physician assistant

There are approximately 300 accredited PA (physician assistant) schools in the United States. In the most recent application cycle, these schools received more than 27,000 applications. The matriculation rate for PA schools hovers near 30%, which is lower than the approximate 40% matriculation...

An unsuccessful application cycle can feel disappointing. However, the decision to persist, continue working toward your chosen career goal, and apply in a subsequent application cycle is nothing short of the definition of resilience! In this blog, I’ll share some tips and suggestions for...

Hey all, I know PA vs MD is a common question but I couldn't find any threads on disaster medicine specifically. I'm a third year undergrad currently; I want to go into a healthcare career specifically doing domestic and international disaster response. I am interested both in patient care and...

When I keep seeing Walmart and Amazon hiring NP/PA providers to care for patients, it makes me wonder where the future of medicine is going. All virtual, no physicians, quick, and disingenuous. I work with doctors and other providers and just about every single one of them HATE virtual visits...

I would love to hear thoughts/arguments on both sides. Especially experiences from those who have went back to medical school after becoming a Physician Assistant! How did it affect your life - family life, financially, mentally, etc? Is it worth the stress? Tell me: 1) Why I should do it? 2)...

Hello SDN Member, I'd like to ask; Are there any members of this community that have gone to nursing or PA school after medical school? Please Comment below and Share your experiences with us? Also I'd like to ask. If you do go to mid-level school after going to medical school, what are you...

I am trying to make the transition from dental to PA, and would like to know if there are any post-bacc programs that will accept any undergraduate GPA below a 2.7 and graduate GPA of 2.9 I know my GPAs are very low, but I would like to find out if there’s a program that will look holistically...

What do you guys think of the Physician Assistant career path (versus MD/DO)? Pros vs cons? Is it well-respected? What is your reason for choosing either MD/DO or PA?

Hello, I wanted to know how badly I messed up for my chance for PA School as I am a freshman who just got an academic dishonesty charge on my school record, but not on my transcript; however, this charge will be disclosed to whatever graduate school I apply, which would most likely be the...

Should I go back to Medical school AFTER becoming a PA? Specialties interested in: Internal or Emergency Medicine Here are my personal thoughts: I don't like to disparage my profession, but the way we learned medicine was through memorization of algorithms and buzz words. We were not taught...

I made this account recently pretty much just to get a feel for what the internet has to say about my situation. TLDR: i'm accepted to med school but struggling with the idea of work/life balance, passion, time commitment, etc. of medical school, considering PA school (change my mind). To give...

A recent episode of the AUA’s podcast Inside Tract (link below) mentions that APPs may be trained to perform cystoscopies, TRUS, prostate biopsies, and even vasectomies. Do you think that the expanded use of APPs in procedures would be a net benefit for urologist’s scope of practice and bottom...

Im 23 and a grad with a B.S in pre med. I have a cGPA of 3.5 or 3.45 w/o grade replacement. My sGPA is 3.6 My GPA isn’t the best but I had to work full time throughout my undergrad Because I didn’t have help from my parents and didn’t want to rely too heavy on loans. At this point I thought I...

Hi! Currently trying to figure out which would be best. (I am in California). I've read that there are rarely PAs in psych...I am mainly leaning towards NP but I'd have to do either a MEPN or accelerated BSN...if anyone has any advice on any of these paths I'd appreciate it!

Learn how real students navigate their way through the graduate school admissions process and grad school itself with our What is Graduate School Really Like? series. Meet Macy, a student in a uniquely flexible, Ivy League PA program Macy, thank you for sharing your story with us! Was there a...

Hi guys just posting to try and get some incite from anyone willing! Quick facts about me: 22 yrs old, white ,male, Psych major undergrad. So I am currently what my shadowed family medicine doc likes to call Pre-pre-med :laugh: as I have not yet taken any pre-med courses. I am going into my...

Hello fellow med school applicants! I am currently in my clinical year of PA school. It’s a nice profession and thought this would be my end goal. However, this journey has only furthered my passion in medicine and don’t want to stop here. I want to go to medical school to deepen my medical...

I was a D2 student at a dental school on the east coast but was dismissed due to poor academic performance, due to a few medical issues I was facing (severe anxiety and panic attacks, a pre-existing metabolic disorder, and resurfacing of rape trauma due to a sexual assault case in my apartment...

Hello, I am interested in pursuing a career as a nurse practitioner. From the limited research I have done, it appears that I need a minimum of a MSN to become a nurse practitioner. However, I am not a RN. Instead, I have a B.S. in Biology and a Master of Public Health degree with certificates...

Hello members, I seem to be paralyzed in making my decision on pursuing PT... I went on a detour after I completed UG as a pre-PT; will turn 26 next month. I have an acceptance to a PT program starting Fall 2019. However, the debt-to-income ratio is driving me insane. I got my tuition down to...

Learn how real students navigate their way through the graduate school admissions process and grad school itself with our What is Graduate School Really Like? series. Meet Sarah, a new PA Sarah, thank you for sharing your story with us! Congratulations on recently becoming a PA! Where did you...

Hi Guys, I have a question for those who are current MPH students. I did my bachelors in public health and I'm in an MPH program (where I'll be graduating in May 2019). I'm looking into PA programs after and haven't taken much of the pre-reqs necessary for PA programs. Any ideas on how to...

Hello everyone! Has anyone applied to the IRTA post bac at the NIH for this year? For former post bacs, how was you experience and what were some of the challenges you faced during your time there? I had an interview today for Bethesda, MD. Has anyone ever worked there? Please share your...

Hello, all. I'm currently a 28-year-old paramedic with a BA in Psychology from a respected university. I originally wanted to be a psychologist, then a psychiatrist, and ultimately a doctor in general - regardless of the specialty. I'm about to start taking my prerequisites for med school/PA...

What do you think of the following? Is it a good move?? Two U.S. universities are offering novel pharmacy degree programs. The University of Rhode Island (URI) in Kingston, RI, and Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, are now offering a dual degree in pharmacy and physician assistant...

Hello! I want to go to medical school, I'm not sure for what specialty or area yet, but this has been my goal for years. I am currently in my fourth year of undergrad. I wanted to go straight to medical school, but being a first generation college student and coming from a very low income...

Hi Folks, I'm not here to ask pros/cons between DO vs PA (yes, theres tons of post on Med vs PA) So... I am looking to apply to BOTH DO & PA Programs. However, they both use the CAS Application Portal (AACOMAS CAS vs CASPA). I am wondering if programs can find out if I'm applying to the other...

Hi, everyone! First time posting here. I'm seeking advice on a big career switch I've recently been pondering (for the better part of most days, lately). I started PA school 3 months ago and am having some major doubts about the profession. Taking a step back, I'm 29 years old with an MPH...

Why do you want to become a Physician Assistant (PA)? Why not a nurse practitioner or physician? To help you answer this question in more depth, I’m providing a direct comparison of these three educational and professional options by focusing on three specific programs. Using information from...

Most of the clients I work with are dead set on becoming doctors. I believe this mindset exists because doctors have such a visible role in patient care historically, and in the media, are represented as being at the very top of the healthcare hierarchy. Physician assistants (PAs) are a...

Hi guys! I graduated in 2017 and on my track to dental school. I actually applied to dental school that year but got rejected to all because I took my DAT too late. However, later tht year I decided that dentistry isn't for me, plus I'm not ready to take on a huge debt afterwards (300-500k...

Physician Assistants (PAs) are similar to doctors in many ways and serve as an important member of the healthcare team. They improve the ease and speed with which patients are able to see a healthcare provider. They take on about 80% of the same activities as doctors in patient care. They see...

Hi everyone! Does anyone know if Dental Assisting counts towards the Health Care Experience for PA schools?

I have been dealing with a tough decision. After graduating with my undergrad, I took a gap year to spend some time in a beautiful area loving life and to apply to focus on my MCAT and applying to medical school. I did well on my MCAT (512), and I have an sGPA of 4.0 and overall GPA of 3.9. I...

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Are there any Dental Hygienist who changed career paths and became a PA? Were there any additional requirements you needed to take? Does clinic hours for dental hygiene count toward the healthcare experience hours required for PA programs?

OK hi everyone. I've been a surgical PA for about 2 yrs, now thinking about med school. My course is a little different from the average 'PA going for MD' story as in that my PA program was integrated into my college years. Thus, whatever courses my college required me to take, I did. I do not...

I’m unsure if I’m posting this in the right place, so apologies in advance if I’m in the wrong area. I know everyone has a unique situation, so I wanted to explain mine briefly and ask opinions of others on if I should pursue a PA or MD route. When I say PA, I actually mean AA - Anesthesiology...

I’m unsure if I’m posting this in the right place, so apologies in advance if I’m in the wrong area. I know everyone has a unique situation, so I wanted to explain mine briefly and ask opinions of others on if I should pursue a PA or MD route. When I say PA, I actually mean AA - Anesthesiology...

I am currently working on undergrad and interested in working in the maternal fetal medicine specialty, but unsure on which path to take, either nurse prac or physician assist. I prefer more of the autonomy I've heard that comes with NP but I've also heard that PAs are more accepted in surgical...