Pre-PA info session outline

[rev ronin]

So, I'm going to be teaching a ~2 hour session on PA life and getting into PA school to several of my EMTs, and I wanted to know if any of you think I'm leaving anything off my outline:

 

Being a PA

The Good

1. Autonomy (or, “you’re on your own”)
2. Jobs galore
3. Lifelong Learning
4. Compensation

The Bad

1. Just an employee
2. Pay your dues
3. Patients suck

The unexpected

1. What you do as a PA is often limited by what you did before.
2. Impostor syndrome
3. “The real doctor”/”So when are you getting your MD?”
4. “Switching majors” in PA school, switching specialties afterwards
5. Current demographics -or- When are you going out on maternity leave?

 

Getting Into PA school: Winning admission before you apply

1. GRADES!
2. Experience
3. Shadowing
4. LORs – 1 PA non-negotiable.
5. Je Ne Sais Quoi

• International experience
• Underserved experience
• Personal hook/statement
• Volunteerism

Getting into PA school: Process

1. CASPA
2. School Selection

• 4-6, 8 at most.
• Around Longer? Better rotations
• Match you to them, don’t try to force it.
• Reputation? Location? How do I pick...

1. Interviews

• Dress
• Mock interview until your brain falls out.

[Endeavor]

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

[rev ronin]

5 hours ago, Endeavor said:

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

Excellent idea, and I should have addressed that:  this is for 1) making sure you want to be a PA, and 2) getting in.  The second talk would be about surviving PA school, but that varies so much from school to school I don't know that I can generalize beyond my own experience.