Letters of Recommendation & Physician Assistant School

Letters of Recommendation & Physician Assistant School

Last Updated: 08/03/2015

As a pre-PA student, you should have someone review your completed letters of recommendation to determine if they are strong enough for admission, utilizing resources such as The PA Platform, which provides pre-PA assessments, supplemental application reviewing, letter of recommendation reviewing, and mock interviews. When in doubt, ask!

Savanna Perry, PA-C, is the founder of The PA Platform and started PA school at the Medical College of Georgia in May of 2012, now known as Georgia Regents University, graduating in August of 2014.  She has assisted with multiple interviews and knows what it is like to be on both sides of the interview process. She works at a Dermatology office outside of Augusta, GA and has come to love the PA profession even more while learning all of the advantages of becoming a PA. She has always enjoyed helping other people to achieve their dreams, and that is her primary goal with her site!

Please use referral code: DoseOfPA for a special discount on The PA Platform for any service(s).

If you’re new to applying, there are many important factors that can go into a letter of recommendation (LOR) or reference. I’ll discuss a little bit about each one below.

Tips:

Shadowing for Physician Assistant School

Shadowing for Physician Assistant School

It’s only normal for a student to be curious about who to shadow for admission into physician assistant school. You might have questions such as the following listed below. Well, I’m here to answer them to the best of my knowledge.While some may disagree with my answers, this is just my opinion and if you wish, you can check out PhysicianAssistantForum.com for more information.

• Is it acceptable to shadow a MD/DO or Nurse Practitioner instead of a PA?
• Yes. While you may shadow a physician or nurse practitioner, it is recommended by many programs that you shadow a physician assistant as well. Shadowing these other providers gives you knowledge and experience of their roles in healthcare, but you should know the differences between them and a physician assistant.You can really shadow anyone in healthcare. I've heard of people shadowing physicians, nurse practitioners, paramedics, etc.
• Do programs prefer shadowing of a physician assistant?
• By and large, yes! At all costs, shadow a PA, even if it is for only 3-5 days.
• What types of clinical settings are appropriate for shadowing?
• In my own experience, the physician assistant I shadowed gave me some good advice. She suggested shadowing her in clinic and hospital (surgery) settings. Ultimately, it gave me a very broader understanding of the role of a PA in various settings, as well as learning the differences between outpatient and inpatient services. This is important for your own understanding as well and shadowing in all settings will make it easier to talk about during your interviews.
• How long should I shadow for?