PAwish2016 Posted July 6, 2016 Hello! I got dismissed from my PA program for academic reasons (I fell below a 3.0 after being on probation) I started improving after I began receiving medical help for anxiety and depression but it was too late at that point. It is not like I did not understand the material but it was just hard to show it with everything I was dealing with emotionally. I was completely devastated when I got dismissed. It was the hardest thing to go through...just watching everything I worked for disappear. I was just given the option to reapply next cycle. I know this is what I want to do. I worked so hard to get into the program with my shadowing, GRE, volunteer work, medical experience (EMT), and grades. Does anybody have any suggestions on how I can prove my ability to complete the program? I only have the CASPA essay/application to communicate this. I thought about additional shadowing, more medical work experience, discussing my continuing medication... Any advice is appreciated!!!
mgriffiths Posted July 6, 2016 Caveat...I have not had to deal with this, so take my advice with a grain of salt. The things you have to do you already know, based on your second to last sentence: shadowing, medical experience, etc. But, the only real chance is if you are able to convey in your CASPA how you have bettered yourself and overcome the struggles that doomed you the first time around...and it is vitally important that you take responsibility. CLAIM IT!!! Don't try to act like it wasn't your fault. Yes anxiety can be debilitating, but unless you have claimed your anxiety and conquered it the admission committee is going to assume your result the second time will be the same. Explain how you have overcome your issues and what you plan to do better next time.
MT2PA Posted July 6, 2016 I think you need to prove you can handle an academic course load. You got in the first time so they must already think your shadowing and HCE is good enough. Take classes and get A's. Or ask your program what they are looking for. You have a hard road ahead.
jlumsden Posted July 9, 2016 I agree that your chances of readmission are not great -- you probably face a tougher battle than you did the first time applying to PA school. Even so, to build on what mgriffiths said, your anxiety has the potential to become a great re-entry essay. If you go through therapy, successfully complete school, and reach some milestones along the way that show growth and the ability to regulate your mental health issues under pressure, you may be able to gain readmission. The advice to claim your anxiety is excellent.
Lauren R Posted July 10, 2016 I think everyone has given you great advice so far. I think you should challenge yourself and watch yourself succeed. This way you know and can adequately express how this experience has made you stronger than ever.
PAwish2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Author Thank you so much for your replies! I know it is going to be difficult but I do want to try. I'm going to reapply this cycle in hopes of readmission next year..
UGoLong Posted July 11, 2016 To me, your best hope is to get readmitted where you were. At least some schools have a provision for doing that, especially if you have taken action to correct your initial problems.
ExPAStudent Posted July 13, 2016 I was dismissed from a PA program more than a decade ago for poor academic performance. At the time, I was told I could re-apply after demonstrating improved academic performance. I asked the dean how I could do so. He said to earn a B+ or better in a few high level biology courses. I took two courses per term for three terms and earned a 3.5 GPA. However, it took all of my determination and every minute of free time when not working. I realized that if it took that much effort for two courses per term how was I to manage the PA course load? I didn't have an answer so I never re-applied. I moved on with my life. But along the way, both of my kids were diagnosed with a learning disability. The clinical team (a psychologist and a psychiatrist) said my kids probably inherited it from me and asked to test me. The results showed that I too have the LD. All three of us received help. The kids did well in school and I earned an engineering masters without breaking a sweat. It is obvious to me now that if I did get back into PA school, without knowing about my LD, I would have failed again. This is a long way to say before you re-apply, you need to know why you were not doing well. And you can’t just say “well I was anxious and depressed but I am better now with medication”. You need to prove, to yourself, that your anxiety and depression caused the poor performance and not vice versa. Anxiety and depression usually coexist with other mental health problems or learning disabilities. I recommend a full neuropsychological assessment to rule out everything else. Then, after you have the results, prove (to yourself and the program) you are ready to go back by earning good grades in a few high level science courses. Please do not rush your return. Good luck! By the way, I think about going back to PA school often these days.
UGoLong Posted July 14, 2016 Get response above! And you're not too old to do it. Best wishes and thanks for sharing. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
PAwish2016 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Wow ExPAStudent...Thank you so much for your response! I do think that something is wrong sometimes and I feel like I should consider testing. Honestly, it is hard for me to face that. Right now I'm still trying to cope with my dismissal but it is getting easier. I really appreciate your advice! I think you can return whenever you want. It is never too late ????
Boatswain2PA Posted July 31, 2016 OP: Sorry you washed out. Really.Sometimes people fail at things. The people who you meet who seem to have everything going on...who have "everything"...have usually failed at something. And they have usually failed at something that, to them at least, would be considered "big". I, personally, have three BIG failures in my life. And I'm still learning from each of these failures. But I am also, by most measures, wildly successful today. I doubt you will be able to get back into any PA program. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.I suggest you seek alternative paths to success in life.
PAofWestUSA Posted August 14, 2016 I am a PA. While struggling with dismal academic performance during my PA program, I went to a psychologist for help with increased anxiety and depression. That's when I made a startling discovery. Here is MY story. Perhaps it will offer some insight... I was diagnosed clinically with anxiety and depression as a teenager and I have been treated with medication and counseling ever since. Sometimes I still struggled with anxiety and depression, and school has always been a huge challenge for me. I thought I was not smart enough and had to work really hard. I decided to change careers and become a PA. At age 40, I went back to school in order to achieve this goal. I took a lot of the classes required for PA school that I had not taken during my completely non-science undergrad education. Medication and counseling continued to help me most of the time. After readying myself to apply, I applied and was accepted into a PA program! But, once I started PA school, medication and counseling were not helping and I really struggled. My psychologist referred me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) - at age 41! I started taking medication for the disorder and learned that ADHD had been my learning disability my entire life. After starting the medication, I could read a document from top to bottom without struggling - and never realized what the struggle was really about - or really that I had been struggling at all! I thought everyone had to read and re-read in order to get through a paragraph! I thought everyone had to fight myriad, persistent mental distractions in order to finish simple tasks! After beginning the new medication, my performance in PA school improved drastically. In fact, my whole life improved drastically! I learned from my doctor that I had been incorrectly diagnosed with anxiety and depression, that these instead were the symptoms of the problems caused by ADHD. My doctor slowly took me off of anti-depression/anxiety medication and I was fine. She also explained that because I suffered with untreated ADHD for many years, I had quite possibly developed coping mechanisms and that I likely used these mechanisms to get through high school as well my undergraduate education in my early twenties. Coping mechanisms probably helped me succeed in my previous career, in a different industry, for two decades. PA school is challenging and my coping mechanisms may have failed me at this point in my life, facing this new challenge. This is a story very personal to me as an individual. I am not saying you have ADD/ADHD nor am I suggesting that you do not have anxiety and depression, but you may want to explore ADD/ADHD as a possibility with a mental health professional. Also, if you are taking anti-depressant/anxiety medication, do not change how you take this medication without consulting your doctor. I know that for me, had I explored the possibility of ADHD at a much younger age, I may have experienced more personal and professional success. Better late than never! I graduated PA school, passed my PANCE and I love being a PA! And, I agree with Boatswain2PA - we all fail at many things - that is a requirement on the road to success!!!
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 14, 2016 Moderator apply to a part time program. this splits the didactic year into 2 years and then you do a full time clinical yr with the regular 2nd yr students. look at Drexel for a model of what these look like. there are 7-8 or so nationwide at last count.
Iain1028 Posted August 14, 2016 Re-apply. Take a upper level science class or two in the interim ( with A's). Re-apply to the same school you got dropped from and other schools. They will admire your determination, and if you get an interview at that same school, give them a solid 5-10 point plan on how you will succeed if given another opportunity.... Confidence and Determination....only if you really feel you can give it another chance and make it this time around..... If interviewed again, never blame the program or poor circumstances....just focus on what you've done now that makes you able to succeed.... How many different chemical filaments did Edison have to try before he found the right one for his light bulb??
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