By Elizabeth LaScala, PhD
As with any graduate school, applying for PA programs takes a good deal of thought and planning. Even those who fulfill their course requirements and work part-time in a health care field during their undergraduate years still usually take a gap year or two to accumulate extra experience and prepare their applications. In this article, I talk about what’s involved in putting together a stellar PA application.
Prerequisites
PA programs will usually require general chemistry, biology, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology. Many programs now also require or strongly recommend biochemistry, organic chemistry, genetics, medical terminology. They may also require English, statistics, and psychology. For science courses, many schools will require a C or above. That said, achieving the bare minimum will not distinguish you in the admissions process (or if it does, it will be for the wrong reasons). If you have a C in a science course, the safest option is to retake the course to earn a higher grade or take one or more higher level science courses to show you can handle the rigor.
Some schools will state a minimum GPA required to apply. If they don’t, the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), which is the national organization representing PA educational programs in the US, releases a report with admissions trends compiled from all accredited programs in the US. Recent PAEA admissions data show that successful applicants typically present cumulative GPAs in the mid-to-high 3.6 range. Strong science grades and picking a major that is suited to your strengths is a good strategy for ensuring high marks.
GRE
Standardized testing requirements vary among PA programs. While some schools still require the GRE, many no longer do, and a few accept alternative exams. Before registering for any test, carefully review the requirements for each program on your list.
If you do take the GRE, a score of 300 or higher is generally considered competitive, with scores in the low-to-mid 150s on both the verbal and quantitative sections. Historically, successful PA applicants have reported median scores around 153 on both sections and approximately 4.0 on the analytical writing portion. While strong GRE performance can help support an application, admissions committees place far greater emphasis on academic performance, patient care experience, and evidence of readiness for the profession.
Experience
You will need to have experience working in several medically oriented fields. There are two main categories that these experiences will fall into: patient care experience and healthcare experience. Patient care experience hours are generally earned on the job (part time or full time) as an EMT, CNA, phlebotomist, dental hygienist, or other hands-on patient-serving profession. Some programs specify that only paid patient care experience hours are accepted.
Healthcare experience hours are more likely to include both paid and unpaid work. This category is distinguished from direct patient care by the level of responsibility you have for patients.
It would be ill-advised to focus on simply medical-related activities. Other activities, like shadowing, volunteering, research, and non-health-related employment, are ways to show the admissions team a broader, more authentic picture of the person you are and what passions drive your career goal. I almost always recommend a gap year (sometimes even two) between graduation and program application to allow for time to gain the experience needed for a strong application.
Written material
In addition to strong grades, good test scores and experience, you’ll need to pen a 5,000-character personal statement. And through the years in college and the one or two you spend working, you’ll also be able to solicit good letters of recommendation from health care professionals (usually MDs or PAs) who have seen you interact with patients—you’ll be asked for three to five recommenders under the Evaluations section of your CASPA application. The system will email recommenders directly.
CASPA
Your applications can be completed via the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). It is sponsored and administered by PAEA and enables prospective PA students to apply to multiple accredited PA programs with one application.
See also my article on Physician Assistant (PA) vs Medical Doctor (MD): Four Factors to Consider.
