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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

Chrissie M. June 3, 2011 at 6:08 am

For shadowing experience, should you shadow only a PA, or will shadowing a MD, D.O, or NP count as well? If either will work, is it better to shadow a PA since it is for the application to a PA school?

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Sarah August 6, 2011 at 10:57 am

Hi Chrissie – I’m just another follower of the site and am currently a 1st year PA student so feel free to take my advice or leave it…..shadow a PA. If you were trying to get into Dental School would you shadow a Psychologist? Some hospitals have a cap on how much time you can spend shadowing a PA (this was my experience.) In that case, after you’ve exhausted all of your PA shadowing options, then I would suggest shadowing a MD. NP’s, although valuable assets to the medical community, function in their own world under different accreditation, guidelines, licenses, and rules. If I were you, I wouldn’t waste your precious and valuable time shadowing them. Shadow MD’s if you absolutely run out of other PA options.

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Lisa M. August 8, 2011 at 5:38 pm

hi, I was wondering if anyone can offer suggestions for writing about shadowing on CASPA application. I do not have a health professionals adviser as I did my requirements post-bac. Can you tell me specifically what you include in your write-up for shadowing??? and the actual written format… is it an essay format??? do I list all of the disease states i’m proficient with??? I want to submit my application within the next few weeks!!!!

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Paul August 9, 2011 at 1:11 am

The CASPA section for listing shadowing is found in the Application > Work and Volunteer Experiences > Health Care Shadowing section. It really isn’t an essay question. It’s a place for you to list where, with whom, and for how long you shadowed. If you have shadowed in different settings (like in different hospitals, or with different clinicians), you should probably use a separate entry for each, unless you’ve shadowed in more than three. I would share the basics of what you saw. If you want to include more detail, you can go into that in your essay. Also, if you did paid or volunteer work in the same setting where you shadowed, you should DEFINITELY put these on separate entries in those other sections, as they are not considered the same thing as shadowing. Hope that helps… -P

PS you could start a thread on the forum, if you have more questions about that – hint hint… :)

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Laurelin July 5, 2011 at 12:54 pm

SO GLAD I found your blog!! I am currently finishing up my last few prereqs for PA school and applying this fall, hoping to start in ’12! I would love to see you do a post about PAs in the mental health field. I am very interested in that specialty but don’t have much info about it. Looking forward to reading more! :)

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Paul July 5, 2011 at 11:51 pm

Funny you should mention that – we have mental health as a PA specialty coming up next. Glad you like the site – please keep giving us ideas of what you want to see. We want this to be a repository of truly useful pa information. -P

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Chris November 8, 2011 at 7:04 pm

I’m a recent college graduate with a BA in Psychology and am strongly considering PA as a career. Currently, I’m missing several course pre-reqs and have no direct medical field experience.

I was wondering if pursuing LNA certification/work for direct patient care hours while taking missing courses would be a wise decision versus getting EMT-B certification and volunteering. Some of the PA’s I’ve spoken to suggest EMT over LNA. However, employment opportunities for EMT-B where I live is essentially nonexistent, and I need a paid position in order to save money for the class prereqs.

Any advice?

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Paul November 10, 2011 at 4:13 pm

I think the best option would be EMT with work in the field. But in some areas there aren’t many EMT jobs. If working as an EMT is out, then LNA sounds like a good alternative. I would try to do some shadowing and even some ER volunteering, if that’s possible. This will give you some acute are experience that you might otherwise not obtain while working as an LNA.

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Chris R. November 13, 2011 at 3:44 pm

This blog has really helped me in terms of deciding to pursue a career as a physician assistant. I’m a high school senior. I’d be interested to see what the typical schedule for a PA student is. Thanks again for continuing the blog; it has really helped me out.

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Paul November 13, 2011 at 4:52 pm

Thanks, Chris! That’s a solid suggestion. I’ll add that to my to-write-about list. Tell your friends… -P

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Christina March 20, 2012 at 10:49 am

Hi Paul-

I found your website after submitting my applications last Fall, and I wish I would have found it so much sooner, it is very informative & has alot of great information for those seeking to get into this field! I applied to 9 programs and was asked to have an interview by 1. Ultimately, I didn’t get accepted. I think what really held me back from getting accepted is the fact that I didn’t shadow a P.A. From reading your blog, I unerstand the major importance of shadowing and how much insight it gives you in the profession. Besides shadowing, I am trying to figure out what is a smarter plan of actiong to attempt a second year of applications. I have 3 years experience with patients as a back office medical assistant. I am not certified, so I don’t participate in the procedures we do in our office, but I do take back the patients, obtain a urine sample, take vitals and set them up for all associated procedures in the office. Where I lack is general biology and chemistry, this prevented me from applying to many schools in California. So, basically, why question to you is, do you think that obtaining another year working in the health care field doing exactly what I have been doing would make me a better candidate? Or, do you think, shadowing (regardless), and going back to school, taking more biology and chem classes to broaden my knowledge as well as pick up my GPA, and focus on more versaitle things such as volunteering will make me a stronger appicant? I would really appreaciate your input.

Thanks!
Christina

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Paul March 21, 2012 at 10:25 pm

Yes, I think you’re right.

1) Continue your work, but make sure that the docs, PAs, nurse practitioners, and nurses know that you are working toward PA school and you would like to observe and help with procedures as much as they are comfortable with. Many will take you under their wing to show you things by coming to get you when they have something interesting for you to observe. Keep in mind that just about anything can be considered assisting – holding the scissors, going to get a box of bandages or a tongue depressor, along with the more involved things. This way, you can truthfully say that you have assisted the providers.

2) take your biology and chemistry. You should plan to get your bachelors degree. It is a prerequisite for 95% of PA programs, and very soon, it will be for all of them.

If you can get a little more involved in your clinic (it takes speaking up a bit!), it will be a better health care experience than volunteering. So I would only spend your time volunteering if it’s doing something different in medicine that really interests you.

Hope that helps!

P

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