Here’s How to Prepare to Fill Out Your CASPA Application

When you get ready to take a seat and fill out your physician assistant CASPA application what you should have in front of you is all the documentation that you need. What you’re going to need in front of you is a copy of your transcript, you’re going to need to know all the dates when you were employed in a medical field, you need to have all the names and addresses of the people that you plan on asking to give you a letter of recommendation, and you need to make sure that you have the contact information for the universities that you attended and you’re going to need a copy of your personal statement narrative.

You always have the option of being able to print out your letters of recommendation and sending it by the mail. Sending your recommendations by mail isn’t encouraged because of the fact they can be lost, so sending your recommendation letters by email is far better. This is better because of the fact that you will be able to track it by email, and you don’t have think that the person who is evaluating your application forgetting to send the letter.

Sending everything electronically is a good idea also because of the fact that you know instantly when your application is complete and has been forwarded to the physician assistant schools you decided to apply to. Its important that you make sure that the people you get to do your recommendations are know that they are going to be contacted by an email the moment that they are finish entering in the information.

The email that comes in may be filtered as spam, so make sure you let them know to check their spam folder just in case they didn’t get it in their main inbox. Its extremely important that you fill out the whole application, and you don’t have to finish it once you start it. You can come back and finish later, but I would recommend that you finish it the first time you start. When you are done with the application print out a copy of it to keep for yourself.

Is Your Physician Assistant Interview Tomorrow? Get Prepared NOW!

So you have been waiting for tomorrow to come, the day that you plan to give an amazing interview so they you gain admission into the physician assistant school of your choice. You’re going to want to really impress them with your intelligence both academically and in conversation, showing them that you’d make an excellent student for their PA program. You should also want to show them that you are someone full of compassion, that you are humble, competent, and that you aren’t arrogant.

What should have been doing prior to the day of is rehearsing your answers to whatever possible questions they may have for you. The most important question out of any that they are most definitely going to ask you is “Why do you want to be a PA?” Whatever other questions they may ask you will most likely be based on your academic qualifications, your experience working in the medical field, whatever experience you may have shadowing a physician assistant, and there could be more questions they ask you.

Personal questions that will ask about what motivates you or what challenges you’ve ever had and how did you get through those challenges. You will be in front of a number of people interviewing you so that there will be a number of different opinions on who should get a spot into the PA program. There’s no way you can anticipate what questions they’re going to ask you, but what you do know is that you can’t stumble at a loss of words. You have to speak with confidence.

These questions that they’re going to ask you are going to be based on what they want to see in a candidate, or they’re going to be based on what they would like to know more about from what they saw on your application. What you should do is make sure you review your application and read over what you think they’ll probably ask. Maybe you have forgotten some of what you put on the application because of the fact that you sent a while ago.

Aside from looking at your application, you should also review transcripts and see what areas of interest they may have regarding that. I hope that you made sure you saved a copy of your personal statement because you need to go over that and see what they may ask about it. Even though you don’t know what they have said about you already you should still think about it. Look over everything you think may come up during your interview, and above all else….relax.

Relax, get some good food in you, and sleep well because tomorrow is a huge day for you. Stay positive knowing that you’ll do great and you should do just that without a doubt.

Here are the Mistakes Aspiring Physician Assistant Should Avoid With the CASPA

The CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants) is without doubt a valuable service that is administered through the Physician Assistant Education Associate (PAEA) to make the application process go faster. This organization allows hopeful PA students to fill out one of their applications and send their information on to as many as 139 different accredited PA programs. Its important that you don’t forget to check with the PA schools you’re applying to make sure in detail whether or not these many programs require a additional application aside from the one that will be given to them by the CASPA.

There is a discount of $40 until 12:00am Eastern Daylight Time on the first of September, and this discount fee is only counted toward the number of programs you decide to apply to. Because of this you need to make sure that you apply early so that you can get this discount. When you are getting your packet of applications for the PA schools you decided on, its important that you confirm the application deadlines for each PA school you decided on and for the ones that you are qualified for academically.

These deadlines aren’t going to be flexible and the CASPA is not going to send your information to the school until you complete the application, and all supporting documents are in places with the application fees already paid in full. You should try and get all your information in place at least six weeks prior to the earliest deadline you have. Make sure you finish any supplemental applications you may have before the earliest deadline as well. Its going to take up to two weeks for your application to be mailed to the physician assistant schools you applied to.

You should put everything in place and mail everything you have at least eight weeks prior to the earliest deadline you have so that you are assured that everything arrives on time. To protect yourself and information, you should make sure that the CASPA gives you a return receipt as confirmation that everything arrived on time. This is because information could get lost while its being mailed, and sending it in eight weeks prior gives you enough time to resend everything. When you are getting references, make sure they you tell them about the deadlines and give an envelope that is already stamped and pre-addressed.

The first thing you need to do is set up an account with the CASPA portal, and then once the account is created you’ll be able to monitor the status of your sent applications. You need to request that your official transcripts be forward to CASPA from all colleges and universities that you have already attended, and you need to request that an official copy of your transcripts for yourself so that you will be able to use them as a reference when completing your application. Your application will have to be submitted electronically. Every application fee is going to need to be paid in full to the CASPA and if you decide to send a check by mail, then you need to wait at least 7 to 10 days for it to arrive.

You will also need to have 2 to 3 completed references to arrive to the CASPA. After the CASPA filters your physician assistant school applications they will then be sent to those schools. Make sure that your applications reflect your academic achievements and your clinical work experience. The most important thing however is to make sure that your personal statement is good because what is really going to show the committee that you are a good candidate for their PA school. Your personal statement is what makes you more than just grades, qualifications and credits. This is the part of each application that is going to be the deciding factor.

These men and women will be receiving hundreds of applications reading hundreds of narratives from different people. So don’t be surprised if you write a poor first paragraph and get declined admission. You got what it takes to be a physician assistant, so good luck. To start submitting your applications, here is the link to the CASPA…

http://portal.caspaonline.org

5 Areas that Your Letter of Recommendation Has to Address

Without a doubt, the most important aspect of your physician assistant school application is the 3 letters of recommendation you need to have. The minimum is only 3 letters. These recommendation letters absolutely have to be from people, and the committee would prefer that these people writing your letter of recommendation be medical workers who have already worked with you as worked directly with patients. Should you choose to get one of your undergraduate school professors to write the letter it will be acceptable, but have no more than one professor write a letter.

What you should really do is get in contact with the PA school programs you’ve chosen to apply to and see what they consider acceptable references for your letter of recommendation. These people that you get to write your letters should people who are respected and admired in their own field. They should know your intentions for having them write a letter, your qualifications, you want people who have a high and favorable opinion of you, people who know your background and people who want you to be successful in PA school. People you ask to write your letter of recommendation may even feel honored that you even asked them in the first place.

It shows them that you respect them and their opinion which will make them delighted to write a letter for your physician assistant application. If get any feeling of hesitation from them and how they feel about you then reconsider having them write your letter because the fact of the matter is that these letters are a big part on the committee making a decision on who gets to the next stage which is the interview. I’m going to assume that you are applying using CASPA, and if you are then you can get the people you are having write your letter to send it electronically.

This is a great option because you will be able to oversee everything they are doing, and you’ll be able to know when they have finished writing the recommendation and when they have sent it. When they are doing it by email, make sure you tell your evaluator to check their spam folder in case they say that they couldn’t find the confirmation that they sent the letter. You can also use the paper option of mailing the forms that they need to fill out to them.

The recommendation form is in two parts and the first part of the form will have them fill out their opinions on your maturity level, the passion you have to be a physician assistant, your work ethic, your strengths and weaknesses, and your teamwork skills. The second part of the form is going to have them write a short essay about those details about you in greater detail. You have got to make sure that you tell your evaluator that you are applying to different PA programs so that they don’t address the letter to a specific person. You want them to start the letter off with “To whom it may concern” instead of “Dear Dr. Whitman.” In the end, make sure you choose who you want to write your letter of recommendation wisely.

Choose the people who you have worked alongside for a long time, and people who have seen you work at your very best and know you on a personal level. Try to get a physician assistant to write a letter of recommendation for you but still, someone who knows personally is better than someone who doesn’t.

How to Handle Your Physician Assistant Interview

You deserve a pat on the back for making it to your physician assistant interview. You have made it to the interview stage of one of the PA schools you applied to. This is definitely the most important stage of the application process, and you have strived and worked hard to get to this stage, so congratulations! At this stage of the application process, they are going to be using much harder criteria to base on who gets a spot into their PA program.

The committee decides who gets the spot, and they are going to narrow their choices down to two or three applicants for each available slot for the next school year. What you want to do is make their choice nice and easy, showing them that not only are you able to do the necessary work, but that you also have a clear plan and path to contribute successfully in the medical community. Now all you have to do is show them that you are the best choice in handling a serious situation. Preparation is the most important part of anything we plan on doing in life.

Before you do your interview, keep in mind that you’re going to need a good night’s sleep, eat a good and hearty breakfast, and try to come up with questions you think they’re probably going to ask you.
Rehearse your answers to the possible questions you come up with so that you aren’t stumbling at a loss for words during the interview. Here are some questions that you should be asking yourself before you do the interview…..

• What is the Reason Behind You Wanting to Become a Physician Assistant?
• There are Many Candidates Applying, So Why Would You Be the Most Qualified Applicant for the Spot?
• Is There Any Examples of You Using Your Leadership Skills, Teamwork Skills, and Your Ability to Work in a Very Serious and High Pressure Situation?
• What Do You Want to Be Doing in the Next Ten Years?
• How Would You Handle a Patient Who Was Being Uncooperative With Your Approach to Their Health Care?
• If You Had a Disagreement With Your Supervising Physician About a Patient’s Plan of Treatment, How Would You Handle It?
• How do You Feel About Working Long Hours and Being On Call at Odd Hours?
• What Specialties Do You Want to Take Part in and Which Don’t You Want to Take Part In?

These are just some of the likely questions in the physician assistant interview, but you can never be sure. Just keep your stature and be honest. The fact of the matter is that as people, we tend to assess each other based on first impressions and appearances. Even though this is true, this is not the time to express your personality too much. They want applicant who is serious and someone who can handle high pressure situations that come with working in hospitals and other health care institutions. They also have in mind upholding their own reputation of choosing the best applicants for the position who have the most likely shot at succeeding. So dress conservative in clean business-like clothing.

Men should wear a suit with a tie, and women should wear closed-toed shoes with comfortable heels. Female candidates should wear a skirt that reaches their knees, if you choose to wear a suit with pants that is perfectly fine. Applicants should dress in a way that conveys to the committee who they believe themselves to be. If you have any tattoos and piercings it would be best to put them out of display. This may sound like I’m making a big deal out of this but the fact of the matter is that sometimes tattoos and piercings are seen as a negative expression, so don’t let them see it. Your body language is going to be just as important as well because it shows them how you carry yourself.

Show them confidence by standing up straight and sitting up straight. Introduce yourself when you walk into the interview and shake their hand firmly, and above all else….smile. Be mindful of how you speak in this physician assistant interview. Answer the questions clearly without rambling on with answers for the question. Make your answer clear and to the point.

The interview may only last for an hour at the most and the panel will have many questions to ask you in this time. Show them that you are a future health care professional. Believe that you are the best applicant, and remember that if they weren’t interested in you that you wouldn’t even be at this stage of the application process. So relax because you got what it takes.

Here is Why Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement Has to Be Different From the Rest

If you’re looking to get into a physician assistant program, you’re going to need a great personal statement. Even though you have done outstanding academically and you have gotten your admission application past the first stage, without a doubt its going to be your personal statement or your narrative that will get you to the interview stage of the admission process. This definitely the most important part of getting accepted into the PA program, and don’t forget that there can be up to 100 aspiring men and women trying to get a spot into the PA program.

So let’s talk about how to put your personal statement in the best light in the eyes of the selection committee. Your personal statement is the one thing that is going to help you tell the selection committee more about yourself as a person and as a person who communicates effectively. It’s very similar to writing a college essay. The CASPA will only allow you to finish your narrative within 5000 characters which includes all the spacing and formatting you are going to be doing. This sounds great doesn’t it?

You’ll have a lot of time to make a clear and defining statement about who you are, your accomplishments, and the burning passion you have inside you to become a physician assistant working on a medical team. This does sound great, but 5000 characters is only a little over 600 words so you’re going to have to write it right. You’re seriously going to need to make every word count because these people reading your narrative will be reading at least 100 others. There are no exceptions, if you exceed the character limit then your essay will simply stop there at the limit and they will not acknowledge anything you have written beyond that.

The best thing for you to do would be to write your personal statement in Word Pad because it counts how many characters you have type instead of how many words like Microsoft Word, and the program that they will be using to review your essay will be similar to Word Pad for this reason. Now writing in Microsoft Word is okay to do but when you’re done writing it make sure that you save it as a .txt so that you can open it up in Word Pad and see if you have met or excelled the character limit. When working on a medical team, having good written communication skills is absolutely important. So this is the opportunity you have to convey that you have great writing skills, and then you can show them that you have good oral communication skill when you get to the interview.

Really good writing isn’t based on how  you format the article, it’s based on using your excellent vocabulary and being able to write a document that is clear, concise and free of grammar errors. Its important that you keep in mind that the people reviewing your narrative are talented writers themselves and they are the ones you want to impress, this should go without saying but avoid using slang, colloquialisms, and those common texting abbreviations. Abbreviations are used when writing in a patient’s chart but most definitely aren’t suitable for your personal statement.

Try and write multiple drafts instead of just doing one, make sure you revise each draft correcting any issues you find. Anything can happen when they are reading your personal statement, if they don’t like the first paragraph they’ll just decide not to read it the whole essay and that would be the end of the road for you. Start with your thesis statement followed by a minimum of 3 paragraphs, and then close with a strong final paragraph. Get into who you are as an individual instead of just writing about all your academic qualifications. You should definitely mention your academics but remember that you don’t need to focus on them because you wouldn’t be writing this personal statement if your academics weren’t already accepted. Base your personal statement on questions like…

• Why have you chosen this career?
• What is motivating you to believe that this is the right career path for you?
• What did you learn while you were working in the medical field as you observed other physician assistants?
• What can you contribute to the medical community?

Just keep in mind that know matter a candidates academics, a great narrative can get you that interview. Stay focused as you write, read it aloud when you’re done, think about those who are going to be reading your personal statement, and be honest in your journey to become a physician assistant.