PA Admissions Process

1
PA Admissions Process

• Some helpful tips and personal experiences

2
General Requirements

• GRE
• www.gre.org
• Bachelors Degree
• Minimum GPA of 3.0
• Some schools are lower and some are higher
• Health Care Experience
• Some require it, some dont
• CNA, EMT
• CASPA

3
CASPA

• Sections
• Contact Information
• Institutions Attended
• Health Related Training
• Narrative
• Health Related Experience
• My Programs
• Reference Forms
• Personal Data
• Coursework
• Additional Information
• Patient Contact Experience
• Other Employment
• Community Service

• Centralized Application Service for Physician
  Assistants
• Start application EARLY
• CASPA becomes active in May or June for the year
• Print off information and save for your own
  records

4
After CASPA

• Supplemental applications
• Many schools have supplemental applications
• Have an extra fee associated with submitting
• Interview Process
• Highly competitive applicants invited for
  interview
• Must go to school for this
• Scheduled during the week
• Notified of status two to four weeks after
  interview

5
Timeline

• Begin researching schools Junior year
• Begin CASPA in summer between Junior and Senior
  year
• Application deadlines are between September and
  January of Senior year
• Acceptance letters mostly sent out by late March
• Most schools start in early June
• Programs last between 27 and 36 months

6
My Experience

• Dont put off CASPA
• Start it and finish it early
• Take the GREs early
• I took them in September, right after school
  started
• Calculate your own Science GPA
• Mine was lower than I thought it would be, so by
  calculating it yourself, you know what it is when
  looking at schools
• Schools fill up quickly
• By the time the application deadline comes, all
  the seats may already be taken

7
Other Ideas

• Keep a Journal with your volunteer experience
• Keep track of paid hours that you work directly
  with patients
• Make notes about how you interact with patients
  and how it makes you feel