Advice for Students Beginning Physician Assistant School

Advice and Tips for Students Beginning PA School

Updated: 08/08/2015

Everyone wants to be prepared for physician assistant school, but there isn’t a formal “way” to prepare. Every student has their own process, ideas, and opinions about what you should and should not do. Ultimately, it is your own prerogative to decide how to spend your year, month, or days before your program begins. Only you know what type of learner you are and what you don’t know or don’t remember. Keep this in mind as you read this article because you’ll find yourself over analyzing everything and getting nothing out of it.

First off, remember that everyone in PA school is just as nervous as you are. You’re not alone; this is normal. Everyone is equally freaking out that they won’t be prepared for rotations, for the PACKRAT or for the PANCE. A little bit of anxiety and apprehension is good to keep you on your feet, but too much can bring you down. Mastering physician assistant school is all about balance.

Here are a few tips from previous and current students:

• Before PA school begins.
• Study anatomy and physiology briefly if you haven’t taken it in a while. This is not required and I personally took an online anatomy course prior to PA school, but I didn’t feel like it helped me any. Your program was built to help you become a clinician and you have to trust them that they will. You’ll definitely learn enough anatomy and phys during PA school, so do not fret if you don’t do this.
• Central nervous system & Peripheral nervous system
• Cranial nerves
• Cardiovascular system (veins and arteries)
• Bones and muscles

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: