Ask a PA Admissions Director

[paadmissions]

@ultimate123 Thanks for your question. I honestly don't think your GPA of 3.3 is all that low, but like you said it may be a tad lower once CASPA calculates. That being said retaking the A&P and Genetics courses, which are required for you to retake may help boost the prerequisite GPA if you do well. If you have no other required prerequisite courses that you need to take for the programs you're applying to I usually recommend the following courses to help you prepare for PA school (keep in mind these may already be required of the schools you're applying to--I'm just taking a guess they aren't required):

 

- Developmental Biology

- Physics

- Cell Biology

- Medical Microbiology

- Medical Terminology

- Immunology

- Pharmacology

- Medical Ethics

- Public Speaking

- Abnormal or Developmental Psychology

 

I hope this helps. Thanks!

[thompsongroup3]

paadmissions:

I have applied the last two years to only one PA program. I am locked into the city where I live because of wife and kids and two businesses we own. I have a 4.0 science GPA, 3.8 overall. I use to be a licensed Physical Therapist for over ten years, went into medical sales and now work for my wife in her businesses. The first year I applied, they said I didn't get an interview because I applied too late. The second year I applied, they said I didn't get an interview because I dropped all my classess my first semester in school (over twenty years ago). That is something I can't change, yet I have gone on and completed two degrees with impressive GPAs. Any suggestions? Also, what volunteer work should I include? Only medical, or all, (volunteer coach, etc..)?

[paadmissions]

@thompasongroup3 thank you for your question. I'm surprised to hear the reasoning behind you not being granted an interview is because of your dropped classes in college over 20 years ago. Is it possible for you to request a meeting with the person in charge of admissions at the program you're applying to? I can only recommend attempting to meet with someone face to face to see if there is anything that you need to work on to improve your application. At least for our program we would recognize the dropped classes, but the timing on those is well beyond 10 years and your advanced degree and experience should boost the competitiveness of your application. Do they require the GRE? If so, make sure you're also meeting the recommended/required score for their program as well. Again, I'm a little puzzled at their reasoning, but every program has different criteria..the only thing I would suggest is possibly meeting with them to see if reapplying would be a waste of your time. Hopefully, that's not the case.

In regards to your volunteer time, we like to see all volunteer experience as it paints a picture of the whole applicant. I'm assuming this would be true for most programs.

I hope this helps and best wishes.

[totuu8999]

Thank you so much for your time answering these questions! A lot has been clarified in this thread

i just have a few of quick questions

1. how do admission officers feel about MD recs? I worked with a PA but she left before I could ask her for a recommendation so I ended up asking the doctor and an NP that worked there. I was wondering how does this look? I am also contemplating asking this MD for a rec or asking one of my college professors who was my anthropology advisor/professor?

2. i was a anthropology and biology dual major in college. would having a liberal arts major not associated with medicine hurt me?

3. is asian - american considered a minority in the applicant pool?

 

Thank you so much!!!

[S Brake]

Would working as a hospital orderly satisfy the clinical work experience requirement?

[paadmissions]

@totuu8999 Thanks for your questions!

 

1. From our standpoint we value a letter from an MD almost as much as a PA. Hopefully the MD who is writing the letter on your behalf has a firm grasp and understanding of PAs and is in favor of a MD/PA relationship (I'm assuming they would if the PA who you shadowed worked in the same clinic). They, of anyone, should be able to speak to your ability to work as a team and if you understand the role of the PA within the medical setting. The best thing to do when asking someone to write a letter is to make sure they can elaborate on the following qualities:

- Intellectual Ability

- Written Communication Skills

- Oral Communication Skills

- Maturity

- Adaptability

- Team Skills

- Dependability

- Conflict resolution

- interpersonal Skills

- Awareness of limitations

- Reaction to criticism

- Patient Interaction

If they are able to sum up your abilities in each of these categories you should be able to have a well thought out LOR.

 

2. Great question! Your majors should not hurt you when applying to PA school. If anything, our program is a big fan of a liberal arts education. There's a lot to be said for the purpose behind a liberal arts school (Methodist is liberal arts) as it helps nurtures moral values and ethical decision making. It also seeks to develop whole persons who will contribute substantially and creatively to the professions. So I think you're ok just make sure you're completing the coursework required.

 

3. If you were to mark Asian on your application we would consider that a minority.

 

I hope this helps and good luck!

[paadmissions]

@S Brake It all depends on what program you're applying to. Some count orderly work as experience, but I would guess that most of them do not because it's typically not at the level most programs would like to see. I know I've harped on this quite a bit, but the purpose behind HCE is to expose you as much as possible to the profession, but also help you feel comfortable when working with patients. 24-27 months (the length of most PA programs) is a short time to be exposed to patients so the more quality experience you have prior to PA school is beneficial. Hope this helps!

[Mdaria510]

I'm seriously considering PA school in a few years....although I'm really only interested in going to one particular school, for both practical and academic reasons. It's a fantastic school, it's inexpensive, and it's nearby, so I wouldn't have to sell my house and uproot my family.

 

I'm a two time graduate of the university already, a BA in psychology from 2002, and a BS in Cytotechnology from 2008. Earned at the subschool of health tech and management that their PAs attend, even taking some of the same classes with them (gross anatomy, physiology, etc).

 

I did pretty well, my GPA is 3.42 for my second degree, which was 90% hard sciences and medical. I'm currently working as a Cytotechnologist in a hospital, which should fufill the patient care requirements about 20 times over by the time I'm ready to apply, which would roughly be in about five years, so about ten years of health care experience under my belt (I'd be about 38 when I apply).

 

I know that on paper I far exceed the requirements. But still, I wonder if its enough, because everything relies on being accepte to this one particular program. I honestly can't imagine attending anywhere else.

 

So, two main questions:

 

Generally, how do I "stack up"? Is laboratory experience looked upon favorably? Cytotechnology is particularly hands-on for the lab - I make diagnosis based on my judgement, not a machine's. I'm frequently assisting in procedures with MDs, PAs, Nurses, etc. Its "direct" patient care, but its also behind the scenes - the actual patients tend to be sedated and I'm not expected to directly interact with them.

 

Is it a positive or negative that I'm so loyal to one particular institution? Or would that not sway them at all? If I were to say in an interview that I only applied to this program, would that be looked upon favorably?

[tn206]

I currently work as a care coordinator at a residential program for 3 women with mental and physical disabilities. I do direct care including shower/bathing routines, hygiene routines, PT routines, assisting with adaptive technology, transport, and occasionally monitoring basic vitals. I also have administrative tasks including setting up and attending HCP appointments, monitoring and distributing meds, completing and maintaining appropriate paperwork, coordinating with parents and providers, etc. I plan to apply at the beginning of next year's cycle and by then I should have accumulated 4000 hours. Background stats: Graduated in May with a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience, 3.6 gpa, 3.45 science gpa, 320 GRE, 6 months clinical research (abroad), 1 year psych research, 100 hours non-clin volunteer.

I know that this type of HCE won't be as competitive/acceptable to some schools, but should I still try for the next cycle? I've attempted to find jobs as a PCA in a hospital setting but they require a CNA instead of the EMT-B cert that I currently have. Would you suggest I switch jobs to obtain quality HCE hours?

[paadmissions]

@mdaria510 Thank you for your questions. As you've stated I do think you stack up well on paper. I would encourage you to consider shadowing a PA to demonstrate to the committee that you're taking an invested interest to step outside the lab and explore the profession a little more. You've worked along side all types of practitioners so you hopefully will be able to clearly communicate to the committee your firm understanding of the responsibilities/roles of each one.

 

If you have not already, you may want to request an appointment with the admissions office to meet with a program representative to hear their views of how you stack up vs the rest of their applicant pool. If they don't have individual appointments, attend an open house or information session to help solidify your thoughts on attending just that one program.

 

I'm usually very adamant about applicants casting their net and not putting all their eggs in one basket when it comes to applying to PA school. Some, not all, people who are focused on one school tend to miss out on other good programs that could be a better fit and if for some reason you're not accepted to your first choice and not willing to consider other programs, it limits you from reaching your ultimate goal of becoming a PA. I completely understand that you want to stay in your area and you not wanting to uproot your family. Remember PA school is a short time (you won't think that while in school), but we have several "non-traditional" students with families, who make the sacrifice by living 3-4 hours (sometimes out of state) away from home to attend our program. I have a lot of respect for the student, but even more respect for the supportive wife or husband who steps up to the plate with running the household (kids, etc.). If you have this type of support, in my opinion, it should open up more opportunities for you. It is something to consider and make that decision with your spouse and kids (if you have them)! Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@tn206 Thanks for your question. Be sure to contact the programs that interest you to see if these hours count. It would not be worth it to switch jobs at this point if your hours will suffice. If you find that the majority of programs that you're interested in do not accept the hours you will need to consider other options like CNA, medical assisting, phlebotomy, EMT, etc. Further, if the majority of programs require a certain number of hours at the time of application, and you have no acceptable hours, you probably should delay your application until you get a competitive amount of acceptable hours. It's expensive to apply to PA school so reach out to those programs first before moving forward. Hope this helps!

[Mdaria510]

@mdaria510 Thank you for your questions. As you've stated I do think you stack up well on paper. I would encourage you to consider shadowing a PA to demonstrate to the committee that you're taking an invested interest to step outside the lab and explore the profession a little more. You've worked along side all types of practitioners so you hopefully will be able to clearly communicate to the committee your firm understanding of the responsibilities/roles of each one.

 

Yes, I figured that would be my primary deficit - shadowing a few hours a week wouldn't be a problem at all, after all, I'm already there all day.

 

I'm usually very adamant about applicants casting their net and not putting all their eggs in one basket when it comes to applying to PA school. Some, not all, people who are focused on one school tend to miss out on other good programs that could be a better fit and if for some reason you're not accepted to your first choice and not willing to consider other programs, it limits you from reaching your ultimate goal of becoming a PA. I completely understand that you want to stay in your area and you not wanting to uproot your family. Remember PA school is a short time (you won't think that while in school), but we have several "non-traditional" students with families, who make the sacrifice by living 3-4 hours (sometimes out of state) away from home to attend our program. I have a lot of respect for the student, but even more respect for the supportive wife or husband who steps up to the plate with running the household (kids, etc.). If you have this type of support, in my opinion, it should open up more opportunities for you. It is something to consider and make that decision with your spouse and kids (if you have them)! Hope this helps!

 

Yes, I definitely realize I'm severely limiting my options by focusing on one particular institution. Unfortunately I'm no longer in a position to put those practical concerns entirely aside. I feel like my aspirations necessarily need to take a back seat to my responsibilities - its not merely a matter of convenience or staying inside my comfort zone. There's only so much sacrifice I'm willing and able to put my family through. My spouse is very supportive of my aspirations...when the time is right. Living in a high cost of living area with a child already makes transitioning to a single income for 2 years difficult enough as it is, Id apply now if not for the fact that my child isnt school age yet. Child care already breaks the single income budget (I'm the primary breadwinner, although she's catching up) - maintaining a second residence just won't work for me.

 

So practical matters aside, from the POV of the committee, would you feel my history with the institution and roots in the community to be a mark for or against? I'd like to think its a good thing, yet I distinctly recall when I was looking into graduate school in the sciences, the faculty definitely counted it as a mark against, due to intellectual indoctrination, etc - yet I can imagine that the more practical field of medicine may not share the same concern - so I'm kind of stumped on this one.

 

Thanks a ton, I really appreciate the input.

Edited July 26, 2012 by Mdaria510

[paadmissions]

@madaria Our program actually gives first consideration to graduates from Methodist University, but this type of preference will always vary from program to program. We personally don't view your situation or your community involvement as a mark against you, but I would recommend you get a feel from that particular program about how they view your background. I think it will help you ease your concerns...most program reps should be fairly straight forward about their thoughts and should be able to make recommendations on ways to possibly make enrolling in their program a possibility. Best wishes!

[Mdaria510]

@madaria Our program actually gives first consideration to graduates from Methodist University, but this type of preference will always vary from program to program. We personally don't view your situation or your community involvement as a mark against you, but I would recommend you get a feel from that particular program about how they view your background. I think it will help you ease your concerns...most program reps should be fairly straight forward about their thoughts and should be able to make recommendations on ways to possibly make enrolling in their program a possibility. Best wishes!

 

Thanks, I'll be sure to take your advice and set up an appt with them.

[d3t3rm1n3d]

Do admissions committees view letters sent to the institution to provide updates since they submitted their CASPA (eg: updating shadowing or HCE hours, etc) as a hindrance or are these letters welcomed?

[paadmissions]

@d3t3rm1n3d I personally don't mind applicants sending updates for hours as it helps our averages be a little more accurate. However, if an applicant has already met and surpassed the number of hours required then it's not necessary to update in my opinion. Of course updates with official transcripts to verify graduation dates or that a prerequisite course has been successfully completed is a must. Some applicants like to submit more than the 3 LORs allowed by CASPA by having a reference letter mailed directly to the program. I don't think that's a bad thing, but no more than a total of 5 LORs is more than enough. Hope this helps!

[DEAF]

This is the perfect place for me to ask a few questions!

 

I am a deaf undocumented student who wants to be a physician assistant. As you can tell, the path is going to be very difficult for me. I am not allowed to apply for health-related jobs, which prevents me from getting HCE. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I should do.

Is there a possibility that a physician assistant program would accept me if I have decent GPA and volunteering experiences? As well as my deafness and my immigration status?

 

Any tips would be very helpful.

 

Thanks for your time!

[paadmissions]

@DEAF Thank you for your question and you raise a very interesting topic for discussion. Although all programs and universities do not discriminate against applicants with disabilities,all programs are required to have a list of Technical Standards. The purpose of technical standards is to make sure the student who plans to enter the physician assistant program at Methodist University (or at your school of choice) posses certain abilities that will enable them to master the educational and clinical content of the program within a reasonable time frame and to function as a physician assistant after graduation. I would assume most programs have similar technical standards, but below I've listed our technical standards for the MU PA Program. The verbiage that would refer to your situation has been noted in red text and would unfortunately exclude you from being eligible to apply. However, our program, and other programs, welcome you to ask the admissions committee about their stance, but programs more than likely will stick firmly to the standards as a part of their selection factors.

 

Fundamental Skills for the Physician Assistant Profession & Curriculum:

Observation

Students must be able to apply their senses to the observation of patient status and collection of data important to patient care, including the ability to see, both near and far, to hear and/or interpret speech without an intermediary and to use tactile sensation to gather information in physical examination

 

 

Communication

Student must be able to read, write and speak clearly in order to gather and exchange information with patients, family members and other members of the broader health care team. They must have the ability to understand medical literature and to communicate complex scientific and medical information in oral and written format.

Mobility and Coordination

Students must be able to move within the clinical setting, including in confined spaces, in order to respond to urgent and emergent situations quickly, to help move and position patients as needed and to manipulate instruments and devices in order to perform procedures (e.g. venipuncture, lumbar puncture, intubation, thoracentesis, etc.). This includes the ability to stand for prolonged periods during surgical procedures and to occasionally lift and move heavy objects. It also includes the ability to integrate sensory information with motor performance.

 

Cognitive Ability, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Skills

Students must be able to master large amounts of information within the required time frame, to successfully complete assignments and assessments in a reasonable time frame, to apply basic principles of the scientific method in reading and interpreting professional literature, to apply critical reasoning ability to complex clinical problems, to integrate data and develop appropriate differential diagnoses and to continue to apply these skills to ongoing learning after completing the program.

 

 

Behavioral and Emotional Maturity

Students must be able to function appropriately in interpersonal relationships by exhibiting use of good judgment, empathy, reliability, professionalism and emotional stability. They must develop the ability to practice appropriately in highly stressful situations and work with others in interprofessional teams. They must be able to respect and work within the framework of individual, cultural, religious and socioeconomic differences. They must be able to grasp principals of ethical behavior in the healthcare setting and remain open to constructive criticism and make appropriate behavior change.

 

You can read our entire page about technical standards and their purpose by clicking here.

 

I hope this helps and best wishes.

[allylovesu]

First of all, thank you taking the time to answer all our questions. It's great to hear from someone on a committee.

 

I'm a re-applicant and I've been having trouble with writing a personal statement. My situation is that I want to still use some of the same things I said in my personal statement the first time I applied because some of those things haven't changed (ex. first exposure to the profession, explanation/what I've taken away from all my patient care experience I've had in prior years, briefly touching on poor grades early on in school, but getting better). Is it not so good to use some of the parts of my prior year's PS and put them into this year's PS? I, of course, have written on what I've done in the past year to make myself a more viable candidate, but I guess I'm worried on if I should write a completely new PS or not.

 

Thank you so much in advance!

[DEAF]

@paadmissions -- Thank you for the very detailed answer. I really appreciate it.

 

One more question: Does your program admit undocumented(illegal) applicants? If so, what do their applications look like? As you may be aware, undocumented people are not allowed to have jobs. I do not have any luck finding someone who happens to be an undocumented pre-physician assistant student. If you feel that you don't have an answer to this question, please say so.

 

Again, thanks for your time!

[paadmissions]

@allylovesu Thank you for your question. If you feel the verbiage you included with last year's PS would be beneficial to your PS for this year, I don't see an issue with you combining new with the old. In addition to telling the committee how you've improved make sure you're demonstrating that you understand the role of the PA. Hope this helps and good luck!

[paadmissions]

@DEAF I would recommend you obtain a visa to be eligible to be in the country. No program will allow you enter their program if you are in the country illegally.

[allylovesu]

@paadmissions: thank you so much for your response! I will make sure that I convey those points in my PS.

 

I guess while I'm at it, I have 2 other questions:

 

1. In gaining more shadowing experience this year, I had it set up through a friend's husband (an MD) who said he had a friend who was a PA that I could shadow...only on my first night of shadowing I walk in and come to find that he's actually and NP. I did continue to shadow him regardless occasionally along with his co-workers during the shift, who happened to be PAs themselves. Would the fact that the majority of that time that I spent shadowing an NP look bad to schools I apply to? All I know is that the entire team of that NP and the rest of the PAs provided great patient care...

 

2. I think a huge reason I didn't get into PA schools last cycle is really my GPAs both overall and science/pre-requisite-wise...I actually had a full-time job, quit it and went back to school for a year as a post-bach to take more upper division science classes to demonstrate that I could improve. I made straight A's, but still not enough to raise my science GPA (yes, that's how bad that science GPA is :() My question to you is, should I go ahead and just retake ALL my science and prerequisite classes again, if I don't get into a school this cycle? I'm worried because some of these grades are now getting on the 7-9 year old mark of when I last took them - or should i pursue a graduate school degree (I've also been looking at MPH)? Retake all my classes or go for the MPH?

 

I have several friends I profession, I work around lots of PA's at job I just started at not too long ago...I want to do this so badly. I just hope I'm doing the right things or moving in the right direction.

 

Thank you again!

[RC36]

Dear paadmissions:

 

I don't have the most stellar undergraduate GPA, but I'm curious to find out what an admissions committee is looking for. I've been in the military for four years after attending a service academy. Is it at all likely that my decent GRE scores, excellent work experience, and strong social skills might sway you all to overlook a weak academic record? I did improve my grades drastically in the last half of my undergrad and have been published in a study, but I am so nervous that my motivation and hard work will be discounted because of my grades. If so, how can I change this for next years admissions (assuming I get rejected this round). Thank you so much for your advice on this thread!

[ghostnineone]

Are programs picky about majors? Say if i were to do a general studies major (what I have now along with my IT major) or "Interdisciplinary studies" as the school I want to transfer to calls theirs, as opposed to a health science or biology major, as long as I have the pre reqs I need, would I be okay applying to PA programs? I'm asking because my community college has a health sciences major, but my transfer school doesn't, and the only school in my city that has HS I can't afford to attend. The school I want to transfer to has a nursing, biology and nurse practitioner majors so I don't think the pre reqs would be a problem, if I'm allowed to pick and choose from them. (my transfer schools GS program can be customized for individual needs)