From Mock Interviews to PA Practice: Tolu Fannon Shares Her Journey In this virtual shadowing Q&A, Deanna Matson from The PA Life sits down with Tolu Fannin, a practicing physician assistant/associate who has gone from being a pre-PA student utilizing mock interviews to prepare for PA school, to now serving as a mock interviewer herself to help the next generation of aspiring PAs. Tolu openly shares her experiences and advice gained throughout her journey. Key takeaways from the interview include: The importance of gaining quality patient care experience before applying to PA school. Tol ..read more

The Most Important Reports and Data on Physician Assistants (PAs) As you conduct a standard search for physician assistant trends, including salary, admissions statistics, required prerequisite coursework, program costs, etc. you will come across various weblogs and resources that contain data and statistics to varying degrees. Finding the most up-to-date statistical information and distinguishing what is and isn't relevant can be challenging. The good news is that the majority of the data you uncover during your search is sourced from only a handful of research articles published on a regula ..read more

How Much Does it Cost to go to Physician Assistant (PA) School? So you are considering PA school? Great, now how are you going to pay for it? With the average undergraduate education debt prior to PA school at $36,300 and the average anticipated debt load from PA school at $112,500, it's probably time to ask the next logical question: How much does PA school cost? Like most college and advanced degree programs in the United States, the price of PA school is rising. Based on current tuition data supplied by PA programs, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), The Physician Ass ..read more

Generative AI and the PA School Personal Statement Is it cheating to use AI tools such as Bard, ChatGPT, and Claude.ai to help write your PA School personal statement? Over the past year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gone from being a subject for science fiction movies to a tool that just about anyone can access. Today, the AI tools that are of critical importance to aspiring PAs are “generative AI” chatbots; the most commonly known and used is OpenAI’s ChatGPT. ChatGPT is officially defined as a “large language model-based chatbot developed by OpenAI….that enables users to refine and ste ..read more

From Pain Management and Family Practice to Dermatology: Cassie McGee, PA-C Shares Her Journey in Our Latest Virtual Shadowing Session A Career Journey: From Pain Management and Family Practice to Dermatology In this FREE PA Virtual Shadowing session, Cassie McGee, a PA who graduated in 2015 from St. Francis University's PA program, talks about her journey and experiences in different medical fields. After starting in pain management, she spent five years in family practice, gaining a diverse range of skills and knowledge. In May 2022, she transitioned to a dermatology clinic, where she receiv ..read more

I’ve Been a PA for 18 Years, and Still, Nobody Knows What I Do for a Living Picture this: it's summertime, the sun is shining, the bathing suits are coming out of storage, and it is time to take our annual family vacation. This year, with COVID restrictions waning and my never fading hunger for adventure, I decided to take the family on a ten-day surf trip along the west coast of Costa Rica. We purchased plane tickets, packed our bags, and set out on the open road. It was an epic adventure. Along the way, we met interesting people from all over the world. This is one of my favorite parts of t ..read more

Everything You Need to Know About Being a PA (and then some) Being a physician Assistant/Associate (PA) is incredible. But there are a number of certifying bodies and critical numbers that will make this process clearer for anyone not familiar with the PA profession or trying to understand the PA marketplace and the players in it. Here is a quick "one-pager" with links to helpful PA Life Resources at the end. Contents: Certifying bodies PA Journals and Forums Practicing PA Data PA School Applicant Data PA Program Data Scholarships, grants, and loan repayment programs The International PA Mar ..read more

Who Gets Into PA School in 2023? Here’s What You Need to Know Leslie Mean is a 25-year-old single white female who presents to the PA school admissions committee on her second attempt to get into PA school. She has a 3.6 overall GPA and a 3.5 science GPA. She is holding a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, had an SAT score of 1,200, and a GRE score of 303. She has two years of hands-on clinical experience working as a CNA and a long history of volunteer work which exemplifies her desire to help her community. She is kind and considerate and has reference letters that demonstrate her ..read more

Crafting the Perfect Letter of Recommendation for PA School Applicants: Prioritizing Character Over Credentials As a preceptor and mentor for PA school applicants, I am frequently asked to write CAPSPA letters of recommendation. For years, when writing letters of recommendation, I had a specific process that I followed. First and foremost, I only agree to write letters for individuals whom I know well and have worked with for a significant amount of time. This ensures that I have a thorough understanding of their character and can provide an accurate recommendation. Second, I asked that all ap ..read more

What is a PA? How to Nail This Not-So-Easy Interview QuestionIntroduction: A Simple Question with a Complex Answer "Can you tell me what a PA is?" This is one of the most common questions posed during a PA school interview and one you would think is easy to answer. Yet, even with my extensive 18 years of experience in the field, I find myself carefully pondering each word when asked to define the role. This seemingly simple question often trips up even the most prepared applicants, but why is this the case? A Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) plays a crucial role in the healthcare field, perf ..read more