eagleray Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I've gone to 5 interviews in the past couple months and these are the most common questions asked at every interview. If you can get strong answers to these (have bullet points in your head, not a rehearsed answer) then you're going to have a strong interview. Tell me about yourself. Why PA? What do you think a PA is or does? What challenges do you think you would face as a working PA? What challenges do you think you would face as a PA student? What is an accomplishment that you are most proud of? Why our school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 This is spot on. I have been to two interviews this cycle and one asked these same 6 questions. The other asked 3/6 of these questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeful2015 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I really appreciate this. I've yet to interview, but I have a couple coming up and there are SO many practice questions out there, it's really easy to get overwhelmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystaltide Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 A side note from a now PA-C: these are the same questions that jobs will ask you as well (in different words, of course). Every school/job is going to not only want to know why you like them specifically, but also what you can do for them. You have to be able to verbalize things about yourself and your experiences in order to convey this. For most people it feels weird until you practice it a few times. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardioK Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Speaking of interview questions, do any of you have suggestions on what to ask the schools? I have an interview in two weeks and I've honestly almost memorized everything about the school I am interviewing with. I can't think of any questions that would be good to ask! Any tips here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Also, one big tip is to be yourself. I didn't utilize any prep books like some people have and was accepted to the first school I interviewed at. The only questions I definitely had my answer to were "Why do I want to be a PA?" and "Why this program?". Research your programs ahead of time. Also, it's really easy to spot someone who is rehearsed. Just be yourself! Best advice I could give. Questions for schools? Honestly I had a ton of questions about rotations that were left unanswered during their presentation of the programs. Thats what I asked during both interviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardioK Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Your interview is your only chance to convey who you are. Don't spit out other people's answers or be so rehearsed that the real you doesn't come out. Not only can interviewers usually spot that kind of performance, but you deny them the chance to get to know you and how your personality fits in with their system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paproof Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I came across a book at www.PAschoolinterviewguide.com and picked it up because I was intrigued. It lists every PA school and gives information about how specific schools interview and how to best prepare for interview day. Worth checking out for those Pre-PAers out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welchAl Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I came across a book at www.PAschoolinterviewguide.com and picked it up because I was intrigued. It lists every PA school and gives information about how specific schools interview and how to best prepare for interview day. Worth checking out for those Pre-PAers out there. You realize how obvious you're being, right? A quick look at your post history shows you asking tons of school forums how the interview day was. It's 100% obvious that you're using this forum as a way to advertise. Stop pretending like you're just a random person who "happened" to come across this book you're trying to sell. I feel sorry for people you dupe into buying your book, when the way you gather your information is spamming specific school forums... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paproof Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 You realize how obvious you're being, right? A quick look at your post history shows you asking tons of school forums how the interview day was. It's 100% obvious that you're using this forum as a way to advertise. Stop pretending like you're just a random person who "happened" to come across this book you're trying to sell. I feel sorry for people you dupe into buying your book, when the way you gather your information is spamming specific school forums... Ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 You realize how obvious you're being, right? A quick look at your post history shows you asking tons of school forums how the interview day was. It's 100% obvious that you're using this forum as a way to advertise. Stop pretending like you're just a random person who "happened" to come across this book you're trying to sell. I feel sorry for people you dupe into buying your book, when the way you gather your information is spamming specific school forums... Rekt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandrew1 Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 1. Tell me about yourself. Why PA?: Believe me, the interviewer does not want to know that you love dogs, and you like to take long walks on the beach. Definitely don't ask the interviewer, "What would you like to know?" Before the interview review the top requirements needed to get into this program and determine what the must-haves are to be a strong applicant. Use those top requirements to develop talking points that demonstrate you are qualified for this program. Weave a brief story (your "elevator pitch") that explains how your experience and skill sets have led you to this particular program.2. What do you think a PA is or does? A PA is a health care professional licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of supervising physician. Although the PA profession is a "dependent" profession, most PAs work autonomously, diagnosing and treating patients in a particular specialty without their supervising physician watching there every move. . PAs are qualified to do 80% of what physicians do. PAs are also considered physician extenders, or mid-level practitioners, who help extend a physicians practice in order to help provide quality health care to more patients than physicians can do alone. 3. What challenges do you think you would face as a working PA? One of the biggest challenges , or opportunities depending on how you look at it, is being asked by patients, "Are you like a medical assistant?", or "I want to see a "real" doctor. I typically use this these situations as an opportunity to educate patients about the PA profession and use this opportunity to gain the patient's trust. If the patient still wants to see the physician, by all means don't try to talk them out of it. See if you can fit them into the physician's schedule, or help them make another appointment. I think you'll find that most patients will agree to allow you to treat them, and if you do a good job, they'll want to see you again.4. What challenges do you think you would face as a PA student? The most challenging part of PA school is time management. During the didactic phase, you will sit in a classroom all day, then possibly learn how to perform the physical exam in the evenings, or attend other seminars, and be tested every week. This is a non-stop schedule that occurs weak after week. You will also have challenges on your clinical rotations. Each rotation has its own challenges; long hours, working alongside interns, residents, etc. Also being "Pimped" (drilled with questions) daily on your patients. This requires a lot of studying and preparing in the evening to know your patients and their disease processes. You will definitely need to have the ability to work under stress. That's why the ability to handle stress is a top scoring requirement by PA programs.5. What is an accomplishment that you are most proud of? Be sure to match that answer to express that you have the requirements that particular program admires most. Answering this question requires a lot of thought before the interview.6. Why our school? This question should be the easiest one to answer. Know the answers to these questions: What is the program's first-time pass/fail rate on the boards? Has the program been around for several years (well established), Who teaches the didactic courses ( Fellows who are training in the specialty that you are studying at the time, or PAs who are typically generalists and read up on the topic to teach the course? Fellows are physicians who've completed a Residency and are now learning their specialty in cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, etc.) In other words, fellows have the most current knowledge in their respective field, and they are still very passionate about teaching that information to you. Is the program affiliated with a medical school? Does the program have a cadaver lab, or will you learn anatomy on plastic models? How well established are the clinical rotation sites, which are a key part of your education process? How big/small are the classes? What is the program's mission? What is the reputation of graduate PAs working in the community? My book, "How to Ace the Physician Assistant School Interview:, my website: andrewrodican.com, and my facebook page: facebook.com/ajrassociates provides key information that will help you through the entire application process. I also provide a "Mock Interview" service which you can review on my website. I hope these answers have helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleray Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Speaking of interview questions, do any of you have suggestions on what to ask the schools? I have an interview in two weeks and I've honestly almost memorized everything about the school I am interviewing with. I can't think of any questions that would be good to ask! Any tips here? My favorite question to ask the interviewer is "I'm curious about your background. How did you come to be teaching at this school?" Interviewers are always a bit surprised and very happy to share a bit about themselves. (people generally enjoy talking about themselves). This turns the interview into an organic conversation because now you can ask additional questions based on their story. You can just talk. You'll learn what they love about the school and compelled them to teach there. You'll learn what sub-specialties they work/ed in and if they still practice or teach 100% of the time. And most important you get to know the staff a bit deeper and really grasp who is leading the pa program. Don't lead with this but use it after a few questions. I had every interview go over our time limit because we got lost in conversation and an admission director had to interrupt and cut us short :) Other favorite questions: - How would you describe the culture or personality of this program? - What is the relationship between students and faculty like? - What do you think makes this program so successful? - Are there any upcoming changes or new agendas that will be implemented for the next cohort (good if there's a new program director) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleray Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Here are some tips on answering a few questions in my OP. Use this in addition to Mr. Rodican's tips above (I read his book and found it quite helpful!): What do you think a PA is or does? answer from experience you've had with PAs "In my experience from shadowing PAs, they are practitioners who largely work autonomously but often consult and collaborate with their supervising physician. PAs perform examinations and take histories, diagnose, create treatment plans, prescribe medication, work in surgery and nearly every sub-specialty. For example, one PA I shadowed...." This will make your answer unique, personal and well informed. I also shadowed some PAs that were program directors of community clinics -- they hired their own supervising physicians to practice under. See if you can add in a bit more about PAs as leaders than just the robot answer above. Avoid the robotic sounding "A PA is a health care professional licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of supervising physician." You may find your interviewer falling asleep. What challenges do you think you would face as a working PA? Mr. Rodican focuses on the perception as a junior doctor. This may be his experience but I've never witnessed this in my shadowing or working with PAs. I suspect that as PAs continue to boom this will be less of a challenge in my career. (thanks to all the previous generations of PAs!) My favorite answer instead has worked extremely well: "I think a major challenge will be patient load. I've seen PAs very challenged by the amount of patients they need to see in a day. It's hard to balance the business driven pressures to see more patients while also taking the time to give every patient the examination and treatment they deserve." This answer helps show that you are aware of real-world factors like the Affordable Care Act, demand for more practitioners. Another honest answer that came out naturally in an interview: "I've personally found working as ____ that it can be hard to not take my work home with me. There have been patients that emotionally affected me (death, tragedies, assaults) and it's hard to leave that at work. I imagine this will only get harder as a PA where we may have difficult conversations with patients daily. Breaking hard news, or losing patients you've been treating for decades. But while it's emotionally difficult I think it's an honor to play this role in people's lives and if someone has do the job I hope it's me." What challenges do you think you would face as a PA student? Time management is a good answer Also consider "Understanding that this is the beginning of my PA practice. I'll need to remind myself that it's a lifelong learning profession. I'm not going to know everything and do every procedure perfectly on the first try." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandrew1 Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Hmm, I don't know about this "Junior Doctor" thing mentioned by eagleray. I certainly didn't mean to give off that Vibe. I actually owned my own medical weight loss clinic for eight years and hired a physician to work for me! However, I do have some recommendations for questions to ask. Remember, you are a consumer. You are potentially going to invest two, or more , years of your life, and over $100,000 of your money on PA school. It's time to turn the table and play the role of interviewer here. Ask challenging questions. 1. What are the top three qualities you look for in the most competitive applicants? 2. What type of applicants are most successful in this program? 3. If you could describe the culture of this program in three words, what would they be? Once you know the qualities the program values, and the qualities accepted applicants possess, you can now infuse those qualities into your answers for any other interviews that day. You can "Tailor" your answers particular to the program where you're interviewing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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