juliayang326 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I submitted my CASPA essay 2 months ago and I just realized that I wrote "physician's assistant" instead of "physician assistant". But I only wrote it once, since the rest of the essay I used "PA".... but how deadly of a mistake was that? I'm seriously worried that I just diminished my chances over such a technical detail... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmu Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I don't think it's a big deal and you only wrote it once. It was physician's assistant a long time ago anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen0508 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 honestly if i were admissions, i would probably throw your app out for that mistake if it was a weak application...it irritates me to see it written like that. but if you have a strong app (good grades, healthcare experience) then it could be forgiven :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carolanimal Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Honestly, I think it might be a kiss of death. How many times have PA's on here mentioned how annoying it is to see that? I'm not even a PA and it annoys the hell out of me. I know you just want people to make you feel better, but I felt I should be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3t3rm1n3d Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I went to an info session at MUSC and the director of the program said they hate seeing it written that way. He said, "We don't BELONG to anybody. We are physician assistants." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Depends on who is reading your app As you can see it is a sore point for some BUT.... you are also entering PA school to learn, about the practice of medicine AND about the profession itself This is one thing that you have yet to learn about (anyone who tells you every PAS should know everything about the profession prior to school is "talking game"...) don't obsess over it and learn from the experience- you know you'll never do it again! If you get an interview, address it head on and show what you've learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brirhuds Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I made the same mistake a few weeks ago.. I've been worried about it every since ... I'm tempted to call the program and ask them can I send in a hard copy with this corrected :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 If your application is otherwise strong, you should be fine. How did that mistake happen? Did you not know at the time, or was it a typo? Not knowing the difference could, in the eyes of some, suggest poor knowledge of the PA profession, while a typo could be perceived as a lack of attention to detail or carelessness. Neither is flattering on an application of this importance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primadonna22274 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 It's quite a gaffe but not necessarily the kiss of death. I always found the dreaded apostrophe-s when reviewing personal statements and circled it...if it showed up once but the rest of the app was great, forgivable, but if throughout the statement, along with many other errors of assumption/omission/commission could be worse...and if the rest of the app was subpar it made it much easier to reject. OP, if you get an interview, be sure NOT to use the possessive 's! Read up on PA history. Demonstrate that you know what you are getting into. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkwee Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 As others have said, it really depends on the person reading. It doesn't help much, but we all vary in our sensitivity to the name of the profession. For example, I myself am irritated when my friends say "PA? You mean Physician's Assistant right?" In fact I think I go overboard with it. However, I work in an ER where our PA there calls himself a "Physician's Assistant". For some reason he says it very slowly and clearly to a patient who needed suturing. When I heard that "s" after Physician, I cringed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sartort Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I agree that it's a sensitivity issue and depends on who is reading it. I think the sensitivity has more to do with the misunderstanding by so many of the profession itself, not really in the way it's written. Just today someone asked me if I was planning to become an RN after PA school. Ummm....no! I'm starting to agree with the people who want to change the name. But about your specific issue...If I had done that, I would probably start sending apps to non-CASPA schools so I'd have a clean slate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hubbardtim48 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Where did you get this information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzpa Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Just today someone asked me if I was planning to become an RN after PA school. Wow. :=-0: The ignorance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Probably depends on how well you show in your personal statement that you know the profession. Word always corrects it to "physician's" anyway. The admissions people are probably aware of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balsam88 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I have a similar situation, however it was in one of my letters of reference. One of my references typed it as "physician's assistant". I've been worried about it, but I thought it's not really my fault, so why would that affect me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I have a similar situation, however it was in one of my letters of reference. One of my references typed it as "physician's assistant". I've been worried about it, but I thought it's not really my fault, so why would that affect me? That shouldn't affect you at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.