The Application Process for Physician Assistant Programs. Presented by: Brian Sowka

Transcription

1 The Application Process for Physician Assistant Programs Presented by: Brian Sowka 1

2 Some important notes before we begin The application process is a very long and painstaking process. It could be equated to taking a 3 credit course during your semester. Be prepared to do a lot of work. This is by no means a complete presentation of every thing you will need to know, rather an overview. Schools = Physician Assistant Programs Getting into PA School has many similarities and differences to medical schools and is just as, if not more competitive. Why? Class sizes. Creation of the physician assistant. 1960s. Charles Hudson. First class was all Navy Corpsmen. 2

3 Some important notes before we begin I urge you to read An Applicants Guide to Physician Assistant School and Practice by Erin Sherer, PA-C. A lot of points in this presentation are made off of her excellent book. Her second edition is from 2012, very recent. 3

4 PA Programs Currently there are 156 physician programs in the United States (all accredited). List of all PA programs available at Do your research and look at schools you are interested in. Some things to think about: Program reputation. Location. Cost. Type of Degree offered. Program Curriculum. Acceptance rates. Pre-requisite requirements. Drop out rates. Housing options. Types of rotations offered. Travel requirements. Opportunities you want (study abroad). PANCE Pass Rate (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam). 4

5 What are PA Schools Looking For? The average PA student Average age is 25.2 years old. 71% are female. 50% hold a degree in biology. 79% had worked in healthcare before applying (part-time or full-time work). 27% of students had less than one year of healthcare work experience before applying. Average accepted students undergrad GPA is 3.5. Average debt incurred from student loans during PA program is $55,321. Data from 5

6 What are PA Schools Looking For? Make a strong first impression! Every school evaluates applicants slightly differently (assign point values to criteria). Below are listed main criteria schools will look at first: Overall GPA Science GPA Non-Science GPA GRE score Healthcare experience Letters of recommendation 6

7 CASPA General Information The big online application service (for PA schools). Opens in mid-april for the start of the application cycle. Application can be submitted any time after that. After submission application can take between 1-4 weeks to verify by CASPA. Cost is $135 for 1 st school, $45 for each school after (if selecting schools before September). If you want to begin a PA program right after college you must apply in your junior year. The application process lasts a year (closes in mid-march). Does not carry over year to year. CASPA Policies and Procedures Manual PDF 7

8 Things to do Before Opening CASPA 1. Read through all of CASPA s policies, instructions, and frequently asked questions. 2. Research your schools to determine what types of references they require and line up references and their contact information. 3. Request official copies of transcripts to be sent to you to help you in filling out the coursework portion of the CASPA application (these can NOT be the same ones later sent to CASPA). 4. Compose your narrative. CASPA has a character limit of 5,000 characters, including spaces, line breaks, etc. Notepad s character count seems to be more reflective of CASPA s than the system employed by Microsoft Word. 5. Research your school s deadlines and what is required for each deadline a submitted, completed, or verified application as this can greatly affect your timeline for submitting documents and completing your application. 6. Determine PA programs requirements regarding standardized tests, supplemental applications, foreign evaluations, etc. 8

9 CASPA 9

10 Materials under a different name? CASPA Applicant Information Preferred Mailing Address Address and phone numbers. Permanent Address Contact Information 10

11 CASPA Applicant Information Personal Data Demographic Information Citizen Status State and County Residency Gender Date of Birth Place of Birth High School Certification Highest Degree Earned to Date Professional Degrees Ethnicity, Race and Background Race Economic Status Geographic area of birth (urban, rural, etc). 11

12 CASPA Additional Information Additional Ever attended a PA program? Academic misconduct? Misdemeanor or felony? Revocation of certification, registrations, licenses? Military experience? Authorization for release of information to pre-professional health advisors? How did you hear about PA profession? Most influential factor in bringing you to PA profession? 12

13 CASPA Additional Information Health Related Training Where you enter health care work experience and/or training. Required Categories: Type Agency/School/Sponsor Attendance Date From Attendance Date To Did you Receive a Certificate Examples: Certified Nursing Assistant Technician Phlebotomist Health Care Experience is required and highly recommended by most schools. 13

14 CASPA Additional Information Health Related Training Tips Traditionally PA programs were designed for people who had experience in healthcare (nurses, medics, etc.) and wanted to advance their careers. Type of work is important, must be healthcare related with patient contact. Note: Shadowing is NOT considered patient contact (Still something you should do). Should have a commitment to this job or experience. PA schools will usually have a class profile on their website saying how much experience or hours successful applicants have. You will need to research schools to see how many hours their classes have. Can be between a few hundred to thousands or 14 full time years of experience.

15 CASPA Additional Information Narrative 5,000 character text box to write in your motivation for wanting to become a PA. Take this statement seriously (this is the only way the school can get a feel of who you are before the interview). Again have several different people review and proof read your statement LRC is a great resource! Mike Pagel (Assistant # ) Set yourself apart from everyone else and make the statement interesting to read (Admissions committees will be reading thousands of these). This will take a lot of time to write, I would start early on it when you have a lot of free time. How to write it? The Want The Why The Can The How 15

16 CASPA Additional Information Narrative Tips The Personal Statement on the AMCAS application: TAKE THIS WITH YOU FOR EDITORS! PA School Admissions Committee members are looking for the following in the essay The ultimate goal THE READER REMEMBERS YOUR ESSAY! Great writing skills demonstrate a professional attention to detail and thoughtfulness. PAY ATTENTION TO GRAMMAR AND SPELLING! Have several people (writing lab, advisor, others) read the essay for correctness and interest. Personalize the essay and give it life(!!) beginning with a STRONG INTRO. You have only a couple sentences to pull in the reader. Tell a story. Do not make a laundry list of your activities; that is the job of the resume! Think of an experience you have actually had that shook you up and made it clear you wanted to be a doctor, whether or not you thought of it before. Overused lines: I have always wanted to be a PA since I was a kid. I was in a car accident and was fascinated by all the doctors that patched me up. The human body really interests me. Your story should show your sincerity, maturity, empathy, compassion and motivation toward Medicine You could enter any number of clinical fields. Why are you choosing Medicine? As a vocation or as a Job? What are your personal strengths that qualify you for Medicine? (See Six Competencies above.) How do these traits make you unique and how will these help you be a great PA? Don t sell yourself short end with a STRONG Conclusion. 16

17 CASPA Additional Information Work and Volunteer Experience Enter Work and Volunteer Experience Under the Following Categories: Patient Care Experience Experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient s care; for example: prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, working on patients as an active EMT, etc. Other Health Care Experience You are working in the health or a health-related field but are not directly responsible for a patient s care; for example, filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patient rooms, working as candy-striper or hospital volunteer, etc. Health Care Shadowing Time spent officially following and observing a health care professional at work. 17

18 CASPA Additional Information Work and Volunteer Experience Research Research projects done in addition to classroom work; research should NOT appear as credit on a school transcript. Community Service Volunteer work done outside of the health care field; for example, working for Habitat for Humanity, tutoring children, participating in or working for a fundraiser walk or blood drive, etc. Other Work Experience Paid work done outside of the health care field; for example: a retail or restaurant job Awards, Honors, and Leadership Relevant awards earned or leadership positions held as a college student or post-college. High school honors should not 18 be included.

19 CASPA Additional Information Work and Volunteer Experience The Format of Entering Information for Work and Volunteer Experience: Position Title: Employer: City: State: Supervisor: Start Date: Month, Year End Date: Month, Year Frequency: Part time, full time, seasonal, varied hours If you enter Seasonal or Varied Hours a text box will appear which requires explanation (250 characters). Average hours per week: Hours accrued at the time of application: Still current: Presently working? Were you paid: Employer telephone: Duties: 660 character text box in which you outline what you did specifically in that job. Best format to use is resume like or bulleted list. Superfluous statements should be removed, be concise and to the point. 19

20 CASPA Additional Information Work and Volunteer Experience Most importantly schools want to see something you are passionate about. This can be any activity, but it should be something you took the initiative on, something you created, or expanded upon. This will show your passion in that area. Simply being a passive member in an organization will not get you anywhere. It s also important to have a hobby or activity outside of school and work. You will be asked about this at an interview. They want to know if you have a life, compassion, empathy (that you re human). None of these activities have to be medical. It s best not to go into activities with the intention of looking good on a resume. Do something you enjoy. However, in spite of all this you will need a job in health care to accrue experience to be a good applicant. 20

21 CASPA Academic History Tests Several, but not all PA Schools require applicants to take the General GRE (Graduate Record Examination). Research schools to see what scores most applicants achieve. Recommendation for competitive PA program applicants is to achieve scores in the 70 th percentile. Verbal Reasoning: 156 Quantitative Reasoning: 157 On CASPA you can self report scores and percentiles of GRE. However, most PA programs will require you to send scores to their school. Schools will have a GRE code you send scores to. Register early for the GRE. Seats fill up fast! Analytical Writing: >4.0 21

22 CASPA Academic History GRE Tips Test format: Computer based Analytical Writing: Analyze an Issue 30 minutes Analyze an Argument 30 minutes Verbal Reasoning 20 questions per section Two sections, 30 minutes each Quantitative Reasoning 20 questions per section Two sections, 30 minutes each Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, data analysis Can use an on screen calculator Total test time is 3 hours, 45 minutes It has been found to achieve a competitive or desirable score on the GRE test takers have put in around 100 hours of study time. From computer based test you will be able to view your GRE Verbal and Quantitative scores right after the test. Writing scores will take two weeks to process. Paper test will take 4 to 6 weeks to score. Cost for General GRE is $

23 Where you enter every college you ve attended or earned college credit for. Format College Attendance Date From Attendance Date To Degree Degree Status (Degree earned already or planned) Date of Degree Major of Degree CASPA Academic History Institutions Attended Second Major or Minor of Degree 23

24 CASPA Academic History Completed Academic Coursework Enter in all of your college coursework for each institution attended. First select: College Academic Status (Freshman, Sophomore, etc.) Term Term Type Year Session/Term Information Status (Completed/Planned or In Progress) Next Page: Course Title (exactly as appears on transcript, Organic Chemistry I) Course Prefix and number (CHEM 325) Grade (on transcript) CASPA Grade (inputs it for you) Numeric Value of CASPA Grade (inputs it for you) Credits Subject Type (Regular, Advanced Placement, Honors, Pass/Fail, etc.) 24

25 CASPA Academic History Completed Academic Coursework PA programs want well rounded individuals, but grades are still huge. Ask any Pre-PA Adviser on campus or PA School Admissions Committee and they will tell you: There are no substitutes for bad grades. The bottom of the competitive GPA range is 3.5 (for both science and cumulative). Science GPA carries more weight than the cumulative GPA. 25

26 CASPA Academic History Completed Academic Coursework Some Recommended Coursework for most PA programs Basic requirements for most programs: (with UWSP designations in parentheses). General Chemistry I & II (Chem 105 & 106 or 117) Organic Chemistry (Chem 220) Biochemistry (Chem 260) ***Please note Chem 260 and 220 are survey courses. Some PA programs specifically say in their requirements you cannot take survey courses for biochemistry or organic. ***Some PA programs also require 1 year of organic chemistry, not one semester (Chem 325 & 326). General Biology (Bio 160) Human Physiology (Bio 385) Human Anatomy (Bio 387) Microbiology (Bio 333/533) Additional Requirements Very important to look into (vary from school to school) Genetics (Bio 210) Medical Terminology (CLS 295) Developmental Psychology (Psyc 260) Statistics (Math 355) Abnormal Psychology (Psyc 351) Sociology (Soc 101) Be sure to look into math courses as well, some may require pre-calculus or calculus courses. 26

27 CASPA Reference Forms Letters of Recommendation from professors, physicians, PAs, etc. All CASPA letters must be submitted electronically, no paper letters mailed to CASPA will be accepted. Once you hit the save button on the References section it will send an electronic request to that persons . Be sure you ve discussed the request in person before with recommender. First ask the recommender if they are comfortable writing a strong or good letter for you. Information to Enter: Waive rights of access to reference Reference s Title Reference s First Name Reference s Middle Name or Initial Reference s Last Name Reference s Occupation Reference s Phone Number Reference s Address General List of Letters from: 3 total) PA, NP, MD/DO (some will require PA) Professor (preferably Science) Employer Other/Personal 27

28 CASPA Reference Forms - Tips Professors, physicians, and employers are busy people so ask at least 3 months in advance for a letter. Set up a little interview with your recommender so they can ask questions to better help write the letter. Before meeting with the recommender have these ready: Updated resume. List of schools you re applying to. A paper on what you may want specifically mentioned in the letter (see next slide) (One professor actually complimented me on how prepared I was compared to other students for requesting the letter). The more personal a letter the better. Don t ask for a letter from a professor who only knows you as a good grade in their class (that s all they can really write truthfully). We have a privilege at UWSP to have classes with smaller sizes and many professors who are very willing to see you and talk about what they teach (even if you are not struggling with it). This is something you can do starting your freshman year so professors can remember you personally and write a great recommendation for you. Ultimately the letters are confidential, it is up to the recommender if they will share what they wrote about you. 28

29 The Big Picture* Let s start with what Medical Schools think a good doctor should have at the end of their training. These are really what they are judging Med School applicants against can they accomplish the Six Competencies for a Successful Physician, as stated by the American Medical Board of Medical Specialties? Medical Knowledge competency Patient Care competency Interpersonal and Communication Skills competency Professionalism competency Practice-Based Learning and Improvement competency Systems Based Practice competency They only have your grades, MCAT scores, your Personal Statement, resume, letters of recommendation and an interview to see if you have the potential to reach these goals. Make sure they know from your Personal Statement, resume, letters and interview that you do! *I put this in for the medical school application presentation. I feel it is still relevant for PA applicants. This should be taken with you for recommenders to write about your competencies, if applicable. 29

30 CASPA My Programs Section in which you designate which PA programs you will apply to. Will appear as a list of all schools with check boxes you check off. After you double check your list you hit the submit button. If you apply to a school who s deadline has already passed CASPA does not even send the application there. After submission some programs will provide links to supplemental applications on their websites. Be sure to double check each program you are applying to check if they have a supplemental application. Most do! By clicking on Fee Schedule you can see how much it will cost to apply to differing numbers of programs: 1 = $175 5 = $ = $ = $ = $1,030 30

31 Secondary Applications After sending your primary application out through CASPA most PA programs will require that you submit a secondary application. Secondary application will: Be different for all schools. Be posted somewhere on the program s website (CASPA will have links to them) May or may not come with an additional fee. Deadline is different for every school (I recommend getting them done ASAP). Since they are usually posted online you can access them ahead of time, fill them out, and send them early. Also usually ask for CASPA information, Autobiographical information, prerequisites courses, GRE scores, professional history/background check. 31

32 Secondary Applications Secondary application will: Usually consists of essays regarding why you fit well with their school, vision, or mission. Again I recommend having others proofread/critique these essays. If you are applying to many schools there could end up being dozens of essays to write. Try not to get burnt out and remember that each essay is important! 32

33 Secondary Applications Other Essay Questions: (From UW Lacrosse PA Program) Describe the physician assistant s role as a member of the healthcare team. Provide a narrative in which you describe your future academic and professional goals. With the program's mission statement in mind, please include a rationale for your selection for admission by the program. Additionally, specifically state the reasons you have chosen to apply to this program. Describe a crisis/conflict situation in your life. How did you deal with it, and how has it affected you? What are your academic/career plans in the event you are NOT selected for admission to the PA Program? How have your past experiences prepared you to relate to an increasingly diverse patient population? 33

34 Interviews - General Info After your secondary application is reviewed and the PA program feels you are a qualified applicant they will invite you for an interview via (it may take several months to hear from them). Can be very short (half hour) to an all day event. What will the interview be like? This is the chance for PA school to see who you are in person, before meeting you all they have seen is your information, grades, GRE scores, etc. on paper. There could be a one on one interview, or interviewing with a few to several people on committee (varies from school to school). MMI vs. Traditional style. I recommend doing several practice interviews with different people with different set of questions. This will help you feel prepared and take away some of the stress of real interviews. You may be asked to answer for bad grades, your weaknesses on your application, or you may have a pleasant conversation. 34

35 Interviews Interview Day Before the Interview Research the program well. Examples: Class sizes, focus of training program, professors expertise, why you are a good fit for the class. Interview Day Usually start off with a welcome session where you can be introduced to faculty members. Followed by a tour of the school and classrooms. Interviewed by a few faculty members and sometimes by enrolled students. Some interviews may require you to do a quick writing test. 35

36 Interviews - Topics Topics to Know Before Interview: The role of the PA, differences between PA, NP, MD/DO. How PAs are reimbursed. Different PA practice settings. Why you want to be a PA. Why should the program choose you? How you will deal with stress of the program? What type of work you want to do as a PA? (surgery, primary care) Why are you interested in this specific program? How are you unique versus other interviewees? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your hobbies? Do you like working on your own or with others? What will you do if not accepted into PA school? What do you imagine PA school/practice will be like? Be up to date on the healthcare system and how it works. 36

37 Interviews The Questions Other Types of Questions: Scenario questions (14 year old pregnant girl patient, what do you do?) Its ok to say I don t know. But if you do this get the interviewers contact information and get them a response within a few days. Science based questions (describe a red blood cell or what is the importance of the Citric Acid Cycle?) Its best to give answers you know, even if it only a short or simple answer. And if you don t know do as I have said above. Ask questions of your own and take notes during the interview. Be confident and polite. Also be sure to smile and show your passion for wanting to be a PA. Wear a suit to the interview. As long as your dressing and acting professionally for interview, make sure your social media looks professional as well. 37

38 After the Interview Three Categories After an Interview Acceptance Many PA programs require a deposit to hold your spot in the class. Be sure to pay this on time! This is non refundable (if you hold seats in two programs) Technical Standards. Wait List Do not lose hope! May want to consider sending another letter to the program saying why you are a good fit for the program. Can still be accepted a few days before program begins. Rejection Revaluate. Focus on becoming a stronger applicant. 38

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