AF Enlisted Commissioning Program: P.A. Help?

[Joan]

I was a civilian nurse before I came into the Air Force but I feel like I could be doing much more. I have been looking into the P.A Commissioning program. I was wondering just how competitive the program is. Also, I would like any advice, tips, ect... that can hasten the process of applying for this program.

[mercedes214]

Joan,

I don't know too much about the Air Force side of applying to the PA program, but I think the military PA school accepts all services so the requirements should be the same or similar. I'm in the Army and have gone through this process before and the things you should have prepared are: 1.) prerequisite courses- since you were a nurse, you might have these completed but I would find out what the prereqs are and make sure you have them completed, most likely the school will accept those done within the past 10 yrs or else you'll have to retake them. These prereqs are usually Chem I and II (with labs), Bio I and II (with labs), Math, Social Sciences, Psychology, Anatomy & Physiology, and English. 2.) SAT- it sucks, I know, but if the scores are more than 5 yrs old, you have to retake them. 3.) since you're enlisted, you need to take the ASVAB (military aptitude test) or the AF version of it 4.) recommendation letters- preferably from a PA or MD. If you don't know any, find a PA in your unit and get chummy with him or her. Ask questions, let them know that you are interested in becoming a PA and would like some advice. They might even tell you how they became a PA. Even better, see if you can shadow them or shadow a civilian PA. Either way, this will help you in getting a good recomm letter from them because they will have interacted with you and seen what kind of person you are. Also find out who else you want to write your recomm letters, could be your commander or immediate supervisor. You want to tag them early on so they can prepare themselves to write you a good letter. You need a minimum of 3 letters. 5.) transcripts - have those ready to be sent out because requesting them from the schools takes time.

 

I hope this helps, Joan. I know I'm leaving a lot out but your Education officer should be able to help you get the information you need or at least put you in the right direction. This list are the things I felt were the most time consuming when I applied so I suggest you start with those tasks. Again, if you can get all the info you need from an AF healthcare recruiter or your Education office, you'll be better prepared to facilitate what needs to be done for your application. I'm sure there's a bunch of age limits and time in service reqs, etc so all that stuff you need to inquire about in case you need to get a waiver.

When I applied, I was already commissioned but I was also deployed, so that made it tougher to get the things I needed. I ended up bein put on the alternate list which was back in '06. There was just so many that applied from all the services and they only have so many seats. I'm sure it is still pretty competitive for the military school as well as civilian schools. The last I heard, the Univ of Nebraska PA program was in the top 15 of PA programs. I ended up getting out of active duty and goin into the ARNG, and applying to civilian PA programs and got accepted that way.

Just focus on your assests, you've been a nurse so you definitely have the experience, and if your GPA is 2.5 or above, ur set there. Just complete all the other reqs and send your application in on time, and you will set yourself up for success. I apologize if this is long. Good luck!

 

 

http://www.airforce.com/pdf/219_physician_assistant.pdf - This is just a link I found, may be helpful for you.

[mercedes214]

Btw, Univ of Nebraska is where all the uniformed services go for PA school, in case you were wondering.

[3GeronimoPA]

We all abide by the University of Nebraska Medical Center's curriculum for PA school but it is ran out of Ft. Sam Houston, Tx. IPAP is "technically" considered a different program though our degrees are granted by UofN through a contract which I am sure they military pays heavily for. We score much better than Nebraska on the PANCE. They were 35th and we were tied for 11th in the nation. They don't let us compete for graduation honors with them either. It's for the best. We push out 210+ PAs per year at IPAP and I'm sure they are probably doing classes of 30-40. I'm sure taxpayer dollars make their facilities nice though :D.

[Joan]

I have been working with the CPR/ SABC Instructors for the base, and I used to work for several doctors through out my civilian career; I'm sure I can get connections through them. I have a good contact with a retired colonel who sets up events for the president when he enters the state. Now I just need to work on my Algebra =( Also.... The AFOQT. I googled it and found all the free help possible. Any books/ flash cards you would recommend? I have a while before I can even apply for the program since I cant apply until my rank up. I might as well become so familiar with the AFOQT that I know it in my sleep.

[mercedes214]

I don't know the best books or flash cards to use to study for that, it's been years since I took mine but I know bookstores sell ASVAB review books. There may be one for the AFOQT. Try amazon.com too. Talk to a recruiter, he/she might be able to give you some pointers on what to study.