10 Tips To Help You Prepare For Your PA School Interview

A physician assistant (PA), sometimes known as a physician associate, is a mid-level health care professional. Additionally, PAs can diagnose ailments, develop and implement treatment programs, prescribe drugs, and act as primary healthcare providers.

Physician assistant school interviews are nerve-wracking. Plain and simple. If you’re going to a PA school for an interview, you’re nearing the finish of a long and often arduous process. But there’s one more push to make. Although preparation cannot ensure success, it is the most important aspect of any interview. So, how do you get ready for the big event? Here are some actions to take to support you overcome them.

You’ve got the job and are now waiting for the interview date. However, it’s one of the most challenging aspects of the PA school application process. Prepare for your interview in the days running up to it, and you’ll be sure to impress your future PA school.

Several other health profession degrees, including PA programs, continue to emphasize in-person (or via Zoom in COVID-times) interviews with prospective students. Furthermore, it is still considered a crucial factor in choosing an entering class. Depending on the perspective, an in-person interview serves a variety of reasons.

Tips
10 PA School Interview Tips

Tips

From the standpoint of the program, there are two key objectives:

1. Whether you are a good fit for the program regarding academics, personality, behaviour, character, background, hobbies, passion, etc.

2. They’re trying to sell you the program. Nearly all applicants have applied to many programs recognized by the programs. They constantly try to show why choosing their program is a wise decision. Programs enjoy strong students.

There are two key goals from the prospective student’s perspective:

1. Demonstrate that you would be a great fit for their program and that you own all of the qualities that would help you excel as a student and as a PA.

2. Determine whether this program is good for you. You applied to the program for a reason, but how does it feel after you arrive? How do the amenities appear? What is the status of the faculty? What do current students have to say about their time at the university? Remember that, just as the program shops for you; you are also shopping for the program.

10 PA School Interview Tips

So let’s concentrate on how to make the most of your chance and prepare you for your interview.

1. Setting The Stage

The format of PA Program interviews varies for every program, but they all revolve around one central theme: how do you respond in an interview? Your interviews will probably comprise a mix of group interviews, multiple mini-interviews (MMI), and an individual interview near the conclusion.

Additionally, faculty (PA, basic science, and other academic faculty), alumni, and practising PAs in the community will interview you. Besides, campus and program tours, financial aid information, and an opportunity to engage with current students will round out the day.

2. Figure Out What They Should Know About You

Before I left the session, an interview coach advised me to sit down for 30 minutes and write a list of everything I wanted my interviewer to know about me. It was excellent advice! If you’re nervous, your thoughts may fly out the window in a high-pressure setting like a PA school interview.

Besides, it’s easier to stay focused and tie your responses to the things you want the interviewer to take away if you prepare ahead of time and establish the personal points you want to make.

Consider personal experiences or problems you’d like to discuss and character traits that define who you are. Use every chance throughout the interview to tell a personal story to explain your position. You want to connect with the interviewer, and this method will help you stand out.

3. Learn All You Can About Them

If your application focuses on you, the interview would focus on how you fit in with them. Get to know the school’s informational materials inside and out. Websites, booklets, publications, and friends who have gone to school can provide useful information.

What is the focus of the program? What, if any, specialities are they preparing their graduates for? Lastly, what is the structure of their curriculum? Having learned much about them, you should already be their student when you arrive for your interview.

4. Start Practicing

Isn’t it true that practice makes perfect? I met with a PA mentor, who asked me the same questions she was asked during her PA school interviews. However, thanks to these mock interviews, you’ll have rehearsed answering some questions. Find a trustworthy friend or mentor who can support your preparation and strive to make the interview experience as stimulating as possible.

Besides, when it comes to interviewing, there is a method to it. There is no “correct” solution to many questions. You want to respond appropriately and professionally, yet in a way that connects with your interviewer and helps them remember you. You don’t want to come across as though you’ve prepared your responses because that would make you appear untrustworthy.

5. Research Current Events

If you’re not a news junkie (like me as a college student! ), get up to speed on what’s going on in the world. Pay special attention to everything related to healthcare or directly affecting PAs. Furthermore, schools like to ask specific questions regarding current events, which can catch you off guard if you aren’t prepared. The AAPA contains a wealth of information about what’s going on in the world of PAs, notably in Advocacy Central and News Central.

6. Prepare Financially

You are responsible for paying for your travel, meals, and lodging for PA school interviews. Breakfast or lunch may be supplied if you’re lucky. Ensure you have enough money to cover these expenses, especially if you’re interviewing at several PA schools nationwide. Save a little extra money or avoid eating out. Because you’ll likely gain some support from student loans as a PA student, it’s never too early to start saving and budgeting.

Furthermore, remember that once you’ve been accepted, you’ll need to pay a deposit within a few weeks of receiving the notice to secure your position. This can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. It doesn’t matter to schools if you’re awaiting responses from other programs. To secure your seat, be prepared to pay. Be prepared to lose your deposit if another, more appealing offer comes your way.

All future PA students should feel comfortable and confident going into their PA school interviews with a little preparation. You can do it.

7. Prepare For The Most Asked Questions.

Each of the most common inquiries should have a response in mind and take no more than 60 seconds. Be ready for anything. We shall discuss some of the questions later in this article.

8. Dress Professionally:

One of the important scholarship interview tips is to dress appropriately. Even if you are most comfortable in sweatpants or shorts, this is not the moment to dress casually.

Furthermore, If there is a clothing code, obey it and don’t overdo it. Formal or business clothing consists of a buttoned-down collared shirt (no sleeves rolled up!), dark-coloured slacks (no skinny or other jeans!), or a knee-length skirt. Ensure your shoes are in good condition and don’t go overboard with vivid colours and designs.

You have to show the scholarship committee that you are an enthusiastic student who can commit and that receiving a nomination for the award is an honour. Besides, Dress to impress includes pants and a buttoned-down collared shirt, or a knee-length skirt or dress in business wear.

Make sure your hair is neat and out of your face, and don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes. It’s not the time to wear your stinky gym sneakers or beach sandals to an interview. Also, don’t forget to bring some mints. Bad breath is the fastest way to ruin an interview!

9. Demonstrate That You Care

Every school is unique, but they all aspire to educate people who care about and serve others. Forget about your future salary, the thrill, and the enjoyment for your interview. Concentrate on your desire to do work that matters to you. You’re already in the wrong field if meaningful employment isn’t vital to you.

10. Be an enthusiast

Lastly on PA school interview tips is to be an Enthusiast. Whatever you do, don’t tell the interviewer(s) that you want to be a doctor or that you want to be one eventually.

PAs don’t see their job as a stepping stone to something else, and the vast majority of them would rather be PAs than doctors (ask a few). Be passionate about your goal to work as a PA, because that is what every profession requires: people who enjoy what they do.

PA interviews Questions And Answers

Part of our PA School interview tips is To help you prepare for your PA school interview, go over these interview questions. Note that some PA interviews will include a Multiple Mini Interview. In contrast, others will include traditional or panel type interviews or group interviews, and certain programs may require a CASPer, so be careful to check with each institution to prepare efficiently.

1. What Is A PA?

Hopefully, you should have a strong grasp of a PA’s responsibilities and scope of practice long before the interview stage. In practice, a PA serves as a supporter to an MD, supporting with patient care, treatment, and education under the supervision and delegation of the MD.

A PA’s abilities are limited; for example, they cannot do surgery (though they can support it). And their competence to prescribe drugs varies greatly depending on the region. (Including what they are allowed to prescribe if the prescription of medications is permitted – e.g., narcotics and other controlled substances).

2. Who You Are And Who You Want To Be As A PA?

Any interview procedure relies heavily on biographical inquiries. They are the cornerstone for learning about your past, education and coursework, personality, personal experience, and ideals, which is why they are among the most frequently asked questions.

You may have to guess at the rest of the interviewer’s questions, but ‘they can be certain that they will inquire about your background. Furthermore, The PA program is looking for people they know, like, and believe will succeed. They won’t be able to do that unless they get to know you. And just because you know a lot about your past doesn’t guarantee you’re good at talking about it.

3. Can you give us some background on the PA profession?

While you don’t need to memorize the entire timeline of events leading up to the establishment of the PA profession, as well as every step from that first class of PAs to today.

You should have a general understanding of how and why the profession began. The context in which it arose, the needs it sought to address, and some key milestones in its evolution.

4. Do Your Skills Fit The PA School Program?

You’ll want to include questions in your mock interviews that help illustrate why you’re a good fit for this school’s PA program. Aside from your ambition to pursue a career as a physician assistant, the school wants to know if you’ll be a suitable fit for them. Each program has its own set of strengths and shortcomings, just as each candidate has.

Spend time learning about the school, their beliefs, and their vision for the future before your PA school interview so you can give specific instances of how their culture integrates with yours.

5. What Is Your Understanding Of The Functions of PA?

This question includes a general and a specific component, both of which will be influenced by where you want to practice, at least in part. Note that regulations governing what PAs can do and the steps required vary nationally and at the state/provincial level, so you must be familiar with the rules in the area where you want to practice. Note down some of the profession’s responsibilities as it can help you answer the question “Why do you want to be a PA?”

6. Why Do You Want To Be A PA?

In some senses, the question “Why do you want to be a PA?” has an implied additional component: “Why do you want to be a PA rather than an NP or MD?” In your PA personal statement, you must be able to successfully respond to this question.

While you don’t need to understand every distinction between these numerous medical specialities, you should be able to articulate why you want to become a PA. Furthermore, there are numerous misconceptions about what a PA is and why someone would take this path because it is still a relatively new medical job.

As an aspiring medical professional, consider your talents, key qualities, values around collaborative healthcare, and career ambitions.

7. Why Choose This School?

You should research the goals, vision, and values of the school. And the program to which you are applying, as well as their unique PA curriculum. Before the interview (and, preferably, before submitting your application). Because the rules governing how PAs practice vary depending on where they practice.

PA programs in different places usually have curricula tailored to that region. As well as different priority populations on which they focus. However, it’s crucial to show how your values and priorities correspond with those of the organization, as this proves that you’re a “good fit.”

8. What Kind Of Stress Do You Think Is Associated With PA Profession?

Burnout is a worry in any medical field, so it’s critical that you’re aware of and prepared for the challenges you’ll face. While doctors are at the highest risk of burnout, it is a discipline-wide medical issue.

There are possibilities for long hours, interpersonal tensions, time concessions, and the rigours of a demanding profession with a lot on the line. So become familiar with these problems and be open about them; proving that you’ve looked into them shows that you’re a serious applicant who has done an honest, mature assessment of the demands of the field you want to pursue and how you’ll survive despite them.

9. Are You Familiar With National Or State/Provincial Regulations For PA?

There’s no avoiding it: you must research this question. Answering “No” or trying to guess your way through is unacceptable. You do not, however, need to learn the exact regulations in every state and province in North America. Furthermore, they will not expect you to know every detail and nuance of these regulations because you are not yet a PA – that is something you will learn along the way.

What counts is that you’ve done enough research to speak about it in a way that reflects your dedication to the field.

10. What steps have you taken to prepare for a career as a PA?

What strategies are you employing to make yourself and your application more competitive?

It is critical that you can speak explicitly about the PA profession, not just about healthcare in general, in this response. Because this is an open-ended topic that allows you to show your dedication to the industry, your response will be very personalized.

So, you can discuss your volunteer, shadowing, and/or clinical experiences, any further courses you’ve done. Any employment experience has helped you learn more about life and work as a PA and solidified your desire to pursue this path.

You might also think about specific patient interactions you’ve had or seen that stand out to you as examples of why you want to be a PA. In other words, this question asks why you think being a PA is the best path for you and what you’ve done to prepare for it.

Conclusion

Physician Assistants (PAs) are a relatively recent category of medical service occupation when compared to physicians and nurses. With the first class of PAs graduating from Duke University in 1967, a new type of medical profession was born, to alleviate a primary care physician shortage and improve patient access to care.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) was founded the following year, in 1968, and the field has continued to expand, be accredited, and be refined over the years.

Still, because knowledge of the role of a PA is much less widespread than knowledge of more traditional medical roles, demonstrating your understanding of this specific role and vocation, as well as specifically articulating why this medical career is the best choice for you, is an important part of the PA interview.

As a result, many PA school interview questions will test your knowledge of the position, scope of practice, and the professional challenges of working as a Physician Assistant.

References

mypatraining.com/physician-assistant-school-interview/
apa.org – Prepare for Your PA School Interview With These 5 Tips
bemoacademicconsulting.com – 170 PA School Interview Questions in 2023