Physician Associate Program

Transcription

1 Physician Associate Program

2 Complete Application Requirements Application Credit Hours Prerequisites Grade Point Averages GRE/TOEFL Resume Personal Statement Letters of Recommendations Personal Interview

3 Application Deadline is OCTOBER 1 Applications will be available through CASPA on June 1 st It is the applicant s responsibility to ensure ALL application materials are submitted to CASPA by October 1 caspainfo@caspaonline.org A supplemental application must also be submitted to OUHSC office of admissions and records by October 1 Failure to have all materials submitted by October 1 st will result in an incomplete application. Incomplete applications are not considered for interviews. Apply early, allows time to submit missing or incomplete information

4 Application Check Application Status Applicants should check the CASPA Applicant Portal frequently to verify that references, personal statements, and transcripts have been received and verified All application materials received for the supplemental application will be posted on the admissions website

5 Admission Information Application Deadline OCTOBER 1

6 Prerequisites Non-Science English Composition I English Composition II US History Government Algebra (or higher) Psychology Psychology Elective (NOT sociology) English, History, Government are waived if Bachelor degree will have been awarded prior to the start date of PA courses

7 Prerequisites Science General Chemistry I General Chemistry II Physics Human Anatomy Physiology Microbiology Pathogenic Microbiology, Immunology, Genetics, or Virology One semester of Anatomy and one semester of Physiology OR two semesters of a combined anatomy and physiology course (A&P) There is no preference for one course over another for pathogenic microbiology, immunology, genetics, or virology

8 GRADE POINT AVERAGE & GRE SCORES GRADE POINT AVERAGES GRE SCORES GPA OLD GRE SCIENCE GPA NEW GRE LAST 60 HOURS GPA DEGREE INFORMATION number of students earning Associate s Degree 0 number of students earning Bachelor s Degree 45 number of students earning Master s Degree 5 number of students earning degree higher than Master s Degree 0 UPPER LEVEL SCIENCE Average number of upper-level science courses taken (or will be taking) beyond the prerequisite requirements 8 PREVIOUS APPLICANTS Accepted applicants that have previously applied to the program 17 of 50

9 GRE Scores Must be taken by the October 1 st deadline Will be turned in with the supplemental application to OUHSC Cannot be over 5 years old GRE is waived if the applicant has a Master s degree or higher

10 TOEFL TOEFL if needed Born outside the US Minimum Score of 100 Scores must be received by October 1 st deadline If a waiver is requested this must be done and approved by the October 1 st deadline TOEFL scores must be no older then 2 years

11 Resume NO standard resume format is required Focus on: Involvement in pre-pa organizations Work experience Volunteerism Leadership experience Involvement in professional clubs/organizations/sororities/fraternities Shadowing experiences (list PA, specialty and time spent with PA) List students that you have talked with and any PA classes you may have attended

12 Personal Statement One-page statement on why you want to be a PA Allows us to evaluate your writing style Gives the interviewers a chance to learn something about you prior to the interview Make sure friends and family proof-read

13 Letters of Recommendation What might be provided in a letter of recommendation Work ethic Character Skills and abilities

14 Letters of Recommendation Who should you get a recommendation letter from? PA s you have shadowed Health Profession Advisor (Pre-PA club advisor) Supervisor

15 Letters of Recommendation Do not recommend from: Family member Your family doctor Professor PA s you have shadowed for short amount of time

16 Personal Interview Occurs in early January Allows us to get to know you personally, not just what is on paper We are mostly interested in what kind of person you are and how you would fit into our program Recommendations: Make eye contact, smile, relax! Be honest and forthright with your answers Know why you want to be a PA rather than any other profession Ask questions of the interviewers

17 Personal Interview Know what a PA is and does Why do you want to be a PA instead of an MD? What are your plans if you don t get accepted this year? Be prepared to talk about your personal statement

18 Personal Interview Practice interview skills with an advisor/professor/boss Research our program and the PA profession prior to interview Visit our Talk to PAs and PA students Visit the AAPA and SAAAPA websites ( and Outside resources OAPA NCCPA OMLB ARC-PA PAEA Be knowledgeable of current events and medical issues Bring copy of latest transcript with you to the interview (official and unofficial)

19 Poor Grades Fix the Problem Last 60 Hours are Important Good indicator of your current academic status Science Hours are Important It is recommended to take a higher level course in the same field when science course grade is poor Pursue a Master s degree and make A s

20 Healthcare Experience A certain number of healthcare experience hours is not required We understand that it can be hard to get healthcare experience It is more important to find out the role of PAs in various settings Volunteering is encouraged Helping others is the foundation of medicine Shows compassion and empathy towards others

21 Shadowing PA s A certain number of shadowing hours is not required Recommend shadowing PA s from the following: Primary Care Emergency Medicine Specialty (dermatology, pediatrics etc.)

22 Student Interactions Come to class with our students Gives insight to what your life will be like if you are accepted into this program Focus on learning: Blood and guts of the program Emotional demands of PA student life Effects on personal time and family life

23 Recommendations if not Selected Prepare for possibility of not being selected Enroll in spring courses Don t get discouraged Many students are not accepted on their first application Applying a second time shows determination and commitment Make improvements to your application from the previous year and be ready to discuss those improvements

24 Recommendations if not Selected General recommendations Get degree, if not done already Gain more shadowing experience Take upper level science courses or graduate courses Healthcare experience Volunteering

25 Outlook on PA Profession PA profession is one of the fastest growing and highly regarded professions in the country and is critical to the future of cost-effective, quality healthcare delivery in the U.S. Demand for physician assistants has skyrocketed more than 300 percent in the last three years Ranked one of the 30 fastest growing occupations PA jobs are expected to increase 38% by 2022

26 PA profession ranks high in today s economy Forbes.com ranked physician assistant first in its list of best masters degrees for jobs CNNMoney.com ranked PA as number two on its best jobs in America list U.S. News & World Report ranked the PA profession as one of the 50 best careers of 2011 Kiplinger's named PA as one of its great careers for your future The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that PA will be the second fastest growing health occupation between 2008 and 2018

27 Employment and Salary There is a need for PAs in Oklahoma PA Program keeps a job list that is available free-of-charge to PAs and PA students Many students have job contracts prior to graduation Average starting salary for new graduates ~ $90,000 With experience (and depending on specialty area) many PA salaries exceed ~$100,000 annually

28 More Information PA Program Class and Students Pre-PA Advisement Sessions Prerequisites and Course Transfer Information Office of Admissions /Home.aspx Online CASPA Application Online Supplemental Application

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