Endeavor

Having a 4.0 will definitely not hinder your application to PA school. Since your grades are perfect they'll likely pressure you on other areas of your application. If your application is somehow perfect (4.0 Biochem student with 5 years paramedic experience who volunteered in Peru etc..) rare but it happens they can find something nitpicky about your personal statement or other experiences just to see how you respond. Lots of schools are turning to the MMI interview format. So although you might be a near perfect candidate on paper you might be a terrible or subpar interviewee.

I really enjoyed my first year(in person) but the whole in-person learning thing is overrated and in my opinion, outdated. We always look up to the med school curriculum and most med schools I know attendance isn't required, so only about 10% of students attend classes and these are big name schools. So, most learning is done online. I can't imagine how convenient it would be to listen to lectures on your on time, own pace, etc. Sure you might miss out on some opportunities to ask questions, but if you can't find your answer online then chances are you're asking a very specific question. I was skeptical about Yale's online program at first but it seems like they got it figured it with placing students in Clinical experience in didactic and having occasional on-site "Immersions" for a week or so to learn more clinical skills and do some anatomy. Opportunity to ask faculty questions, work with classmates online, I must say I'm impressed by it. Plus it's not some mom and pop shop school, it's Yale. Another big factor to consider is where do you want to work after you graduate. If Yale offers clinical sites in your hometown then personally it's a no brainer.

Maybe talk a little about PA school? (intensity, school/life balance, expectations, advice to succeed, etc.)

I second medical terminology. If you start in the fall I would highly recommend getting a Scribe job that way it'll incentivize you learning the medical lingo. If not you can search up some quizlets or look for a free online class, but definitely brushing up on A&P and Medical Term would be the most helpful. Also, every PA school has its own method to the madness. Reach out to current students (1st and 2nd years) and see how they approached your future classes.

I'm voting Physician Associate. Keep the PA initials. The "PA" profession has been gaining so much traction over the last 5 years and now we want to change the initials --> back to square one. The profession has changed dramatically since its inception. We are no longer "assistants". But we can definitely be associates and keep the PA initials! Sidenote: academically it's the same hierarchy.. Assistant professor, Associate professor, then full-fledged Professor. And just as important, I also believe they should standardize the degree granted. It should be something along the lines of MMS "Master of Medical Sciences". Whereas some schools have an MSPAS, MPA, MHSPAS, MSQWERTY. Therefore, I can introduce myself as "Hello my name is Endeavor your PA/Physician Associate." I have my masters in medicine. (Whereas an MD/DO has a doctorate in medicine). Just my 2 cents..

Hello fellow PA-students, There has been a discussion in the PA-Student subreddit about collaborating to make a comprehensive Anki deck (please see below if you never used/heard of Anki) to help PA students succeed in their didactic year, EOR exams, and preparing for the PANCE. We believe it'll be an astounding tool to complement studying in PA school at any level, and ultimately help future students to come, but we need YOUR help! If you're interested at all in the project, even if you can't help out now or just want to see what's going on join us for a GENERAL MEETING of the minds this Friday, March 22nd at 10 pm Eastern (9pm Central) on Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/r8CQKg) This is going to be our collaborative platform for the duration of the project. We are going to discuss general form for cards, deck format, and a general plan for dividing the work. Just click on the discord link and create an account and catch up on the conversation! Also, feel free to subscribe to the newly founded PASchoolAnki (https://www.reddit.com/r/PASchoolAnki/) If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me (or us) on here, subreddit, or on the discord. Really looking forward to working with my fellow PA-S colleagues on an amazing and hopefully extremely rewarding endeavor Never used Anki before? No worries! See below for a couple of youtube videos and where to download the FREE Anki app. Download Anki: https://apps.ankiweb.net/ How to install and make your first deck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQkdB3cJwn0&t=1s Anki Walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saVJN5-_JDM

If you're old school but new gen like me buy a physical planner. Highlighters of all different colors, I rarely use highlighters but every now and then I find myself scrambling for some. I'd recommending buying one of those binders/portfolio hybrids (the one with the string that closes it) that way you have one storage unit that you can carry around that comes with dividers, so you can split them up between classes. PPPearls is cool but I didn't understand the utility of it my first semester partly b/c I bought it last minute. But I would buy it ASAP skim over it, so you can understand the flow. Bookmark OnlineMedED trust me Dusty is a lifesaver and it's FREE. As for studying habit materials, are you a hands-on-kinesthetic learner? You might want to get a surface pro (to draw and take notes with a stylus). If not a Macbook pro is cool. (Don't get the air, it sucks). I'd suggest fiddling around with Microsoft Onenote or Evernote for compling your powerpoints into one app, and for note cards look into the Anki desktop app or quizlet. One thing you don't want to do, although for most people it's inevitable, is learn about these new studying apps/ strategies WHILE you’re in school, b/c you should be studying Ok I'm done.

Search up CNA skills test North Carolina on youtube, or simply ask a CNA in your state. Sorry for the lack of help but each state has different requirements. I had to go through prometric in my state, but I just checked and North Carolina is not on the list of states they test.

1. Apply to schools where you're profile matches at least their average accepted class. (so If you got a 3.3 cumulative, 3.4 science, you shouldn't apply to a school with a 3.9 average in both) 2. COST OF ATTENDANCE. At the end of the day you're gonna be a PA, doesn't matter where you go. But down the line you're gonna regret taking huge loans for no reason. 3. Newer School? Might mean lower quality rotations since they don't really have any networking and competing with other more established schools. 4. Attend Info sessions and or read through School's website. Try to see what kind of students they're looking for. Do they focus on rural or urban care or both? Are they cut throat? One failed exam and you're out? What do current/former students say about it? How is their curriculum? Are you smashing Anatomy in 12 weeks or is it a year long class etc.

Tuxedo! You can never overdress.... jk jk suit jacket, dress shirt, tie, and suit pants and you'll be fine. Black, navy, dark blue (Which is navy right?) or gray suit would work. DON't overthink it, but seriously don't under dress

Honestly, I would look into doing an accelerated EMT program in the summer and working weekends. You'd gain amazing experience as a basic EMT, much better than CNA.

Yes, buy everything NOW if you're starting soon. Especially if you have income now, and more importantly time!!

Psychology. Unfortunately, my university did not offer any type of neuroscience degree or that would've been my choice. Psych is cool and all but a lot of fluff classes and it doesn't really prep you as much. If your dead set on a liberal arts degree I would recommend Neuroscience, Biomedical Science, Human Biology and the likes. As someone else mentioned a regular Bio degree is dry and includes ecology and other stuff that you don't really need. You want a major heavy in human related biology like neuro, physiology, microbiology, anatomy, immunology, patho etc. harder to find at the undergrad level but if your university offers it don't pass them up!

Lol we literally have the same exact GRE scores! Just make sure you meet the minimum cutoff for the programs you apply too and your good. My program required a 3.5 minimum AW and I got in with it so no big deal.

Tbh Medical Practitioner sounds cool but I agree with @LKPAC its such a generic term. 1.) It doesn't properly define a PA that firsts assists in surgery. 2) Confusing with some docs, friend of my told me his uncle is a "Family Medicine Practitioner" aka an MD who does family medicine. In that sense he sounds like a "Medical Practitioner" . Personally, I like keeping the initials PA regardless of what it stands for. I think as PAs we should universalize the DEGREE granted rather than a full blown name change. Right now there is like 4 degrees granted nationwide (maybe more) I propose it should be standardized to MMS (Master of Medical Sciences) So you can introduce yourself as John Doe the PA, with a Masters in Medicine. This makes sense and differentiates us from Physicians who have their Doctorate in Medicine or Doctorate of Osteopathic medicine, or NPs who have a masters/doctorate in nursing..we'd have a masters in Medicine. Idk just my two cents while I take a break from studying >.<