing PA school with a family and kids
The upside of attending a newer program
What they'd tell someone about to start

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

How to Prep for PA School Interviews

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 04:47:00 -0400

Interview invites are going out. Time to stop winging it.

This is the audio from my June interview prep webinar, questions from the live audience included. If you have an interview coming up, this is the fastest way to get oriented on what the day actually looks like and what they're trying to figure out about you.

The format varies a lot. Traditional panel, MMI, group activities, one-on-ones with faculty and students. Some programs do all of it in one long day. Knowing which format you're walking into changes how you prepare, so ask.

And the thing I'll say until I'm blue in the face: practice out loud. Not in your head. Out loud, to another human, until you stop sounding like you're reciting.

What I cover:

What to expect on interview day, format by format
The questions that come up over and over
What programs are really assessing when they ask them
Dos and don'ts, including what to wear and when to arrive
How to answer questions about weaknesses and low stats
Live questions from the webinar audience

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

The PA Name Change to Physician Associate: What You Need to Know

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 06:33:00 -0400

Physician assistant or physician associate? Here's what actually happened and what it means for you.

The AAPA House of Delegates voted in favor of "physician associate" as the title for the profession, and my inbox immediately filled with questions. Do I have to change how I say it? Does this affect my application? Is this even official yet?

Short version, and this is the practical takeaway: a vote by the AAPA is not the same as a legal title change. State law, licensing boards, and program names all move separately and slowly. So for your CASPA application and your interviews, keep saying physician assistant.

I also get into why the change was proposed at all, which comes down to "assistant" not describing what PAs actually do in a clinic.

What I cover:

What the AAPA House of Delegates actually voted on
Why the profession pushed for a title change
Why a vote doesn't immediately change anything legally
Which term to use on your application and in interviews
How the title varies internationally
What to watch for going forward

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Advocating for the PA Profession: An Interview with Tracy Piparo, PA-C

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 06:27:00 -0400

Somebody had to fight for the scope of practice you're about to inherit.

Tracy Piparo has been a PA for over twenty years and has spent a big chunk of that time on advocacy in New Jersey, working on the state regulations that determine what PAs can actually do. Most of us benefit from that work without knowing it happened.

I wanted to have this conversation because pre-PAs tend to think of the profession as a fixed thing they're joining. It isn't. It's still being negotiated, state by state, and the people at the table are PAs who decided to show up. Tracy is honest about how slow and unglamorous that work is, and why it's worth it anyway.

You don't have to wait until you're licensed to pay attention to this. Knowing your state's rules is also a great interview talking point.

What we cover:

How Tracy found the PA profession and what kept her in it
What legislative advocacy for PAs actually involves
Changes she's helped push through in New Jersey
Why scope of practice varies so much between states
How to get involved with your state and national PA organizations
What twenty years in this career has taught her

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside the Mount St. Joseph PA Program: An Interview with Admissions Chair Anu Mathur

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 06:21:00 -0400

Get a pen. This one is dense in the best way.

Anu Mathur chairs admissions for the PA program at Mount St. Joseph University, and she gets specific about what actually helps an application at their program. Shadowing and direct patient care hours come up early and often, which is a good reminder that "any experience counts" is not the same as "all experience counts equally."

The part that caught my attention is that Mount St. Joseph builds in three electives. Most PA programs have zero. That's a real differentiator if you already know you're drawn to a specialty, and it's exactly the kind of detail you should be hunting for when you build your school list.

She also talks about how close students and faculty are there, which matters more than people realize when you're in the hardest two years of your life.

What we cover:

What Mount St. Joseph looks for in an applicant
How much shadowing and direct patient care they want to see
Why three electives is unusual and what students do with them
The student-faculty relationship and why it affects your success
What makes an application stand out to their committee
Anu's advice for anyone about to submit

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Pre-PA Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

CASPA Q&A: Your PA School Application Questions Answered

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 06:16:00 -0400

CASPA is not hard. It's just long, confusing, and unforgiving about details.

This is a full Q&A on the application itself. Not strategy, not essays, the actual mechanics that trip people up every single cycle. When to submit. How CASPA calculates your GPA versus how you calculated it. What happens when a letter writer goes quiet. Why "submitted" doesn't mean "complete."

The biggest thing I'll say up front: verification takes weeks, and it starts when your transcripts and payment are in, not when you hit submit. People lose their whole timeline to that one misunderstanding.

Also, check every program's requirements individually. CASPA is the delivery system. The rules are still set by each school.

What I answer:

When to submit and what "early" actually means
How CASPA computes GPA and why it differs from your school's
Getting letters of recommendation in without nagging anyone
What counts where in the experience sections
Common mistakes that delay verification
How to manage the wait once you've submitted

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA Next Steps: Life After PA School with Jordan Fisher, PA-C

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 15:00:00 -0400

PA school teaches you medicine. It does not teach you how to have a career.

Jordan Fisher is a PA in Colorado who wrote a book called PA Next Steps because he kept watching new grads get blindsided by the stuff nobody covers in didactic year. Credentialing. Contracts. Job searching. Money.

He's also moved between specialties, which is one of my favorite things about this profession and something I bring up constantly on here. You are not stuck. If you take a job in one specialty and hate it, you can move. Jordan explains how that actually works and why networking is what makes it possible.

This is a good listen even if you haven't applied yet, because it shows you what you're actually signing up for.

What we cover:

What nobody teaches you about life after PA school
How lateral moves between specialties really happen
Credentialing and what new grads get wrong
Finding a first job that won't burn you out
Why networking matters more than your class rank
What Jordan's book covers for new PAs, including the money side (not financial advice, just what to know about)

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Pre-PA Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside the Ithaca College PA Program: An Interview with Director Susan Salahshor

Fri, 28 May 2021 13:41:00 -0400

Another program director, and this one was building a PA program from scratch.

Susan Salahshor is the program director for the PA program at Ithaca College, which was brand new when we recorded. I always want to know what it looks like from the inside when a program is being designed, because those decisions determine what kind of PA you become.

The part worth your attention is holistic admissions. Ithaca is one of the programs that means it. That doesn't mean grades stop mattering, it means your experience, your background, and who you actually are get weighed alongside the numbers. If you have a stat that worries you, this is the kind of program philosophy you should be looking for.

Susan also talks about mentorship and advocacy, which are two things this profession needs more of.

What we cover:

What goes into launching a brand new PA program
How holistic admissions works in practice
What Ithaca is looking for in applicants
The program's focus on diversity and inclusion
Why mentorship matters at every stage of this career
Susan's advice for applicants who don't fit the standard mold

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Can PAs Do Research? An Interview with Sarah Schettle, PA-C (POCN+ Presents)

Fri, 21 May 2021 18:31:00 -0400

Can PAs do research? Yes. And most people have no idea.

Sarah Schettle is a cardiovascular surgery PA at Mayo Clinic, and research is a real part of her career, not a side hobby she squeezes in. This episode is part of the POCN+ series, and it's a good look at how much room this profession actually has once you're out of school.

That's the thing I want pre-PAs to hear. You are not locking yourself into one exam room for thirty years. PAs teach, publish, lead departments, change specialties, and yes, run studies. Sarah talks about how she got into it, which mostly came down to saying yes and finding the right people.

Networking sounds like a gross word until you realize it just means knowing who to ask.

What we cover:

What research looks like as a practicing PA
Sarah's path into cardiovascular surgery at Mayo
How to get involved in research without a PhD
Why mentorship opens doors faster than anything else
How flexible the PA career really is across specialties
Professional communities and resources worth knowing about

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Starting an Organization in PA School: Patrick and Lili of Be The Change

Fri, 14 May 2021 15:04:00 -0400

They were still in PA school and decided to build something anyway.

Patrick and Lili started Be The Change, an organization focused on diversity and inclusion in the PA profession. The idea is simple and badly needed: a lot of students in underserved communities have never heard of this career, and the ones who have often don't know anyone who looks like them doing it. So they went and did something about it, including mentorship for pre-PAs.

I asked them how you actually start something like this while you're in didactic year, because "I have an idea" and "I have an organization" are very different things. Their answer was basically: make a plan, then be bolder than feels comfortable.

If you've been sitting on an idea, this is your push.

What we cover:

Why they started Be The Change and what it does
Getting a nonprofit idea off the ground while in PA school
Reaching students who don't know the PA career exists
Why cultural competence matters in patient care
Finding mentorship when you don't see yourself represented
How to start something without waiting until you're "qualified"

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Getting Into Oklahoma State: An Interview with Future PA Student Preston

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:31:00 -0400

"My story isn't interesting enough." I hear that constantly, and it's almost never true.

Preston is headed to Oklahoma State, and on paper he looks like the traditional applicant everyone assumes has it easy. Undergrad, prereqs, PCE, apply. But once he starts talking about the actual path, it's full of detours and decisions that made him a much stronger candidate than the summary suggests.

That's the point of this one. Everyone's application has texture in it. Most people just don't know how to see it in their own life, so they flatten themselves into a resume and wonder why nothing stands out.

Preston walks through his cycle honestly, including the parts that stressed him out.

What we cover:

Preston's path to Oklahoma State and why he chose it
What a "traditional" applicant is actually dealing with behind the scenes
The experiences that ended up shaping his application most
How he handled the waiting and the uncertainty of the cycle
What he'd do differently if he were starting again
Advice for applicants who think their story is too plain

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside the George Fox University PA Program: An Interview with Director Dr. Curt Stilp

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 11:51:00 -0400

Program director episodes are my favorite, because you get the answers straight from the person making the decisions.

Dr. Curt Stilp runs the PA program at George Fox University in Oregon, and it was still a newer program when we recorded this. Newer programs get overlooked, which is a mistake, because they're often building something intentional instead of running on inertia.

George Fox uses problem-based learning, so students are working through cases early instead of sitting in lecture for a year first. There's also a strong service focus, especially toward rural and underserved communities, and Curt is clear that they're looking for applicants who genuinely care about that, not applicants who wrote one sentence about it in their essay.

If you're building your school list, listen for what he says about fit. It's the part people skip.

What we cover:

How problem-based learning changes the student experience
What George Fox looks for in an applicant
The program's focus on rural and underserved care
What makes an application stand out to a director
Why newer programs deserve a look
Curt's advice for applicants who don't get in the first time

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Story Like You Mean It: Turning Your Journey Into a Story with Dr. Dennis Rebelo

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0400

"Tell me about yourself." Four words that make everybody freeze.

Dr. Dennis Rebelo wrote a book called Story Like You Mean It, and it's about building a narrative of your own life that you can actually deliver without rambling. That's the exact skill you need for a PA school interview, and almost nobody practices it on purpose.

Most applicants answer that question by listing their resume out loud. Graduated here, worked there, took these classes. It's accurate and completely forgettable. Dennis's approach is to find the through-line, the reason all those pieces connect, and lead with that.

If you get anxious about interviews, this episode gives you something concrete to work on instead of just telling you to relax.

What we cover:

Why "tell me about yourself" trips up smart people
How to find the through-line in your own experiences
Building a story arc instead of reciting a timeline
Practicing out loud without sounding rehearsed
What makes a story land with the person listening
Using the same story across essays, interviews, and networking

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Personal Statement for PA School Q&A

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 18:16:00 -0400

I have read thousands of personal statements. The good ones have almost nothing in common except one thing: they sound like a real person.

This is a Q&A episode where I answer the personal statement questions I get over and over. What to open with. Whether you have to talk about a patient. What to do if your "why PA" story feels boring. How honest to be about a rough semester.

Here's the thing most people get wrong. They write the essay they think admissions wants instead of the one only they could write. That's how you end up with the grandmother-in-the-hospital opener that a reviewer has already read forty times that week.

Your story doesn't have to be dramatic. It has to be specific and it has to be yours.

What I answer:

How to open without a cliché
Whether you need a single patient story to anchor it
What to do when your reason for PA feels too ordinary
How to address a low GPA or a bad semester without making excuses
How much of the essay should be about the PA profession
How many drafts is normal, and when to stop editing

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free Personal Statement Email Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Effective Communication in Healthcare: An Interview with Speech Pathologist Devon Climer

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 19:20:00 -0400

Most healthcare mistakes aren't knowledge problems. They're communication problems.

Devon Climer is a speech pathologist and communication specialist, and she works with people on how they actually come across, which turns out to matter enormously in medicine. How you explain a diagnosis. How you hand off a patient. How you say something hard to a family.

This one is useful for pre-PAs in a way you might not expect. Interviews are a communication test more than a knowledge test. So is your personal statement. So is every patient interaction you'll have as a PA. The skills Devon talks about are the same ones that get you in and then make you good at the job.

We get practical about it, including what to do when you know you're not being understood.

What we cover:

Why miscommunication causes so many problems in clinical settings
How to explain medical information without talking down to people
Communicating clearly when you're stressed or rushed
What empathy actually sounds like out loud
Habits that make you hard to understand, and how to drop them
Why these same skills decide how your PA school interview goes

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

MD vs. PA: An Interview with Anesthesiologist Dr. Richard Marn

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 13:40:00 -0400

MD or PA? If you're stuck on this question, this episode is for you.

Dr. Richard Marn is an anesthesiologist and the host of the Health Careers Podcast, and he spends a lot of his time helping students figure out which healthcare path actually fits them. He didn't start out planning to do anesthesia either. He wanted to be a surgeon, and he talks about what changed his mind.

I get this question constantly, and my answer is always the same: don't pick based on prestige or on what your family expects. Pick based on the day-to-day life you want and how you want to spend the next decade. Richard says something similar, just from the other side of the table.

We also talk about the fact that there are way more healthcare careers than the two everyone argues about.

What we cover:

Why Richard switched from surgery to anesthesiology
How to actually compare MD and PA instead of guessing
The training, time, and cost differences that matter most
Why shadowing both is non-negotiable before you decide
Other healthcare careers people overlook entirely
How to tell if you're choosing a path for the wrong reasons

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Respiratory Therapist, Mom, and First-Gen College Student to PA School: An Interview with Jessi

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:07:00 -0400

First in her family to go to college. A mom. A respiratory therapist. And now a PA student.

Jessi did this the hard way, and she's honest about it. No one in her family had been through college, so there was no roadmap and no one to ask. She was working as an RT and raising kids while taking prereqs. The doubt was constant.

What I love about this conversation is that she doesn't pretend it was smooth. She talks about the moments she thought about quitting and what actually kept her going. If you're doing this while working full time, parenting, or figuring it out with no one in your corner who's been there, listen to this one.

RT is also a great PCE job, and we get into how that experience shaped her application.

What we cover:

Being a first-generation college student with no roadmap for this
What respiratory therapy taught her that shows up in PA school
How she handled prereqs while working and parenting
The self-doubt, and what she did with it
How she talked about her nontraditional path in her application
What she'd tell someone starting from zero

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Pre-PA Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Experience Q&A: PCE, HCE, Shadowing, and Volunteering

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 17:21:00 -0400

PCE, HCE, shadowing, volunteering. Nobody explains the difference well, so let's fix that.

This is the audio from one of my experience webinars, and it's the question I get more than any other. What counts? What doesn't? How many hours do I actually need? And why does one program say 500 and another say 2,000?

The short answer is that every program defines this differently, and CASPA's categories don't always match what a specific school wants. So you have to check. But there are patterns, and once you understand what programs are actually looking for, you stop chasing hours and start choosing experience that makes you a better applicant.

I also get into how to write your experiences up on CASPA, because a great job described badly reads like a bad job.

What I cover:

Patient care experience vs. healthcare experience, and how CASPA splits them
Which jobs typically count as PCE and which ones surprise people
How many hours you realistically need to be competitive
Where shadowing fits in and how much is enough
Whether volunteering has to be medical to matter
How to write experience descriptions that actually help you

Resources:

Free Pre-PA Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Physician Associates in the UK: An Interview with Dr. Sina Ghadiri

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 09:33:00 -0400

Same profession. Different country. Very different story.

Dr. Sina Ghadiri is a dermatology resident physician in the UK, and he reached out because he works alongside physician associates every day and wanted to talk about what the role looks like over there. In the UK it's "associate," not "assistant," and the profession is much newer and much smaller than it is here.

What I found interesting is how similar the growing pains are. Scope questions. Explaining the role to patients who've never heard of it. Physicians who get it and physicians who don't. Sina falls firmly in the first camp, and he had a lot to say about why team-based care makes his job better, not threatened.

If you're pre-PA in the US, this is worth an hour just to see how young this profession still is globally, and how much room there is to shape it.

What we cover:

What a physician associate does in the UK's NHS system
How UK training compares to US PA programs
Why the UK role is growing so fast right now
Where PAs and physicians overlap, and where they don't
What Sina wishes more physicians understood about working with PAs
Whether US-trained PAs can practice in the UK

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Low GPA to Acceptance as a Reapplicant: An Interview with Hanna Lewis

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 15:25:00 -0400

Rejected the first time. Accepted at her top choice the second.

Hanna Lewis had the clinical experience and the work ethic, and her first cycle still went nowhere because of her GPA. So she did something about it instead of resubmitting the same application and hoping.

She did a master's in clinical research. That fixed two things at once. It gave admissions committees recent graduate-level grades to look at, and it taught her how to read and think about evidence-based medicine, which she can talk about intelligently now.

The other thing she did was stop being anonymous. She reached out to programs, used applicant advising, and made sure the people reading her file had some idea who she was.

What we cover:

Why her first application cycle didn't work
Using a master's in clinical research to raise her academic profile
What evidence-based medicine training added to her application
Reaching out to programs and applicant advising
Reapplying without repeating the same mistakes
Getting into her top-choice program

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Public Speaking and Interview Skills with Dr. Scott Litin

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 18:26:00 -0400

Forty years of teaching people how to not be boring.

Dr. Scott Litin has spent four decades working on presentation skills, and this conversation applies to a lot more than standing at a podium. It applies to your interview, your case presentations on rotations, and every time you have to explain something to a patient.

His core idea is that you're telling a story, not dumping information. People remember a narrative. They do not remember your fourth bullet point. If you want a message to land, build it into something with a shape.

He also gets into how to actually hold an audience, which is a skill, not a personality trait. That's good news if you think you're bad at this.

What we cover:

Why communication skills shape your career
Building a presentation around a story instead of a data dump
Techniques for keeping an audience with you
Making your key message stick
Applying presentation skills to PA school interviews
Getting better at this if it doesn't come naturally

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Listener Questions: Grades, GPA, and Prerequisite Coursework

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 09:35:00 -0400

Grades and GPA questions. All of them, in one place.

These came out of the Pre-PA Conference, and they're the questions that keep people up at night. Will more science classes actually move my GPA. Does it matter where I take my prereqs. Are my old courses still good.

On the GPA math: adding science courses moves your science GPA faster than your overall, and how much depends entirely on how many credits you already have. Run your own numbers before you sign up for another semester you can't afford.

On where you take them: community college versus four-year is a real question and the answer isn't universal. Some programs care, some don't, and the only way to know is to ask them directly. Same with coursework that's more than a few years old. Email the program. They will tell you.

What I answer:

How additional science courses affect overall and science GPA
Whether it matters where you take prerequisites
Contacting programs about course acceptability
How old coursework is treated
Choosing where to retake classes
Study approaches for tough prereqs

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Virtual Shadowing: Pulmonary and Critical Care with Kristin Burton

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 05:06:00 -0400

One week of nights on. Two weeks off. That's her whole schedule.

Kristin Burton is an overnight pulmonary and critical care PA, and when she told me her schedule I made her explain it twice. A week of night shifts, then two weeks off. It's a completely different way to structure a career and a life.

We get into what she's actually doing on those nights: the kinds of patients in the unit, and the procedures she performs, including intubations and central lines. This is a high-autonomy role, and she talks honestly about how that independence works alongside a collaborative team.

She also came to critical care from cardiology, which is a good example of the specialty flexibility people talk about but rarely illustrate.

What we cover:

A one-week-on, two-weeks-off night schedule
Patients and pathology in pulmonary and critical care
Procedures like intubation and central line placement
Autonomy as a critical care PA
Switching from cardiology to critical care
What she'd tell students interested in the ICU

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Study Habits That Actually Work in PA School

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 16:26:00 -0400

The way you studied in undergrad will not work in PA school.

The volume is the thing nobody prepares you for. You get more material in a week than you used to get in a semester, and the students who struggle usually aren't the ones who can't handle it. They're the ones still using a method that only worked when there was time to reread everything.

Start by knowing how you actually learn. The VARK assessment is a quick way to figure out whether you're getting more out of reading, listening, drawing it out, or doing. Then build your study time around that instead of copying whatever your smartest classmate does.

Keep the boards in your peripheral vision the whole time. Work practice questions from different sources so you're not just memorizing one question bank's style.

And eat something. Sleep. You cannot outstudy a body you're running into the ground.

What I cover:

Why undergrad study habits break down in PA school
Using the VARK assessment to find your learning style
Adapting your methods to the volume of material
Keeping board prep in mind from day one
Using varied question banks and resources
Protecting your health while you're in it

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Podiatry School to PA School as a Single Mom: An Interview with Ariel

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 05:49:00 -0400

She started podiatry school. Then she changed course entirely.

Ariel hosts the Becoming a PA Podcast, and her own path here wasn't straight. She was in podiatry school before deciding PA was the right fit, and she's doing all of it as a single mom.

Walking away from a program you already started takes more nerve than most people give it credit for. Ariel talks about how she came to that decision and what it cost her to make it.

We also spend real time on the logistics, because that's what people actually want to know. How she structures her time, what she's had to let go of, and how she handles the days when school and her kid both need her at the same moment.

What we cover:

Leaving podiatry school and choosing PA instead
How she knew it was the right call
Getting through PA school as a single parent
Time management that survives contact with reality
Building a support system you can lean on
Her work on the Becoming a PA Podcast

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Listener Questions: Shadowing, PCE Hours, and Staying Competitive

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:28:00 -0400

You sent questions. I'm answering them.

A sonographer wrote in asking whether he still needs shadowing hours when he already spends all day with patients. My answer is yes. Patient care experience and shadowing do different jobs. Your PCE proves you can handle clinical work. Shadowing proves you understand what a PA specifically does, which is the thing you're actually signing up for. And plenty of programs require it outright, so check before you decide to skip it.

Somebody else asked how to get patient care hours when everything is shut down. I go through what's still possible, including virtual shadowing, keeping in touch with PAs you've already met, and roles in healthcare settings that are still hiring.

The underlying theme for all of it is variety. Go see more than one setting.

What I answer:

Whether experienced healthcare workers still need shadowing
How shadowing and patient care experience differ
Checking whether shadowing is a program requirement
Getting patient care hours during the pandemic
Virtual shadowing and staying connected with PAs
Why exposure to different settings strengthens an application

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

RN to PA School as a Single Mom: An Interview with Krystal

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 05:41:00 -0400

She's an RN, a single mom, and she just got into Yale's online PA program.

Krystal has been working as a nurse in emergency and critical care, and she's making the jump to PA. That clinical experience is the kind of background admissions committees pay attention to, because she's already spent years making decisions with sick people in front of her.

The question everybody asks a nurse who chooses PA is why not NP. Krystal gives her honest reasoning, and it's about the training model and how she wants to practice medicine, not about one being better.

She's also doing all of this as a single parent. Her answer for how that works is unglamorous and exactly right: communicate, plan ahead, and accept help.

What we cover:

Moving from nursing to the PA profession
Emergency and critical care experience as an RN
Why she chose PA over nurse practitioner
Getting into Yale's online PA program
Managing school as a single mom
Advice for nurses considering the switch

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Virtual Interviews for PA School

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:41:00 -0400

Your interview is happening on a laptop. Prepare like it isn't.

Virtual interviews are the norm this cycle, and I keep hearing people treat them as lower stakes because they're at home. They're not. Same decision, same committee, same seat on the line.

Test your technology before the day. Not an hour before, days before. Know where your camera is, know what your background looks like, know what happens if your internet drops and have a plan for it. Get rid of every possible interruption, including the people and animals in your house.

Dress like you drove there. Full outfit, not just the top half. It changes how you carry yourself, and you will absolutely have to stand up at some point.

What I cover:

Treating a virtual interview with in-person seriousness
Testing your tech and having a backup plan
Setting up your space and background
What to wear and why it matters
Eye contact and energy through a camera
The real pros and cons of the virtual format

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock Interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Navy Corpsman to Yale Online PA Student: An Interview with Emily

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 03:53:00 -0400

Navy corpsman. Military spouse. Mom. Now a PA student.

Emily served in the Navy, and she's now an active duty spouse with kids, starting the Yale Online PA program. If you've ever told yourself your life is too complicated for this, she's the counterargument.

Military families move. That's the whole problem with a traditional program, and it's a big part of why the online format worked for her. We talk about how she made that decision and what she had to line up to make any of it possible.

Her corpsman background also gave her a clinical foundation most applicants don't have, and she explains how that experience carried into her application and her thinking about medicine.

What we cover:

Serving as a Navy corpsman and moving into medicine
Applying to PA school as a military spouse
Why an online program fit her life
Managing school alongside motherhood and frequent moves
How military medical experience shaped her application
Advice for other military-connected applicants

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Private Student Loan Options for PA School with Juno Co-Founder Chris Abkarians

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 17:18:00 -0400

How am I going to pay for this? It's the question I get most.

Chris Abkarians co-founded Juno, which does something I hadn't seen before: it gathers a bunch of students together and uses that collective buying power to negotiate better loan terms from lenders than any one student could get alone.

He explains how the group negotiation works, and more broadly how to think about your financial aid options. That includes comparing offers side by side instead of taking the first one, and the fact that scholarship amounts are sometimes negotiable if you actually ask.

Standard reminder: I'm not a financial advisor and none of this is financial advice. This is a founder explaining how his platform works and what options exist so you can go research them yourself.

What we cover:

How Juno negotiates loan rates through group buying power
Private loans compared to federal options
Comparing loan offers before you accept one
Whether scholarship amounts can be negotiated
Questions to ask before signing anything
Why Chris built the platform

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Gift Guide for the Pre-PA in Your Life

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 12:22:00 -0400

Nobody knows what to buy the pre-PA in their life. Send them this.

This one's a break from the usual. It's a gift guide for anyone on the pre-PA path, whether you're shopping for someone else or quietly forwarding it to your mom.

Half of it is practical: study resources, things that make long hours at a desk less miserable, tools that actually get used. The other half is self-care, because this process wears people down and a gift that says "go take care of yourself" hits differently in the middle of an application cycle.

The main thing is to think about where the person actually is. Somebody grinding through prereqs needs different things than somebody about to start interviews.

What I cover:

Practical gifts for studying and staying organized
Self-care items that hold up during a stressful season
Resources worth giving to someone applying
Matching the gift to where they are in the process
Ideas at a range of price points
What I'd want if someone were shopping for me

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Day in the Life: Nocturnal ER PA Brian Palm (Part 2)

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 05:45:00 -0400

Part two with Brian: autonomy, physicians, and having a life.

We pick up where part one left off. This time Brian Palm gets into how much independence he actually has in the emergency department and what the working relationship with his supervising physicians looks like day to day.

That question comes up constantly from pre-PAs who are worried they'll be looking over their shoulder for permission on everything. The real answer is more nuanced and depends heavily on your experience, your department, and the physicians you work with.

We also talk about the pandemic's effect on emergency medicine, and the ongoing project of keeping a personal life intact while working nights in a demanding job.

What we cover:

Autonomy and independence for PAs in the ED
How the collaboration with supervising physicians works
Emergency medicine during the pandemic
Protecting family time around a night shift schedule
What sustains a long career in emergency medicine
Advice for pre-PAs interested in the ER

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Paying Off $161,000 in Student Loans in 16 Months: An Interview with Kristen

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 06:09:00 -0400

$161,000 of student debt. Gone in 16 months.

Kristen is a critical care and pulmonology PA, and that's what she did. I asked her to walk through it because nobody teaches us this stuff, and most of us graduate with a big number and no plan beyond making the minimum payment forever.

She talks about how she budgeted, how she prioritized the debt, and how she stayed motivated when it meant living well below what her paycheck would have allowed. A lot of it comes down to being willing to look at the number instead of avoiding it.

To be clear, this is Kristen's story and what worked for her situation. I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice. Take what's useful and get real guidance for your own numbers.

What we cover:

How Kristen paid off $161,000 in 16 months
Building a budget she could actually stick to
Prioritizing debt repayment as a new grad
Staying motivated through an aggressive payoff
Why financial literacy gets ignored in medical training
Her work in critical care and pulmonology

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Day in the Life: Nocturnal ER PA Brian Palm (Part 1)

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 06:41:00 -0400

Happy PA Week. Let's spend it in the ER at 3 a.m.

Brian Palm works nights in emergency medicine, and for PA Week I wanted to give you a look at a schedule most people never see. Part one of our conversation covers what nocturnal ER work is really like.

Nights are a different job than days. The volume shifts, the case mix shifts, and you have fewer people around to consult. Brian talks about the range of what comes through the door, how you make fast decisions with incomplete information, and how you stay sharp when your body thinks it should be asleep.

We also get into the tension every ER provider feels between moving patients through and giving each one the care they deserve.

What we cover:

What a nocturnal ER shift actually looks like
How night shift differs from working days
The range of cases that come through overnight
Making quick decisions under pressure
Balancing throughput with thorough patient care
How Brian ended up in emergency medicine

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Mythbusters: Physician Assistant Edition

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 05:28:00 -0400

Time to kill some myths about this profession.

There's a lot of bad information floating around about what PAs do and what getting here takes, and some of it comes from people who should know better. So I'm going through the ones I hear most and telling you what's actually true.

"PA school is easier than med school." No. It's shorter. Those are not the same thing, and the compression is exactly what makes it brutal.

"PAs can switch specialties whenever they want." There is real flexibility here, more than most professions, but it isn't unlimited and it gets harder the longer you're in one field.

I also get into what patients actually think about seeing a PA, which is usually much less dramatic than students fear, and whether PAs really operate.

What I cover:

Whether PA school is easier than medical school
How much specialty flexibility PAs really have
What patients think when they're scheduled with a PA
PAs in the operating room and what that involves
Where these myths come from
What I wish someone had told me before I applied

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Advocating for PAs as a Pre-PA: An Interview with Leslie Lawton

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 08:20:00 -0400

You don't have to be a PA to show up for the profession.

Leslie Lawton is a dietitian and a pre-PA, and she joined her state PA association long before she had any letters after her name that said she belonged there. It changed everything about how she understands this career.

Most state societies welcome pre-PA members, and almost nobody takes them up on it. Leslie did, and she ended up with real relationships with practicing PAs, a front-row seat to the legislative issues affecting the profession, and a line on her application that meant something because she actually did the work.

Her point that stuck with me: don't just pay dues. Volunteer. That's where the connections happen.

What we cover:

Joining your state PA society as a pre-PA
Why advocacy matters for this profession
Building relationships with practicing PAs
Volunteering versus just paying membership dues
What Leslie's dietitian background brings to her path
How involvement strengthened her understanding of the field

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Virtual Shadowing with Savanna Perry, PA-C: Dermatology (Part 2)

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:39:00 -0400

Part two of your virtual shadowing day in dermatology.

In part one I walked you through the flow of a clinic day. Here I get into what I actually like about derm and what's harder than people assume.

The best part is that you can see it work. Somebody comes in with acne that's wrecking their confidence, and a few months later they're a different person. You don't get that kind of visible, fast feedback in a lot of specialties.

I also break down the difference between medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology, because they're very different jobs and the practice you join determines what your days look like. And I talk about patient expectations and how often I still explain what a PA is and what I'm qualified to do.

What I cover:

What makes dermatology satisfying to practice
Treating acne and seeing visible results
Medical vs. surgical vs. cosmetic derm practices
How practice type shapes your daily work
Managing patient expectations
Explaining the PA role to patients

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Meet Pre-PA Coach Anna: PA School and Job Hunting in a Pandemic

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:37:00 -0400

Meet Anna, our newest pre-PA coach.

Anna just finished PA school, which means she went through the back half of her program in the middle of a pandemic and then walked into a job market nobody could predict. She's joining The PA Platform as a coach, and I wanted you all to hear her story first.

We go through her application process, what PA school actually demanded of her, and how rotations and everything else got scrambled in 2020. Then we talk about the job hunt, what she did to land a position, and what she'd tell a new grad walking into the same thing.

Because she just did all of this recently, her advice is current in a way mine isn't anymore.

What we cover:

Anna's application process and what worked
The real demands of PA school coursework and rotations
Finishing a program during the pandemic
The job market for new grads and how she approached it
What she'd do differently looking back
What she'll be working on with pre-PA students as a coach

Resources:

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Street Medicine with Tony Menacho, PA-C of Sacramento Street Medicine

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 11:09:00 -0400

No clinic. No exam room. He goes to the encampments.

Tony Menacho is a PA working in family medicine and street medicine, and he founded Sacramento Street Medicine to bring care directly to people living unsheltered around the city.

What struck me most is how little of this is about prescriptions. It starts with showing up repeatedly until people trust you, and a huge amount of the work is psychosocial: connecting someone to housing, to food, to a phone number that will actually answer. The medicine happens once the relationship exists.

If you want to see what this profession can look like outside of a traditional practice, Tony's work is worth hearing about.

What we cover:

What street medicine is and how Tony practices it
Founding Sacramento Street Medicine
Providing care in encampments
Building trust with people who've been failed by the system
The psychosocial side of care that goes past treatment
What this work gives back to the providers doing it

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Pregnancy and Family Planning as a New Grad PA: An Interview with Alex

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 15:28:00 -0400

"When is a good time to have a baby?" There isn't one. Have it anyway.

Alex got pregnant during her first year out of PA school, which is supposed to be the year you put your head down and prove yourself. She came on to talk about what that was actually like.

We get into how she told her group, how her schedule and clinical responsibilities shifted, and how much of the experience came down to whether the people she worked with were decent about it. A supportive practice makes an enormous difference here, and being upfront with your colleagues early made things easier than she expected.

This question comes up constantly from women in this profession, so I wanted a real answer from someone who lived it.

What we cover:

Being pregnant during her first year as a new grad PA
Telling her employer and coworkers
Managing clinical work through a pregnancy
What a supportive work environment actually looks like
Thinking about timing when there's no perfect timing
Work-life balance as a PA with a family

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Turning Down Duke for Campbell: An Interview with Jada

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 07:08:00 -0400

She got into Duke. She said no.

Jada turned down an acceptance from Duke and went to Campbell University instead, and I wanted to hear the reasoning because most people would not have made that call. Her answer comes down to fit, and to being clear-eyed about what she needed out of a program rather than what looked best on paper.

Before that she was president of her pre-PA club, and she rebuilt it into something much bigger than she found it. Then the pandemic hit and she had to figure out how to keep a club alive when nobody could meet in person.

We also talk about what she got out of undergrad that mattered, and what changed when she went from leading pre-PAs to being a PA student herself.

What we cover:

Why she declined Duke and chose Campbell
What program fit actually means when you're deciding
Growing a pre-PA club as president
Keeping a club running through the pandemic
Undergrad experiences that shaped her application
Going from club president to PA student

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

New Grad ICU PA in New York City During COVID: An Interview with Karlina

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 16:29:00 -0400

New grad. ICU. New York City. Spring of 2020.

Karlina started her first PA job in the intensive care unit of a New York City hospital, and then the pandemic hit her city harder than almost anywhere in the country. She watched her unit change from a normal ICU into something none of them had trained for.

She's honest about what that did to her and to the people she worked with. She's also clear about how much she learned in a very short time, and how much of getting through it came down to the team around her. Nobody was doing that alone.

This is a hard listen in places, but it's an important one, especially if you're heading into critical care or wondering what new grads are really walking into.

What we cover:

Starting her first PA job in a New York City ICU
How the unit changed as the pandemic escalated
The emotional and mental weight on the whole team
Learning fast when there's no playbook
Leaning on coworkers to get through it
What new grads should know about critical care

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Virtual Shadowing with Savanna Perry, PA-C: Dermatology (Part 1)

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Shadowing shut down, so I brought you into my clinic instead.

Nobody could get shadowing hours in 2020, so I recorded this to give you the closest thing I could. This is part one of a walkthrough of what I actually do as a dermatology PA all day.

I go through the flow of a clinic day, what my patient interactions look like, the procedures I'm doing, and the parts of derm that surprise people. Efficiency is a much bigger deal than students expect, and I talk about how you balance moving quickly with actually taking care of somebody well.

I also answered a bunch of listener questions about the specialty and about becoming a PA in general.

What I cover:

What a full day in a dermatology clinic looks like
Patient interactions and how visits are structured
Procedures I do regularly in derm
Balancing efficiency with thorough patient care
The parts of dermatology people don't expect
Your questions about derm and the PA path

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Low GPA to MEDEX at the University of Washington: An Interview with Sydney

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0400

Rejected from nursing school. Now she's in MEDEX.

Sydney is headed to MEDEX at the University of Washington, and her transcript did not make that look likely. She started with a low GPA and got turned down by multiple nursing programs before she ever considered PA.

What changed things was working as a medical assistant and getting real, varied patient care experience, then being deliberate about the rest of it. She rewrote her personal statement until it actually said something. She picked schools strategically instead of applying everywhere and hoping. And she found practicing PAs who would mentor her and tell her the truth.

If your GPA is the thing keeping you up at night, this is the episode to hear.

What we cover:

Starting with a low GPA and getting rejected from nursing programs
Working as a medical assistant and building varied PCE
Rewriting her personal statement into something real
Choosing programs strategically instead of applying everywhere
Finding PA mentors who would be honest with her
Getting into MEDEX at the University of Washington

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Gannon University's 3+2 PA Program: An Interview with Abby

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 11:30:00 -0400

Undergrad and PA school in five years total. That's a 3+2.

Abby is in Gannon University's 3+2 program, which means she went from undergrad straight into PA school without applying through CASPA or taking a gap year. Five years and she's done.

That sounds great, and for the right person it is. But you have to know you want this at eighteen and then not let up. There's no coasting semester, no changing your mind at junior year without blowing up the plan, and you still have to hit patient care hours and hold your grades to keep your seat.

Abby also talks about what pulled her toward PA in the first place, which came out of her own time as a patient managing an autoimmune condition.

What we cover:

How a 3+2 program works and the five-year timeline
Committing to PA before you start undergrad
Patient care hour and GPA requirements to keep your spot
What pushed her toward the PA profession
The tradeoffs of a direct-entry path
Who should and shouldn't consider a 3+2

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Paying for PA School with an Income Share Agreement: Tess Michaels of Stride Funding

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0400

PA school costs a fortune. Loans aren't the only option on the table anymore.

Tess Michaels is the CEO and founder of Stride Funding, and she came on to explain income share agreements. Instead of borrowing a lump sum and paying interest on it, you agree to pay back a set percentage of your income for a fixed window, usually around five years.

She walks through the mechanics, who qualifies, and how it compares to traditional student loans. Eligibility at the time of this recording meant being within about two years of graduating with no adverse credit history.

I want to be clear that I'm not telling you what to do with your money. This is Tess explaining how her company's product works so you know the option exists. Read everything, run your own numbers, and talk to someone who knows your situation before you sign anything.

What we cover:

What an income share agreement is and how repayment works
How it differs from a traditional student loan
Eligibility requirements Tess outlined
The typical repayment window and percentage structure
Questions to ask before signing any funding agreement
Why Tess started Stride Funding

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside Yale's Online PA Program with Jim Van Rhee and Jane McDaniel

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0400

PA school without moving. Let's talk about how that works.

I got both the program director and the admissions director of Yale's online PA program on at the same time, so this is about as direct a source as you can get. Jim Van Rhee and Jane McDaniel walk through how the program is built and who it's designed for.

The premise is that you stay in your own community for a big chunk of your education instead of relocating your whole life. They explain how the didactic side works online, how clinical placements happen, and what the tradeoffs are compared to a traditional in-person program.

We also spent real time on admissions. What they look for, what the process involves, and the expectations they have for applicants coming in.

What we cover:

How Yale's online PA program is structured
Staying in your home community while in school
How the online didactic portion actually works
Clinical placements in an online model
What the admissions committee is looking for
Expectations for applicants considering this format

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Cardiac Sonographer to PA School: An Interview with Sophia

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Her first cycle failed over transcripts. Not grades. Transcripts.

Sophia Moresco is a cardiac sonographer who spent her days doing echos before starting PA school at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in Baton Rouge. That hands-on time with cardiac patients gave her a kind of experience most applicants don't have, and it showed up all over her application.

Her first application cycle didn't go anywhere, and the reason is one I see constantly: her transcripts weren't complete when she submitted. CASPA verification is unforgiving about this, and it can cost you a whole year. She fixed it, reapplied, and came back with multiple interview offers.

If you're in a specialized tech or imaging role and wondering whether it counts, this is your episode.

What we cover:

Working as a cardiac sonographer before PA school
How echo experience shaped her application
Why her first cycle didn't work out
The transcript mistake that delayed her a year
Reapplying and landing multiple interviews
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady's PA program

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Off the Waitlist Two Weeks Before Class: An Interview with Joshua

Fri, 22 May 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Two weeks before class started, the phone rang.

Joshua Rozanski was on a waitlist at Sacred Heart University and had pretty much accepted that it wasn't happening. Then they called him in, two weeks out from the start of the program.

Getting there took rejections. Plural. He's honest about what that did to his head and how much doubt he was carrying by the end of it. If you're sitting on a waitlist right now telling yourself it's over, listen to him.

Before PA school he did a Master of Public Health, and he explains how that changed the way he thinks about medicine and got him used to graduate-level work before he ever set foot in a PA classroom.

What we cover:

Getting pulled off the waitlist two weeks before class started
Handling repeated rejections without quitting
What waitlist limbo actually feels like
Why he did an MPH before PA school
How the MPH prepared him for graduate coursework
Sacred Heart University's PA program

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Air Force to PA School: An Interview with Travis Laverne

Fri, 08 May 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Air Force first. PA school second.

Travis Laverne is a second-year PA student at Drexel, and his time in the United States Air Force is what pointed him toward medicine in the first place. Getting from there to here took a lot of research and a lot of prereq coursework, and he did it while supporting a family.

That's the part I want you to hear. Travis was juggling family, work, and school at the same time, and what made it work wasn't superhuman effort. It was communication with the people around him and being ruthless about how he used his time. If you're a non-traditional applicant wondering whether this is doable with real responsibilities, he's proof.

He also got elected class president, which changed how he experienced the program and connected him to his classmates in a different way.

What we cover:

How his Air Force experience led him toward medicine
Researching programs and mapping out prerequisites
Balancing family, work, and a PA program
Communication and time management that actually held up
Serving as class president at Drexel
Advice for non-traditional applicants

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Applications and the Pandemic: What's Actually Changing

Fri, 01 May 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Your hours stopped. Your shadowing got cancelled. Now what?

My inbox has been full of the same questions since March, so I'm answering them here. How are programs handling all of this, and what does it mean for your application?

First thing: give the programs some grace. They're figuring out online classes and reshuffling clinical rotations for their current students while also trying to run an admissions cycle. Answers are going to be slow.

Second thing: don't expect prereq requirements to disappear. Some flexibility on hours is likely, but the core academic requirements aren't going away, so keep working on what you can control. CASPA also added a COVID essay, which is your chance to explain what happened and how it affected your path. Use it well, and don't waste it complaining.

What I cover:

How programs are adapting to online classes and rotation changes
Whether prerequisite requirements are likely to change
What to do about lost shadowing and volunteer hours
The new COVID essay in CASPA and how to approach it
Setting expectations for program response times
What you can still control in your application

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA Residency: Pros and Cons with Jamie and Erin

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Residency after PA school, or straight to work? Two PAs, two answers.

Jamie and Erin both work in emergency medicine. One of them did a PA residency and one went right into a job, so instead of guessing at the tradeoffs, you get to hear both sides from people who lived them.

Residency means another year or so of lower pay and long hours, but you come out with structured training and a level of confidence that's hard to build on your own in a busy ED. Going straight to work means earning sooner, but you're learning on the fly and how good that experience is depends a lot on the group you land with.

There's no universal right answer here. There's just what fits you, and this conversation should help you figure out which one that is.

What we cover:

What a PA residency in emergency medicine actually involves
Jamie and Erin's different paths after graduation
The pay and time tradeoff of doing a residency
Building confidence in a high-acuity setting
What learning on the job looks like without formal training
How to decide which route fits you

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside Touro University's Pre-PA Master's Program with Alyssa

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0400

A master's program that gets you a guaranteed PA interview.

Touro University has a master's in medical health sciences that does two things at once. It shores up your science foundation, and if you finish it successfully, you get a guaranteed interview for their PA program. That's a real option if your GPA is holding you back or you need to prove you can handle graduate-level coursework.

Alyssa came on to walk through it. She originally thought she was going into dentistry before switching to PA, and this program is what got her pointed in the right direction. She covers what the curriculum actually looks like, how the workload compares to undergrad, and what the support from faculty has been like.

If you're weighing a master's or post-bacc as a next step, listen to how she thought about it.

What we cover:

How Touro's master's program works and what it covers
The guaranteed PA program interview upon completion
Alyssa's switch from dentistry to PA
What the curriculum and workload are like
Faculty support and the academic environment
Whether a master's makes sense as a GPA repair option

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Anxiety and Decelerating in PA School: An Interview with Taylor Anderson

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 11:15:00 -0400

She decelerated in PA school. She still graduated.

Taylor Anderson just finished her PA program, and her path through it wasn't the standard one. Anxiety hit her hard early on, and at some point she made the call to decelerate and stretch her didactic year out instead of pushing through and hoping it worked.

That decision is one nobody warns you about, and it carries a lot of shame that it does not deserve. Taylor is honest about the academic pressure, the emotional weight of it, and what finally helped. A big piece was asking for help from faculty and leaning on her classmates instead of hiding what was going on.

If you're struggling in a program right now, or worried you'll be the only one who does, listen to this.

What we cover:

Taylor's experience with anxiety during PA school
What decelerating actually means and how the decision got made
Academic pressure in the didactic year
Asking faculty for help and what support was available
Leaning on classmates instead of isolating
Finishing the program on a different timeline

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Stress, Boundaries, and Burnout with Cardiothoracic PA Sabrina Runbeck

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Healthcare is hard right now. Let's talk about that.

Sabrina Runbeck is a surgical PA in cardiothoracic surgery and a productivity coach, and she came on during the early stretch of the pandemic to talk about stress, boundaries, and how you keep going when everything feels heavy.

A lot of this is about managing your own expectations. Sabrina talks through building resilience, protecting your mental health, and actually setting boundaries instead of just saying you should. She also has a message for pre-PAs specifically, which is to use a hard season as a chance to check in with yourself about why you want this. That's not a reason to quit. It's a reason to get clear.

If you're feeling stretched thin, this one is worth your time.

What we cover:

Sabrina's work in cardiothoracic surgery
Handling stress when healthcare gets overwhelming
Managing your own expectations of yourself
Setting boundaries that actually hold
Why pre-PAs should reflect on their commitment during hard seasons
Protecting your mental health long term

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside PA Admissions at University of the Pacific with Jed Grant

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0400

Four thousand applications. Forty-five seats.

Jed Grant is the Admissions Director at the University of the Pacific in Sacramento, and those are his real numbers. He came on to explain how a committee gets from 4,000 down to 45, and what actually moves the needle.

His biggest point about personal statements: be sincere. Committees read thousands of these, and they can tell immediately when you're writing what you think they want to hear instead of what's true. He also wants to see both sides covered, meaning real healthcare experience and evidence you can handle the academics.

Interviews are about fit in a very literal sense. They're picking future colleagues, so the rapport you build in the room counts. We also talked about how the pandemic was reshaping applications and interviews for that cycle.

What we cover:

How a program handles 4,000 applications for 45 seats
What sincerity in a personal statement actually looks like
Balancing healthcare experience with academic readiness
Building rapport in an interview and why fit matters
What admissions is really screening for
How the pandemic changed the application and interview process

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

RN to PA: An Interview with Kanan Brown

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:30:00 -0400

He was already an RN. He still chose PA school.

Kanan Brown spent two years working in the emergency department as a nurse before deciding to apply to PA programs. He first got interested in medicine by shadowing his aunt, who is a practicing PA, and that stuck with him.

Going from nursing to PA isn't as simple as it sounds. Kanan had to go back and pick up extra coursework, because nursing prereqs and PA prereqs don't line up the way you'd expect, and every program wants something a little different. We talk through what he had to take and how he figured out which classes counted where.

He applied to ten schools, got two acceptances, and picked the one closer to home. If you're a nurse thinking about this switch, or anyone weighing PA against another path, this one's for you.

What we cover:

Why he chose PA over staying in nursing or going the NP route
Shadowing a PA and how that shaped his decision
Extra prereq coursework required after a nursing degree
How prerequisites vary from program to program
Applying to ten schools and what came back
Choosing between two acceptances

Resources:

CASPA GPA Calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

How I Found My First PA Job in Dermatology

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 10:31:00 -0400

Nobody hands you a job when you graduate. You have to go find it.

I get asked about the job search constantly, especially from people who want dermatology, so I'm walking through exactly how I found my first PA job and what I'd tell you to do differently.

Where you live matters more than most new grads realize. A saturated market means more competition for fewer openings, and being willing to look a little wider opens things up fast. Beyond that, it comes down to working your connections from your program, checking the job boards regularly, and yes, cold calling offices that haven't posted anything at all. That last one works more often than you'd think.

The hardest part is the waiting. The right job usually isn't the first one you find, and that's okay.

What I cover:

How I actually found my first dermatology PA job
Why location and market saturation change your whole search
Using your PA program's network and preceptors
Which job boards are worth your time
Cold calling offices that aren't advertising
Staying patient when the offers aren't coming in

Resources:

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

How to Start a Pre-PA Club with Jana (PA/MPH Student + Low PCE)

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 11:14:00 -0400

Five hundred hours of patient care experience. Accepted anyway.

Jana Brown got into the joint MPH/PA program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center with about 500 hours of PCE and not a lot of community service on paper. What she did have was leadership. She was president of the Pre-PA Club at Texas A&M, and that's the piece of her application that stood out.

We get into why the quality of your hours matters more than the raw number, and how running a pre-PA club can do more for you than another 500 hours of doing something you hate. Jana also walks through the actual mechanics of running one, including point systems to keep members showing up, social events that work, and how to get program directors to come speak to your group.

If your school doesn't have a pre-PA club, consider this your blueprint for starting one.

What we cover:

Getting accepted with roughly 500 patient care hours
The joint MPH/PA program at UNT Health Science Center
How leadership experience can carry an application
Quality versus quantity when it comes to PCE
Running a pre-PA club: point systems, events, and keeping members engaged
Getting program directors to speak to your group

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Daily Life of a Dermatology Physician Assistant

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0400

You ask me about derm constantly, so here's the whole picture.

I've been a dermatology PA for over five years. I work part-time now and see about 25 patients a day. My days are a mix of medical derm, skin checks, biopsies, and cosmetic procedures - and yes, I do most of it independently.

The part I underestimated going in was the learning curve. Dermatology is pattern recognition, and patterns take reps. My first year I looked things up constantly. That's normal, and any specialty you pick will feel that way at first.

If derm interests you, shadow it. Then shadow something else. Clinic flow differs enormously between specialties and you want to know what kind of day suits you.

What I cover:

My current schedule and patient volume
Procedures I do regularly, including biopsies
Medical versus cosmetic dermatology
The diagnostic learning curve as a new derm PA
Moving from a packed schedule to a saner one
Why shadowing multiple specialties matters

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Meet Julia - New Grad PA and Mock Interview Coach

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0400

Meet Julia, one of our mock interview coaches and a new PA in pediatric endocrinology.

Here's the part I love: she didn't want to work with kids. She was pretty sure peds wasn't for her. Then she did the rotation and everything changed.

That happens constantly, and it's the best argument I know for going into clinical year with an open mind and for shadowing widely before you apply. You cannot know what you'll love based on what you imagine a specialty is like.

We also get into her application, the patient care experience she built, and what got her through the harder parts of school. And since she coaches mock interviews, she has a clear read on where applicants tend to lose points.

What we talk about:

Ending up in pediatric endocrinology by surprise
Why shadowing broadly matters more than shadowing a lot
Building patient care experience before applying
Getting through the hardest stretches of PA school
What she sees applicants get wrong in mock interviews
Her advice for people applying this cycle

Resources:

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

All About the PA-CAT with Researcher Scott Massey

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0400

There's a new admissions test in the mix, and I went straight to one of the people building it.

Scott Massey is a lead researcher on the PA-CAT. We talk about why it exists, what's on it, and what programs are hoping it does. The short version of the argument: the GRE was never designed to predict how someone does in a PA curriculum, and the PA-CAT is meant to test the science content you'd actually use.

Right now only some programs are using it, so this isn't a thing you need to panic about. But if you're applying in the next couple of cycles, check your program list and know whether it's required before you're surprised in June.

What we talk about:

Why the PA-CAT was created
How it's structured and what content it covers
Comparing it to the GRE as a predictor
Which programs are using it so far
What this could mean for future applicants
How to find out if a program requires it

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA-Run Medical Missions: Hands of Esperanza with Ashley and Erin

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0400

I found Hands of Esperanza recently and immediately wanted to tell you about it.

It's a PA-run medical mission organization working in Guatemala, and what I love is that it isn't just clinics and go home. They're doing community development work too - building stoves so families aren't breathing smoke indoors, and putting together a multi-specialty medical center that stays after the volunteers leave.

Ashley and Erin came on to talk about how the nonprofit started and what led them there. If you've been looking for a way to use your training that goes beyond a job, or you're a student wondering how PAs end up doing global health work, this is a good place to start listening.

What we talk about:

How Hands of Esperanza got started
Medical mission work in Guatemala
Building stoves and why respiratory health improved
Creating a lasting multi-specialty center
How PAs and students can get involved
Doing this work responsibly instead of as a photo op

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Personal Statement - Checklist and Email Course

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0400

Still staring at a blank document where your personal statement should be? Same. Everyone starts there.

So I made a checklist. It's a framework for getting from "I have no idea what to write" to an actual draft - what to brainstorm first, how to structure it once you have material, and the mistakes that show up in almost every first version.

I also put together a two-week email course that walks you through it day by day. Two weeks, a draft in hand, well before deadlines start applying pressure. Both of those are free.

The hardest part of this essay is starting. Once there are words on the page, editing is just work, and work you can do.

What I cover:

Brainstorming before you try to write anything
A checklist for structuring your essay
Common mistakes in first drafts
Why the opening paragraph gets rewritten last
Using the two-week email course to stay on pace
Getting outside eyes on it before you submit

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free personal statement email course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

Personal statement guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Essay review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Pregnant and Starting PA School: An Interview with Nora

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0400

Nora found out she was pregnant right before starting PA school.

That's the kind of timing that makes people assume the plan is over. It wasn't. She started anyway, and she's doing well - not because she's superhuman, but because she built a support system and made some hard calls about what she could and couldn't do.

We talk about how she told her program, what accommodations looked like, and how she manages studying with a newborn. Her honesty about the hard parts is the best thing in this episode. She doesn't pretend it's easy.

If you're worried that life circumstances disqualify you from this path, they usually don't. They just change the logistics.

What we talk about:

Finding out she was pregnant right before starting school
Telling her program and what came of it
Studying and attending class with a newborn
The support system that made it work
What she'd do differently
Advice for students who become parents mid-program

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Keeping Your Relationships Intact During PA School

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0400

PA school will happily eat every relationship you have if you let it.

I brought on a licensed therapist to talk about how to keep the people in your life close while you're deep in a program that demands most of your time. Her advice is refreshingly unglamorous: communicate what's coming before it happens, and let small gestures carry the weight when big ones aren't possible.

You don't need a free weekend to keep a friendship. You need a text that says you're thinking about them. Twenty minutes of real attention beats three hours of being physically present while mentally reviewing pharm.

This applies to partners, parents, friends, and honestly to yourself too.

What we talk about:

Why relationships strain during intense training
Setting expectations with people before school starts
Small, consistent gestures over grand ones
Communicating when you're overwhelmed instead of disappearing
Protecting a few things that aren't school
Knowing when to ask for professional support

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What is the PA-CAT? + Planning for the New Year

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0400

End of the year, which means it's time to get your act together for the 2020 cycle.

CASPA opens in April. That sounds far away and it isn't. Right now is when you should be pulling together your patient care hours, healthcare hours, and shadowing hours - with dates, supervisor names, and contact info. Doing that in June from memory is how people end up guessing.

Start your personal statement now too. First drafts are always bad. You want the bad draft out of the way in January so you have three months to make it good.

I also cover the PA-CAT, a new standardized test in its research phase that could show up as a requirement at some programs down the road. Worth knowing about now.

What I cover:

What to do before CASPA opens in April
Gathering hours, dates, and supervisor contacts
Starting your personal statement early
What the PA-CAT is and where it stands
Setting up your program list for the new cycle
Planning your year backwards from submission

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Loans and Debt with Travis Hornsby

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0400

Most of us sign the loan paperwork without really reading it. Travis Hornsby from Student Loan Planner would like you to read it.

He walks through the basics that matter before you borrow: the difference between federal Stafford loans and Grad PLUS loans, what happens when you borrow more than the tuition number because living expenses exist, and how forgiveness programs work if you end up at a non-profit or public hospital.

This is his expertise, not mine, and none of it is a recommendation for your specific situation. But knowing the vocabulary before you're signing something is worth an hour of listening.

The short version: the amount you borrow in school decides a lot about what your first five years as a PA feel like.

What we talk about:

Stafford loans versus Grad PLUS loans
Borrowing for living expenses on top of tuition
How loan forgiveness programs generally work
Non-profit employment and public service options
Planning before you sign, not after
Questions to ask your program's financial aid office

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Dual PA/MPH at Tufts: An Interview with Kat

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0400

Kat is doing a dual PA and MPH at Tufts, and I get asked about dual degrees enough that I wanted someone actually in one to explain it.

She applied to ten programs, three of which were dual degree. That's a smart way to do it - she kept her options open instead of betting everything on a specific format.

What the public health side gives her is a different lens. She's not just thinking about the patient in front of her, she's thinking about why that patient ended up there and what would have prevented it. For anyone who wants to work with underserved communities, that's a real advantage.

The tradeoff is more time and more money. She's clear-eyed about that too.

What we talk about:

Applying to dual degree PA/MPH programs
How the Tufts program is structured
What public health training adds to clinical work
Working with underserved communities
Whether the extra time and cost is worth it
Building patient care experience alongside all of it

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Getting Involved in PA Advocacy with Jonathan Baker

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0400

The rules that shape how PAs practice don't write themselves. Somebody shows up and works on them.

Jonathan Baker came on to talk about advocacy - what it means, where it happens, and how to get involved. Most of the real action is at the state level, through your state PA society, because that's where scope of practice and licensing rules get decided. AAPA handles the national picture.

If you're a student, this is more accessible than you think. Student societies exist at almost every program, and showing up early is how people end up leading things later.

And for what it's worth, knowing what's happening in the profession is a genuinely good look in an interview. Programs like applicants who care about the field, not just the job.

What we talk about:

What PA advocacy actually involves
State societies and why they matter most
Getting involved with AAPA
Opportunities for students to participate
Building leadership skills through professional groups
Staying current on issues facing the profession

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School from a Spouse's Perspective: An Interview with Kina

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0400

We hear from PA students constantly. We almost never hear from the people living with them.

Kina is married to a current PA student, and this conversation is a side of the process I don't think gets enough air. The decision to go isn't just the applicant's decision. Someone else's income changes. Someone else picks up more at home. Someone else spends a lot of evenings alone while their person is at the library.

She's generous about it and also honest about how hard parts of it have been. Her biggest advice is about communication - talking through expectations before school starts instead of discovering them during finals week.

If you have a partner and you're applying, listen to this one with them.

What we talk about:

Making the decision to apply as a couple
How household roles shift during PA school
The financial side from the partner's view
Communicating expectations before it starts
Handling the stretches when your person is unavailable
What support actually looks like day to day

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Choosing Respiratory Therapy Over PA School: An Interview with Michelle

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0400

Not every episode has to end with someone getting into PA school.

Michelle from Lifting and Little Ones is a registered respiratory therapist. She seriously considered PA school and decided against it - and she's happy with that call. I wanted her on because pre-PA spaces almost never talk about the option of choosing something else.

She walks through what respiratory therapy training looks like, the board exams and licensing, and how much hands-on patient assessment the job involves. Then she gets into how she weighed the time and the cost of PA school against the career she already had.

If you're doing this because it's the next thing everyone expects, this is a good episode to sit with.

What we talk about:

What respiratory therapists actually do
The education and credentialing path for RTs
Board exams and state licensure
Why she decided not to apply to PA school
Weighing cost and time against what you want
Being honest with yourself about your reasons

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Study Tips with Chase DiMarco

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:35:00 -0400

Most of us never got taught how to study. We just got told to do it.

Chase DiMarco came on to fix that. His first question isn't "what should you study" - it's whether your current method actually works, or whether you've just been doing it long enough that it feels normal. Rereading your notes feels productive. It mostly isn't.

We go through visual mnemonics, the PEG system for memorizing lists in order, and his 11311 method for spacing out review so material actually sticks instead of evaporating after the exam.

This is worth working on before PA school, not during. Didactic year is the wrong time to discover your study method doesn't scale.

What we talk about:

Auditing your own study habits honestly
Why rereading feels productive and isn't
Visual mnemonics and how to build them
The PEG system for ordered lists
The 11311 method and spaced repetition
Getting your system working before PA school starts

Resources:

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

My Best PA School Interview Tips

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 17:05:00 -0400

It's interview season, so here are my best tips in one place.

Know your own application. You'd be shocked how many people can't talk about something they wrote six months ago. Read your personal statement the night before. Be ready to expand on any experience you listed.

Research the specific program. Not "I like your mission statement" - actual details. Their rotation structure, their curriculum format, something you genuinely want to ask about.

Answer the question they asked, then stop talking. Rambling is the most common thing I see, and it usually comes from nerves rather than not knowing.

And be a person. They're deciding whether they want to see you in a small classroom every day for two years. Pleasant and prepared beats polished and rehearsed.

What I cover:

Knowing your own application inside and out
Researching a program past the marketing page
Answering clearly without rambling
Handling questions you weren't expecting
What to ask them when it's your turn
Interview day logistics that reduce stress

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Interview course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

From Clinic to Classroom: An Interview with PA Faculty Lauren Gentile

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 10:18:00 -0400

Lauren Gentile went from urgent care and family medicine into teaching, and she's now faculty at the College of Saint Elizabeth.

We talk about why she made that switch, which is a career path most students don't even know exists. PAs teach, and the good ones bring recent clinical experience into the classroom with them.

Her advice for people choosing programs is practical: look at PANCE pass rates and look at how clinical rotations are set up. Does the program place you, or are you finding your own preceptors? That difference will shape your entire second year.

She also makes a point I'll keep repeating - a background that isn't the standard bio-major track is a strength, not a liability. Programs want a class with range.

What we talk about:

Moving from clinical practice into PA education
Working in urgent care and family medicine
Why PANCE pass rates matter when choosing a program
Questions to ask about clinical rotation placement
How a non-traditional background helps your application
Her advice for applicants in the middle of a cycle

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Pre-PA Q&A: Personal Statements, Interviews, and Experience

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 11:27:00 -0400

Back to a straight Q&A episode, answering what you all sent in.

This round covers a lot of ground: personal statements, interview strategy, and how much your healthcare experience really matters compared to everything else on your application. Those three come up over and over, which tells me they're the parts people feel least sure about.

The running theme in my answers: admissions committees are trying to figure out whether you know what you're signing up for. Experience proves it. Your essay explains it. The interview tests whether both were true.

What I answer:

Personal statement questions from listeners
Interview strategy and what to prepare
How much healthcare experience programs want
What kinds of hours count and how they're weighed
What admissions committees are actually evaluating
Where applicants tend to second-guess themselves

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

A CASPA Walkthrough for Undergrads and Applicants

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 11:11:00 -0400

This one is a full CASPA walkthrough, and it's built for two groups: people applying right now, and people who are two or three years out and want to do this the easy way.

If you're a freshman or sophomore, you have the advantage. Go make a CASPA account and look around. See what they're going to ask you for. Then start tracking your hours in a spreadsheet as you go, keep contact info for supervisors, and save course descriptions for anything that might count as a prereq.

The applicants who suffer in June are the ones reconstructing four years of work history from memory. Don't be that person.

And if you're applying now, we go section by section so you know what's coming.

What I cover:

A walkthrough of the CASPA sections
What to start tracking as an underclassman
Logging hours and supervisor contacts as you go
Coursework entry and where mistakes happen
Timing your submission for rolling admissions
What to do at each stage of the pre-PA journey

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What to Put in Your PA School Personal Statement

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 09:00:00 -0400

Five thousand characters. That's what you get to explain why you want to be a PA.

In this one I go through what a strong personal statement actually does. It answers the prompt. It shows you understand the PA role specifically, not healthcare in general. And it tells a story only you could tell.

The pitfalls are predictable, which is good news, because that means you can avoid them. Opening with a dictionary definition. Listing your resume in paragraph form. Writing about a patient without ever getting to what it changed in you. Saying "I want to help people" and stopping there.

The writing itself is the last step. The real work is the reflection before it, and the editing after.

What I cover:

CASPA's requirements and character limit
Answering the prompt instead of writing around it
Showing you understand the PA role
Common openings and cliches to avoid
Reflection: turning an experience into a reason
Editing, and how many drafts this really takes

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Personal statement guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Essay review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Free personal statement email course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What to Expect in PA School: Didactic and Clinical Year

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 14:49:00 -0400

You got in. Now what actually happens?

This is the episode I'd hand to anyone holding an acceptance letter. First come the logistics - deposit, background check, immunizations, all the paperwork that shows up fast.

Then didactic year. For most programs that's Monday through Friday, roughly 8 to 5, in class or lab. Anatomy, pharmacology, clinical medicine, physical exam skills. It's a full-time job with homework, and the volume is the part that gets people. It's not harder material than undergrad - there's just so much more of it, coming so much faster.

Then clinical year, when you rotate through specialties and finally start feeling like you might actually be able to do this.

What I cover:

What happens between acceptance and orientation
Deposits, background checks, and pre-enrollment tasks
What a didactic week really looks like
The core courses and lab time
Moving from didactic to clinical rotations
How to prepare before you start

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Accreditation: Provisional vs. Probation

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 11:50:00 -0400

Provisional and probation sound similar. They are not the same thing, and confusing them can cost you.

Provisional accreditation means the program is new. ARC-PA has reviewed the plan and approved them to start, and they'll be evaluated again as students move through. New programs are fine. Some of the best-run programs I know were provisional once.

Probation is different. It means an established program isn't currently meeting standards and has to fix things. That's the one worth asking hard questions about.

Why this matters: your accreditation status affects whether you can sit for the PANCE and get licensed. Before you apply anywhere, look up the program on the ARC-PA site and know exactly what you're looking at.

What I cover:

What provisional accreditation actually means
How probation differs and why it's a bigger deal
What ARC-PA reviews and how often
How accreditation affects PANCE eligibility and licensing
Questions to ask a program about its status
Whether to apply to a brand new program

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What Every Pre-PA Should Know About CASPA and Your GPA

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 23:07:00 -0400

The single biggest CASPA surprise: your GPA is probably not what you think it is.

CASPA counts every course you've taken. That class you retook? Both grades count. The semester you'd rather forget from your first year of college? Still in there. Your school might replace grades, but CASPA doesn't.

And once your application is verified, that GPA is locked for the cycle. Retaking a class in July doesn't change what programs see. So calculate it before you apply, not after.

I also go through GRE score reporting and how letters of recommendation move through the system, because both cause avoidable delays every single year.

What I cover:

How CASPA calculates your GPA and what counts
Retaken courses and grade replacement
Why verified GPAs don't get recalculated mid-cycle
Getting GRE scores to the right places
How letters of recommendation are submitted and tracked
Knowing your real numbers before you apply

Resources:

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Going Part-Time and Work-Life Balance as a PA

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 11:10:00 -0400

I went part-time. Here's why.

Going back to derm after maternity leave was harder than I expected, and not in a way I could push through by being more organized. I wanted more time with my family, and I was in a profession that actually lets you do something about that. So I did.

That flexibility is one of the genuinely great things about being a PA, and I don't think students hear it enough. Full-time, part-time, per diem, switching specialties - those doors stay open. Your first job is not a life sentence.

I also answer a listener question about doing a dual PA and public health degree, and whether the extra time and money is worth it.

What I cover:

Why I moved to part-time in dermatology
Going back to work after maternity leave
How much flexibility the PA profession actually offers
Figuring out your own priorities instead of copying someone else's
Dual PA and MPH degrees: who they make sense for
Thinking about work-life balance before you're burned out

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

New Grad Life in Dermatology: An Interview with Brittany of PA Fanatic

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 11:16:00 -0400

Brittany runs PA Fanatic, just graduated, and is starting in dermatology - so obviously we had a lot to talk about.

This one covers the stretch nobody prepares you for: the months between finishing school and actually being a working PA. Studying for the PANCE. Applying for jobs. Realizing that landing the specialty you want as a new grad is competitive in its own right.

She's honest about how hard PA school was and how much her classmates carried her through it. That's a theme I hear from basically everyone. The people sitting next to you in lecture end up being the reason you make it.

What we talk about:

Going through PA school and what surprised her
Studying for the PANCE
Job hunting as a new grad
Getting into dermatology right out of school
Leaning on classmates through the hard parts
Building an audience with PA Fanatic

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Episode 100: Taylor's Road to PA School Acceptance

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 10:55:00 -0400

One hundred episodes. I genuinely did not think this would still be going, and I'm grateful to every one of you who listens.

For this one I brought on Taylor, who works with me and is also one of my favorite people. She's now headed to PA school, and her road there was not quick. She went back for coursework, applied more than once, and kept going after being told no.

I wanted her on for episode 100 specifically because her story is the one most listeners are actually living. Not the applicant who got in on the first try with a 3.9 - the one who kept adjusting and reapplying until it worked.

Thank you for a hundred episodes. Here's to the next hundred.

What we talk about:

Taylor's path to PA school acceptance
Going back for prerequisite coursework
Applying more than once and what changed each time
Handling rejection without quitting
Working at The PA Platform while applying
What she'd tell someone in the middle of it

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

What it Takes to Become a Physician Assistant in 2019

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 10:38:00 -0400

This episode is the keynote I gave at the Northeastern Pre-PA Conference, and it's basically everything I'd want to tell a room full of applicants at once.

Here's the number I shared: in the 2016-2017 cycle, about 26,768 people applied to PA school and about 9,751 got in. Roughly one in three. That's not meant to scare you. It's meant to explain why a decent application isn't enough anymore, and why the people who get in are usually the ones who started planning earliest.

I also talk about what PA school itself demands academically, and about keeping the rest of your life intact while you do it. Getting in is the beginning, not the finish line.

What I cover:

What the acceptance numbers actually look like
How competitive the profession has become
Academic demands of PA school itself
Balancing school with the rest of your life
Where applicants tend to fall short
Why persistence matters more than a perfect first try

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Interview Prep and the Interview Course

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 10:49:00 -0400

Interview season is here, which means the applications are done and the part that actually decides things is starting.

By the time you're invited, everyone in that room is qualified on paper. Your GPA got you in the door. It won't get you a seat. The interview is where they figure out who they want to spend two and a half years teaching.

I put together the PA School Interview Course as a companion to my interview book, and in this episode I walk through what's in it - traditional questions, behavioral questions, ethical scenarios, and the practical stuff like what to wear and how to handle group activities. Modules you can work through instead of just reading a list of questions and hoping.

Whatever you use to prepare, prepare. Out loud. Before the week of.

What I cover:

Why the interview matters more than your stats at this stage
Traditional, behavioral, and ethical question types
What's inside the PA School Interview Course
How the course pairs with the interview book
Practical prep: attire, logistics, group exercises
Common mistakes that cost people offers

Resources:

Interview course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

From Teacher to PA Student: An Interview with Sean

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 17:10:00 -0400

Sean is 33, he was a teacher, he has a family, and he starts PA school this week.

If you've been telling yourself you're too old or too far into another career to switch, listen to this one. He left a stable job with a steady paycheck for something with no guarantee at the other end. That's not a small thing when other people depend on you.

We talk about how he and his family made that decision together, what he gave up to get here, and what the years of prereqs and hours looked like while he was still working. His answer for why he did it anyway is simple: he'd wanted this for a long time and got tired of not doing it.

Non-traditional applicants bring things to a class that 22-year-olds can't, and programs know that.

What we talk about:

Leaving teaching for a healthcare career at 33
Making a career change with a family depending on you
Getting prereqs and hours done while working full time
What his support system looked like
Being a non-traditional applicant and owning it
Advice for anyone sitting on this decision

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Money Talk for Future PAs with Dave Duquette

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 23:21:00 -0400

You spend years focused on getting in, and then one day you have a real paycheck and student loans and no idea what to do with either.

Dave Duquette is a financial advisor who works with PAs, and he came on to talk about what tends to happen after graduation. The pattern he sees most: new grads get their first salary and their spending rises to meet it immediately, which makes the loans stick around a lot longer than they need to.

He also makes a point I hadn't thought about much - your biggest asset early on isn't savings, it's your ability to work. Protecting that matters.

This is his perspective, not mine, and everybody's situation is different. But it's worth hearing early instead of figuring it out at 27.

What we talk about:

Getting organized financially before graduation
Student loans and how new grads approach them
Lifestyle inflation after the first real paycheck
Why your ability to work is your biggest asset
Mistakes he sees new grads make repeatedly
Questions to ask before making big decisions

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA School Mock Interview Sneak Peek

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 09:00:00 -0400

Ever wondered what actually happens in a mock interview? Here's a look behind the curtain.

I walk through how we run them at The PA Platform - the kinds of questions we ask, how the feedback works, and why we try to make it feel like the real thing instead of a friendly chat. The point isn't to be nice to you. The point is to find the answers that fall apart under pressure while it still costs you nothing.

The most common thing I see: people who have great experiences and can't talk about them. They ramble, they undersell, or they give the answer they think we want. Practicing out loud fixes that faster than anything else.

And yes, everyone is nervous. Being nervous isn't the problem. Being unprepared is.

What I cover:

What a mock interview session looks like start to finish
The types of questions we ask and why
How feedback is delivered and what to do with it
Sounding like yourself instead of a script
Handling nerves on interview day
When in the process to do a mock interview

Resources:

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Interview course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Staying Healthy in PA School: An Interview with Ashley Turner

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 09:56:00 -0400

PA school has a way of turning your health into the thing you deal with later.

Ashley Turner is a PA with a background in nutrition, and she came on to talk about staying functional during school - eating in a way that supports you, moving your body, and not treating self-care as something you'll get to after boards.

She shares what's worked for her personally, including her experience with intermittent fasting and a nutrition program she followed. Her broader point is the one I'd underline: find something sustainable that fits the schedule you actually have, not the schedule you wish you had. What works for her might not be what works for you, and that's fine.

Study blocks, long rotations, and cafeteria food are all coming. Having a plan beats improvising at 10pm.

What we talk about:

Eating well when your schedule is out of control
Staying active during didactic year and rotations
Her own experience with intermittent fasting
Building habits that survive a hard week
Why self-care isn't a reward you earn later
Setting realistic expectations for yourself

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Overcoming Burnout on the Path to PA School

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 19:00:00 -0400

This one is a pep talk, and I think a lot of you need it right now.

This process asks for a lot. Years of prereqs. Thousands of hours at jobs that don't pay well. Application fees, travel costs, and time you don't get back. And if you've applied more than once, you've done all of that and then been told no.

So I want to remind you why you started. Not the version you wrote in your personal statement - the real one.

I also want you to keep something in your life that isn't this. Hobbies, friends, exercise, whatever it is. People who give up everything else in service of getting in tend to arrive burned out, and burnout doesn't magically resolve on the first day of orientation.

What I cover:

The real cost of this process and why it wears people down
Reapplying after rejection without losing yourself
Recognizing burnout before it flattens you
Keeping things in your life that aren't PA-related
Reconnecting with why you wanted this
Pacing yourself for a long process

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

When a Patient Wants to See the Doctor Instead of the PA

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 23:51:00 -0400

Abby asked what to do when a patient says they'd rather see the doctor.

It's going to happen. It happened to me plenty. And the instinct is to get defensive, because it feels like a judgment on whether you're good enough. It usually isn't. Most of the time the patient genuinely doesn't know what a PA is or what we're trained to do.

So answer the question they're actually asking. Explain your training, explain how you work with your supervising physician, explain what you can handle. Then let them decide. Most people relax once they understand.

This also comes up in interviews, by the way. "How would you explain the PA role to a patient who wants a physician?" is a real question that gets asked, so it's worth having an answer ready before you're standing in a room.

What I cover:

What to say when a patient asks for the physician
Explaining PA training without getting defensive
How the PA-physician relationship actually works
Educating patients as part of the job
Why this question shows up in PA school interviews
Getting comfortable describing your own role

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

The Right Time for Family: A PA's Perspective

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 16:38:00 -0400

Jocelyn asked a question I get a lot but rarely see answered honestly: when is the right time to have kids if you're going into PA school?

I just had a baby, so this one is personal. Here's my honest answer: there isn't a perfect time. There's no window where school is easy, work is calm, money is settled, and your body cooperates on schedule. Waiting for that window means waiting forever.

What matters more is your support system and being clear-eyed about what you're taking on. Pregnancy doesn't follow a plan. Programs have different policies about leave. Talk to people who've done it, and know that plenty of PAs have kids during school, during their first job, and everywhere in between.

This is your life, not a checklist. You get to decide the order.

What I cover:

Whether there's a "right" time to start a family
Having a baby during or right after PA school
Why your support system matters more than your timeline
Talking to programs about leave policies
Being realistic about what pregnancy does to a plan
Deciding what you actually want, not what looks tidy

Resources:

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Steps to Become a Competitive PA Applicant

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 10:20:00 -0400

If you only change one thing about your application this cycle, apply early.

Most programs use rolling admissions, which means the seats fill as they go. The same application that gets an interview in June can get a rejection in October. Aim for May or June, fully complete, verified, and done.

After timing, it's the usual suspects, and they're the usual suspects because they matter. Keep your GPA at 3.0 or better. Get real patient care experience, hands-on, ideally across more than one setting. And write a personal statement that sounds like you and not like every other applicant.

None of this is a secret. It's just that most people start too late to do all of it well.

What I cover:

Why applying early beats applying perfect
How rolling admissions actually work
GPA targets and what to do if yours is low
Building patient care experience across settings
Making your personal statement specific
Putting the timeline together so nothing gets rushed

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Working 1099 as a PA with Leanne Hahn

Fri, 31 May 2019 13:35:00 -0400

Most PAs are W2 employees and never think about anything else. Leanne Hahn is here to explain the other option.

Working 1099 means you're an independent contractor instead of an employee. You pick up shifts, you set more of your own schedule, and you have a lot more control over what your career looks like. You also handle your own taxes, your own benefits, and your own record-keeping, which is the part nobody mentions in the recruiting pitch.

Leanne walks through how it actually works and what you need in place before you go this route. She's not selling it as better - she's explaining the tradeoffs so you can decide for yourself down the road.

This is a later-career topic for most listeners, but knowing this option exists changes how you think about your first job.

What we talk about:

What 1099 contracting means for a PA
Flexibility and schedule control
Taxes and record-keeping responsibilities
What you give up compared to a W2 job
Getting set up before you take your first contract
Who this path tends to work well for

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside Emory's PA Program Admissions with Allan Platt

Fri, 24 May 2019 12:43:00 -0400

This is the kind of episode I wish I'd had when I was applying: the admissions director telling you directly what they want.

Allan Platt runs admissions at Emory's PA program, and he doesn't dance around it. Their applicants who get interviews average around 7,000 hours of clinical experience. Minimum GPA is a 3.0. Hands-on patient care, not observation.

Before you spiral about that hours number: Emory is one program, and it's a program with a specific profile. That's exactly why building a balanced list matters. Some schools weight experience heavily, some weight academics, some want a mix.

The other thing he emphasized is the story. Once you clear the numbers, what separates applicants is a personal narrative that sounds like a real person made real choices.

What we talk about:

What Emory's admissions committee looks for
The clinical hours their interviewees actually have
GPA minimums and how they're used
Hands-on patient care versus observation hours
Why your personal narrative decides close calls
Building a program list that fits your profile

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Post-Bacc and Master's Programs for Pre-PAs with Dr. June Kim

Fri, 17 May 2019 10:00:00 -0400

"Should I do a post-bacc or a master's to fix my GPA?" is one of the questions I get most, and the answer depends on what's actually holding you back.

I talked with Dr. June Kim, director of the Post-Bacc Pre-PA Certificate Program at Keck Graduate Institute, about who these programs are for. If your science GPA is the problem, a structured post-bacc shows programs recent, hard coursework you handled well. If your GPA is fine and your hours are thin, a post-bacc isn't your fix.

We go through how KGI's program is set up and what students get out of it, but more importantly, how to decide whether this path is worth the time and money for you specifically.

What we talk about:

Who a post-bacc actually helps
Post-bacc versus a master's degree
Rebuilding a low science GPA with recent coursework
How the KGI program is structured
What admissions committees see when you add a post-bacc
Deciding whether it's worth the cost in your situation

Resources:

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Finishing PA School at UTMB: An Interview with Megan

Fri, 03 May 2019 09:55:00 -0400

Megan is about to graduate from PA school at UTMB in Texas, and she got there the way most people actually do - not in a straight line.

We talk about clinical year, what rotations were like, and how she handled having a life while she was in school. She got engaged during the program, which is a reminder that the rest of your life does not politely pause for two and a half years.

Her advice for applicants comes back to shadowing. Not to check a box, but to actually see the job before you commit years and a lot of money to it. She's blunt about it, and she's right.

What we talk about:

Her path to acceptance at UTMB
What clinical rotations were really like
Balancing PA school with a relationship and a wedding
Why shadowing matters more than people think
The hardest stretch of the program
Her advice for anyone applying this cycle

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Negotiating Your First PA Contract with Leanne Hahn

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 10:14:00 -0400

You are allowed to negotiate. Say it again until you believe it.

Leanne Hahn from Advanced Practice Provider Solutions walks through what's inside a PA contract and which parts deserve a second look. Termination clauses. Notice periods. Restrictive covenants and non-competes, which can genuinely limit where you're able to work if you leave.

Her rule that stuck with me: if it isn't in writing, it doesn't exist. Verbal promises about schedule, CME money, or a raise at six months are worth nothing when the person who made them leaves.

New grads worry that asking questions makes them look ungrateful. It doesn't. It makes you look like someone who reads.

What we talk about:

What's actually in a PA employment contract
Termination clauses and notice periods
Non-competes and restrictive covenants
Why everything needs to be in writing
How to negotiate without burning the relationship
What new grads most often overlook

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

The PA Job Interview: Questions You Should Be Asking

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 10:38:00 -0400

A job interview goes both ways, and new grads forget that half of it.

Leanne is back, and this time we're talking about interviewing for actual PA jobs. Yes, show up early and dress like you mean it. But the part people skip is having real questions ready for the employer.

What does supervision look like day to day? How much time do you get per patient? Who do you call when you're stuck at 4:55 on a Friday? What does onboarding look like for a new grad? The answers tell you whether this is a place that will train you or throw you in.

The physician-PA relationship is the single biggest factor in whether you like your first job. Ask about it directly.

What we talk about:

Questions you should be asking the employer
What to expect in a PA job interview
Sizing up the physician-PA relationship
Understanding your role and scope before you accept
Preparation basics that still matter
Red flags to listen for in the answers

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Building a Strong Pre-PA Resume with Leanne Hahn

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:00:00 -0400

Your resume gets about ten seconds of attention. Make them count.

I talked with Leanne Hahn from Advanced Practice Provider Solutions about what actually belongs on a pre-PA resume and what's just taking up space. Formatting, structure, order, all of it.

Her rule for new grads and students: one page. If you're padding to fill a second page, you're diluting the first one. Every line should be doing a job. Nobody needs your high school awards.

This matters more than people think, because your resume follows you into shadowing requests, job applications, and letter of recommendation asks. It's the document you'll reuse the most.

What we talk about:

What to include and what to cut
Why one page is the target
Formatting that's easy to skim
Describing experience with real detail instead of fluff
Common mistakes that make a resume look junior
Using your resume when you ask for shadowing or letters

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Inside a New PA Program: An Interview with Faculty Member Dr. Lori Tarke

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 10:12:00 -0400

Getting to talk to PA faculty is one of my favorite things, because they'll tell you exactly what they're looking for if you just ask.

Dr. Lori Tarke is faculty at the new PA program at the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey. We talk about what they want in an applicant, and also about what it takes to build a program from nothing - the accreditation process alone took over three years.

Their program is built around social justice and servant leadership, which tells you something important: programs have personalities. The school that's a perfect fit for your friend might not be a fit for you, and that's worth paying attention to when you're picking where to apply.

If you've been nervous about applying to a brand new program, this conversation should help.

What we talk about:

What the program looks for in applicants
Building a new PA program and getting accredited
Why provisional accreditation isn't a red flag
Social justice and servant leadership as program values
How to tell whether a program's mission fits you
What faculty notice in applications and interviews

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

PA Contracts and Negotiation: An Interview with Leanne

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 12:38:00 -0400

Leanne works as an independent contractor, which is a version of the PA career most students have never even heard of.

She moves between specialties and settings instead of sitting in one clinic, and that flexibility is one of the things I love most about this profession. You are not locked into whatever you match with first.

The bigger reason I wanted her on: contracts. New grads get handed an offer letter, feel grateful, and sign it without reading past the salary line. Leanne walks through what's actually in a contract, what's negotiable, and why knowing your own value matters before you're sitting across the table.

This is a few years down the road for most of you listening, but it's worth having in your head early.

What we talk about:

Working as an independent contractor PA
Moving between specialties and settings
What's actually in a PA contract
Which pieces are negotiable and which aren't
Common mistakes new grads make when signing
Knowing your worth before the conversation starts

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

The True Cost of PA School

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 12:04:00 -0400

Nobody likes talking about the money part, so let's talk about the money part.

Hanna and I went to different types of programs and had pretty different financial experiences, so we compared notes. Tuition is only the headline number. There's also fees, health insurance, equipment, board exam costs, and the fact that you generally can't work while you're in school. That last one is the piece people forget when they're doing the math.

We're not telling you what to do with your money. We're telling you what the real numbers looked like for us, so you can go in with your eyes open and ask better questions when you're comparing programs.

What we talk about:

What tuition actually covers and what it doesn't
Fees, equipment, and exam costs nobody warns you about
Public versus private program costs
Living expenses when you can't work
Comparing the total price tag between programs
Questions to ask a program before you commit

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

The Realities of Being a Mom and a PA Student

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 11:17:00 -0400

Jennifer is a single mom, an Army veteran, and a PA student. She's proof that the timeline you think you need doesn't actually exist.

She originally looked at nursing before landing on PA, and we talk about how she made that call. Then we get into the part everyone wants to know: how she does it. Her answer isn't a productivity hack. It's a support system. Family, classmates, childcare, people who will pick up her kid when a rotation runs long.

She's honest that it's hard. She's also clear that it's doable, and that having kids is not a reason to write this off. Plan for it, ask for help, and stop waiting for a version of your life where nothing else is going on.

What we talk about:

Choosing PA over nursing
Applying and starting school as a single parent
Building a support system that actually holds
Studying around a kid's schedule
Serving in the Army and how that shaped her
Her advice for parents thinking about PA school

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

What It Means to Be on a PA School Waitlist

Fri, 18 Jan 2019 17:47:00 -0400

The waitlist is the most confusing place to land, and I get more questions about it than almost anything else.

First thing: a waitlist is not a rejection. After an interview there are three outcomes, and this is the middle one. It means they liked you. There just wasn't a seat right then.

It's still allowed to feel awful. Sit with that for a day. Then get practical. Send a letter of continued interest if the program accepts them. Keep adding hours. Keep your grades up. And keep your other options moving, because you can't plan a year around a maybe.

People come off waitlists constantly, often late in the summer when accepted students choose somewhere else. It happens more than you'd think.

What I cover:

What a waitlist actually means and why it happens
The three outcomes after an interview
Writing a letter of continued interest
What to keep working on while you wait
When movement usually happens on waitlists
Making a backup plan without giving up

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Understanding Supplemental Applications for PA School

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 19:16:00 -0400

You submit CASPA, you exhale, and then the supplemental applications start rolling in.

Programs use supplementals to ask what CASPA doesn't. Why this school. What you'd bring to this class. What happened during that semester where your grades dropped. They already have your stats - now they want to see whether you actually researched them or just checked a box.

The biggest mistake is copying and pasting your personal statement. Don't. They've already read it. Use the supplemental to add something new, and answer the question they actually asked.

These also come with their own deadlines and their own fees, and they show up fast. Have a plan before they hit your inbox.

What I cover:

Why programs use supplemental applications
Common prompts and what they're really asking
Why you shouldn't reuse your personal statement
Addressing a low grade or a gap without making excuses
Managing multiple supplementals and their deadlines
Budgeting for supplemental fees

Resources:

Supplemental application library: https://www.thepaplatform.com/supplemental-library

Essay review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Letters of Recommendation for PA School

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 10:44:00 -0400

Your letters of recommendation are the only part of your application you don't write. That's exactly what makes them valuable.

Admissions committees have your transcript and your essay. What they don't have is somebody else's read on you - whether you show up, whether you're teachable, whether people want to work with you. That's what a good letter does.

So pick people who actually know you. A department chair who can't pick you out of a lineup writes a worse letter than the PA you scribed for every Tuesday for two years. Every single time.

Logistics: letters go directly from your writer to CASPA, you can't upload them yourself. Request at least three even though two is the minimum to complete your application, because people get busy and one will always be late.

What I cover:

Who to ask and who to avoid asking
How many letters to request and why three is the floor
How letters get submitted through CASPA
What to give your writers so they can do a good job
When to ask, and how far ahead
Following up without being annoying

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Understanding PA School Prerequisites: Your Essential Guide

Sat, 15 Dec 2018 01:17:00 -0400

Prereqs are where a lot of applications quietly fall apart, usually a year or two before anyone notices.

The common ones are General Biology 1, General Chemistry 1 and 2, Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2, Statistics, Psychology, and Microbiology. But every program has its own list, its own expiration rules, and its own opinions about what counts. Check each one. Do not assume.

Aim for a B or better. A C technically satisfies the requirement at some programs, but it doesn't do anything for you, and with how competitive this is, "technically satisfied" isn't the goal.

And if you're not sure whether a specific course will be accepted, email the program and ask. They answer. It takes five minutes and can save you a whole semester.

What I cover:

The prerequisite courses most programs want
Why grades of B or higher matter more than passing
Expiration dates on science coursework
Community college versus four-year credits
Emailing programs to confirm a course counts
Planning prereqs around your work schedule

Resources:

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Is the GRE Required for PA School? Insights and Advice

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 22:11:00 -0400

Short answer: sometimes.

Not every PA program requires the GRE. As a general pattern, East Coast schools ask for it more often than West Coast schools, but there's plenty of variation, so you have to check each program on your list before you decide whether to take it.

If you do take it, a score over 300 with each section above the 50th percentile puts you in a reasonable spot for most programs that require it. But I want to be clear about something: a great GRE score will not rescue a weak application, and a mediocre one will not sink a strong one. It's one number among many.

Build your program list first. Then you'll know whether the GRE is even something you need to spend three months and a few hundred dollars on.

What I cover:

Which programs tend to require the GRE
What score to aim for and how percentiles factor in
How much the GRE actually weighs in an application
Study approaches and how long to give yourself
Whether retaking it is worth it
Building your program list before you register

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

A Step-by-Step Checklist for Your PA School Application

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 00:56:00 -0400

Applying to PA school is a project, and projects need checklists.

This episode is me walking through mine. Prereqs first, because everything else waits on them. Then healthcare hours, which take longer to accumulate than anyone plans for. Then the pieces with deadlines attached - transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the personal statement that always takes three times as many drafts as you think.

The applicants who have a smooth cycle aren't smarter. They just started earlier and wrote it all down.

I have a downloadable version of this timeline on the site, so grab that and work backwards from your target submission date.

What I cover:

Getting prerequisite coursework done and planned out
Building healthcare and patient care hours
When to ask for letters of recommendation
Requesting transcripts before you need them
Timing your personal statement drafts
Working backwards from your submission date

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Ortho Trauma PA and Duke Grad: An Interview with Olivia

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 12:00:00 -0400

Olivia emailed me asking if she could come on and talk about her path, and I'm glad she did.

She's an ortho trauma PA and a Duke grad - our first guest from that program. Ortho trauma is exactly what it sounds like: fractures, ORs, and a lot of urgency. It's a specialty people either love immediately or know right away isn't for them.

We get into what her application looked like, what Duke's program was like from the inside, and how much her life experience outside of medicine mattered when she was applying. That last part comes up constantly and people underestimate it. Programs are building a class of humans, not a spreadsheet of stats.

What we talk about:

Getting into and going through Duke's PA program
What ortho trauma looks like as a new grad
The hardest parts of her application process
How life experience shaped her candidacy
Adjusting to a fast, procedure-heavy specialty
Her advice for students applying to top-ranked programs

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

The Waiting Game: What to Do After You Submit Your Application

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 20:23:00 -0400

You hit submit. Now what?

The waiting is the worst part of this whole process, and I say that as someone who did it. You refresh your email fifty times a day. You get an automated confirmation and your stomach drops. Somebody in a Facebook group posts that they got an interview at your top choice and you spiral.

Here's what I want you to do instead: use the time. Add patient care hours. Start interview prep now, not after you get an invite. Look at your application honestly and figure out what you'd fix if you had to reapply, then start fixing it. If you get in, great, none of that was wasted. If you don't, you're already ahead for next cycle.

What I cover:

Why the waiting period feels so bad and what helps
Building patient care hours while you wait
Starting interview prep before you get an invite
Handling rejections without letting them wreck you
Staying off the comparison treadmill
Getting a head start on a possible reapplication

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Urgent Care PA and Choosing PA Over Med School: An Interview with Melody

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 15:37:00 -0400

Melody was headed toward medical school and changed her mind. This episode is about why.

She's an urgent care PA now, and the thing that tipped her toward PA was shadowing. Not one PA - a bunch of them, in different specialties. That's how she figured out what the role actually looks like instead of what she assumed it looked like. If you're stuck between PA and MD, this is the most useful thing you can do, and it's free.

We also talk about how competitive the application is and how she stayed organized through it. She applied broadly, which I'll never stop recommending. Every year I talk to someone who applied to three schools, got no interviews, and lost a year.

What we talk about:

Choosing PA over medical school and how she decided
Shadowing across multiple specialties
Flexibility and lateral movement in the PA profession
Staying organized through a competitive cycle
Why applying broadly matters
What urgent care is like as a new grad

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

How to Take a Good Patient History with OLDCARTS

Sat, 27 Oct 2018 09:47:00 -0400

If you can take a good history, you're most of the way to a diagnosis before you ever touch the patient.

OLDCARTS is the mnemonic I still use. Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Aggravating factors, Relieving factors, Timing, Severity - plus associated symptoms. It sounds basic, but the difference between a vague complaint and a useful one is just whether you asked all of it.

This is a skill you can start building now, before PA school. If you're a scribe, an MA, a tech, anything where you're around patients, listen for these pieces in the interviews happening around you. And if you're shadowing, pay attention to how the provider steers a patient who's giving you a story instead of an answer.

What I cover:

What each letter in OLDCARTS stands for
How to ask about character and severity without leading the patient
Pinning down onset and timing when the patient isn't sure
Associated symptoms and why they change your differential
Practicing this before PA school
Why a good history saves you on exams and in clinic

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Q&A: New Programs, Applications, and Personal Statements

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 20:53:00 -0400

Another Q&A episode, pulled straight from the questions you all send me.

A lot of this round centered on the application and interview prep, especially for newer programs where there's no track record to research and nobody on Reddit to tell you what to expect. My honest take: apply to new programs if they're a fit. Provisional accreditation isn't the red flag people think it is, and the class sizes are often smaller.

We also spend time on personal statements, because that's where most people are stuck this time of year. Your essay is the piece of your application you have the most control over. It's worth the hours.

What I answer:

Applying to brand new or provisionally accredited programs
How to prepare when there's little info about a school
What makes a personal statement stand out
Staying flexible when the cycle doesn't go to plan
Interview prep questions from listeners
Where people waste time in the application process

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Essay review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Infectious Disease and HIV Care: An Interview with Josh

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 11:05:00 -0400

Josh works in infectious disease in Texas, mostly HIV care, and it's a specialty almost nobody thinks about when they're applying.

He went to George Mason for biology, then Drexel for PA school, and graduated in December 2017. We spend a good chunk of this talking about the application - how he built up patient contact hours and what he thinks actually made him stand out.

His point about interviews stuck with me. Be specific. Not "I want to help people," but the actual patient, the actual moment, the actual thing you did. Generic answers blend together. Specific ones get remembered.

What we talk about:

His path from biology at George Mason to Drexel
Getting patient contact hours that mattered
What set his application apart
Being specific instead of generic in interviews
What infectious disease and HIV care look like day to day
Why he'd recommend the specialty to students

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

ENT PA and Interview Coach: An Interview with Ngan

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 12:42:00 -0400

Ngan applied to ten schools and got one interview. That one was enough.

She's an ENT PA now and coaches applicants through interviews, but before all of that she was an epidemiologist. Her story is a good one for anyone who's staring at a pile of rejections and wondering if the whole thing was a mistake. One interview, done well, changes everything.

Her advice on interviewing comes down to being yourself. Programs can tell when you're performing. They've heard the polished non-answer a hundred times that day. What they haven't heard is your actual story, told plainly.

We also get into her time in the first graduating class at Florida International University and her work with AAPA.

What we talk about:

Going from epidemiology to PA school
Applying to ten programs and getting one interview
Why authenticity beats a rehearsed answer
Being part of an inaugural PA class
Working in ENT and what the specialty is like
Getting involved with AAPA and PA advocacy

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Interview course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Life as an OB/GYN PA: An Interview with Stephanie

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Stephanie is an OB/GYN PA, and this episode is a good look at what women's health actually involves day to day.

She walks through what her patient load looks like, how much she manages on her own, and what it's like being a PA in a specialty a lot of people don't realize is open to us. There's more to it than deliveries - it's well visits, contraception counseling, prenatal care, and a lot of continuity with patients over years.

Her big piece of advice is about rotations. Show up, ask for things, and don't wait to be handed opportunities. The students who get the most out of clinical year are the ones who make themselves useful before anyone asks.

What we talk about:

What an OB/GYN PA does in a typical week
Managing obstetric patients and where the PA fits on the team
Why women's health is a great fit for PAs
Being proactive during clinical rotations
Finding mentors and actually using them
Building a strong base in your prereqs and early classes

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Studying Smarter with Picmonic: An Interview with CEO Ron Robertson

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 11:00:00 -0400

If you've ever tried to memorize every antibiotic and its side effects the night before an exam, this episode is for you.

I talked with Ron Robertson, the creator of Picmonic. It's a visual learning platform built for healthcare students - mnemonics paired with weird, memorable images that stick in your head when a list of facts won't. Ron came up with it while he was in medical school and drowning in material, which is exactly why it works the way it does.

We get into why visual memory beats rote memorization for the volume of information you're expected to hold onto in PA school, and how students use it for prereqs and pharmacology.

What we talk about:

How Picmonic started and the problem Ron was trying to solve
Why mnemonics and images stick better than lists
Using it for prerequisites before PA school
Pharmacology, microbiology, and the classes that eat people alive
Building study habits that hold up under PA school volume
What Ron would tell a student who feels behind

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Instagram Live FAQ: GRE Prep, Prerequisites, and Experience Hours

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 09:34:00 -0400

I dug up some old audio from an Instagram Live I did and turned it into an episode, because the questions people asked are the same ones I still get every week.

This one is all over the place in the best way. Prereqs, the GRE, study methods, what counts as healthcare experience, why I picked PA over MD or NP, and what PA school was actually like. No script, just answering whatever came in.

If you're early in this process and you're not even sure what questions to ask yet, this is a good one to have on in the background.

What I answer:

How long to study for the GRE and what to use
Whether it matters if you take prereqs at a college or a university
Taking prerequisites over the summer
Study methods for biology, chemistry, and anatomy
Whether resident care assistant hours count as healthcare experience
Why I chose PA over medical school or NP
The hardest part and the best part of PA school
How formal to be when you contact programs

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Soon-to-Be MBKU PA Student: An Interview with Aaron

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 12:53:00 -0400

Aaron is about to start PA school at Marshall B. Ketchum University, and his road there started with his dad.

His father came to the US as a Cambodian refugee and became a PA. Growing up around that shaped how Aaron thinks about medicine, but it didn't push him straight into it. He spent time in film and media first and wasn't sure a medical career was for him at all.

What changed things was actually getting into healthcare. He worked as a medical assistant and as a scribe across different specialties, and that hands-on time is what turned a maybe into a yes. It's a good reminder that you don't have to feel certain at 19. A lot of the best applicants I talk to figured it out by doing the work.

What we talk about:

Growing up with a PA parent and what that taught him
Taking a detour through film and media
Working as a medical assistant and a scribe
How patient care experience clarified his decision
Applying to MBKU and what stood out about the program
His advice for anyone coming from a non-traditional background

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Types of PA School Interviews: Traditional, Behavioral, and MMI (Webinar Series)

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Not all PA school interviews are the same, and walking in without knowing which format you're getting is a mistake you can easily avoid.

In this webinar I break down the three you'll run into. Traditional interviews are a conversation, usually one-on-one or with a small panel. Behavioral interviews want specific stories from your past. And then there's the MMI, which everybody dreads - a series of short timed stations, often with scenarios that have nothing to do with medicine.

The MMI isn't as scary as its reputation. It's testing whether you can think on your feet and explain your reasoning. You don't have to have the right answer. You have to have a reason for your answer.

Across all three formats, the same thing wins: knowing your own experiences well enough to pull the right one out on demand, and practicing out loud before the day of.

What I cover:

Traditional interviews and what panels are listening for
Behavioral questions and how to structure your stories
What actually happens at an MMI station
Why there's often no right answer, just better reasoning
Using mock interviews to find your weak spots
Being able to explain why PA, clearly and quickly

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Interview course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

How to Prepare for PA School Interviews (Webinar Series)

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Interview season is here, and the time to start preparing is the day you hit submit on your application.

I hear from people all the time who get an invite and then panic because they have two weeks and nothing ready. Don't be that person. Buy the suit now. Start setting money aside for flights and hotels now. Talk to your boss about time off now, before you're scrambling.

Then do the actual work. Know the program you're interviewing at inside and out. Know your own application well enough to talk about any line on it. Most of interview prep is just being able to explain who you are and why you want this, out loud, without rambling.

What we cover:

Why prep starts the day you submit, not the day you're invited
What to wear and what to bring
Budgeting for travel and getting time off work
Researching each program before you go
Getting comfortable talking about your own application
Answering "why PA" without sounding rehearsed

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Interview course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Crafting a Personal Statement for PA School (Webinar Series)

Fri, 13 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Your personal statement is the one place in your application where you get to sound like a person instead of a spreadsheet.

In this webinar I walk through how to actually write it. Start with brainstorming, not with a blank page and a deadline. Answer the prompt CASPA gives you. Use your own stories, because nobody else has them, and that's the whole point. Then get real feedback from someone who knows what PA programs are looking for.

The essays that don't work usually aren't badly written. They're just generic. If I could swap your name out for someone else's and the essay would still make sense, it needs work.

What I cover:

How to brainstorm before you start writing
Answering the CASPA prompt instead of writing around it
Using personal stories without turning it into a diary
Showing that you understand the PA role
Phrases and cliches to cut immediately
How to get useful feedback and what to do with it

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free personal statement email course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

Personal statement guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Essay review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

All About CASPA (Webinar Series)

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0400

CASPA opens April 27, and if you're applying this cycle, this is your roadmap.

I walked through the whole application in this webinar - every section, what goes where, and the parts that trip people up every single year. CASPA isn't hard, it's just long. The people who struggle are the ones who open it in June and try to figure it out on the fly.

Start early. Request your transcripts now. Give your evaluators plenty of notice. Then you can spend your time on the parts that actually matter, like your personal statement and your experience descriptions.

What I cover:

When CASPA opens and why submitting early matters
A walkthrough of each section of the application
Entering your coursework without making mistakes
Listing healthcare and patient care experience the right way
Requesting letters of recommendation and transcripts
Common CASPA errors that delay your application

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Healthcare and Patient Care Experience for PA School (Webinar Series)

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Healthcare experience and patient care experience are not the same thing, and programs absolutely care about the difference.

This one's from my webinar series. I break down what counts, which jobs get you there fastest, and how to log everything on CASPA so your hours actually land where you want them.

What I cover:

The real difference between healthcare experience and patient care experience
Why programs set separate hour requirements for each
Jobs that count, including CNA, medical assistant, EMT, and scribe
How long certification takes for each of those roles
Categorizing your hours correctly on CASPA
Documenting hours and supervisor contacts as you go instead of at the end

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

All About Being a Dermatology PA (Webinar Series)

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 11:00:00 -0400

I'm a dermatology PA. Here's what that actually looks like.

Derm gets romanticized a lot, so I wanted to give you the honest version. My background, how I landed in this specialty, who I see all day, and the parts I love and the parts I don't.

What I cover:

My path from a biology degree to PA school to dermatology
The range of patients I see, from infants to elderly
What I treat on a normal day, including skin cancer
The procedures and the pace of a derm clinic
What's rewarding and what wears on you
How to get real exposure to derm before you commit to it

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

How to Get into PA School with a Low GPA (Webinar Series)

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:39:00 -0400

Your GPA isn't the whole story. But you do have to deal with it.

This one's from my webinar series, and it's for anyone who has looked at their transcript and assumed the door was closed. It isn't. It just means you need a plan instead of a hope.

What I cover:

How CASPA calculates GPA, and why your number might not be what you think
Science GPA versus overall GPA and which one programs weigh
Raising your GPA with retakes and post-bacc coursework
Using healthcare experience to offset a weaker transcript
Addressing it in your application without making excuses
Picking programs where your numbers actually have a shot

Resources:

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

What Is PA School Really Like? (Webinar Series)

Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:59:00 -0400

What PA school is actually like, from someone who lived it.

This one came out of my webinar series. I walk through didactic year in detail, the testing schedule, and the emotional side that nobody posts about.

It's hard. Your classmates are a big part of what gets you through.

What I cover:

The didactic curriculum, from anatomy to pharmacology to clinical medicine
How fast material comes at you and what testing looks like
The learning curve in those first few months
The emotional toll and how to handle it
Why your classmates end up being your lifeline
What I'd do differently if I started over

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Meet Pre-PA Coach Hanna: Urgent Care PA in California

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 21:08:00 -0400

Hanna is one of the coaches on The PA Platform, and she's the person a lot of you end up doing your mock interview with.

She's from Georgia, went to UGA, and has practiced in New York and California. She was an athletic trainer first, got into PA school on her first cycle, and now works urgent care.

What we talk about:

Hanna's path from athletic training into PA school
Getting accepted on the first try and what she credits for it
What athletic training taught her about patient care
Practicing in New York versus California
Why a mock interview changes how you show up on interview day
What she looks for when she coaches pre-PA students

Resources:

Book a mock interview: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Writing Your Personal Statement for PA School and CASPA

Fri, 25 May 2018 14:58:00 -0400

Your personal statement, start to finish.

This is the essay that decides whether a program wants to meet you. I'm walking through what belongs in it, what doesn't, and the logistics people mess up every single year.

Write it in a separate document. Trust me on that one.

What I cover:

Telling the story of how you found the PA profession
Making your motivation specific instead of generic
The 5,000 character limit and how to actually use it
Drafting outside of CASPA so formatting doesn't wreck your essay
Choosing which personal experiences make the cut
The lines that make a reader stop reading

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free personal statement email course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Have me review your essay: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Instagram Live FAQ: Networking, AAPA, and PA Misconceptions

Sat, 19 May 2018 00:49:00 -0400

An Instagram Live Q&A, recorded and cleaned up for the feed.

I'd just gotten back from the AAPA Conference, so a lot of this is about networking and why the connections you make now matter more than you think. Then I got into the PA versus doctor comparison that will not die.

What I cover:

Why networking early actually changes your options later
What I took away from the AAPA Conference
Finding mentors who will stay in your corner
The misconceptions people still have about what PAs do
Why comparing PAs to physicians misses the point
Your questions, answered straight

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Urgent Care PA, Mom, and Blogger: An Interview with Onyi

Fri, 11 May 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Onyi is an urgent care PA, a mom, and a lifestyle blogger. She makes it look easy. It isn't, and she's honest about that.

If you've been wondering whether you can have kids and still do this, or whether PA school is survivable with a family, listen to her.

What we talk about:

What urgent care is actually like as a specialty
Getting through PA school with family responsibilities
The adjustments motherhood forced on her career
How she manages her time when everything wants a piece of it
Building a blog and a life outside the clinic
Her advice for pre-PAs who want a family too

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

CASPA Is Open: How to Fill It Out

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 14:00:00 -0400

CASPA just opened. Here's how to actually use it.

Opening day matters, but rushing a sloppy application out the door matters more, and not in a good way. I'm walking you through what to do first, what to slow down on, and the program-specific details that trip people up every single cycle.

What I cover:

What CASPA is and how the centralized system works
Why you should start early without submitting early and sloppy
Getting your personal statement finished before you're under pressure
Why every program still sets its own deadlines and requirements
Researching program criteria so you don't get cut on a technicality
Planning your timeline from opening day to submission

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Have me review your essay: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

The Realities of PA School: Advice from Erin Rachel

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 20:40:00 -0400

Erin is about to graduate from GW's PA program, so she can finally see the whole thing clearly.

We get into why she chose PA, how different the pace is from undergrad, what it felt like moving from the classroom into clinical year, and what the job search looks like when graduation is close.

What we talk about:

Why Erin chose PA and how she landed at George Washington
How the pace of PA school compares to undergrad
Moving from didactic year into rotations
The parts of training that surprised her most
Starting a job search before you've even graduated
Why staying flexible matters so much in this field

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

From Rejection to Acceptance: A PA Student's Journey

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Hannah got rejected. She fixed what was broken. She's in now.

She's a first-year PA student, and she came on to walk through exactly what she changed between her first application and her second. Not vague advice. Actual changes.

If this is your second cycle, or you're bracing for one, put this on.

What we talk about:

What her first application looked like
How she figured out where the gaps actually were
The specific things she changed the second time around
Staying motivated through an entire extra year
What her first year of PA school has been like
What she'd say to a reapplicant sitting in it right now

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Have me review your essay: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Elevate Your PA Application: Real-Time Mock Interview

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 12:15:00 -0400

A real mock interview, recorded, with commentary after the answers.

Jamie is back, and this time she's in the hot seat. I ask her actual PA school interview questions, she answers them cold, and then we break down what worked and what I'd change.

If you've never practiced saying your answers out loud, this is the closest you'll get to sitting in the room.

What we cover:

Common PA school interview questions, asked live
Using a personal story without rambling
Staying steady when a question catches you off guard
Showing real passion for the profession without sounding rehearsed
Where most applicants quietly lose points
The Physician Assistant School Interview Guide and how to use it

Resources:

Physician Assistant School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

PA School Interview Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pa-school-interview-course

Book a mock interview with me: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

What Got Him Into PA School - Interview with Skylar

Fri, 30 Mar 2018 11:00:00 -0400

Skylar is in PA school now, and he's clear about what actually got him in.

We go through the moments that pointed him toward PA, the changes he made to strengthen his application, and then the part everyone underestimates. The sheer amount of information thrown at you in the first few months.

What we talk about:

What made Skylar choose PA
The specific changes he made to strengthen his application
Why healthcare experience mattered more than he expected
Getting through the application process without burning out
How much material you're expected to absorb early in PA school
How he studies now compared to how he studied before

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pediatric Epilepsy PA - Interview with Paul Gonzalez

Fri, 23 Mar 2018 18:25:00 -0400

Paul works in pediatric epilepsy at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. He got there from biomedical engineering.

Another one for anyone who didn't take the straight line. Paul walks through how he found the PA profession, what applying was like for him, and what his job looks like now in a pretty specialized corner of medicine.

What we talk about:

Moving from biomedical engineering into healthcare
Why shadowing several different providers changed his mind
Getting honest about your own motivations before you apply
What pediatric epilepsy care actually involves
How much autonomy he has as an advanced practice provider
How his team is structured day to day

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Interview with PA and Medelita Founder - Lara Francisco

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 11:34:00 -0400

Lara Francisco is a PA who got tired of badly made lab coats. So she started Medelita.

That's the short version. The long version is this episode, and it's a good one if you've ever wondered whether being a PA is the only thing you're allowed to be.

We talk about building a company from scratch while practicing clinically - the hard parts, the parts that worked, and how she decided the idea was worth chasing in the first place. She goes deep on design and fabric selection too, which sounds niche until you've worn a coat that doesn't fit through a twelve-hour shift.

The bigger point I want you to hear: your clinical license doesn't cap what you can build. PAs start companies, write, teach, consult, and invent things. Clinical practice can be the foundation instead of the whole house.

What we cover:

Going from practicing PA to founding a company
What was wrong with medical apparel and how she fixed it
Design and fabric decisions that actually matter on shift
Running a business alongside clinical work
Entrepreneurship as a path for PAs
What she'd tell a PA sitting on an idea

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Non-Traditional PA Student at USC - Interview with Amber

Fri, 09 Mar 2018 12:00:00 -0400

Amber studied political science. Now she's a PA student at USC.

If you're worried that your major or your background disqualifies you, listen to this. Amber came into medicine from somewhere completely different, and it made her a stronger applicant, not a weaker one.

What we talk about:

Going from political science to prerequisites to PA school
How she explained the career switch in her application
What non-traditional applicants bring that programs actually want
Inside the PA program at USC's Keck School of Medicine
Why their medical Spanish training matters for patient care
Her advice if you're starting over from another field

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Addressing Your Pressing Pre-PA Questions

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 10:59:00 -0400

You sent questions on social media. I answered them.

This one's a grab bag of what you've been asking me most, and a couple of the answers might not be what you're expecting.

What I cover:

How healthcare reform affects PAs and the patients you'll see
How much health policy you actually need to know before an interview
Talking about choosing PA over medical school in your personal statement
The phrasing that makes admissions question your commitment
When to apply, and why meeting the minimums is the real trigger
What to do with your time while you finish requirements

Resources:

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free personal statement email course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

Have me review your essay: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Direct-Entry PA Program at St. John's - Interview with Hannah

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 11:47:00 -0400

Hannah went straight from high school into a direct-entry PA program. Almost nobody gets to do that anymore.

She's a fourth-year PA student at St. John's University now, and she hosts the podcast Atypical Presentation. We talk about what that direct-entry path actually looked like, whether she'd recommend it, and what she thinks you should do with your time before PA school.

What we talk about:

How direct-entry bachelor's to PA programs work
What Hannah gained and gave up by committing that early
Why volunteering and shadowing still mattered for her
Getting through didactic year without losing your mind
Keeping hobbies and outside interests alive in PA school
Starting Atypical Presentation and where she's taking it

Resources:

PA Program Map, including direct-entry programs: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

The Role of Physician Assistants in International Healthcare: A Discussion

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 20:28:00 -0400

Jesse and I went to Kenya together, and we finally sat down to talk about it.

He's a dermatology PA and the founder of Skin Made Simple, so this one covers a lot of ground. What a medical mission trip actually involves, what we took away from ours, and how he built a skincare business alongside clinical work.

If you're curious about global health, or about PAs who do more than see patients, start here.

What we talk about:

What our trip to Kenya was really like
How mission work changes the way you think about practicing
Choosing a trip that's actually ethical and useful
Jesse's path into dermatology
Building Skin Made Simple while working as a PA
Where medicine and business overlap for PAs

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

The Hardest Parts of Being a PA

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 12:31:00 -0400

Mikayla asked what the hardest parts of being a PA actually are. So I answered honestly.

This isn't a doom episode. I love this job. But you should walk into interviews knowing the real challenges facing the profession, because you will get asked about them.

At the end I get into mentorship, including why you should never hand someone a big check just to shadow them.

What I cover:

People still not understanding what a PA is or does
Insurance headaches and how they affect your day
How much state regulations change what you're allowed to do
Why interviewers ask about challenges in the profession
Working this into your personal statement without sounding negative
Finding real mentorship, and the shadowing scams to walk away from

Resources:

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Mock interview with me: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

The Intersection of Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant Careers

Fri, 19 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0400

Still torn between PT and PA? Go talk to someone who actually does the other job.

Matt is a traveling physical therapist, and I brought him on because so many of you are weighing a couple of healthcare paths at the same time. He breaks down what PT school asked of him, what his work really looks like, and why he chose travel assignments.

What we talk about:

How Matt landed on physical therapy
PT school requirements compared to PA school requirements
What a physical therapist actually does all day
How traveling positions work
The upsides and the tradeoffs of travel healthcare
Getting real exposure to a career before you commit to it

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

First-Time CASPA Applicant - Interview with Erica

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 12:33:00 -0400

Erica is in the middle of her first CASPA cycle, and she's letting us watch it happen in real time.

If you've opened CASPA and immediately felt buried, this one's for you. Erica walks through how she's staying organized, what tripped her up, and how she's handling the waiting.

What we talk about:

The spreadsheet Erica uses to track hours, supervisors, and contact info
Why collecting that info early saves you so much pain later
How long CASPA actually takes to fill out
Coursework decisions she'd approach differently
Dealing with how competitive this feels and believing you belong
Her advice for anyone starting their first cycle

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

PA Student on Clinical Rotations - Interview with Jamie

Fri, 08 Dec 2017 16:32:00 -0400

Jamie is deep into clinical rotations in Michigan, and she came on to talk about what actually got her here.

We start with how she found out the PA profession existed, what applying looked like for her, and then get into the part nobody can really prepare you for. Didactic year. Rotations. Trying to keep a life while doing both.

What we talk about:

How Jamie first learned about the PA profession
What her application and acceptance looked like
The real workload of didactic year
What clinical rotations are actually like
Balancing PA school with a personal life
What she'd tell her pre-PA self if she could

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

CapYear Training

Medical Assistant to PA School - Interview with Taylor

Sat, 02 Dec 2017 17:16:00 -0400

Taylor works as a medical assistant in a dermatology clinic, and she's using that job to get herself to PA school.

She started at the front desk. Now she's full time in the back, checking patients in, triaging, and assisting during exams. If you're trying to figure out how to get patient care hours that actually count for something, this is a real look at one way to do it.

What we talk about:

How Taylor moved from the front desk into a full-time MA role
What a medical assistant actually does day to day
Why these hours count as patient care experience
The hard parts, including managing patient expectations and office policies
What working in the clinic taught her about being a PA
Why she wants more responsibility than the MA role gives her

Resources:

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Medical School to PA School - Interview with Courtney

Sat, 25 Nov 2017 12:23:00 -0400

Courtney spent a year in medical school before she switched to PA.

That's a hard call to make once you're already in, and she's honest about how she got there. We talk about why she started down the medical school path, what made her stop, and how she ended up in PA school instead.

She also went on to do a PA residency in critical care, so we get into whether that's something you should consider.

What we talk about:

Why Courtney chose medical school first
What that first year actually looked like
The moment she realized PA fit her better
Making the switch and applying to PA school
What a PA residency in critical care involves
Whether a residency is worth it as a new grad

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Working in Dermatology - Interview with the Skin Sisters, Brooke and Lauren

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:35:00 -0400

Dermatology is one of the most requested specialties I hear about, so I brought in two people who actually do it.

Brooke and Lauren are dermatology PAs who work in the same practice. You might know them as the Skin Sisters. They walked me through how they each landed in derm, what the job really looks like day to day, and what they'd tell a pre-PA student who already has their heart set on it.

What we talk about:

How Brooke and Lauren each found their way into dermatology
Why exposure and derm rotations matter so much
Shadowing a derm provider before you commit to the specialty
What it's like working in the same practice and sharing patients
The training and background that got them here
Their advice for pre-PA students eyeing dermatology

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Why I Chose to be a PA Instead of a Physician

Fri, 27 Oct 2017 10:11:00 -0400

Three questions I get asked constantly, answered in one sitting.

First: how many programs should you apply to? I want you at ten to twelve where you actually meet the minimum requirements. For reference, the average accepted applicant applied to about six. A wider net helps.

Second: do shadowing hours matter if you already have healthcare experience? Yes. They aren't the same thing, and I explain why.

Third: why did I pick PA over medical school? I wrote an article for Doximity about it, and I get into that here.

What I cover:

How many programs to apply to and why the number matters
Only applying where you meet the minimums
Why shadowing can't be swapped out for patient care hours
What shadowing shows you that nothing else can
My Doximity article on choosing PA over physician
What still makes this job worth it for me

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Rejected, Then Accepted - Interview with Adonna

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 09:00:00 -0400

Adonna didn't get in the first time. Then she did.

She's a first-year PA student now, and she came on to talk honestly about what the rejection actually felt like, what she changed, and what she'd tell you if you're sitting in that spot right now.

If you're reapplying this cycle, listen to this one.

What we talk about:

What her first application looked like and where it came up short
How she handled the rejection emotionally
The specific changes she made before reapplying
What her interviews were like the second time around
What surprised her most about starting PA school
Her advice for anyone in the middle of a reapplication

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

CASPA GPA calculator: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-caspa-gpa-calculator

Build a reapplication plan with me: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mock interview practice: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/mock-interview

PA vs. MD: How to Decide

Fri, 06 Oct 2017 10:00:00 -0400

PA or MD? Here's how I'd think about it.

This is one of the most common questions I get, and the honest answer is that it comes down to what you want your life to look like. Not which path is harder. Not which one sounds more impressive.

I brought on Dr. Ryan Gray to help me compare the two, so you're hearing it from both sides instead of just from me.

What we cover:

Length and cost of training for each path
Scope of practice and how much autonomy PAs really have
Switching specialties without starting over
Salary and lifestyle tradeoffs
How the prerequisites and applications differ
The questions to ask yourself before you commit either way

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Talk it through with me one-on-one: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Your Path to PA School: How to Write an Impactful Personal Statement

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 11:36:00 -0400

Your personal statement is 5,000 characters to answer one question: why PA?

Not why medicine. Not why healthcare. Why this specific profession, and what led you here.

In this episode I walk through what actually belongs in the essay. Where your interest in medicine started. What you understand about the PA role, specifically - because plenty of applicants clearly don't. And the experiences that prepared you, told as moments rather than a list.

The other thing I hammer on is staying on topic. Admissions committees read hundreds of these in a season. If your first paragraph is a scenic detour, you've already lost some of their attention. Get to the point and stay there.

I also put together a personal statement worksheet to help you get your thoughts organized before you try to write anything pretty. Start there. Blank pages are miserable.

What I cover:

What the personal statement is actually asking
Where to start when you have no idea how to begin
Showing you understand the PA role
Choosing which experiences make the essay
Staying concise and on topic
Using the free worksheet to organize your thoughts

Resources:

Free Personal Statement Worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

Free Personal Statement Email Course: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-email-course

PA School Personal Statement Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-school-personal-statement-guide

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

How to Choose the Right PA Program for You

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 10:51:00 -0400

Getting in is only half of it. You also have to make sure the program is actually right for you.

I know it feels backwards to be picky when all you want is an acceptance anywhere. But you're about to spend two to three years and a lot of money somewhere, so it's worth being intentional about where you apply.

Here's what I'd look at if I were building my program list today.

What I cover:

Accreditation status and why provisional isn't automatically a red flag
PANCE pass rates and how to read them honestly
Total cost of attendance versus the tuition number on the website
Class size, curriculum format, and how rotations are set up
Location, cost of living, and the support system you'll have nearby
How a program's mission shapes who they actually accept

Resources:

PA Program Map to compare programs and requirements: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Build your program list with me one-on-one: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Preparing for Success: 5 Must-Know Tips for PA School Applicants

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 10:00:00 -0400

Five things I wish someone had told me before I started PA school.

I made it through, but there were a lot of moments that first semester where I thought, why did nobody warn me about this? So I'm fixing that for you.

None of this is meant to scare you off. PA school is hard. It's also completely doable. Going in with realistic expectations makes those first few months so much easier.

What I cover:

Why you need to start studying earlier than you think you do
What the volume of material actually feels like week to week
Building a study system before you're drowning in one
The financial side nobody prepares you for
Protecting your relationships and your sanity once classes start

If you're not in PA school yet and you're still working to get there, start here.

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

One-on-one pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Shadowing Etiquette: What to Do Once You're There

Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:00:00 -0400

You found a PA to shadow. Now what do you actually do when you show up?

This one is all about shadowing etiquette, because how you behave in that office matters more than the number of hours you log. Shadowing is observation. You're there to watch how a PA thinks, how they talk to patients, and how they fit into the team. You are not there to do anything hands-on.

I go through what to wear, what to bring, when to ask questions and when to stay quiet, and how to leave a good enough impression that they'd be willing to write you a letter later.

What I cover:

What shadowing actually is and what it isn't

What to wear and what to bring with you

How to introduce yourself to patients and staff

When to ask questions without interrupting patient care

Patient privacy and the lines you can't cross

How to track your hours as you go

Turning a shadowing contact into a letter of recommendation

Resources:

Free application timeline so you can plan your hours around deadlines: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

See shadowing requirements program by program with the PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Want a second set of eyes on your whole application plan? Book a pre-PA counseling session: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

How to Find PA Shadowing Hours

Sat, 09 Sep 2017 11:57:00 -0400

Shadowing is one of those boxes almost every PA program wants checked, and it's also one of the hardest to figure out when you don't know a single PA.

In this episode I'm walking through exactly how to find shadowing hours from scratch. I start with the people you already know, because you'd be surprised how often someone's cousin or neighbor turns out to be a PA. Then I get into reaching out on social media, and I tell you about the cold calling I did to medical offices back when I was in your shoes.

It's awkward. Do it anyway. Most people say yes.

What I cover:

Why programs care about shadowing and how many hours you actually need

Starting with your existing network before anything else

How to message a PA on social media without being weird about it

Cold calling offices and what to say when someone picks up

What to do when you keep getting turned down

How to get the most out of the hours once you're there

Resources:

Free application timeline so you know when shadowing needs to be done: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Check shadowing requirements program by program with the PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Want help building your plan? Book a pre-PA counseling session: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Episode 1: Welcome to The Pre-PA Club Podcast - Meet Your Host, Savanna Perry

Mon, 28 Aug 2017 23:49:00 -0400

Welcome to The Pre-PA Club. I'm Savanna Perry, PA-C, and this is where it all starts.

In this first episode I'm introducing myself and telling you why this show exists. I talk about how I landed on PA instead of medical school, what my path through school actually looked like, and how all of that turned into The PA Platform.

There's a lot of confusing, contradictory advice floating around about getting into PA school. My goal here is to give you straight answers in one place.

What I cover:

Why I chose PA over medical school

My background and how I got through PA school

How The PA Platform started and who it's for

Why shadowing and healthcare experience carry so much weight on your application

What you can expect from this podcast going forward

Resources mentioned:

Just getting started? Grab my free application timeline so you know what to do and when: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

Not sure which programs fit your stats? The PA Program Map lays out requirements side by side: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Want to talk through your plan one-on-one? Book a pre-PA counseling session: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Have a question you want answered on the show? Send it my way. And if this helped you, leave a review. I actually read them.