About Inside PA Training
So serious! It had been a long day at the clinic.
Inside PA Training started in the late summer of 2011 when I met my classmate and dear friend, Gabe, during our first week of classes at UC Davis School of Medicine’s Family Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Program. We quickly decided it might be fun to write about our experiences. These days, the blog’s all me, but I take counsel from my pal Gabey-baby on a regular basis.
Since that time, I’ve heard from many readers about how hard it is to find solid, in-the-trenches information on becoming a physician assistant. So, with what little free time I have, I bring it all to the table in the hope that you’ll come away with a better understanding of:
- Whether or physician assistant medicine is for you
- How to get into PA school
- What it’s like being a PA student, and
- What a career as a PA really entails
Things are growing quickly these days. We’ve had over 135,000 visitors, since day one. I recently began a companion podcast, The Physician Assistant Insider, and there’s even a smartphone/iPhone app that’s currently in development (no ETA – apps are a time consuming art form). I typically post 1-3 times per week, depending on my schedule, and I love to get feedback from readers.
Have a question? Email it to me via the “Contact Us” link, or post it to the totally-free user forum at www.mypatraining.com/forum, where I’ll do my best to answer it, or leave it to IPAT’s motivated followers.
Please tell everyone you know about Inside PA Training – the internet’s a big place, and my marketing budget is, well, let just say not big.
Success to you,
Paul
Publisher, Inside PA Training
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Paul and Gabe,
You guys rock!! This is the best PA student blog on the net. Keep up the great work. I don’t know how you guys find the time to publish such great articles, but I commend you on a job well done.
I will continue to support and recommend your blog to Future and Current PA student’s.
Dave
“The PA Coach”
Thanks, Dave. We’re just having fun with it, and learning as we go. Finding the time is definitely the toughest part. Keep up your good work too!
Hi, Ashley –
It’s a personal decision, and a really tough one for some. If you are interested but unsure, you should do some shadowing. Spending a day or two seeing patients with a PA should give you an excellent idea what the work is like. You might also watch my interview with my classmate Sundance about her decision to become a PA. You can find it on our PA student interviews page.
Im very late on deciding what i want to do. Im 24 and pa is lookng very interesting.but how do yo kmow if right for you
Great website! I am a EM PA in Fresno, CA. I’m encouraged by your time investment, enthusiasm, and efforts in promoting the PA Profession. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Jessica! Emergency is a great specialty. If you have any interest in being interviewed, please let us know – we’re trying to represent all of the more common specialties for aspiring PA students.
Really Great Site Paul,
I agree with all of the above comments. It is great to see more PA’s writing and creating interactive content for the web… especially as a student. As you move on into your profession this will remain an important resource that should scale nicely over time.
Best of luck on your PA school journey, there is no profession like ours, so proud to be a PA!
Thanks, Stephen! You’re site is terrific too! I particularly like your PA/MD/NP matrix – a clever way to help people keep them straight. Please keep in touch.
P
Hi Paul,
Thanks for setting up a website like this and bringing attention to the profession! I had a difficult time finding more information about PA programs when I was first interested about 5 years ago. I am now a first year PA student. I started a blog this semester and you are welcome to post the link to it.
Thanks!
You go, Jenna! I’ll add you to our PA Student Blogs list. And keep us updated, okay?
Thanks a lot for this site. I’m 35 and considering a career change from finance to PA. I would need to do 2 years of pre-requisites, and hopefully bolster my 2.8 undergrad accounting GPA :/ up to at least 3.0. I feel a bit intimidated being older and considering such a different career with uncertainty that I will even get admitted. I was a volunteer EMT for two years and really would like a job that helps serve others more directly than finance does. I’m open to any thoughts you may have, and my specific question is what it might be like for an older student, and if there is any time to date and possibly begin a family during the four years it would take me to complete the program? Thank you very much -Gabe
Hey, Gabe – welcome aboard.
Think about what you would want to see as an admissions committee member from someone applying for admission to your school. There might be some factors that you would be willing to overlook if you saw other things that made a candidate stand out. What would they be? For me, they might be a combination of:
-verbal ability, including foreign languages
-leadership and activism
-someone who wants to serve the underserved
-INITIATIVE – someone who doesn’t wait around to be told what to do. (writing letters to the editor, starting a program, getting involved with the field as if they already were in it, etc.)
-Someone who thinks outside the box, takes calculated risks
Maybe the biggest hint I could give you is to act the part. KNOW that you are right for the field. I mean, if you TRULY belonged in this field, and knew it, you would begin to act as if you were already in it, wouldn’t you? I don’t mean being cocky or acting entitled. I mean making it easy for an admissions committee to imagine you as not only a PA, but a GOOD PA. If you do that, I think your chances are good.
I know this answer is a little vague, but I’m suggesting that you believe you can do it and show them that they would be crazy not to see it your way.
Thanks, really appreciate it.
Thank you so much for your website, Paul! I was actually taking a short break from working on my CASPA application, haha… and I found your site! What luck! I was a middle school science teacher for five years before deciding to leave the profession to pursue PA school. Reading different articles on your website has motivated me even more. THANKS!
Katie
Glad to hear it. Stay motivated any way you can – it will make a huge difference, and they’ll see it in how you carry yourself.
I appreciate any advise for getting into PA school!
Hi, Kimberly! That’s what the site is about. I suggest you read read read as much as you can – you should learn plenty. If you have a specific question that you don’t see addressed, please let me know and I’ll do my best to help you.
Love this website and love the podcasts!
Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to provide this great resource for us PA school hopefuls!
Thanks so much for the time you’ve taken to put together this website! I first saw your website about a year ago when I was first deciding to go to PA school. Since then, I’ve read many of your blogs and watched your videos. I had almost decided not to apply to PA school until today when I happened upon the 2nd Sundance video on YouTube. I wrote down a note to myself as I watched it – watch Sundance video before interviewing – it is so inspirational. Thanks for the motivation! (P.S. Are you LDS? I thought I saw a missionary tag in one photo)
I´m 26 and I graduated from psychology a few years ago but im not 100% satisfied. My boyfriend is a PA and when he talks about his job I found it very interesting. Right now im considering a career change but still not sure if ill go for PA or NP. I would like to know how long does it takes to study for each one. I know in both I can still using what i learned in psychology… I´m still trying to find out if this could be for me.
Ignoring the course prerequisites for the sake of simplicity, PA school is 2-3 years full time, depending on the program. To become an NP, you need a bachelors in nursing (4 years) then a masters in nursing, which is often done along with the NP schooling in 3 years. So, clearly it would take you more than twice as long to become an NP.
But don’t think it’s a simple 2 or 3 years to PA. In order to get in, you need some healthcare experience. You can argue that time spent with clients/patients in psychology is healthcare experience (I did), but you will almost certainly need more experience that is traditionally medical. EMT is a good route, but there are others. See the health care experience threads on the forum at http://www.mypatraining.com/forum for details.
wow… seems like ill have to work hard to get there. Thank you Paul!