Ask a PA Admissions Director

[paadmissions]

@JED617 Thank you for your question and sorry for the delay. I would contact the program if you have not heard back by now. I can't speak for other programs, but we always let applicants know when they should hear back after an interview. Not every program will operate the same way, but with your situation I see nothing wrong with contacting the program. I hope this helps!

This may have been asked before, but I couldn't find anything specific-

 

I interviewed with my top choice (Starts in January) over 3 weeks ago, and I've heard nothing. They're rolling admissions- but, I got accepted to another program that starts in January as well. The program I got accepted to is out of state, and would require a huge move for me.  I also sent in my deposit to secure a seat.

 

I'm really hoping to get into the top choice school (it's local)- should I email admissions to ask for some sort of timeline?  Is that being too pushy?  thanks!  (Admissions did say we could hear as early as a day, or as late as September- but I need to get the ball rolling with relocating myself!)

[paadmissions]

@kamper Thank you for your question. I would not worry about it to the point of contacting the program to correct the typo. We've seen a lot worse. If given the opportunity to interview you could bring it up, but I would not call attention to it. Hope this helps. 

@paadmissions - I just discovered a typo in one of the supplemental essays I already submitted: I mistakenly wrote "lead" instead of "led." In your opinion, should I correct the mistake and then email the revised version to the school? Or would that just draw unnecessary attention to my typo? I've been given conflicting advice on what to do.

 

I feel so silly. I am normally a scrupulous editor when it comes to my writing. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

[paadmissions]

@katiewinfrey Thank you for your question. I would recommend you retake the GRE since you've only taken it once. If at the time you took the GRE you were studying for school and didn't have the time to prep for the GRE you may see an improvement. There are some programs that put heavy weight on the GRE and if that's the case you want to aim for the 50th percentile to be in the running. Our program does not hold it against the applicant if they take it more than once. All other parts of your app look strong. If you're still unsure about retaking it, contact the programs that interest you and see if your current stats are good enough. Some programs may not put heavy emphasis on the GRE as others. Hope this helps. 

@paadmissions,

 

Hello! My question is concerning GRE scores.

 

I am extremely concerned that my low GRE scores will keep me out of PA school, despite being competitive in other areas of my application. My scores are: Q 144/ V 142/ W 3.5. I took the test in 2013 while I was in the middle of the toughest semester of RT school. I applied two cycles ago and was rejected (at that time I was still in school and had less HCE). I did not take the GRE again for this cycle due to financial reasons. My cGPA is 3.80 and sGPA is 3.77. I have over 5700 hours of direct patient care experience, 322 hours volunteer, 256 hours research, and 72 hours shadowing 4 PAs. I have passed 2 national board exams to become a registered respiratory therapist. I currently work full-time in an ICU alongside doctors, nurses, and NNPs (no PAs in unit). My personal statement is solid and LORs are from two previous professors as well as my department manager at work.

 

I'm afraid admissions committees will take one look at a test score that captured one day, 4 hours worth of my life and write me off for it.

 

What is your opinion in this matter? How heavily is the GRE weighted in comparison to other points of the PA application? Do you think I am still competitive as an applicant?

 

Thank you in advance for your input!!

Katie

[paadmissions]

@meganp22 Thank you for your question. I would encourage you to  update the programs you've applied to with your hours. Programs like to see as much clinical experience as possible so the more you have the more enhanced your application will be. If the program has a process in place to update the hours (i.e. the supervisor emails the program to update the hours) please follow that request. Nothing irritates me more than applicants who do not read and follow instructions that were given in a confirmation email. Some programs may not provide as much information as to how to update an application as we do, so if that's not provided, ask. I hope this helps!

Hello @paadmissions , I was just had a question regarding HCE. When I submitted my first application on CASPA I had a little over five hundred hours, it has been a couple months later and I am almost reaching a thousand hours. As my application is being reviewed by PA programs, do they take into consideration the amount of hours I have accumulated to the date of review or just recognize the hours as they were when the first application was submitted? 

[meaganp22]

@meganp22 Thank you for your question. I would encourage you to update the programs you've applied to with your hours. Programs like to see as much clinical experience as possible so the more you have the more enhanced your application will be. If the program has a process in place to update the hours (i.e. the supervisor emails the program to update the hours) please follow that request. Nothing irritates me more than applicants who do not read and follow instructions that were given in a confirmation email. Some programs may not provide as much information as to how to update an application as we do, so if that's not provided, ask. I hope this helps!

@paadmissions thank you so much, this helps a lot!

 

Sent from my VS876 using Tapatalk

 

 

[welchAl]

.

[SWATMedicFSU]

@paadmissions

 

My stats:

 

cGPA 2.63 for 256 credit hours per CASPA

GRE 163/164 I do not have my official scores yet

HCE 20,000+ hours as a Paramedic with 7 years as a SWAT Medic

Certs ACLS,BLS, PALS, TCCC, SWAT, PRSBI, PHTLS

Shadowing hours with ER PA and ER DO

LORs from PA, DO, MSN/RN, Physics Prof, Bio Prof, and Retired Lt CMDR USN

 

My most recent cGPA which includes my science pre-reqs is a 3.95 for 43 hours.  It drops to a 3.85 for my last 93 hours, with all of the classes being taken while working full time as a medic.  Due to the number of credit hours I have, raising my undergrad cGPA can not be done in a timely fashion.  I would obviously prefer to start a PA program ASAP, but do you think a Master's degree will be required to supplant my undergrad GPA? 

[PJoe]

@paadmissions 

 

Hello,

 

I was looking over my CASPA application and noticed that I entered my Patient Care Experience as Employment instead. I know almost ever school looks at PCE and HCE will this hurt my chances? Caspa will not allow and edits once submitted. All three are at hospitals and are titled Registered Nurse will admission committees still count that at my Patient care experience or should I reenter the same experience as PCE and have duplicates on my application?

 

Appreciate any advice!

[jsylte]

Hi all,

 

Does anybody know if CASPA counts allied health clinical courses in their science GPA calculations? I am a nuclear medicine technologist, so the extra 30 credits from my clinicals would really skyrocket my okay science GPA. I checked their website and the posts here, but have not found anything about the credits attached to clinicals. Under the other science class headings I have found allied health disciplines listed, but is this just for the didactic core classes? I am assuming that people who have taken EMT, RT, Rad tech, etc would also know (or like to know).

 

Thanks for your time,

[Tonkspaws]

@paadmissions 

 

Hi,

I am currently thinking about switching my career path. I have always been focused on going into vet med but after gaining more experience I have begun to realize that talking with the pet owners is my favorite part of the job. That on top of that fact that vet school is 4 years and way more debt I'm considering going to PA school. But-since I have always focused on vet med that where all my experience hours are. I have more then 5000 hours o vet related experience and though there is a lot of human interaction I'm worried that this won't count as HCE. I'm going to start volunteering some time at a nursing home as well as try and get a shadowing position but still I worry that this won't be enough. 

In addition, I'm not sure how many schools require anatomy but I took animal anatomy and dissection- do you think I should try and take human anatomy or just focus on gaining more HCE hours. 

Thank You. 

[paadmissions]

@bobbyfsu676 Thanks for your questions. It takes a lot to raise an overall GPA so I would encourage you to check out the programs that interest you to see if you would be considered based on your current performance. It sounds like your most recent performance, GRE scores and healthcare experience are very strong. You may find that some of the programs may focus more on those factors and don't have a firm cut off of overall GPA. If you do pursue a master's degree I would recommend sticking with a science route. I.e. Biology, Physiology, Anatomy, Genetics, etc. Again, check with the programs that interest you before you move forward with an advanced degree prior to going to PA school. Hope this helps!

@paadmissions

 

My stats:

 

cGPA 2.63 for 256 credit hours per CASPA

GRE 163/164 I do not have my official scores yet

HCE 20,000+ hours as a Paramedic with 7 years as a SWAT Medic

Certs ACLS,BLS, PALS, TCCC, SWAT, PRSBI, PHTLS

Shadowing hours with ER PA and ER DO

LORs from PA, DO, MSN/RN, Physics Prof, Bio Prof, and Retired Lt CMDR USN

 

My most recent cGPA which includes my science pre-reqs is a 3.95 for 43 hours.  It drops to a 3.85 for my last 93 hours, with all of the classes being taken while working full time as a medic.  Due to the number of credit hours I have, raising my undergrad cGPA can not be done in a timely fashion.  I would obviously prefer to start a PA program ASAP, but do you think a Master's degree will be required to supplant my undergrad GPA? 

[paadmissions]

@PJoe Thanks for your questions. I'm not sure how other programs look at that section of the application, but we would see your hours regardless of where it's placed in your application. I've notice with the new changes to the way we view the app, we have to pay a little more attention to that section, in particular, to make sure the hours aren't in that section. If it is "misplaced" it's not a big deal to us. Hope this helps!

@paadmissions 

 

Hello,

 

I was looking over my CASPA application and noticed that I entered my Patient Care Experience as Employment instead. I know almost ever school looks at PCE and HCE will this hurt my chances? Caspa will not allow and edits once submitted. All three are at hospitals and are titled Registered Nurse will admission committees still count that at my Patient care experience or should I reenter the same experience as PCE and have duplicates on my application?

 

Appreciate any advice!

[paadmissions]

@tonkspawsThank you for your questions. You may need to get in a clinical position that offers more than volunteer experience depending on the programs you apply to. Unfortunately, vet hours of any kind do not count for our program, and I'm sure many programs probably don't count them either. If the program has a heavy emphasis on clinical experience, which many do, you'll need to have quality hours in health care not just shadowing or volunteering. I would also encourage you to take a human A&P as I know most programs, including ours, want to see. Hope this helps and best wishes. 

@paadmissions 

 

Hi,

I am currently thinking about switching my career path. I have always been focused on going into vet med but after gaining more experience I have begun to realize that talking with the pet owners is my favorite part of the job. That on top of that fact that vet school is 4 years and way more debt I'm considering going to PA school. But-since I have always focused on vet med that where all my experience hours are. I have more then 5000 hours o vet related experience and though there is a lot of human interaction I'm worried that this won't count as HCE. I'm going to start volunteering some time at a nursing home as well as try and get a shadowing position but still I worry that this won't be enough. 

In addition, I'm not sure how many schools require anatomy but I took animal anatomy and dissection- do you think I should try and take human anatomy or just focus on gaining more HCE hours. 

Thank You. 

[paadmissions]

Hi everyone, I will be on maternity through Dec. 7th. I will attempt to check the forum periodically throughout my leave, but please note my responses will take longer than usual. I appreciate your questions and patience during this time. 

[jessstory290]

Hello paadmissions. Congratulations on getting through the home stretch of your pregnancy. Whenever you happen to hop back on, I would love your take on the following:

 

I am a respiratory therapist, which is very team-oriented work. That being said, I work with PAs, MDs, nurses, and other technical staff on a daily basis. I've been working full time as an RT for about 3 years (will be 4 when I apply for my first CASPA cycle in April 2016).  Would PA schools still like to see that I have shadowed a PA?

[PAHopeful26]

Congrats Paadmissions!

 

Your dedication to this forum is amazing!

 

I am just trying to get an ideal of my competitiveness. I am applying to a developing school and the minimal requirements for clinical experience are 1/4 the amount of hours of more established schools. All clinical experiences applicable: volunteer, patient care, shadowing, or combination. With that being said, I have more than double the required for clinical hours, and they are mostly volunteer and shadowing. I was recently hired as an intern with a community health organization that performs free health exams in medically under-served areas. Does this count as HCE? They do not require HCE, but I am sure it would make my application stronger.

 

I also work fulltime (health insurance in managed care) and I am completing a MPH (in MAY!). My overall gpa is 3.78, Science gpa is 3.75 (But I am short 3 prereqs that I will be taking in the spring).  My GRE is 304.

 

What are my chances of getting an interview?

Thanks 

[PAsfbay]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I went to a school that doesn't specify that there was a lab for my chem and anatomy classes on my transcripts. It is all grouped together under anatomy or chem as 4 units with no indication of a lab. How can I make it clear to admissions that they included a lab? Thank you!

[paadmissions]

Hello paadmissions. Congratulations on getting through the home stretch of your pregnancy. Whenever you happen to hop back on, I would love your take on the following:

 

I am a respiratory therapist, which is very team-oriented work. That being said, I work with PAs, MDs, nurses, and other technical staff on a daily basis. I've been working full time as an RT for about 3 years (will be 4 when I apply for my first CASPA cycle in April 2016). Would PA schools still like to see that I have shadowed a PA?

[paadmissions]

@jessstory290 thanks for your question and patience. Most programs will know that your work as a RT involves interacting with PAs, etc. However, it won't hurt to get some shadowing hours in if you have the time. I personally don't think it would be the end of the world if you don't get a lot of shadowing hours, but it will probably enhance your application more. Be aware if the programs you're applying require shadowing hours because if they do you'll obviously have to obtain those hours if required. Hope this helps!

 

Hello paadmissions. Congratulations on getting through the home stretch of your pregnancy. Whenever you happen to hop back on, I would love your take on the following:

 

I am a respiratory therapist, which is very team-oriented work. That being said, I work with PAs, MDs, nurses, and other technical staff on a daily basis. I've been working full time as an RT for about 3 years (will be 4 when I apply for my first CASPA cycle in April 2016). Would PA schools still like to see that I have shadowed a PA?

[paadmissions]

@PAHOpeful26 thank you for your questions.If the programs you're applying to accept those type of hours you've exceeded them with the number of hours you've reported. I do think the health screening hours at the underserved clinic will count so make sure to include those in your application. It certainly won't count against you in my opinion. In regards to your chances for an interview, I would think the committees will also look at:

- prerequisite performance

- GRE scores (if required)

- overall academic performance (upward trend which it sounds like that is there)

- LORs and personal statement

 

I would think you need to make sure your prerequisite performance is solid(exceeding the requirements of the programs you're applying to) and if GRE scores are required make sure you're meeting or exceeding the scores they're looking for.I hope this helpful!

 

Congrats Paadmissions!

 

Your dedication to this forum is amazing!

 

I am just trying to get an ideal of my competitiveness. I am applying to a developing school and the minimal requirements for clinical experience are 1/4 the amount of hours of more established schools. All clinical experiences applicable: volunteer, patient care, shadowing, or combination. With that being said, I have more than double the required for clinical hours, and they are mostly volunteer and shadowing. I was recently hired as an intern with a community health organization that performs free health exams in medically under-served areas. Does this count as HCE? They do not require HCE, but I am sure it would make my application stronger.

 

I also work fulltime (health insurance in managed care) and I am completing a MPH (in MAY!). My overall gpa is 3.78, Science gpa is 3.75 (But I am short 3 prereqs that I will be taking in the spring). My GRE is 304.

 

What are my chances of getting an interview?

Thanks

[paadmissions]

@PAsfbay Thanks for your questions. Our program knows if it's a 4 semester hour course that a lab was combined with lecture and no further clarification is requested from you guys. I'm under the assumption that most programs would assume the same thing. When you list your classes on the application you may be able to add out to the side of the course title(with lab) but you should be ok if you don't add that notation. Just have a link to the course description for those courses handy in case you need to provide it. Doubt you need to do that but it doesn't hurt to know where to direct them if they ask. Hope this helps!

 

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I went to a school that doesn't specify that there was a lab for my chem and anatomy classes on my transcripts. It is all grouped together under anatomy or chem as 4 units with no indication of a lab. How can I make it clear to admissions that they included a lab? Thank you!

[FMG256]

Thanks so much for the offering us this perspective from the Admissions point of view. I am a foreign medical graduate currently undertaking my PA prerequisites, and hopefully I'll be matriculating in 2017. My predicament is that most of these schools seek for foreign academic credentials evaluations from specific organizations that seem to vary across a wide range when it comes to computing GPAs. I've had three of them throwing around GPAs from 3.18, 3.25 to 3.5 based on my medical school transcript. Really, I was mostly a B+/A student but since some of these organizations base their calculations on the ABCD scale, my GPA seems to be all over the place. My questions then become;

1. What transcript matters a lot during admissions; evaluated one or the medical school one?

2. How'd you look at a medical grad applying to PA school?

3. How do I draft a PS that doesn't make it seem like I'm applying to PA school as a plan B?

4. Have you had any Medical grads apply and get admitted into your program?

[surfca40]

@paadmissions

 

I have a question regarding HCE, if you don't mind sharing your insight.

 

I’m currently a nontraditional career changing student working on my prerequisites so I can apply to PA programs.  I have been a Police Officer for the past five years and have worked in law enforcement for the past 10 years, including some time in the military.  My concern is in regards to HCE.  As of right now, I don't have any formal HCE.  I plan to try and obtain additional HCE in a hospital prior to applying; however, working full time and going to school full time, coupled with some stipulations my employer has regarding secondary employment, make it very difficult for me to get additional experience without quitting my job.  Due to some financial obligations I must take care of prior to applying and the length of time I’d be taking a large pay cut to obtain healthcare experience and graduate from PA school, I must continue to work my law enforcement job until being accepted into the program.

 

That being said, I was wondering what admissions committees thinks about my law enforcement experience as it relates to healthcare experience.  I am trained in CPR, AED, and Basic Life Support.  During my course of employment as a police officer, I’ve had numerous interactions with patients, including being the first responder to traffic collisions, general medical aids, attempted suicides, and mentally ill patients.  During my interactions with these patients, I’ve administered CPR, conducted basic life support measures, used AED’s, and evaluated and placed numerous psychological holds on mentally ill patients.  I have also spent a great deal of time in the hospital with these patients where I’ve learned about the healthcare system and the hierarchy of the hospital.  Although more qualified healthcare professions take over care upon their arrival or transportation to the hospital, I estimate about 5%-10% of my time on any given day is spent directly assisting patients in these types of situations.  In my five years of experience as a police officer, I have spent approximately 780 hours directly assisting patients as a police officer.  

 

My main question is, will admissions committees accept this as paid health care experience?  Or must I work directly in a healthcare related role?  I'm worried about my ability to obtain HCE given my current circumstances, especially with some programs requiring 2,000+ hours. If my law enforcement experience won't help me, it'll take me a long time to obtain HCE while still working full time as a police officer.

 

Thank you very much for any information and advice you can provide me, I greatly appreciate it.

[teachtopa]

Hi! I have received an interview to a school who changed their interview format this year. In the past, the interview was about 45 minutes long over Skype/Facetime, this year, it is on campus from 8-4:30. Is it okay to call the school and ask what the interview will consist of? Thank you for your input!

[PACrankset]

@paadmissions

 

I have a couple of questions about my application in general and if ad-coms will even look at my application.

I graduated from an Australian program that when credentialed here in the US was three years of undergraduate work. My GPA from that program was 3.3, I then completed a US degree from SNHU in General Studies, I did very well in this program with a GPA of 3.819. My CASPA cGPA was 3.65 and sGPA was 3.6. I am planning on taking three more upper division BIO classes like Genetics, Human Biology and Immunology. I have roughly 5,600 hrs of HCE as an ER tech and pre-hospital EMT-IV. My letters of recommendation are from two ER physicians that I work with and one Trauma/Critical Care PA that I also work with. Does the online degree completely void my chances of acceptance? I was recently rejected from the one program I applied to (limited by time and the ability to move far from home), what should I do between now and April 2016 to improve my application?

​Also open to others feedback if anybody has suggestions.