CASPA recommends submitting and completing your application at least 6-8 weeks prior to program deadlines. As always, Im happy to help! 362 0 obj <>stream If you want to be a physician assistant but you feel that your GPA isn't high enough, you still have hope. How to use this in your personal statement: Bring together shared experiences - in this example the author hints at her medical heritage when she says: "I gleaned some insights into the profession from my father", and ties this into her shadowing experience. Your description of any experience should be factual. Which is correct, bullet points or paragraph form?? Impress admission committees every chance you can, including with these short paragraphs. CASPA experience descriptions . If you can, I encourage you to make a CASPA account to familiarize yourself with CASPAs format and begin working on the portions of CASPA that you can. Allowing PA programs to contact these people gives your experiences more validity. CASPA will use grades from every course youve ever takencourse grades from undergraduate classes, random online courses, community college courses, etc. While you should be detailed with every experience that you add, being extremely descriptive is vitally important for the experiences that fulfill your patient care experience category. Once received by CASPA, your application and materials go through a verification . Note that since each program's definitions and requirements vary, CASPA has no specific preference as to which category you choose. This mistake is common and more work to avoid. Include any other impressive aspects about this specific experience. Enter information about the organization where the experience took place. For more help, consider our ebook on essays, or hire us to coaching you through the process. CASPA defines verification process as follows: Verification is the process used to ensure all of your coursework was entered correctly and consistently. Direct patient care duties included taking vital signs, blood glucose monitoring, and answering patient calls. This is a person that programs can contact to verify that this experience occurred. You want to make them see you as a real person theyd like to meet (interview). Pay particular attention to the difference between the first two, which are frequently confused. In the CASPA application for documenting shadowing hours, what should be written in the description/key responsibilities section? Many applicants are surprised by their CASPA calculated GPA. This portion of your application will be discussed in detail below. The goal is to pique the admissions committee's interest in you, in hopes they will contact you for a school interview. Related activities you would like your selected programs to review; for example, academic clubs and competitive teams. If something is important enough to mention in the description, you should give specific details. In mine, I wrote specific things that I witnessed - lacerations, sutures, MVCs and so on. Step 6: Finally, the last step is giving authorization for the PA programs to contact these organizations/supervisors. The quality of the description short responses can elevate your application as a whole. This is the part of the Experience section that you want to pay. In this section, you can enter your professional experiences in several categories, or types. After coaching hundreds of applicants we know the most common CASPA application mistakes, weve gotten familiar with a number of easily avoidable mistakes that can weaken an application. Please try again. This is the only information that PA programs are given about your patience care experience, so the information that you provide in this section will serve as the only reference a program has when determining your quality patient care experience. If #2 above is a small missed opportunity, then using a bland or forgettable essay is a huge one (5000 characters)! Certain information from your application transfers over from one application cycle to the next (i.e. Here is a quick guide to constructing an experience description that adequately communicates your time in that role: Introduction sentence to summarize what the experience was. This section is found under the Supporting Information section of CASPA. All rights reserved. It also avoids the "not limited to" statement from the original. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/prephysicianassistant/search?q=bullet%20points&restrict_sr=1. My key responsibilities include taking patient vitals, recording patient medical histories, discussing current patient medications, administering vaccinations, and performing electrocardiograms. CASPA has added an optional essay question so that applicants can describe the ways COVID-19 has impacted them. Plus, some schools might have different or additional requirements which you will need to make sure that you're not missing anything. From your own experience, describe how the Colorado Reproductive Equity Act has impacted your life. I assist each doctor with a variety of tasks, which include aiding them in dressing wounds, chaperoning breast and pelvic exams, and contacting patients with lab work results. Powered by Invision Community, Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! I have been involved in nursing research in the past through my participation on a project focused on improving the efficiency of the discharge process from the emergency department. This will strengthen your application tremendously! ^lW(y $k^ r x#1, 0 | and your supervisors information (name, title, contact information). Pretty straightforward, right? Review the definitions below, consider the duties you performed, and choose the category that you think best fits the experience. Now What? All Rights Reserved. Example 2 (lacks sufficient detail): I work at a doctors office and my responsibilities include interacting with patients and performing different tests on them. For each experience, you should discuss your title/role, your key responsibilities, the skills you have gained during this role, and (if you have room) how this experience will benefit you as a PA. Providing these details on your application will leave no room for questions or doubt when admission committees are reviewing your application. Patient Care Experience* Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Once you fill out the required information, such as your position and the number of hours gained, there is a textbox to describe the entry. First, lets break down the Experience section of CASPA. Note that you cannot repeat hours between experience types. If you are going to share an experience make sure it is not a clich and it is absolutely necessary as to why this experience played a role in wanting to become a PA! Instead, try to submit around mid June. One last note: Some of your experiences may be long ago, and maybe you can't find your supervisor's information or specific details about the experience. Otherwise, leave it out. 18. You start by selecting the programs you wish to apply to, then you submit one application that includes all necessary materials. Teaching Experience, *if you find yourself confused about the difference between, PCE and HCE, please refer to [Pep Talk #8] for clarity. If you struggle to understand what to put for your experience, it can help to break ideas into bullet points. Aim to be as descriptive as possible when completing your CASPA application. How to land the best Healthcare job, the first time! This can be really helpful when you've held several similar positions. I used bullet format, job title - job description. CASPA will automatically calculate the total number of hours based on these numbers, and this calculation will show up directly under the numbers you have entered. If they dont know you, they cant like you enough to invite you to interview. What it was like to live in a medically underserved area. Do You Share These Burning Questions of PA School Applicants? You want to jam-pack this section with details about the experience and your role. In the supporting materials section of CASPA, you are given the opportunity to list and describe the various roles that add to your application. Fun fact:you can begin an application in CASPA even if you donotplan to apply for that cycle. Pep Talk #16: How Many PA Programs Should I ApplyTo. endstream endobj 312 0 obj <. In the supporting materials section of CASPA, you are given the opportunity to list and describe the various roles and work experience that add to your CASPA application. Liaison International. Get right to the point and leave the reader impressed by your involvement in these experiences. Instead of giving up on your dream, consider applying at the schools on our list. I have a similar question. I achieved a timely and successful setup of services according to client needs, objectives, and contract specifications. I paid most of my way through college by waiting tables, but describing the skills I gained as being genuinely relevant to work as a PA would be a stretch, and it would look like one on an application.). Its important to put a lot of thought into these descriptions, because this is the only information that admission committees receive regarding your experiences. Experiences in which you were in charge of instructing others, such as a teaching assistant, tutor, etc. My key responsibilities include taking patient vitals, recording patient medical histories, discussing current patient medications, administering vaccinations, and performing electrocardiograms. Instead say: I cared for and interacted with patients. Think about it: thousands of hopeful applicants are all vying for the same attention. Allowing PA programs to contact these people gives your experiences more validity. Enter the date or date range in which the experience took place. Remain neutral and factual. Volunteer For over three years, I have been working as a clinical assistant at an Internal Medicine practice. But, if you were instrumental in coordinating a blood drive or participated in a medical mission trip, you should provide some more detailed information about that activity. This is how I formatted my experiences on CASPA to give myself the best chance to get selected. Worked closely with nurses, PAs, and physicians to appropriately implement care plan for patients and discuss any of my duties that required clarification. Enter information about your supervisor at the organization. Applicants everywhere are working hard to polish their PA school applications. There is no limit to the number of experiences that you are able to enter, but you will want to add experiences that you feel are relevant to your PA application. First, have your experiences descriptions prepared before the cycle opens. Leadership Experience First, judge where it's relevant enough to include. If you've had a few CNA roles, you want to convey any new skills you gained in each position. (LogOut/ Instead say: I communicated with both providers and scribes. There are many reasons why applicants apply late. It involves systematic investigation and analysis of health-related issues, such as disease . Check out the r/PAstudent subreddit once accepted and r/physicianassistant after graduation. Conquering the PA school application process is a rite of passage for every future PA student. In this section you list all of your experiences, from PCE to HCE to volunteering to shadowing and more! Some essays they read are very basic. When you are deciding which programs to apply to, take the time to calculate your CASPA overall GPA and science GPA so you do not apply to a program and realize your calculated GPA was below the required minimum. For example, if you are currently a teaching assistant for a college course, keep a list of key points from this experience that can strengthen your PA program applications. Your personal statement is the place to describe the impact of your experiences. Applying to PA school is stressful which makes it easy to procrastinate. transcripts, references, and your personal statement). Hi, I saw on a YouTube video that someone suggested to describe the experience and include a brief explanation of what they also learned from that experience. Those are subjective descriptions. Clear editor. myPAresource inc.,2020. It is best to aim to have your application submitted a few weeks prior to this deadline, so that by the time that December 1st deadline rolls around your application is submitted AND verified.