How to Get Accepted to Physician Assistant (PA) Programs

Physician Assistants (PAs) are similar to doctors in many ways and serve as an important member of the healthcare team. They improve the ease and speed with which patients are able to see a healthcare provider. They take on about 80% of the same activities as doctors in patient care. They see patients to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications. PAs assist patients in all clinical settings and work across all specialties in every state in the U.S. They can even become a patient’s main provider. However, there are some limitations to the services that they can provide. They can only perform surgical procedures under the direct supervision of a physician, and there are some limitations as to what they can prescribe without the direct approval of an MD, depending on the state. Why Become a PA? The physician assistant profession is one of the fastest growing in healthcare today. The U.S. Bureau of Labor ranks it in the top five fastest growing occupations, with an expected growth rate of 37% between 2016 and 2026. With an entry-level education the equivalent of a Master’s Degree, it has a high compensation rate in comparison to other longer educational tracks. PA programs usually last about three years. The average income for a PA in 2016 was $101,480. U.S. News and World Report ranks it #2 on its list of the 100 Best Health Care Jobs in 2018. PAs have a higher satisfaction level with their profession for three main reasons: 1. They are able to spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork. 2. They have the freedom to move across specialties, unlike physicians who commit so much time to their specialty education and training that they cannot easily change tracks. 3. Overall they are better able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. A couple of years ago, a student who was in her fourth year of medical school contacted me because she wanted help applying to PA programs. She was pregnant and realized that she would not be able to commit the hours required to being a physician while raising a family. I was surprised, but agreed to help her since it was an unusual situation. More and more people are choosing the PA path, especially students with families. It provides the same life-long learning opportunities with significantly less education and student loans, as well as the benefits listed above. What is CASPA? There are over 250 PA programs in the U.S. This year, 226 (roughly 90%) of these PA programs will use the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Surprisingly, as the profession has grown in popularity and in demand, the application process has become less competitive in recent years – which is good news for you! Academic Requirements for PA Programs In preparing to apply to PA programs, check the programs’ individual websites for required coursework and test scores. They can change from year to year so double check their requirements on a regular basis – especially as you get closer to applying. The course requirements vary dramatically from campus to campus. Some schools require biochemistry or psychology while others do not. The most competitive PA programs require a Bachelor’s Degree and the following coursework: Required By Most: †¢ Human Anatomy and Physiology (2 classes or 1 year) †¢ General Chemistry with lab †¢ Second Chemistry course, of your choosing, with lab †¢ Statistics †¢ Microbiology †¢ Other biology course, of your choosing Required By Some Schools, Not All: †¢ Biochemistry †¢ Psychology, required by some schools Recommended, But Not Required By Some: †¢ Genetics †¢ Organic chemistry Most schools require that you earn a C or better in these prerequisites, however, a few schools, like George Washington University’s PA program, require a B- or higher. To be certain, check the requirements where you are applying. Many programs accept community college coursework. To be safe, complete all prerequisites by December of the academic year prior to the year when you intend to start school. Check individual program’s websites for complete information on each school’s policies regarding pending, prerequisite courses. Most PA programs require GRE scores. If you have taken the MCAT, they will expect you to share those numbers. GRE scores should not be more than five years old (four years for some programs) and cannot be taken any later than October in the academic year that you are applying. Usually the GRE is used, but some schools will also accept the MCAT. Who Gets Into PA Programs? In the 2012-13 application cycle, 19,968 applicants applied through the CASPA application and 6,828 students were accepted, at an acceptance rate of 34%. In comparison, in the 2016-17 cycle, 26,953 applicants submitted applicants on the CASPA system. Yes, the number of applicants increases every year. However, the number of students accepted in PA programs is also increasing as more programs are becoming available, and established programs are growing. Interestingly enough, there were no totals given for the number of students accepted into PA programs for the 2014-15, 2015-16, or 2016-17 cycles, which leads me to believe that the application process has become less competitive. The numbers would reflect this reality if available – otherwise why withhold them for these cycles when they have been released for previous cycles? Other evidence supporting this conclusion: the average cumulative and science GPA of students applying to PA programs is actually decreasing. In the 2012-13 cycle, the average cumulative GPA was 3.52 and science GPA was 3.46 for applicants. In the most current data available – for the 2016-17 application cycle – the cumulative GPA was 3.37 and the science GPA was 3.27 for students applying. As you can see, students are applying with lower numbers; therefore, we can surmise that students are getting accepted with lower numbers and probably at a higher acceptance rate. The same trend can be seen in almost all of the GRE individual section scores: for the 2012-13 cycle, the breakdown of GRE scores included: Analytical 50.9, Quantitative 55.15, and Verbal 59, and for the 2015-16 cycle (the most current available), Analytical 56.2, Quantitative 49.88, and Verbal 58.14. While the Analytical section score increased, both the Quantitative and Verbal sections average scores decreased. Students are applying and getting accepted with slightly lower GRE scores as well (165.05 – then – total score as compared to 164.22 – now). Based on the data that has been released about students who have applied via CASPA, there is a significant lack of diversity within their applicant pool. In the 2012-13 cycle, 75.17% of applicants were white, 8.23% were Asian, 7.35% was Hispanic, 2.83% were black or African American, and 0.21% was American Indian. In the 2016-17 cycle, 59.43% were white, 11.95% were Asian, 10.60% were Hispanic, 6.10% were black or African American, and 0.31% were American Indian. The diversity of applicants is improving in recent years – only slightly. If you are a student of color, it will be to your advantage to apply to PA programs because you will enhance the diversity of the applicant pool and your entering class. There is also a significant gender disparity. In 2012-13, 72.38% of applicants were female as compared to 27.51% male (0.11% did not report). In 2016-17, female applicants continued to make up the majority – 71.73% female vs. 28.19% male (0.09% did not report). Programs will be looking to improve gender equality within the profession by accepting more male applicants. Researching Physician Assistant Programs To learn more about the programs and about their class profiles, you’ll have to visit their individual websites to see if they provide data on the applicants they have selected in previous cycles. Some schools do, like Tufts, and others do not, like Midwestern (Downers Grove, IL). U.S. News and World Report provides a ranking of PA schools. They rank the top ten programs as follows (many are tied): 1. Duke University 2. University of Iowa 3. Emory University and George Washington University 4. Oregon Health and Sciences University, Quinnipiac University, University of Colorado and University of Utah 5. University of Nebraska Medical Center and Wake Forest University Applying to Physician Assistant Programs The PA Personal Statement To gain acceptance to a PA program, use your personal statement to authentically and dynamically share the personal qualities that make you unique and that will make you an outstanding, caring and compassionate physician’s assistant. It may be easier to work with someone you know and trust to help you create a list of unique characteristics. Choosing three personal traits to emphasize in your statement will help you identify themes that you can use to strategically develop a better essay that will resonate with the selection committee. Taking the time to put thought and effort into your work will contribute enormously to your receiving secondary applications and interviews, not all PA programs have secondary essays – lucky for you! The PA Application Activity Section Since there is no limit to the number of experiences, certifications, and achievements that you can include in the activities section of the CASPA application, you’ll want to cover any and all that apply – from college and after. Do not include any activities from high school, unless you have continued your involvement throughout college and/or after. There is now a label for â€Å"leadership† in the activities section. PA programs are looking for people who can balance working independently with being a member of a dynamic team – as is the nature of this role. I recommend getting involved with leadership roles and  team activities as early as you can in your undergraduate education and highlighting in your application how and why you thrive in these environments. In describing your participation, focus on the outcomes of your contributions in your activity descriptions, which have a 600-character limit. While they are brief, there is enough space to go into some detail. PA programs will evaluate the extent of your clinical (direct patient contact), healthcare (exposure to medical settings), and community service experiences. They prefer students who have 1,000 hours or more of hands-on experience in clinical settings and who work well with people of all backgrounds. Emory has a minimum requirement of 2,000 hours of patient care experience. Double check the requirements for the schools where you are applying. PA programs prefer experiences like EMT, health educator or coach, nurse, certified nursing assistant, medical assistant, technologist, therapist, and clinical research assistant. They do not count any hours from shadowing, student EMT training, student athletic training, interning, or junior volunteering towards the direct patient care hours. Certifications will reveal your level of expertise in clinical settings. Achievements can include academic honors, employee awards, athletic events, and any other forms of recognition that you have receive d. PA Letters of Recommendation PA programs require three letters of recommendation. Some schools will only accept two letters. Make sure that you only ask people who know you well. If you are asking professors, only ask those who have given you A’s in their classes – because they will rank you based on the grade you earned in their course. You should have letters from: 1. A healthcare professional who supervised you (shadowing letters will not be accepted) 2. An academic reference Family members or friends should NOT write letters of recommendation. Their objectivity and credibility is suspect. When requesting letters of recommendation, provide your letter writers with a final draft of your personal statement, an updated copy of your resume or CV and a list of bullet points to update them on what you’ve been doing since you’ve last been in contact with them or since the last time you applied if you are reapplying and getting updated letters. Most importantly, give your letters writers a DEADLINE. All writers need the pressure of a deadline. Give them a deadline that is actually much earlier than the date by which you need the letters. Expect to have to send them gentle but firm reminders. Now is a better time than ever to apply to PA programs given the fact that the application is currently less competitive than in previous years combined with the high satisfaction levels and growth rates projected for this profession. My colleagues and I would be delighted to guide you through this application process to acceptance and ultimately a rewarding career on the cutting edge of medicine. Alicia McNease Nimonkar worked for 5 years as the Student Advisor Director at the UC Davis School of Medicine's postbac program where she both evaluated applications and advised students applying successfully to med school and other health professional programs. She has served Accepted's clients since 2012 with roughly a 90% success rate. She has a Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric as well as Literature.  Want Alicia to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: †¢Ã‚  From Example to Exemplary, a guide to writing outstanding application essays †¢ Andrea Benedict: Life as a Physician Assistant, a podcast interview †¢Ã‚  5 Tips for Acceptance to a Physician Assistant Program