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Dear PA Admissions Director,

 

I am currently in the process of interviewing for Cycle 2015-2016. I have interviewed at several programs and have one more approaching!

 

At a couple interview sessions I have attended, interviewers have asked me about which schools I applied to and whether I have heard back from them yet. I would love to get your take on how to field this question. More specifically: 1) should we list out every single school we applied to? This can be difficult if it's more than 12 and you don't want to make you answer seem endless. 2) Are we obligated to say exactly what has transpired with each positive feedback (e.g. I interviewed at X's program and was accepted or wait-listed or rejected)? 3) Do those details greatly impact the Admission's decision? And if you could elaborate on how it would impact their decision that would be much appreciated! For instance, does the name of the schools that the interviewee mentions or how many acceptances or wait lists (or rejections) the interviewee has affect the interviewer's perception of the interviewee? It seems like it would at least affect some of the judgement and I would be very grateful for advice to interviewees about it!

 

Thank you in advanced for your response!

Though I'm not a PA admissions guy, just wanted to contribute my two cents on this question. One purpose of this question is to get a take on how you approach a problem. e.g. getting into PA school. If your answer is that you applied to just one other school, that might suggest you have a serious geographic limitation, that you are super confident that you will get accepted to the school of your choice, or, more likely, that you are somewhat unrealistic about your chances of getting into PA school. If you applied to more than a dozen programs, that might suggest that you are desperate and willing to shotgun applications to just about anywhere and don't really care where you get accepted. The latter isn't a terrible idea if you really are desperate and don't care where you get accepted, but schools like to think you are more selective and carefully choose them because of their great attributes. Which schools you apply to can reveal whether your sights are set low (only applied to new programs our those on probation), or set high (only the very best schools).

My personal opinion is that applying to a half dozen schools is pretty reasonable and practical. You should be able to explain why you applied to each school and that explanation should be crafted so as not to be a turn off to the school you are currently interviewing. I.e. don't say: "I applied to X because it's my dream school and I think they have the best program in the country."

Even if you applied to more than a dozen schools, you don't need to reveal that. You can be truthful without revealing everything. You could say, for example: "I applied to six schools that seemed to be a good fit for me and have been invited to a few interviews, which I find encouraging, and hope to get more than one acceptance." No need to mention your six provisionals. If you already have one acceptance, you could say: "I have been accepted at Y but haven't confirmed because I am more interested in your program, which is why I am here today."

The point is to tell them what you want them to hear that puts you in a good light. Play your cards close to the vest. Be truthful, but you don't need to be complete. In a sense, they are asking a question that is none of their business and you are not required to give them a full run down, so use the opportunity to look good and play the game.

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@paadmissions

 

I am getting ready to apply to PA programs for the 2016-17 cycle for CASPA. While looking at the application I saw the section for academic infraction including conduct violations. After high school I attended a small, liberal arts school and towards the end of my second semester I had a conduct violation for theft of a fellow student's wallet. I was asked to leave through immediate expulsion by the judiciary committee. However, after appealing to the president of the college I was given the chance to take my final exams for my classes. After that year I transferred to a 4-year state university and was able to successfully complete my undergraduate education with a 3.5+ science/overall GPA. Since then I have also been certified as an EMT and have been working to gain my HCE for PA school. 

 

I realize that I have to report this conduct violation on my application and it won't look favorable. However, I was wondering if it would completely take me off the list of considered applicants? I also plan on reaching out to programs after submitting CASPA in order to provide them a more detailed explanation of the incident because the 500 characters provided on CASPA aren't enough to explain everything I've learned from the conduct violation. I would greatly appreciate any input you have regarding the matter, thank you!!

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@kk22 Thank you for your questions and patience. It's hard to tell from the stats you've given how competitive you would be. What we would look at further would be performance in our prerequisites. Particular attention to Micro, A&P, Org I and II, and Biochemistry performances (theses are all required for our program, so it may different at the programs you're considering). We will also focus on your GRE scores and quality of your HCE. Since you're volunteering with a lot of these hours, we would want to see you functioning in these places with a lot of hands on experience. Almost as if you've been certified or trained to do a paid position, but are only volunteering. Quality hands on experience is great for not only your application, but your preparation for PA school. Hope this helps!

I just have a question a out what you think my chances are... I have a 3.5 overall, but only a 3.3 science GPA. I'm a junior English major, planning on applying this summer before my senior year. Due to screwed up registration, I still have to take A&P I and II my senior year. I have 1000 hours volunteering with hospice, and around 100 volunteering in the athletic training room with injured athletes, and 200 ish working as a resident care assistant, which is ongoing. I also have 800 hours volunteering with a crisis hotline, and have done volunteer work elsewhere, as well. I also have pretty solid GRE scores. How do you think my chances are, with such a low GPA?

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@josephTR Thanks for your questions. I think your clinical experience you have is pretty good. As a dialysis tech you're going to see a lot of things that will prepare you quite well for PA school...maybe even have a better understanding of a major problem in our society-diabetes. From a primary care standpoint you'll see a lot of diabetes and knowing/understanding/empathizing with these patients will be helpful. EMT is also a good route to go as well. As special masters degree is not always needed (in my opinion) to help improve one's application. As I've said before, performance in prereqs might be the route to go instead of doing a two year masters degree. However, its best to reach out to the programs that interest you to see if they have a different opinion. We have our prereqs in place for a reason and performance in certain courses tend to be good predictors of success in our program. I hope this helps!

Hello, paadmissions,

 

I just have a couple quick questions:

1. Would experience as a dialysis technician likely be viewed favorably? I would like to get hospital experience as a PCT, but those positions are pretty competitive in my area. I currently work as an EMT for a convalescent care company and I can't imagine that this experience would be considered very helpful to my development or to my applicant profile.

 

2. Do I need to attend a Special Masters program to have a realistic chance of acceptance at a PA school? 

My total UG GPA, including a couple community college courses and the averages of repeated courses, is 3.17.  The GPA of my prereq courses is about 3.35. The small liberal arts school I went to is quite rigorous, but not well known outside the state.

 

I'm not picky where I end up--pride went out the window in undergrad--I just want to be able to provide care at the PA level.

 

Thanks

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@m5z3k61 Thank you for your question. I somewhat agree with what JohnnyM2 has already posted about this question. However, I don't agree that you need to "play the game" and that you need to play your cards close to the vest. Occasionally this question comes up from me to applicants on an interview day, just to get an idea of where else the student has a applied...I ask these questions just to make conversation and not to hold the answer against them. I'm actually curious to hear where applicants have traveled to and like hearing about other interviews. Sometimes you can learn something to improve our interview day.  Occasionally, our faculty will also scratch the topic in an interview if the subject comes up. It's not a normal question that we ask and not something we would hold against the applicant when making our decisions.  We like to see applicants keep their options open and not put all eggs into one basket, but if they've applied to more than 3 schools, for example, why did they apply to the ones they did. I think it shows the applicant has put thought into where and why he/she wants to attend PA school at a certain university. Other programs may use that question differently than us, but we don't use it to trick the applicant into saying something they don't feel comfortable sharing. Hope this helps!

Dear PA Admissions Director,

 

I am currently in the process of interviewing for Cycle 2015-2016. I have interviewed at several programs and have one more approaching!

 

At a couple interview sessions I have attended, interviewers have asked me about which schools I applied to and whether I have heard back from them yet. I would love to get your take on how to field this question. More specifically: 1) should we list out every single school we applied to? This can be difficult if it's more than 12 and you don't want to make you answer seem endless. 2) Are we obligated to say exactly what has transpired with each positive feedback (e.g. I interviewed at X's program and was accepted or wait-listed or rejected)? 3) Do those details greatly impact the Admission's decision? And if you could elaborate on how it would impact their decision that would be much appreciated! For instance, does the name of the schools that the interviewee mentions or how many acceptances or wait lists (or rejections) the interviewee has affect the interviewer's perception of the interviewee? It seems like it would at least affect some of the judgement and I would be very grateful for advice to interviewees about it!

 

Thank you in advanced for your response! 

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@chelseyBC Thanks for your question. We don't have a specific major required for our program, nor do the majority of programs I'm familiar with. I think the radiology tech route is a good route because you'll get great exposure to PAs and quality hands on experience. However, a biology major probably will help you meet most prerequisite requirements within your major and you won't have to pick up additional courses to meet requirements. It maybe that your radio tech major covers all of the prerequisites within that major and you may not have to worry about that, but again, it doesn't matter what you major in if you're applying to a master's degree program. Hope this helps!

Hi there!

I have a question regarding my major. I am currently leaning towards a Bach of radiologic tech, however I was wondering if I should just opt for a Gen bio degree and if one major would have more advantage over the other in becoming accepted to a program. Thank you for your time!

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@shaunring Thank you for your question. I think a lot programs, like ours, get a lot of value out of the veterans who enroll in the program. Being in a military town, we have accepted several SF medics and other veterans from Ft Bragg. They bring leadership, dedication and great clinical experience to the table. I think it is a plus to have a medic background, but I'm not sure if it's a guarantee for an interview with a lot of programs. If preference is given to a certain demographic of applicants, that preference statement (for lack of a better phrase) has to be available to prospective students via brochures or on their websites. This is an accreditation policy. I think some (not all) of the newer programs opening up may be geared towards veterans, but again it's something that will be available to view if that preference is legit. There was a strong push behind streamlining veterans into PA programs a few years ago... some programs were developed with that concept in mind. Hope this helps! 

Paadmissions,

I am curious as to if most PA programs have a preference towards veterans. I have noticed that some give HCE credit to medics/corpsman,but does that at all interpret into preference? And does that happen in some or most PA programs?

Thank you!

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@mruthie Thanks for your question. I don't think it's necessary to retake the GRE. I usually tell students if they're in the 50th percentile they should be ok, and I don't think gaining international clinical experience is necessary if it's not a requirement for the program. I'm assuming with 4 interviews under your belt that academics and your clinical experiences are not the issue. More than likely it's the interview, as you've hinted to, that may be the weaker part. Did you request feedback from the programs that rejected you? Sometimes they may provide feedback and you will get a better understanding of what the problem is.  Hope this helps!

Hi PA Admissions Director!

 

I am reapplying to PA school for a third time. 

 
My stats:

 

Undergrad School: UCSB undergrad

Post-Baccalaureate School: CSUN

 

Cumulative Undergrad. GPA: 3.35

Science Undergrad. GPA: 3.12

Cumulative Post-Bacc GPA: 3.64

Science Post-Bacc GPA:  3.57

1st GRE: V150, Q152, W4.0
 

Direct Patient Care: 

Ophthalmic Tech = 4,500 hours

Ophthalmic Assistant = 2,000 hours

Medical Assistant (Cardiology)= 420 hours

Surgical Coordinator= 500 hours 

 

+ 20 hours shadowing PA in Family Med/Urgent Care

Extracurricular/Research Activities:

Clinical Research Coordinator= 200 hours

Cancer Undergrad Research = 60 hours

Children's Camp Counselor (for chronic illnesses) = 320

Foodbanks, bone marrow drives, etc... 10 hours

Founded a Pre-Health club, served as VP for 2 years 

Interview Invites: 4 this year, only wait listed at one, rejected from others

 

I realize part of my issue may be the interview, so I am getting a coach for next year. I am also taking on a new volunteer role at a free clinic in health education (4 hours/week), shadowing another PA for about 20 hours, and taking courses in Spanish.

 

I am writing to ask these two questions:

 

1. Should I retake the GRE? 

2. Would an international medical mission improve my chances significantly? I would opt for mexico or honduras, as they would be more affordable for me. 

 

Thank you in advance for your help! 

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@harrypotter1 Thanks for your question. If it's not on your transcript or if it did not result in you having to withdraw from the university for X amount of time, I'm not sure it's something you have disclose on your application. I'm in no way telling you to lie or be dishonest, but if it's not something that affected your undergraduate progression in undergrad, I don't think you need to list it. You could always clarify with the program if you want to. I would assume this type of question is to determine if progression was altered due to academics or violations of honor codes, etc. Hope this helps.

Hi PA Admissions Director!

 

Hello! My junior year of college I was placed on disciplinary probation for one year due to a physical altercation with an ex-boyfriend. Even though he was arrested and I had to go to the hospital, I was still in trouble with the university for fighting. This is NOT included on my official academic transcript. CASPA did not ask about disciplinary actions from undergrad, but I am applying to a school that does ask in a supplemental application. Do I still need to disclose this since it is not on my official academic transcript? Any thoughts or personal experiences are welcomed. Thanks in advance!

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@sparky Thank you for your questions. I would think this upward trend would be noticed by programs. Whether or not they consider where you have retaken/taken the courses (cc vs. university) is a program specific preference. We put heavy emphasis on our chemistry requirements so doing well (meaning a 3.2) in our chemistry requirements is almost necessary to be competitive with the applicant pool. However, our program requires a lot more chemistries than most programs (Gen Chem I&II, Org I and II, and Biochemistry). Usually if an applicant has done well in Org I, II and Biochemistry, I don't recommend they go back and retake the general chemistries. The upper level courses are going to be the better "preparatory" classes for our curriculum. I would assume, if only Gen Chem I and II are required for the programs you're applying to, you may want to consider retaking them. Typically, gen chem at the cc level is transferable to most universities at the same level. To your other question about your undergrad institution...there are some programs that rank the undergrad institution and it can help your app at some times. Finally, your scribing hours work for us, but not all programs accept those type of hours. Make sure to do your research before you apply. Hope this helps!

Hi paadmisions, 

I have a few questions that I would be immensely appreciative if you could help out with!

1. I recently graduated as a History major and took many of my prerequisites during my undergrad. I had a few hiccups in my prerequisite courses. I received a C and C+ in two quarters of general chemistry, a C in molecular biology, C- in Calculus, and a C+ in Psychology 1 (I had a load close to 26 units that quarter). Since then I have gotten all A's and B's since my last C junior year. I have been finishing up my pre reqs at a local Community College since it is more economical, and have received A's in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Sociology, Medical Terminology. Will this upward trend help offset my earlier struggles? I look back and know that I could have done much better, but was not mature academically. My overall gpa is 3.5 and SGPA is 3.2. 

2. Would it be worth while to retake chemistry at my CC? And would getting A's at a CC be looked at less competitively, especially since my I got C's during my undergrad? And would admission committees care if you did your undergrad at a highly ranked university?

3. Finally, I have been working as a Medical Scribe for my HCE and think it has been a great experience and have learned a lot about a variety disciplines of medicine since my boss is a Family Practitioner who sees just about everything. He also allows me to interview patients by myself before he gets into rooms to start filling in the EMR. Do you think this would be an acceptable form of health care experience? 

 

Thank you so much for your time in answering mine and everyone else's questions, this thread has been incredibly helpful!

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I just have a question a out what you think my chances are... I have a 3.5 overall, but only a 3.3 science GPA. I'm a junior Englishmajor, planning on applying this summer before my senior year. Due to screwed up registration, I still have to take A&P I and II my senior year. I have 1000 hours volunteering with hospice, and around 100 volunteering in the athletic training room with injured athletes, and 200 ish working as a resident care assistant, which is ongoing. I also have 800 hours volunteering with a crisis hotline, and have done volunteer work elsewhere, as well. I also have pretty solid GRE scores. How do you think my chances are, with such a low GPA?

@kk22 Thank you for your questions and patience. It's hard to tell from the stats you've given how competitive you would be. What we would look at further would be performance in our prerequisites. Particular attention to Micro, A&P, Org I and II, and Biochemistry performances (theses are all required for our program, so it may different at the programs you're considering). We will also focus on your GRE scores and quality of your HCE. Since you're volunteering with a lot of these hours, we would want to see you functioning in these places with a lot of hands on experience. Almost as if you've been certified or trained to do a paid position, but are only volunteering. Quality hands on experience is great for not only your application, but your preparation for PA school. Hope this helps!

Thanks for your response! My HCE hours, though volunteer, have been very hands on. I basically do all of the same things a CNA would do, except I volunteer rather than be paid, and I also pass meds. I am feeling okay about my HCE, I am primarily worried that my low GPA will make programs not want to accept me. 

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I have a question regarding how important the GRE is on the application. This will be my second time applying to PA school. I am aware that some much more goes into your application than the GRE. However, I'm wondering if this is something that I need to retake to improve my scores or if improving other parts of my application is sufficient.

 

I got a 148 on math. 147 on verbal. And 4.5 on writing.

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Hi paadmissions, 

 

I have a few questions and would be very appreciative if you could help me out. 

 

1. I currently live in a small rural town that does not utilize PAs. The nearest town that has PAs is 60 miles away. Would it be better to take off a few days of work to gain shadowing experience or should I just explain in my application that shadowing was not feasible related to geographic/availability constraints?

 

2. I currently work at the hospital in town as a dietitian. The environment at the hospital is very status-quo and not helpful with those changing careers/looking for shadowing experience. My concern with shadowing a physician at my hospital is it may jeopardize my current position. What is your advice on getting shadowing experience?

 

I'll have around 1500 HCE hours (dietitian & EMS) , 3.44 overall GPA, 3.41 science GPA, 100 volunteer hours at a low-income clinic, and will be taking the GRE in the next few weeks.

 

Thanks in advance for any incite. 

 

 

 

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Hi!

How important are volunteer hours?

I have a 3.78 cumulative GPA and 3.47 science GPA with 4 prerequisite classes left. I will have around 2000 patient care hours as a CNA in a level one trauma center, and about 100 hours of research.

I also have a total of 550 hours of volunteer hours, but they are from 2-6 years ago..

I know volunteering isn't required for a lot of programs, but I have heard that it could make or break your acceptance. How important do you think it is at the end of the day in addition to patient care hours?

Also, do you think I have a chance of being accepted into programs like Utah and Denver? I heard that they focus more on experience and extracurricular activities (which is why my volunteering concerns me). Or do you think I should I look at schools emphasizing grades more than extracurriculars?

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I know that it's impossible to predict an exact figure for the "what are my chances?" questions, BUT I'd appreciate thoughts on my application for the upcoming cycle. I'm shooting for a July submission in order to get the most out of my current experiences. As of then, my stats will be as follows:

 

BA degree (cum laude): Art History, minor in foreign language

Dean's List 6/8 semesters undergrad, President's list 5/5 semesters post-bac

cGPA: 3.68

sGPA: 3.77

A's in all my post-bac pre-req coursework, so my grades have shown a clear upward trend.

 

GRE:

152 quant

158 verbal

310 total

5.0 analytical

 

3 hours shadowing hospitalist

50+ hours shadowing PA at the VA (mental health)

2,100 hours medical billing

1,120 hours pharm tech

500 hours CNA (Unfortunately, money has been very tight the past few years, and it was a difficult choice to give up a full-time job in medical billing for part-time CNA work at $9/hr... I can really only swing this for about 500 hours before bills aren't going to get paid... I know more hours here would always help, and I'll definitely put in a couple hours of volunteering in where I can. It just won't make a HUGE impact on my overall number of hours.)

200 hours community volunteering in various non-healthcare settings (Habitat for Humanity, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, local improvement program)

 

I also spent a semester abroad, so I put that as an experience. I figured it wouldn't hurt, and could go toward the "well-rounded" view.

 

Is it beneficial to list any significant undergraduate research projects if they are not science-related?

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Hi @paadmissions! I'm new to this forum and am planning on applying to schools for the 17-18 cycle but figured I would try to start collecting my info/stats.

 

Age- 26

cGPA- 3.3

sGPA- 3.1

Last 40 credits GPA- 4.0

I changed my major multiple times in my early years of college and struggled academically (originally an Environmental Education major). I have 130 semester credits completed but no Bachelors degree. I also withdrew from an entire semester mid way through one of my years.

 

Diploma EMT-Paramedic- GPA- 4.0

President's List

 

No GRE not planning on taking

Paid HCE-

2500 hours as Emergency Department Technician

1000 hours as Psychiatric Technician (inpatient lockdown emergency facility for acute issues and violent patients)

4000 hours as EMT/Ski patrol (medical only) including work with 2 Olympic Teams and multiple professional athletes

500 hours EMT rural 911 service

Starting new full time job as a Paramedic in a large Level 1 Trauma Center/Emergency Department/ICU

 

1000 hours as Paramedic Intern

50 hours shadowing MD- Orthopedic Surgeon in OR

 

Certs- NREMT-Paramedic, PALS, ACLS, PHTLS, AMLS, CPR

 

Extra-

2 years Secretary Women's Collegiate Snowboarding Club

1 year VP collegiate Snowboarding Team

6 semi-professional/competitive athlete: snowboarding, ski mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking

2 years medical team member of mountain search and rescue team

1 year member of Sustainability Club

 

Volunteer-

1 year Assistant Physical Education Instuctor K-3rd grade

1year after school science education program assistant K-5 for parks and recreation department

40 hours medical volunteer at 100 mile ultramarathon trail running race

A couple events for a women's organization that promotes getting girls outside skiing and snowboarding

Member/volunteer of organization promoting sustainable climbing practices and leave no trace ethics

Starting volunteering for free clinic in March

 

 

I am attempting to combine my love of being outdoors with my love of emergency medicine. My goal is to work as a PA on high altitude/ remote expeditions mainly in mountaineering and climbing, for teams of climbers looking to climb difficult routes or unclimbed peaks and to work as base camp medical for different climbing areas such as Denali or Everest, as well as general remote and wilderness medical experiences. I also have an interest in global health and orthopedics. I love working with athletes and want to help them achieve their goals, as well as wanting to complete a fair amount of climbing goals myself. I know my career goals are a little more non traditional than most PA students. Would I be considered a competitive applicant? Do you have any suggestions on how to better my applications? Are my career goals too far-fetched for most PA programs? Is it frowned upon to combine my professional career goals with my own selfish athletic goals? I have been looking at MEDEX(top choice) and Pacific and also looking at UPAP as I currently work for and attend school at the University of Utah. Thank you for taking the time to read this extensive post!

 

Sarah

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Good afternoon @paadmissions! I want to first thank you for all of the time you have dedicated to this forum. I have been following your thread for quite a while now and it has helped answer many of my questions. With that being said, I would like to get your opinion on whether I should apply as soon as the '16-'17 CASPA cycle opens or hold off for a month or two to improve my statistics. I understand the importance of applying early but I also do not want to be dismissed early on as I am continuing to improve my application. 

 

When CASPA opens at the end of April, I will have completed my bachelors with a 3.38 cgpa, 3.19 sgpa, around 2100 hours as an ER tech and 200 as an ER scribe. I have an upward trend in my gpa and I plan on taking more courses over summer to continue to improve my gpa. At the end of the first summer term (June  17), I will have completed two more science courses (biochem and cell structure and function). Receiving A's in these courses would bring my cgpa up to 3.41 and sgpa to 3.28. Grades for the term will not post until around June 22 and I understand it takes CASPA a few weeks to receive the transcripts and verify grades which would put me at submitting sometime early July. Based on this information would you recommend I apply in April when my grades post for this semester or wait until the first Summer term is completed? 

 

Additionally, I recently took the GRE with little to no studying scoring 155V/152Q/3.5W. Would you recommend retaking before the next application cycle begins? Thank you in advance for your help.

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Hello @paadmissions

 

I have worked for 2 years as a ED scribe to gain healthcare experience.  I also have an EMT certification that I actually have never used (due to inability to find a squad that could fit into my schedule with school, work, sports etc).  Should I leave this EMT certification out of my CASPA application certifications since I have never worked on a squad or put it on my application to diversify my medical background.

 

Thank you for all your help to past and future PAs!

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Hi everyone,

 

I was hoping maybe someone might have some knowledge on how exactly schools look at the science GPA. As we all know the majority of schools require a minimum 3.0 for overall and science GPA. My sophomore year of undergrads I took organic chemistry. First semester I got a D and second semester I got a C+. I retook the first semester senior year and raised my grade two letters and finished the semester with a B. Unfortunately my school doesn't do grade forgiveness and I have all three semesters factored into my GPA and my science GPA is now around 2.88. My grades for prerequisite courses are fine and I've have improving grades throughout all 4 years of college. I'm just concerned how my Science GPA will impact my applications.

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@hank16 Thank you for your question and patience. I would recommend a retake with the GRE. Our program puts a lot of weight on the GRE, but there are some programs that may not weigh it as heavily. If you are reapplying I would contact the programs that you applied to to see if that was a weakness in your application and/or if there are other areas that need improvement. I hope this helps!

I have a question regarding how important the GRE is on the application. This will be my second time applying to PA school. I am aware that some much more goes into your application than the GRE. However, I'm wondering if this is something that I need to retake to improve my scores or if improving other parts of my application is sufficient.

I got a 148 on math. 147 on verbal. And 4.5 on writing.

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@erbsRD Thank you for your questions. I know a lot of programs like to see shadowing and may or may not count it as clinical experience. I do think it is helpful to demonstrate some time with PAs since you want to go into the profession. You definitely don't want to jeopardize your current position, but if you're unable to get exposure to PAs and/or supervising physicians you need to be able to have a strong personal statement that shows a very insightful understanding of their role and why you want to change professions. I would probably recommend considering driving a ways to get shadowing experience if you have the time. It can only help your application. Hope this helps!

Hi paadmissions, 

 

I have a few questions and would be very appreciative if you could help me out. 

 

1. I currently live in a small rural town that does not utilize PAs. The nearest town that has PAs is 60 miles away. Would it be better to take off a few days of work to gain shadowing experience or should I just explain in my application that shadowing was not feasible related to geographic/availability constraints?

 

2. I currently work at the hospital in town as a dietitian. The environment at the hospital is very status-quo and not helpful with those changing careers/looking for shadowing experience. My concern with shadowing a physician at my hospital is it may jeopardize my current position. What is your advice on getting shadowing experience?

 

I'll have around 1500 HCE hours (dietitian & EMS) , 3.44 overall GPA, 3.41 science GPA, 100 volunteer hours at a low-income clinic, and will be taking the GRE in the next few weeks.

 

Thanks in advance for any incite. 

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@taywoodrow Thank you for your questions. I think volunteering adds to the application and to the service aspect of a person. However, I think there needs to be a fine line of balancing academics, clinical experience and service. In my opinion, I think you show a good balance. For our program, we want to see extracurricular opportunities, but don't want to see someone who's application has more volunteer hours than clinical experience. Programs that may have more of an emphasis on volunteering may disagree with this statement-but, applicants must show the ability to handle the didactic and clinical aspects of a program so there is emphasis, at some point, on academics (which are a strong part of your profile). Maybe follow up with a question regarding their volunteer expectations to see if you're in a good range. Hope this helps!

Hi!
How important are volunteer hours?
I have a 3.78 cumulative GPA and 3.47 science GPA with 4 prerequisite classes left. I will have around 2000 patient care hours as a CNA in a level one trauma center, and about 100 hours of research.
I also have a total of 550 hours of volunteer hours, but they are from 2-6 years ago..
I know volunteering isn't required for a lot of programs, but I have heard that it could make or break your acceptance. How important do you think it is at the end of the day in addition to patient care hours?
Also, do you think I have a chance of being accepted into programs like Utah and Denver? I heard that they focus more on experience and extracurricular activities (which is why my volunteering concerns me). Or do you think I should I look at schools emphasizing grades more than extracurriculars?

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@pa-wannabe Thank you for your question. Academically I see no red flags that would prohibit you from moving to the next phase. Your hours are solid from our standpoint, but would encourage you to check with the programs that interest you to ensure you're meeting their hours requirements. The only suggestion I have is if you continue to shadow make sure that you're spending more than 3 hours with that person. In my opinion, it's not quality time. It doesn't hurt to list non-science related research on your application. I hope this is helpful. 

I know that it's impossible to predict an exact figure for the "what are my chances?" questions, BUT I'd appreciate thoughts on my application for the upcoming cycle. I'm shooting for a July submission in order to get the most out of my current experiences. As of then, my stats will be as follows:

 

BA degree (cum laude): Art History, minor in foreign language

Dean's List 6/8 semesters undergrad, President's list 5/5 semesters post-bac

cGPA: 3.68

sGPA: 3.77

A's in all my post-bac pre-req coursework, so my grades have shown a clear upward trend.

 

GRE:

152 quant

158 verbal

310 total

5.0 analytical

 

3 hours shadowing hospitalist

50+ hours shadowing PA at the VA (mental health)

2,100 hours medical billing

1,120 hours pharm tech

500 hours CNA (Unfortunately, money has been very tight the past few years, and it was a difficult choice to give up a full-time job in medical billing for part-time CNA work at $9/hr... I can really only swing this for about 500 hours before bills aren't going to get paid... I know more hours here would always help, and I'll definitely put in a couple hours of volunteering in where I can. It just won't make a HUGE impact on my overall number of hours.)

200 hours community volunteering in various non-healthcare settings (Habitat for Humanity, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, local improvement program)

 

I also spent a semester abroad, so I put that as an experience. I figured it wouldn't hurt, and could go toward the "well-rounded" view.

 

Is it beneficial to list any significant undergraduate research projects if they are not science-related?

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@EMTP-Sarah Thank you for your questions. I would evaluate your prerequisite performance for the programs that interest you to see if there are any retakes that you might need to consider.  You may find that your prereq GPA is higher than your sGPA. In my opinion, if you're in the range of 3.4-3.6 for prereqs you may be competitive. GRE scores need to be competitive (usually 300 or higher is competitive). I really can't speak as to how programs would perceive your career goals. I would definitely do your research with programs to ensure you're not applying to a program that focuses all on rural medicine, for example. Your end goals would not be a good fit for that type of program. Your career goals are very unique to what we're used to seeing and I'm not sure how even our faculty would take it. I don't want to be negative about your goals, but I can see maybe some perceiving as not fitting the role of a PA. However, I may be completely off on that word of advice. If you're able to visit programs prior to applying and expressing your career goals so they can offer their opinion, it may be helpful. I hope this helps some. 

Hi @paadmissions! I'm new to this forum and am planning on applying to schools for the 17-18 cycle but figured I would try to start collecting my info/stats.

Age- 26
cGPA- 3.3
sGPA- 3.1
Last 40 credits GPA- 4.0
I changed my major multiple times in my early years of college and struggled academically (originally an Environmental Education major). I have 130 semester credits completed but no Bachelors degree. I also withdrew from an entire semester mid way through one of my years.

Diploma EMT-Paramedic- GPA- 4.0
President's List

No GRE not planning on taking
Paid HCE-
2500 hours as Emergency Department Technician
1000 hours as Psychiatric Technician (inpatient lockdown emergency facility for acute issues and violent patients)
4000 hours as EMT/Ski patrol (medical only) including work with 2 Olympic Teams and multiple professional athletes
500 hours EMT rural 911 service
Starting new full time job as a Paramedic in a large Level 1 Trauma Center/Emergency Department/ICU

1000 hours as Paramedic Intern
50 hours shadowing MD- Orthopedic Surgeon in OR

Certs- NREMT-Paramedic, PALS, ACLS, PHTLS, AMLS, CPR

Extra-
2 years Secretary Women's Collegiate Snowboarding Club
1 year VP collegiate Snowboarding Team
6 semi-professional/competitive athlete: snowboarding, ski mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking
2 years medical team member of mountain search and rescue team
1 year member of Sustainability Club

Volunteer-
1 year Assistant Physical Education Instuctor K-3rd grade
1year after school science education program assistant K-5 for parks and recreation department
40 hours medical volunteer at 100 mile ultramarathon trail running race
A couple events for a women's organization that promotes getting girls outside skiing and snowboarding
Member/volunteer of organization promoting sustainable climbing practices and leave no trace ethics
Starting volunteering for free clinic in March


I am attempting to combine my love of being outdoors with my love of emergency medicine. My goal is to work as a PA on high altitude/ remote expeditions mainly in mountaineering and climbing, for teams of climbers looking to climb difficult routes or unclimbed peaks and to work as base camp medical for different climbing areas such as Denali or Everest, as well as general remote and wilderness medical experiences. I also have an interest in global health and orthopedics. I love working with athletes and want to help them achieve their goals, as well as wanting to complete a fair amount of climbing goals myself. I know my career goals are a little more non traditional than most PA students. Would I be considered a competitive applicant? Do you have any suggestions on how to better my applications? Are my career goals too far-fetched for most PA programs? Is it frowned upon to combine my professional career goals with my own selfish athletic goals? I have been looking at MEDEX(top choice) and Pacific and also looking at UPAP as I currently work for and attend school at the University of Utah. Thank you for taking the time to read this extensive post!

Sarah

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