It’s that time of year again; the CASPA application opens at the end of this month! Last week was the annual North Carolina Health Professions Fair Week. We visited seven schools across the state, from Wilmington to Boone, and many places in between. One thing we heard from quite a few students was how helpful our school comparison spreadsheet is in their planning. Every PA program has slightly different requirements, as well as different costs, locations, and amenities. It’s hard to keep up!

The average age of first-year physician assistant (PA) students is 25-28 years old.   Does that mean that as an applicant in your 30s or older, you have somehow “aged out” of your path to being a PA?  Of course not!  

We talk a lot about considering each program’s mission statement, philosophies, and values when choosing where you want to submit applications. However, we have only touched on writing your personal mission statement to guide you as you apply to Physician Assistant (PA) programs. The new year, when you are already thinking about your goals, is a great time to put that idea into practice.

‘Tis the time of year for buying gifts. Whether you are shopping for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or just out of a vague need to participate in the holiday season, you might find yourself wondering what to give the PA student in your life. We asked our students to tell us what gifts they would like and what would have been great before matriculating into PA school.

We are taking a break this month from the more instructional blog posts to touch base with the foundation of the PA profession: Veterans.

One step along the path to PA school is to choose who you will ask to be a reference for your application. For some, this is one of the more daunting parts of the process, as you select the people you think will give you the most powerful recommendations and then actually ask them!

We ended our last blog post by saying you are interviewing schools almost as much as they are interviewing you.   What do we mean by that?  

You’ve submitted your CASPA. You’ve submitted your supplemental application. Now you wait. After the go, go, go it took to get to this point, waiting to hear about interviews can feel painfully slow. Once those invitations start rolling in, you will have a new goal: Acing your interviews.

CASPA is open, which means it’s time to put the pedal to the metal and start applying. Before you do, take a breath and make sure all your ducks are in a row to avoid making some common application mistakes.

One of the items on your Future PA checklist likely involves collecting patient care experience (PCE).    Most schools require some amount of PCE. Even for those that don’t have a requirement, having patient care experience can make your application more competitive. Getting PCE may be another box on your list, but those requirements are there for a reason. Having experience in medicine prepares you for the adventure ahead.