Direct Patient Care Experience Requirements and Shadowing Requirements for PA School – Part I
Get Started Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation Which PA Schools Do Not Require Direct Patient Care Experience? This article provides a list of all PA schools (see below) that DO NOT require direct patient care experience (healthcare experience) along with their PA shadowing requirements. It also includes PA programs that require fewer than 500 hours of direct patient care experience. We also list PA schools here that recommend direct patient care experience but do not require it. Additional Information For Each School For each school, we have included the information below if we were able to find it on their website: Average hours for direct patient care experience and PA shadowing of accepted students Number of shadowing hours or direct patient care experience hours that the school considers competitive Examples of direct patient care experience (these examples are not exhaustive) Where we have written ‘not found’, we were not able to find information for that school. What are the Easiest PA Schools to Get Into if I Don’t Have Direct Patient Care Experience? For applicants who are lacking in direct patient care experience, one could say that PA schools that do not have a hard minimum and those with lower minimum cutoffs in terms of patient care hours would likely be easier to get into (assuming you meet their other requirements). Can I Get into PA School Without Patient Care Experience? It is possible to get into PA school without any patient care experience, but most applicants who get accepted to PA school have patient care experience. Advice for PA School Applicants without...
How to Write a PA School Update Letter and Letter of Interest
Talk to a PA School Admissions Consultant Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation PA School Update Letters and Letters of Interest Anyone who has applied to PA school knows that the application process is lengthy. Applicants may receive an interview anywhere between a few weeks to months after submitting their CASPA application. Following a PA school interview, schools may offer an applicant an acceptance the same day or take months to deliberate. Applicants may also be placed on a waitlist for an interview or for an acceptance. While the long wait can be stress-inducing, it serves as an opportunity to communicate with schools through update letters and letters of interest to nudge them towards offering you a coveted interview or a long-awaited acceptance. Note of Caution about Sending Letters of Update or Interest Letters to PA Schools Before communicating with schools through update letters or letters of interest, check the school’s websites and any correspondences they have had with you. Some PA schools instruct applicants NOT to send letters. What are PA School Update Letters and Letters of Interest? Update Letters: These letters can be sent before or after an interview to inform PA schools of any progress since submitting the PA school application or interviewing (more below on what to include in different letters). Letter of Interest: In a letter of interest, applicants reiterate their interest in a particular PA school and cite reasons why they want to attend that program. A letter of interest can also be sent prior to or after an interview. Combined Letter: Often, we advise our students to write...
What is a Good Score on the PA-CAT? Making Sense of my PA-CAT Scores
Learn About Our PA-CAT Services! Talk to a PA School Admissions Consultant Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation All You Need to Know About PA-CAT Scores One of the newest requirements for entry into PA school is the Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT). In the last several years, some PA schools have begun to require this test and others are recommending it. Students preparing for the PA-CAT often wonder how the test is scored and those who have taken it ask whether their scores put them in the competitive range. Given that the PA-CAT is a new exam, schools have not published much information on average scores of accepted students. Trying to figure out what your scores mean or whether they put you in the competitive range can be difficult. Here we will review how the PA-CAT is scored and how to interpret your scores on the test. What are the Different Scored Sections of the PA-CAT? The PA-CAT covers nine subject areas: anatomy, physiology, general biology, microbiology, genetics, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, statistics, and behavioral science. The score is broken down into the following sections: Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, and a Composite score. The following subjects are included in each section’s score: Anatomy and Physiology Score: As the name implies this is a measure of a test taker’s performance on all questions about anatomy or physiology Biology Score: This section measures performance in general biology, microbiology, and genetics. Chemistry Score: This section includes general and organic chemistry as well as biochemistry. Composite Score: This is a measure of an examinee’s performance...