mistercire Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Does anyone know how they determine who will attend each selection conference? Is it my last name, submission date, CASPA ID? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgbloke Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Thanks for the information Ric. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noekae Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 To answer a couple of questions, to the best of my knowledge. The only thing mentioned about next round of interviews - they would continue through next month. I know it's vague, sorry. During the process last year I called when I wasn't selected for the first round and I was told they had picked the top 25 for that round. I don't know how many were picked this year for the first round but I'm sure not all will be accepted. The only thing MEDEX has to go on for picking who they interview is the packets submitted. Just because you look good on paper does not mean you'll fit in or impress the interviewers. The whole process, for the applicants, seems long (it is) and painful (it is that too :O_O:), but bear (never sure if this the correct spelling for the work I want to use) in mind MEDEX's process is tried and true over many, many years. Sorry about the long sentence with all the ()s. Hope this helps, Ric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgbloke Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Certainly puts things into perspective. I had this idea that they did quite a few more interviews than that and selected the best qualified based on that. Really adds weight to your application then if that is the case. Still hopeful but good info for next year or other schools I apply to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 , but bear (never sure if this the correct spelling for th e work I want to use) in mind MEDEX's process is tried and true over many, many years. Sorry about the long sentence with all the ()s. Hope this helps, Ric I think you can "bare the truth" as exposing it's true self, or you can "bear" the truth as in tolerating the impact. In my mind "bare" is a state ir condition that you leave something in (bare naked) bear is a verb, but yeah, I never know which is which for sure either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 All, I agree with what Ric said. They select the top applicants on paper for the initial interview. If they do not fill a class from the initial interview then they have the ability to invite more applicants for additional interviews. Last year I interviewed in the first round for Yakima and was obviously not selected. The second round group to interview seemed to yield +50% of the accepted class. (or maybe those folks were just represented on PAforum more heavily) December 3rd last year in Yakima there were 36 applicants. A week later, 9 had posted or through emails acknowledged they had been accepted. The current class has 27 so that means either 2/3 of the accepted class didn't share their acceptance or a large portion of the second round folks were accepted. Hope should not be lost. I work with a tremendous group of PAs and what makes them great is the variety of personality they offer. MEDEX has a tried and true way of selecting their classes, maybe the "top" applicants on paper will all be too similar making for a mundane class dynamic. Maybe I am reaching out of denial, but regardless I still have hope to interview and join MEDEX Tacoma Class 1. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistercire Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks you Ric and Travis for your input as reapplicants, it's very helpful and a little reassuring. In any event, the wait and unknown time line is discouraging. I'm curious how many applicants for the BCHS they had this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Those numbers won't be out until information sessions start in early Spring. You can project that each year there are more applicants then the previous year. Just remember that all of this is part of the process. Not all of it is sunshine and butterflies, but all of it is part of the bigger goal. ("Sunshine and Butterflies" a direct quote Honey Boo-Boo) Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 What at all is Medex's definition of a top applicant? One with an extremely high HCE or the other with an extremely high GPA. I hardly believe it is the GPA. I am of the view that most accepted students to the Tacoma campus would be those with military experience. Let's face the fact this campus was federally funded to recruit more vets. Maybe Yakima would have been the smartest option! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noekae Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I think you can "bare the truth" as exposing it's true self, or you can "bear" the truth as in tolerating the impact. In my mind "bare" is a state ir condition that you leave something in (bare naked) bear is a verb, but yeah, I never know which is which for sure either. Thanks Just Steve, from your reply I'm not sure which way to go, just kidding. :O_O: Ric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 What at all is Medex's definition of a top applicant? One with an extremely high HCE or the other with an extremely high GPA. I hardly believe it is the GPA. I am of the view that most accepted students to the Tacoma campus would be those with military experience. Let's face the fact this campus was federally funded to recruit more vets. Maybe Yakima would have been the smartest option! I think from their mission statement and personally meeting folks that have interviewed and been accepted, the best applicants bring the full spectrum to the table not just one thing over another. The overall application process gives everyone the opportunity to highlight what makes them an ideal fit for the MEDEX mission. No amount of HCE or GPA will be the ultimate deciding factor for acceptance or an interview. MEDEX has the mission of training students who have significant HCE and a proven track-record to understand the sciences required to ultimately bringing quality healthcare to communities that are underrepresented. The best candidate is well-rounded. It was up to all of us as applicants to show how diversely-rounded we are and why we would be a great fit for their mission, site, and for the future of healthcare. Based on the reasoning and demand to open another MEDEX training site, I find it pertinent to remind where the PA professions roots began. Medics and Corpsmen coming back from Vietnam with a tremendous understanding of providing care, but without employment opportunities. Veterans today are faced with similar difficulties in regard to employment as many companies and organizations don't acknowledge the training received. The plus side this time around is our nation realizes the skills of medics and corpsmen and has put money into training them to become providers. Just as MEDEX did in its infancy, they are at the forefront welcoming Veterans with the opportunity to build upon a knowledge base that was most likely developed under the stress of knowing the skills you learn could one day safe your buddy's life. I agree with Bill and 100% agree that Tacoma will have a veteran preference, but I would think that would go into any applicants thinking when making that decision to choose a site between Yakima and Tacoma. MEDEX didn't open Tacoma so all applicants with military backgrounds would only apply there. It is just another avenue to increase opportunities for veterans. Ultimately the site selection should have something to do with previous HCE. I served in the US Army as a medic, but I currently work in a community health clinic in a city very similar to Tacoma. Was I hoping that my military experience and understanding of military hospitals be significant, of course. Once again we come back to the well-rounded applicant with a true desire to provide tomorrows healthcare in communities across the country that have lacked access to quality healthcare. The summation of HCE, GPA, volunteering, letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc are what the reviewing committee have access to. The waiting game can make us questions what we said or put forth, but bottom-line is we have to trust we put our best foot forward and they will see our outstanding achievements and desires to provide tomorrow's healthcare. Waiting is hard, but it is better than reading the "We appreciate your interest in our program, but" letter. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I think from their mission statement and personally meeting folks that have interviewed and been accepted, the best applicants bring the full spectrum to the table not just one thing over another. The overall application process gives everyone the opportunity to highlight what makes them an ideal fit for the MEDEX mission. No amount of HCE or GPA will be the ultimate deciding factor for acceptance or an interview. MEDEX has the mission of training students who have significant HCE and a proven track-record to understand the sciences required to ultimately bringing quality healthcare to communities that are underrepresented. The best candidate is well-rounded. It was up to all of us as applicants to show how diversely-rounded we are and why we would be a great fit for their mission, site, and for the future of healthcare. Based on the reasoning and demand to open another MEDEX training site, I find it pertinent to remind where the PA professions roots began. Medics and Corpsmen coming back from Vietnam with a tremendous understanding of providing care, but without employment opportunities. Veterans today are faced with similar difficulties in regard to employment as many companies and organizations don't acknowledge the training received. The plus side this time around is our nation realizes the skills of medics and corpsmen and has put money into training them to become providers. Just as MEDEX did in its infancy, they are at the forefront welcoming Veterans with the opportunity to build upon a knowledge base that was most likely developed under the stress of knowing the skills you learn could one day safe your buddy's life. I agree with Bill and 100% agree that Tacoma will have a veteran preference, but I would think that would go into any applicants thinking when making that decision to choose a site between Yakima and Tacoma. MEDEX didn't open Tacoma so all applicants with military backgrounds would only apply there. It is just another avenue to increase opportunities for veterans. Ultimately the site selection should have something to do with previous HCE. I served in the US Army as a medic, but I currently work in a community health clinic in a city very similar to Tacoma. Was I hoping that my military experience and understanding of military hospitals be significant, of course. Once again we come back to the well-rounded applicant with a true desire to provide tomorrows healthcare in communities across the country that have lacked access to quality healthcare. The summation of HCE, GPA, volunteering, letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc are what the reviewing committee have access to. The waiting game can make us questions what we said or put forth, but bottom-line is we have to trust we put our best foot forward and they will see our outstanding achievements and desires to provide tomorrow's healthcare. Waiting is hard, but it is better than reading the "We appreciate your interest in our program, but" letter. Travis Well explained Travis. Your insight in the Medex program and experience as Vet tells me you stand a better chance of getting an invite when the second round interviews are made if there is truly one. I still believe in my quality but only an approval from the ADCOM will confirm that. All hope is not lost yet till the final invites are made. Good luck to everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Travis couldn't have put it any better. We both interviewed at Yakima last year & are re-applicants this year. As he stated, it's about the whole picture. Don't assume that because you have decades of HCE that you can get away with the bare minimum of pre-req's, or with sub par GPA, etc. They look at it all. But, they also love re-applicants, so if for some reason you don't get in, look at everything they like to see in an applicant & see if there are any areas for improvement that you can work on for the following year. Could you take a few more medically related science classes? Can you shadow a PA? Can you get more HCE? Can you do more volunteer work within your community that demonstrates your desire to help people? Do your LOR's come from people they want to see them from, & are they saying the right things about you? How were your essays/statements? Did they demonstrate that you can write as a professional & express your thoughts in in a clear & concise manner, while displaying your passion & knowledge of the PA profession, while telling the reader who you are? There is so much to cover that it would be hard not to be able to work on something to better improve your app if need be. And, as MEDEX has stated they try to put a diverse class together that compliments each other so they learn more working as a group. This may mean that you could be a excellent applicant with 20 plus years working as a paramedic, but on the day you interviewed, you were in a room with 40 other paramedics with over 20 years of experience & one RN with over 20 years of experience as a surgical nurse. In that scenario, all things being otherwise equal, the RN has the edge, as the experience gained in the OR will help the rest of the class who has not had that experience. So, you can see that it is not always a fault in the applicant, but just a result of chance, fate, circumstances, or whatever else you want to call it. The point is, if it's what you want, keep improving to make yourself more appealing next time, & if you keep at it, you will get in somewhere, & you will become a PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asterlington Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I think that you are all terrific and I can't imagine how or why they might choose one qualified applicant over the other but I trust the process and I do believe that timing is EVERYTHING, when the time is right the time is right! Each one of us has something special and unique to offer and each one of us will have the opportunity at the right place and the right time to shine!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 MEDEX already has @ 30% Veteran admission population, which is well above the federal requirement for the monies that were offered forward. Tacoma is as much about getting as many Bachelor eligible students through than anything else. They always have been, and I bet will continue to be, kind to Uncle Sam's offspring but there are more seats at the MEDEX table and the Matriarch LOVES diversity. So much so that students will take the Myers Briggs personality test and spend an afternoon discussing the various personalities and everyone can learn something from someone, but we have different learning styles. So I know that it is too easy to sit on this side of the fence and say "relax, be patient". But the more I see people getting spun tighter and tighter the more I am reminded of the guy that gets too nervous/desperate around cute chicks. (Because I am that guy). They can smell desperation and that stench can overwhelm the smell of confidence. They are both intermingled with nervousness but each is potent on opposite sides of the spectrum. Consider taking a break from this part of the forum. Leave your phone at home, they will leavea message. Go sign up for winter termat your local school, keep working towards your Bachelors. I took winter and spring courses even after I got accepted but before PA school started. Keep yourself busy. Adopt the philosophy that MEDEX is one choice...not the only choice. Keep improving your scholastic résumé so you can have more choices. Most schools out there love your HCE, I bet you have the GPA...As a bachelor option student, I am betting you didn't apply to other schools because you don't have enough credits. Fix that problem. You can control that aspect of your journey. You can't control this selection process so stop driving yourself insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noekae Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Thanks Just Steve. Ric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I appreciate the added input and perspective from Steve as he has made it to the clinical year at MEDEX. For those of you that yield his advice and stay off this page of the forum, I hope that technique works. I however will continue to post and enjoy reading the posts from folks that aren't concerned about letting out nervous pheromones in a mutually understanding environment. I think that in an age of social-media where most of our news comes via our cellphones or computer, it is important to continue sharing via this platform. This site exists for PAs, PA students, and pre-PA students to share information. For instance, if Pre-PA students hadn't posted anything about being invited to interview we would all still be in the dark as to where MEDEX was with reviewing applications. If applicants from other sites hadn't posted about getting together the night before interviews all applicants would have went into the interview without the added relief of meeting the folks they interview with. Last year I was able to go to dinner with Steve and other applicants because of posts from this site. Steve was actually the one that expressed interest in meeting with applicants the night prior. He was encouraging and even gave another applicant and I a ride to the restaurant. Knowledge is power and in this situation I am glad to know that applicants for Tacoma have been invited to interview. I hope that our communal posts have not been negative and, if anything, offered encouragement through this process. I re-read through the last 30+ posts and noticed more shared excitement than doubt or regret. Keep the posts coming as it is nice to know we are not in this alone. I'm not sure the assumption that interested applicants in MEDEX chose MEDEX as an only chance type of program. MEDEX has a long notorious history of being a top-notch program and that might excite applicants even if they have other options. It seem inappropriate to assume that applicants to the BCHS programs haven't already obtained bachelor or higher degrees. Maybe MEDEX BCHS sites are geographically more appealing? Maybe an applicant has a budget and rather than spending $200.00 on the GRE he/she wanted to pay for the CASPA application? The end-state regardless of degree option should be obtaining PA-C and providing exceptional care. v/r Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Another week has passed, which means we are only getting closer :=D:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I wonder if any invites will go out next week, or if we won't hear anything until January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistercire Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 I'm thinking January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Yeah, I don't think anyone else will be contacted until they do the first interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindas0624 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Hi everyone! I got an invite to interview for the Tacoma class on January 8th. I am looking forward to seeing you guys there and I am too nervous. It almost seems like a dream. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerlily Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Congrats lindas, I look forward to seeing you there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugmeyet Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Congrats lindas, that is very exciting news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asterlington Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Cogratulations lindas I look forward to meeting you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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