siskiyoufire Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 CASPA and supplemental submitted and verified on 5/25. In the info session they said historically the first app they receive every year is someone who gets in, so... I tried to make that person me. Anyone get beat me in getting their stuff in? Now for several months of agonizing wait! Its natural to be curious about the applicant pool and their backgrounds. Lets hear about you. Ill start: My name is Ryan, Age 27. Father of 3 I'm a Paramedic and have worked in rural EMS since 2005. For the last 2 years I have worked with a provider in triage (usually a PA) in a busy urgent care attached to a rural community health center. I Live and work in the largest city in Oregon without a hospital, (closest is 30 miles away) making us a very medically under-served area. I have no degree. Applying to Yakima, and Tacoma if it becomes available. How about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 CASPA and supplemental submitted and verified on 5/25. In the info session they said historically the first app they receive every year is someone who gets in, so... I tried to make that person me. Anyone get beat me in getting their stuff in? Now for several months of agonizing wait! Its natural to be curious about the applicant pool and their backgrounds. Lets hear about you. Ill start: My name is Ryan, Age 27. Father of 3 I'm a Paramedic and have worked in rural EMS since 2005. For the last 2 years I have worked with a provider in triage (usually a PA) in a busy urgent care attached to a rural community health center. I Live and work in the largest city in Oregon without a hospital, (closest is 30 miles away) making us a very medically under-served area. I have no degree. Applying to Yakima, and Tacoma if it becomes available. How about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 CASPA and supplemental submitted and verified on 5/25. In the info session they said historically the first app they receive every year is someone who gets in, so... I tried to make that person me. Anyone get beat me in getting their stuff in? Now for several months of agonizing wait! Its natural to be curious about the applicant pool and their backgrounds. Lets hear about you. Ill start: My name is Ryan, Age 27. Father of 3 I'm a Paramedic and have worked in rural EMS since 2005. For the last 2 years I have worked with a provider in triage (usually a PA) in a busy urgent care attached to a rural community health center. I Live and work in the largest city in Oregon without a hospital, (closest is 30 miles away) making us a very medically under-served area. I have no degree. Applying to Yakima, and Tacoma if it becomes available. How about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityboy Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Hi Ryan, My name is Dustin. Myself, and many others from my class, used this site to chat during the application process. While reading through the forum last year I really appreciated hearing how I "compared" to those who were accepted. I am currently in my first year in Yakima Class 19; well, the online portion of the first year getting ready to head to Seattle in a few weeks. As for myself. I am also 27, Husband and father of one. I was a medic in the Army for 8 years, 3 of which were spent deployed. I also worked as an ER tech for one year. Most of the providers I worked with in the military were PAs. The only connection I had to underserved healthcare, prior to applying to MEDEX, was a few months of volunteer work at a free clinic in my town. I finished my AA just before heading to the interview. Based off your HCE (Health Care Experience), work with the underserved, and knowledge of the PA profession, you seem like a likely candidate to get an interview. As I am sure you know most of the MEDEX applicants have a significant amount of HCE, some 20+ years. Since your application is all done you have a loooooong wait ahead of you. Continue to read this forum and ask questions to keep yourself sane. There is a gentleman by the name of JustSteve on here who is finishing his first year at Yakima soon. He was very helpful last year while my classmates and I were in your shoes. If he is browsing and picks up on a post of yours you will be pleased with his insight. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityboy Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Hi Ryan, My name is Dustin. Myself, and many others from my class, used this site to chat during the application process. While reading through the forum last year I really appreciated hearing how I "compared" to those who were accepted. I am currently in my first year in Yakima Class 19; well, the online portion of the first year getting ready to head to Seattle in a few weeks. As for myself. I am also 27, Husband and father of one. I was a medic in the Army for 8 years, 3 of which were spent deployed. I also worked as an ER tech for one year. Most of the providers I worked with in the military were PAs. The only connection I had to underserved healthcare, prior to applying to MEDEX, was a few months of volunteer work at a free clinic in my town. I finished my AA just before heading to the interview. Based off your HCE (Health Care Experience), work with the underserved, and knowledge of the PA profession, you seem like a likely candidate to get an interview. As I am sure you know most of the MEDEX applicants have a significant amount of HCE, some 20+ years. Since your application is all done you have a loooooong wait ahead of you. Continue to read this forum and ask questions to keep yourself sane. There is a gentleman by the name of JustSteve on here who is finishing his first year at Yakima soon. He was very helpful last year while my classmates and I were in your shoes. If he is browsing and picks up on a post of yours you will be pleased with his insight. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityboy Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Hi Ryan, My name is Dustin. Myself, and many others from my class, used this site to chat during the application process. While reading through the forum last year I really appreciated hearing how I "compared" to those who were accepted. I am currently in my first year in Yakima Class 19; well, the online portion of the first year getting ready to head to Seattle in a few weeks. As for myself. I am also 27, Husband and father of one. I was a medic in the Army for 8 years, 3 of which were spent deployed. I also worked as an ER tech for one year. Most of the providers I worked with in the military were PAs. The only connection I had to underserved healthcare, prior to applying to MEDEX, was a few months of volunteer work at a free clinic in my town. I finished my AA just before heading to the interview. Based off your HCE (Health Care Experience), work with the underserved, and knowledge of the PA profession, you seem like a likely candidate to get an interview. As I am sure you know most of the MEDEX applicants have a significant amount of HCE, some 20+ years. Since your application is all done you have a loooooong wait ahead of you. Continue to read this forum and ask questions to keep yourself sane. There is a gentleman by the name of JustSteve on here who is finishing his first year at Yakima soon. He was very helpful last year while my classmates and I were in your shoes. If he is browsing and picks up on a post of yours you will be pleased with his insight. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Thanks Dustin "Since your application is all done you have a loooooong wait ahead of you. Continue to read this forum and ask questions to keep yourself sane." Spoken from experience. This forum helps me with the agony of the wait, it is here I will lurk until fall. Thank you for the objective opinion of my HCE. Nice to hear from someone who has never met you. My first question for you would be: What was the interview like? What questions did they ask? Did the being interviewed in a group dynamic effect your answers? I've heard the administrations description of the process during the info session in Vancouver, WA, but I would like to hear from someone who has survived the process? Did you mentally agonize about things they potentially might ask you for like a year in advance? Did you try to rehearse answers in your head? If you did, did that help? Thanks ~R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Thanks Dustin "Since your application is all done you have a loooooong wait ahead of you. Continue to read this forum and ask questions to keep yourself sane." Spoken from experience. This forum helps me with the agony of the wait, it is here I will lurk until fall. Thank you for the objective opinion of my HCE. Nice to hear from someone who has never met you. My first question for you would be: What was the interview like? What questions did they ask? Did the being interviewed in a group dynamic effect your answers? I've heard the administrations description of the process during the info session in Vancouver, WA, but I would like to hear from someone who has survived the process? Did you mentally agonize about things they potentially might ask you for like a year in advance? Did you try to rehearse answers in your head? If you did, did that help? Thanks ~R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Thanks Dustin "Since your application is all done you have a loooooong wait ahead of you. Continue to read this forum and ask questions to keep yourself sane." Spoken from experience. This forum helps me with the agony of the wait, it is here I will lurk until fall. Thank you for the objective opinion of my HCE. Nice to hear from someone who has never met you. My first question for you would be: What was the interview like? What questions did they ask? Did the being interviewed in a group dynamic effect your answers? I've heard the administrations description of the process during the info session in Vancouver, WA, but I would like to hear from someone who has survived the process? Did you mentally agonize about things they potentially might ask you for like a year in advance? Did you try to rehearse answers in your head? If you did, did that help? Thanks ~R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityboy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Well. It is quite unique to say the least. Message me your email and I can send you some example questions. The group interview was actually nice. I think having others in the room made me more comfortable. When asked questions we would just take turns; that was great if i needed a couple minutes to brew up an answer. Only a couple questions were specific to me, like a question about something in my app. There are three interviews throughout the day all with different applicants and interviewers. Because there are three people being interviewed you really only get asked about five questions (if that) in each interview. You don't want to take too long giving an answer but some questions took a while to answer. I did have some answers for generic questions prepared. I had a buddy interview the year before me who did not get in. Some questions you can't really prepare for...an interviewer asked us a question about what we thought of how one of the applicants answered his question. The best preparation is to look sharp (suit and tie), get a hair cut, and be yourself. You won't be able to pull any wool, if you are what they are looking for you'll get in, if not, keep trying. I was nervous at the start of the interview day but by the end I was very happy with how I did. Try not to ponder too much about the interview...you have a long time before you will hear anything. From where you are at now you have to wait for CASPA finalization. Then a short email from MEDEX saying you meet the minimum prerequisites. You wont be invited to the interview until two weeks before hand so mid November-ish. But you will see on here Seattle and Spokane folks get invited a couple months before that. Message me your email and I will shoot you some example questions. Start saving for a nice dark suit if you dont already have one :) -Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityboy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Well. It is quite unique to say the least. Message me your email and I can send you some example questions. The group interview was actually nice. I think having others in the room made me more comfortable. When asked questions we would just take turns; that was great if i needed a couple minutes to brew up an answer. Only a couple questions were specific to me, like a question about something in my app. There are three interviews throughout the day all with different applicants and interviewers. Because there are three people being interviewed you really only get asked about five questions (if that) in each interview. You don't want to take too long giving an answer but some questions took a while to answer. I did have some answers for generic questions prepared. I had a buddy interview the year before me who did not get in. Some questions you can't really prepare for...an interviewer asked us a question about what we thought of how one of the applicants answered his question. The best preparation is to look sharp (suit and tie), get a hair cut, and be yourself. You won't be able to pull any wool, if you are what they are looking for you'll get in, if not, keep trying. I was nervous at the start of the interview day but by the end I was very happy with how I did. Try not to ponder too much about the interview...you have a long time before you will hear anything. From where you are at now you have to wait for CASPA finalization. Then a short email from MEDEX saying you meet the minimum prerequisites. You wont be invited to the interview until two weeks before hand so mid November-ish. But you will see on here Seattle and Spokane folks get invited a couple months before that. Message me your email and I will shoot you some example questions. Start saving for a nice dark suit if you dont already have one :) -Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityboy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Well. It is quite unique to say the least. Message me your email and I can send you some example questions. The group interview was actually nice. I think having others in the room made me more comfortable. When asked questions we would just take turns; that was great if i needed a couple minutes to brew up an answer. Only a couple questions were specific to me, like a question about something in my app. There are three interviews throughout the day all with different applicants and interviewers. Because there are three people being interviewed you really only get asked about five questions (if that) in each interview. You don't want to take too long giving an answer but some questions took a while to answer. I did have some answers for generic questions prepared. I had a buddy interview the year before me who did not get in. Some questions you can't really prepare for...an interviewer asked us a question about what we thought of how one of the applicants answered his question. The best preparation is to look sharp (suit and tie), get a hair cut, and be yourself. You won't be able to pull any wool, if you are what they are looking for you'll get in, if not, keep trying. I was nervous at the start of the interview day but by the end I was very happy with how I did. Try not to ponder too much about the interview...you have a long time before you will hear anything. From where you are at now you have to wait for CASPA finalization. Then a short email from MEDEX saying you meet the minimum prerequisites. You wont be invited to the interview until two weeks before hand so mid November-ish. But you will see on here Seattle and Spokane folks get invited a couple months before that. Message me your email and I will shoot you some example questions. Start saving for a nice dark suit if you dont already have one :) -Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoPA Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Asking for and receiving specific interview questions is a bit like cheating, no? You're getting an unfair advantage. While the interview process might seem daunting, it's really not horrible. First, relax; they aren't looking to trip you up or confuse you. Then, listen to the question being asked, take a moment to collect your thoughts and go from there. Third, realize you're interviewing them, too. This realization helped me feel less "on trial" and more like I was seeing if the school was a good fit for me. Good luck! Getting your app in so early is definitely a HUGE advantage for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoPA Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Asking for and receiving specific interview questions is a bit like cheating, no? You're getting an unfair advantage. While the interview process might seem daunting, it's really not horrible. First, relax; they aren't looking to trip you up or confuse you. Then, listen to the question being asked, take a moment to collect your thoughts and go from there. Third, realize you're interviewing them, too. This realization helped me feel less "on trial" and more like I was seeing if the school was a good fit for me. Good luck! Getting your app in so early is definitely a HUGE advantage for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoPA Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Asking for and receiving specific interview questions is a bit like cheating, no? You're getting an unfair advantage. While the interview process might seem daunting, it's really not horrible. First, relax; they aren't looking to trip you up or confuse you. Then, listen to the question being asked, take a moment to collect your thoughts and go from there. Third, realize you're interviewing them, too. This realization helped me feel less "on trial" and more like I was seeing if the school was a good fit for me. Good luck! Getting your app in so early is definitely a HUGE advantage for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Asking for and receiving specific interview questions is a bit like cheating, no? You're getting an unfair advantage. Good luck! Getting your app in so early is definitely a HUGE advantage for you. Thank you for the wonderful advice, I will take it to heart however, I disagree that asking about possible questions I may encounter in an interview is cheating. I don't want an unfair advantage over other applicants, Im just anxious. I'm fully aware that at this point no amount of online conversing/posting will make the difference between being accepted or not. I'm just trying to rid myself of these damn palpitations I get anytime I think of being interviewed for a PA program. Ive havent been this nervous since the first pedi-code I worked. Its crazy I tell you. Thank you again for the advice. ~R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Asking for and receiving specific interview questions is a bit like cheating, no? You're getting an unfair advantage. Good luck! Getting your app in so early is definitely a HUGE advantage for you. Thank you for the wonderful advice, I will take it to heart however, I disagree that asking about possible questions I may encounter in an interview is cheating. I don't want an unfair advantage over other applicants, Im just anxious. I'm fully aware that at this point no amount of online conversing/posting will make the difference between being accepted or not. I'm just trying to rid myself of these damn palpitations I get anytime I think of being interviewed for a PA program. Ive havent been this nervous since the first pedi-code I worked. Its crazy I tell you. Thank you again for the advice. ~R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Asking for and receiving specific interview questions is a bit like cheating, no? You're getting an unfair advantage. Good luck! Getting your app in so early is definitely a HUGE advantage for you. Thank you for the wonderful advice, I will take it to heart however, I disagree that asking about possible questions I may encounter in an interview is cheating. I don't want an unfair advantage over other applicants, Im just anxious. I'm fully aware that at this point no amount of online conversing/posting will make the difference between being accepted or not. I'm just trying to rid myself of these damn palpitations I get anytime I think of being interviewed for a PA program. Ive havent been this nervous since the first pedi-code I worked. Its crazy I tell you. Thank you again for the advice. ~R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MediMike Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Well I've got say you've got me beat timewise! I'm looking to have my app and all pre-reqs completed by end of August :) My name is Mike 29 years old Currently a paramedic in Central WA, been in and out of EMS for the past 9 years No family, no plans for one, so according to the information sessions looks like I'll be the guy travelling the farthest during clinicals haha I will be applying to Yakima and the Tacoma campus as well, sounding like it's going to be a possibility. I've got no problems moving back into Mommy's basement if I can! I'm trying to rack up a fair amount of shadowing time, have had the opportunity to work with PAs in a number of different capacities over the years, but getting the actual one-on-one time has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Wish everyone the best of luck, and keep in touch, once everything gets a bit closer we should meet up and get to know one another prior to the interview. Might make things a little smoother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MediMike Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Well I've got say you've got me beat timewise! I'm looking to have my app and all pre-reqs completed by end of August :) My name is Mike 29 years old Currently a paramedic in Central WA, been in and out of EMS for the past 9 years No family, no plans for one, so according to the information sessions looks like I'll be the guy travelling the farthest during clinicals haha I will be applying to Yakima and the Tacoma campus as well, sounding like it's going to be a possibility. I've got no problems moving back into Mommy's basement if I can! I'm trying to rack up a fair amount of shadowing time, have had the opportunity to work with PAs in a number of different capacities over the years, but getting the actual one-on-one time has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Wish everyone the best of luck, and keep in touch, once everything gets a bit closer we should meet up and get to know one another prior to the interview. Might make things a little smoother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MediMike Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Well I've got say you've got me beat timewise! I'm looking to have my app and all pre-reqs completed by end of August :) My name is Mike 29 years old Currently a paramedic in Central WA, been in and out of EMS for the past 9 years No family, no plans for one, so according to the information sessions looks like I'll be the guy travelling the farthest during clinicals haha I will be applying to Yakima and the Tacoma campus as well, sounding like it's going to be a possibility. I've got no problems moving back into Mommy's basement if I can! I'm trying to rack up a fair amount of shadowing time, have had the opportunity to work with PAs in a number of different capacities over the years, but getting the actual one-on-one time has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Wish everyone the best of luck, and keep in touch, once everything gets a bit closer we should meet up and get to know one another prior to the interview. Might make things a little smoother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 To Siskiyoufire...its totally normal to be anxious about the whole process, nervous about what interview questions might pop up, etc. I too am in Dustins shoes and interviewed the same time he did. From what I gathered however, there were significant differences in some interview questions amongst all of us. Don't get too hung up on specifics. Rather, focus on aspects of your history/experience that you'd wish to share, and help paint who you are. Have a story for different themes...A time you showed leadership, a time you showed compassion, a time you you thought something was ethically wrong, a time you....etc... you get the picture. That way you can pull something out of nothing and you'll be prepared for that random question that pops up. I'm a sports guy, so I prefer to watch film. I recorded my dad and uncle grilling me with tons of questions...questions I had no idea were coming, and questions I fed them like "Why do you want to be a PA?"...I went back and watched the film and realized, holy crap, I mumble a LOT. I didn't think I mumble, but once I get talking fast, some words get mixed together. I also noticed my posture, my habits, my hand movements, etc. Once you start hearing yourself talk, it can get REALLY quiet in the room and 30 seconds can feel like an eternity. Know what points/highlights you want to make and make them. Back to the topic...congrats on you guys for throwing in the apps. I wish you all the best and try not to go crazy waiting around! If you don't have a hobby yet, get one. Like MediMike, I submitted my app in late August. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 To Siskiyoufire...its totally normal to be anxious about the whole process, nervous about what interview questions might pop up, etc. I too am in Dustins shoes and interviewed the same time he did. From what I gathered however, there were significant differences in some interview questions amongst all of us. Don't get too hung up on specifics. Rather, focus on aspects of your history/experience that you'd wish to share, and help paint who you are. Have a story for different themes...A time you showed leadership, a time you showed compassion, a time you you thought something was ethically wrong, a time you....etc... you get the picture. That way you can pull something out of nothing and you'll be prepared for that random question that pops up. I'm a sports guy, so I prefer to watch film. I recorded my dad and uncle grilling me with tons of questions...questions I had no idea were coming, and questions I fed them like "Why do you want to be a PA?"...I went back and watched the film and realized, holy crap, I mumble a LOT. I didn't think I mumble, but once I get talking fast, some words get mixed together. I also noticed my posture, my habits, my hand movements, etc. Once you start hearing yourself talk, it can get REALLY quiet in the room and 30 seconds can feel like an eternity. Know what points/highlights you want to make and make them. Back to the topic...congrats on you guys for throwing in the apps. I wish you all the best and try not to go crazy waiting around! If you don't have a hobby yet, get one. Like MediMike, I submitted my app in late August. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 To Siskiyoufire...its totally normal to be anxious about the whole process, nervous about what interview questions might pop up, etc. I too am in Dustins shoes and interviewed the same time he did. From what I gathered however, there were significant differences in some interview questions amongst all of us. Don't get too hung up on specifics. Rather, focus on aspects of your history/experience that you'd wish to share, and help paint who you are. Have a story for different themes...A time you showed leadership, a time you showed compassion, a time you you thought something was ethically wrong, a time you....etc... you get the picture. That way you can pull something out of nothing and you'll be prepared for that random question that pops up. I'm a sports guy, so I prefer to watch film. I recorded my dad and uncle grilling me with tons of questions...questions I had no idea were coming, and questions I fed them like "Why do you want to be a PA?"...I went back and watched the film and realized, holy crap, I mumble a LOT. I didn't think I mumble, but once I get talking fast, some words get mixed together. I also noticed my posture, my habits, my hand movements, etc. Once you start hearing yourself talk, it can get REALLY quiet in the room and 30 seconds can feel like an eternity. Know what points/highlights you want to make and make them. Back to the topic...congrats on you guys for throwing in the apps. I wish you all the best and try not to go crazy waiting around! If you don't have a hobby yet, get one. Like MediMike, I submitted my app in late August. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I will be appying here, one of my top choices. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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