2 answers
Dana
Student
Santa Barbara, California
1
Question
Asked
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How to prepare for Physician Assistant (PA) school?
I'm a 2nd year college student and recently decided to pursue a PA path.
how can I prepare for applications?
- extracurriculars
- programs
- shadowing
- volunteer opportunities
I was especially worried about all the direct patient experience I need since I don't know where to start and every opportunity seems to need an additional certificate
Thank you in advance!
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2 answers
Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1750
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Dana !
Thank you so much for this wonderful question. It is great that you are in your sophomore year in undergrad college and it's never too early to think about volunteer work and other experiences that can be on your PA Program application in the future. All that you've mentioned except shadowing will be worthwhile (shadowing is if you're not sure you want to be a PA but you definitely sound ready to be one).
I can definitely give you first hand insight about your exams and finals that deal with doing hands on work with patients. I can tell you exactly what to expect and it is absolutely nothing to worry about. Well, each college has their own routine and guidelines, but you will be working with live patients in a simulated scenario in an examining room always with a professor present and it will be video taped. The patient (who are actors or non-actors) is called a Standardized Patient. As an actor, I played the patient for students at Marist College, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine as well as Boston University. I loved every minute of it and working with the students was an outstanding experience I will always treasure.
Prior to your exam - the first exam might be towards the end of your first year in the PA Program - you will receive the script which is just a scenario of the patient and their history, and the x-rays, MRIs or other test results for which the patient had. You knock on the door and the patient says "come in" . The first thing you do is greet the patient ("Hi, I am student Physician Assistant Dana") and go to the sink and wash your hands and chit chat with the patient who sometimes is in pain and sometimes not depending on the script. You ask why the patient has come in and the patient gives you a brief explanation of their problem. This is when you start taking the patient's history and you ask so many questions, however you will definitely be prepared for this during your classroom instruction. The patient is wearing shorts and for women a bra and a hospital gown. Men wear shorts and a hospital gown. You will not even be conscious of the professor being there. The professor is taking notes on your performance and other Standardized Patients are watching it on video evaluating the Standardized Patient. That's how they did it where I worked.
At some point you begin the actual physical exam. You will know exactly what to do. Usually they check pulmonary and cardiac using a stethoscope and do eye movement tests and thump the abdomen area and also some simple neurological sensation testing on the arms or legs with a cotton swab to see if the patient can feel hard or soft touch. You will never do anything really invasive although they do have these for gynecology and the students literally do an exam on the Standardize Patient. After the exam, you study the symptoms spoken of and everything and you return to the patient with the diagnosis and care plan. It's really a wonderful experience that I think you will gain confidence with. After you are done, the Standardized Patient evaluates your performance either verbally or electronically on a lap top or sometimes both. Keep in mind that all schools have different ways of doing this and we had to do it remotely over Zoom at one point so it can be done that way, too but lacks the student patient contact. So actually, it is a fun way of getting hands on experience. There is a bit of stress for the student but you would be surprised, the majority of students were always so assured and had a great bedside manner. You will have that too.
Try not to get ahead of yourself with it, though. It's an awesome program and the professors really care about the students and you will have a lot of support. Try to be patient and wait for your first year in the PA program and know that you don't need to have experiences working on people just yet. Focus on your Bachelor Degree courses for now, obtain any type of volunteer work and you will be good to go !
Best wishes in all you do and do not worry ! You've got this and can make it work !
Thank you so much for this wonderful question. It is great that you are in your sophomore year in undergrad college and it's never too early to think about volunteer work and other experiences that can be on your PA Program application in the future. All that you've mentioned except shadowing will be worthwhile (shadowing is if you're not sure you want to be a PA but you definitely sound ready to be one).
I can definitely give you first hand insight about your exams and finals that deal with doing hands on work with patients. I can tell you exactly what to expect and it is absolutely nothing to worry about. Well, each college has their own routine and guidelines, but you will be working with live patients in a simulated scenario in an examining room always with a professor present and it will be video taped. The patient (who are actors or non-actors) is called a Standardized Patient. As an actor, I played the patient for students at Marist College, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine as well as Boston University. I loved every minute of it and working with the students was an outstanding experience I will always treasure.
Prior to your exam - the first exam might be towards the end of your first year in the PA Program - you will receive the script which is just a scenario of the patient and their history, and the x-rays, MRIs or other test results for which the patient had. You knock on the door and the patient says "come in" . The first thing you do is greet the patient ("Hi, I am student Physician Assistant Dana") and go to the sink and wash your hands and chit chat with the patient who sometimes is in pain and sometimes not depending on the script. You ask why the patient has come in and the patient gives you a brief explanation of their problem. This is when you start taking the patient's history and you ask so many questions, however you will definitely be prepared for this during your classroom instruction. The patient is wearing shorts and for women a bra and a hospital gown. Men wear shorts and a hospital gown. You will not even be conscious of the professor being there. The professor is taking notes on your performance and other Standardized Patients are watching it on video evaluating the Standardized Patient. That's how they did it where I worked.
At some point you begin the actual physical exam. You will know exactly what to do. Usually they check pulmonary and cardiac using a stethoscope and do eye movement tests and thump the abdomen area and also some simple neurological sensation testing on the arms or legs with a cotton swab to see if the patient can feel hard or soft touch. You will never do anything really invasive although they do have these for gynecology and the students literally do an exam on the Standardize Patient. After the exam, you study the symptoms spoken of and everything and you return to the patient with the diagnosis and care plan. It's really a wonderful experience that I think you will gain confidence with. After you are done, the Standardized Patient evaluates your performance either verbally or electronically on a lap top or sometimes both. Keep in mind that all schools have different ways of doing this and we had to do it remotely over Zoom at one point so it can be done that way, too but lacks the student patient contact. So actually, it is a fun way of getting hands on experience. There is a bit of stress for the student but you would be surprised, the majority of students were always so assured and had a great bedside manner. You will have that too.
Try not to get ahead of yourself with it, though. It's an awesome program and the professors really care about the students and you will have a lot of support. Try to be patient and wait for your first year in the PA program and know that you don't need to have experiences working on people just yet. Focus on your Bachelor Degree courses for now, obtain any type of volunteer work and you will be good to go !
Best wishes in all you do and do not worry ! You've got this and can make it work !
Thank you so much!! Your answer made me all that excited to be in a PA program. It sounds so fun :)
Dana
You're welcome, Dana ! I hope that you really enjoy your path to your career !
Michelle M.
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1506
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Dana on average, physician assistant programs are around 2-3 years long, but the path to becoming a PA can take anywhere from 6-8 years. If you want to get into PA school and find out how long it will take you to become a PA, you’ll first need to get a bachelor’s degree and complete prerequisite courses. From there, you’ll need to meet all PA school requirements and apply to programs. As a graduate of a PA program, you’ll then have some options to specialize. In this blog, we’ll explore how long it takes to become a PA, what you need to do to become a PA and how long the different pathways to physician assistant are.
FIVE STEPS
ON BECOMING A PHYSICIANS ASSISTANT
• STEP 1) EARN BACHELOR'S DEGREE
According to the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), most PA programs require that applicants have a bachelor’s degree before entering a PA program,External link:open_in_new in addition to about three years of healthcare experience. At a minimum, the agency says a candidate typically needs to complete at least two years of college coursework in basic and behavioral sciences before applying to a PA program. Many programs require a high GPA (typically 3.0 or higher) and prerequisites such as chemistry/organic chemistry, biology/microbiology, physiology, psychology and statistics.
• STEP 2) HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE
Each physician assistant program has different requirements regarding healthcare experience. However, the AAPA indicates that PA program applicants typically have three years of healthcare experience.
• STEP 3) GRADUATE PA SCHOOL
Generally, physician assistant education programs may take about three years for coursework and clinical experience, but each PA program may be different. Be sure to check with your preferred university for coursework and clinical experience sequences.
• STEP 4) EARN YOUR CERTIFICATE
Pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE)External link:open_in_new and earn National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)External link:open_in_new certification. The exam is five hours long and contains 300 multiple-choice questions; content areas tested include 95% medical and 5% other tasks, such as taking patient histories, formulating diagnoses and administering pharmaceutical therapeutics.
• STEP 5) EARN YOUR LICENSE
This requires that you have graduated from an ARC-PA accredited school and passed the PANCE. No states have an exception to this rule, according to the ARC-PA FAQs for non-U.S. healthcare professionals. Each state may have additional requirements, so you should research the requirements in the state(s) in which you intend to seek licensure.
FIVE STEPS
ON BECOMING A PHYSICIANS ASSISTANT
• STEP 1) EARN BACHELOR'S DEGREE
According to the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), most PA programs require that applicants have a bachelor’s degree before entering a PA program,External link:open_in_new in addition to about three years of healthcare experience. At a minimum, the agency says a candidate typically needs to complete at least two years of college coursework in basic and behavioral sciences before applying to a PA program. Many programs require a high GPA (typically 3.0 or higher) and prerequisites such as chemistry/organic chemistry, biology/microbiology, physiology, psychology and statistics.
• STEP 2) HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE
Each physician assistant program has different requirements regarding healthcare experience. However, the AAPA indicates that PA program applicants typically have three years of healthcare experience.
• STEP 3) GRADUATE PA SCHOOL
Generally, physician assistant education programs may take about three years for coursework and clinical experience, but each PA program may be different. Be sure to check with your preferred university for coursework and clinical experience sequences.
• STEP 4) EARN YOUR CERTIFICATE
Pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE)External link:open_in_new and earn National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)External link:open_in_new certification. The exam is five hours long and contains 300 multiple-choice questions; content areas tested include 95% medical and 5% other tasks, such as taking patient histories, formulating diagnoses and administering pharmaceutical therapeutics.
• STEP 5) EARN YOUR LICENSE
This requires that you have graduated from an ARC-PA accredited school and passed the PANCE. No states have an exception to this rule, according to the ARC-PA FAQs for non-U.S. healthcare professionals. Each state may have additional requirements, so you should research the requirements in the state(s) in which you intend to seek licensure.