How to get into PA school
PA school is more competitive than ever. The AAPA says that
Most PA students have earned a bachelor’s degree and have about three years of health care experience before entering a PA program.
http://aapa.org/the_pa_profession/what_is_a_pa.aspx
Letters of Recommendation
Get really good letters of recommendation!!! If there are no doctors/PAs who know you well enough, meet some!!! This is huge.
Shadowing
You shouldn't think of applying without having shadowed PAs. If you are looking at a specialty, try to shadow those specialties specifically. Get to know some PAs and try to get at least one letter of recommendation from a PA that knows you well.
GPA
A good GPA will get you an interview, a poor GPA will keep you from getting to the door. However, from what I've heard, GPA is mostly used to filter out the bottom. Once you've passed the first threshold, GPA isn't as important as who you are as a package. That said, keeping your GPA high is critical - If you can't pass that first filter, there's no one to cry to about why you are an exception! I've heard differing theories about course load. Some say to keep your science course load low in order to keep your grades high. Others say that the way CASPA breaks down your performance shows the school how heavy your course load was and the prospective school wants to see that you can handle a big course load. Remember that PA school will be like taking an undergraduate course load of 20-21 hours per semester of all science! Be ready for that!
GRE
Doing really well on the GRE can help if your GPA isn't what you were hoping it would be.
Volunteer
I've read that this is a question asked often in interviews. Look at school clubs, non-profits, governmental organizations, and charity events. Try to get some leadership roles in a club or organization and ideally they will be related to medicine. Is there a pre-med or pre-PA club at your school? If not, consider starting one!
Healthcare experience
Though some schools are not putting as much emphasis on the exact number of hours of healthcare experience as in the past, this is still important. Find a part-time job at a local hospital or nursing home. Also, don’t overlook psychiatric, long-term care and rehabilitation facilities. If you already have some healthcare experience, consider getting a job in another aspect of medicine. This will help you to look well-rounded to the school, as well as be beneficial later in your career.
this was not my text
Transporter
CNA
EMT
MA
LPN
what else?
Foreign language knowledge (especially Spanish)
http://www.ecela.com/services_medical.php
CASPA
- Get Ref letters first! It takes longest:
- - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOhFs5iCvnU&feature=related
REALLY brag about yourself in your personal essay on CASPA. Being humble is not in your best interest....