Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Interview with a UNTHSC PA-S

Here is an interview with a second year from UNTHSC.

1.       Why do you want to be a PA?
-        I chose to enter the PA profession because of my experience while working for a PA. I was able to witness firsthand the respect patients have for their PA. I heard from several patients that they felt a PA spends more time with them during their appointment than the doctor normally would. I really enjoy working with people, and medicine so I thought the PA profession would be a perfect match for me.

2.       What did you do for health care experience before starting PA school?
-        Right after graduating from undergrad, I worked as a transporter in a local hospital in Lubbock, TX. Basically I would transport patients via wheelchair or hospital bed to and from imaging and procedures in the hospital. I was able to interact with the patients, which I enjoyed very much, but I was using this job to get my foot in the door into another medical setting. While working in the hospital I asked a PA who worked in the hospital, if I could shadow her. She told me where to go to contact her supervisor and I ended up shadowing a different PA in an Internal Medicine clinic on the afternoons that I could off work early. One weekend I asked the PA if I could take her out to lunch as a thank you and to pick her brain about the application process and school. While at lunch she mentioned me getting a job at the office as a MA. She talked to the office manager and the physician who owned the practice and I was hired as the PA’s personal scribe and a MA, while not scribing. So basically I went into all the appointments with the PA and typed her notes in EMR. Needless to say, I had an amazing experience prior to starting PA school and it prepared me well.

3.       How did you pick UNTHSC? What was the interview experience like?
-        After applying to eight different schools, five in Texas, one in New Mexico, one in Arizona and one in Colorado, I was offered interviews at 5 of the schools. My first interview was extremely nerve wrecking. I have a good friend who was currently in PA school and her advice to me was just to be myself. I could not have asked for better advice. I was myself at my first interview and two days later I got a call from the school offering me a seat in the class. I later went on to interview at 4 more schools. With each interview I would research the schools and find information about the class size, course schedule, PANCE pass rates, and faculty turnover rates and compared the information across the schools. My interview experience at UNTHSC was great. It was a very welcoming environment and I witnessed the camaraderie amongst the students. It was a place that I knew I would fit in well at. In the end, I chose UNTHSC because of its reputation, location and because it was close to family.

4.       What study strategies have worked for you in PA school? 
-        This is an excellent question, that I tend ask myself regularly. Finding the perfect studying technique has been difficult for me. Some classes, I am able to just read the power points and soak up the information. Other classes, I like to convert the power points into handouts because I don’t care to stare at the computer screen hours upon hours. I am a very visual and audio learner, so what I have found most beneficial when I am able to, is to preview the lecture the night before to become familiar with the material and then when I am in lecture and listening to the professor explain the material, it’s like going over the material for the second time. Unfortunately, not all professors are good about posting the power points until class time.

5.       Any advice for future applicants?
-        I think the best piece of advice I could give future applicants is to get your applications turned in as soon as you can. Once you turn in your CASPA application, start working on secondary applications that are available to you. Stay on top of what material you still need to submit for each school by what date. When it comes time for interviews, be yourself! The application and interviewing process is long, keep your head up and stay confident.



Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Update

It's been too long! School has kept me busy, as well as life in general. I'll have some more interviews coming this summer, starting with another student interview tomorrow. Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know if you have any questions or requests!

Interview with a PA fro Interventional Radiology

Here's an interview with a PA working in IR. 1) Why did you choose to be a PA?  After college I worked as a health education research...