Interview with PA-S

Here's an interview I did with a PA student at UTSW:

1) Why did you choose the PA profession?
I wanted to be able to have a job that would allow me to work in health care, but have some responsibility and decision making. Being a PA was a great way to do that, and still be able to have a life.

2) Tell me about your application process (how many schools applied to/interviewed at, favorite part of interviews)
Well...I only wanted to go to UTSW, so I only applied there. Probably a bad decision, but oh well. And I don't know if I had a favorite part, it was kinda stressful, hoping I would answer correctly. Meeting the current students was nice though.

3) Why did you pick UTSW?
Being from Dallas, I've heard about UTSW for a long time. I've wanted to be here for awhile. At the time I applied, it was also ranked very high on the list of PA schools, the ranking has dropped some, but it's still pretty good. Plus, UTSW has what seems to me to be a better student experience. There are always problems, but the rotations and lectures are great. And rotating at parkland is always a great deal.

4) What was your strategy during the didactic phase?
Just stay afloat! Ha, seriously, I studied a lot. The first summer was really hard, but that may be because I had been out of school for awhile. Basically, I studied pretty much every night. That kept me on top of all the classes and multiple tests. I found a couple of study buddies and we would study on our own, then meet up a day or two before the test to have a gigantic review and go over the objectives together. That worked pretty well, since I'm usually better at studying alone, but having the group session showed me what I had missed, or not prioritized.

5) What has been your favorite clinical so far?
Surgery and my current ICU one. But of course, I'm a surgery person and love it! Medicine was hard, but I learned so much.

6) What advise would you give to a PrePA? What preparations would be valuable beyond prereqs and shadowing?
Hmm. Probably to have some volunteer hours. I know a lot of people who came straight out of college, and they got in because of being "well-rounded", with volunteer hours, and other interesting backgrounds. Just emphasize your "whole package" thing. Yes, a good GPA is great, but can you interact with people, do you have a good bedside manner? Can you talk to all sorts of people? Also, reference letters can make or break you. Meet the right people, and their letter can do wonders.