Tips to be a Stronger PA School Applicant

I often get asked, “What can I do to become a more competitive PA school applicant”. Here I outline the tips I would take if I were to go back and apply to PA school again.

These are tips on what to do BEFORE you start the process of applying to PA School

I recommend printing this post, and check off the different tips as you complete them.

Tip #1: Research as much as you can about the PA profession in Canada

You’d be surprised by the number of students who are applying to PA school who do not have a good understanding of the PA role. Sometimes Pre-PAs will see that they “qualify to apply” and decide to go ahead and apply without learning about the PA profession and making a decision about whether this career is a good fit.

a) Become an expert on all Things PA

Anyone applying to a PA program should have a strong understanding of the PA role. This means going beyond googling a definition of “Physician Assistant”. Your goal should be to become an expert on all things PA.

This includes learning about:

• PA role definition

• PA education

• PA certification

• PA scope of practice

• Lateral mobility - the ability to switch specialties

• How PAs work within a team

• Where PAs work (specialties, and clinical settings)

• History/origins of the profession, and progress of the PA profession in Canada

• How PA practice differs from other health care providers (e.g. physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physiotherapist, pharmacist, etc.).

All of this research will come in handy when you reach the phase of applying to PA school. Pre-PA students who stand out on admissions are usually well-read about the PA profession.

b) American PA resources are helpful too

You will come across a lot of American PA material – and this is ok! The practice of medicine between American and Canadian PAs is essentially the same (e.g. How a PA would approach the ‘history taking’ and ‘clinical reasoning’  does not differ in Canada and the US), however, there are a few differences between our health care systems and resources that will impact your management plan. This includes drugs that are available, how quickly you can get investigations such as an MRI, and the wait times for specialists.

c) Try to go beyond what is available online

Strong PA candidates take it a step further and go beyond the basic information that is available online.  This may include conducting informational interviews with a practicing PA, finding shadowing experiences and check out Canadian PA Profiles (and thereby learning about the sociopolitical environment and challenges Canadian PAs face). 

Tip#2: Decide if the PA profession is a good fit for you

If I were to ask you, “Why do you want to be a PA?”, would you be able to answer this question honestly, authentically and with evidence to back up this answer?

PA programs want to ensure the candidates who are applying to the PA program are individuals who want to become PAs and practice medicine here in Canada.

I recommend you write out your reasons for wanting to become a PA. Try to answer the following questions in this journal prompt:

• Why do I want to become a PA?

• What is it about the profession that draws me to the role?

• What are the pros and cons of being a PA?

• Why do I want to be a PA and not a [insert other health care profession]?

Being articulate on why you want to become a PA is helpful for the admissions process (especially when it comes to the Statement of Intent, Supplemental Application, and the Interviews). It will also help reaffirm your decision to pursuing the PA profession.

Tip#3: Become an Expert on Admission requirements for Canadian PA programs

Applying to PA school can be a confusing process, so familiarizing yourself with what the requirements are (including what documents to submit, timelines, etc.) can help you ensure you don’t miss a step, and inadvertently disqualify your application.

• Step 1: Start with reading the PA program websites first. This is where the accurate, most up-to-date information can be found. I recommend printing out the page on admission requirements and deadlines and using it as a checklist of "things to complete” for PA admissions.

• Step 2: Read Pre-PA articles and tips on this blog! This blog includes tips on how to excel as a PA applicant based on the experiences of successful PA applicants applying to Canadian PA programs.

• Step 3: Join the Canadian Pre-PA Facebook Group. The Canadian Pre-PA Facebook Group is a group of Pre-PA students, current PA students, and practicing PAs in Canada. Here Pre-PA students can have any question answered regarding PA admissions or PA practice.

Note: Be mindful of American Pre-PA Resources: When browsing American Pre-PA websites, there are pieces of advice that do not apply to Canadian PA applicants- for instance, obtaining required PA shadowing hours, writing the GRE, CASPA statement (centralized application system for PA admissions).

Tip#4: Get work/volunteer experience in a Canadian health care setting

Although only the University of Toronto’s PA program requires health care experience hours to apply (the University of Manitoba and McMaster’s PA program does not require previous health care experience), I would strongly recommend obtaining some experience in health care.

• Healthcare settings can include a hospital, doctor’s office, pharmacy, nursing home, family health team, and community health centres. Essentially any setting that works directly with patients in the provision of health care services.

• Work can include paid jobs such as pharmacy technician, optometry assistant, physiotherapy and occupational therapy assistant, administrative assistant, COVID-19 screener, patient porter, and ward clerk.

• or experience can include volunteer positions: Volunteer at a Hospital Emergency department, doctor’s office, at a physiotherapy clinic.

Why is Health Care Experience helpful if it is not required?

There are a few reasons why I strongly recommend candidates to obtain health care experience:

• Learn about Health care system: To become familiar with the health care system that you will eventually be working in (whether you decide to pursue PA, RN, MD, Physio, PharmD, etc.)

• Enhance your Communication Skills with Patients: It will help enhance your communication skills (verbal, and if applicable, written).

• Learn about the patient perspective: Working with patients and their families allows you to see what care looks like from their perspective, and to learn how to cultivate patience and develop compassion. You can see first hand how social determinants can affect health of Canadians, how access to timely health care impacts care, and some of the challenges patients can face when trying to access care.

• See how health care providers work together: You get exposure to different types of health care providers who you may work with as a future PA. Understanding their role and how they function within a health care system is invaluable.

• Health care experience allows you to draw examples for admissions: Health care experience will provide you with examples you can use in PA Admissions during written supplemental application or during the PA interview

A note to International Medical Graduates: I also strongly recommend that you obtain recent health care experience hours in Canada. Although you may have paid health care experience elsewhere, it is valuable to get insight on how the Canadian health care system is.

Tip #5: Develop your Verbal Communication Skills

In Canada, there is a heavy emphasis on the evaluation of verbal and written communication skills. Don’t wait to start the admissions process before you start working on these skills! Start now.

For any healthcare provider, striving to communicate more effectively should be a lifelong endeavour. PAs communicate in every aspect of their job – whether doing medical documentation, assessing a patient, counseling a patient in preventative health, or explaining a medication regiment. Miscommunication can lead to medical mistakes, complaints in professionalism and medical malpractice.

CanMeds-PA, which is the national standard for PA practice in Canada (mirroring the CanMEDS for physicians) lists “Communicator” as one of the pillars for being a PA. Page 10 to 12 of the CanMeds-PA PDF outlines important skills you need to know as a collaborator – read this document thoroughly!

Verbal communication skills are evaluated Multiple-Mini interviews (in addition to other attributes such as critical thinking, suitability for the profession). Effective communication skills take time and practice to develop.

There are several ways to hone your communication skills in the real world:

• Participate in jobs or volunteer opportunities that involve a customer service piece where you interact with others regularly

• Take on roles in teaching or tutoring – I find the practice of explaining a concept in a way that a layman has to understand really challenges you to be intentional with your speech

• If you are ESL (English as a Second Language) find a native English Speaking partner through your university. This partner will usually sit down and practice conversational English with you. Approach your university’s career centre to find opportunities to practice.

• Joining organizations like Toastmasters

Tip #6: Journal to develop your Written Communication Skills

Being able to clearly articulate your ideas, and thought process is an important skill set to cultivate. When you write, do you convey your points effectively?

Before getting to the final stage of PA admissions (the interview), schools will often look at written work first (e.g. letter of intent, supplemental application, CASPer test written component, kira talent written component)

You may have the best extra-curriculars and experiences to write about, however if you cannot write well this may hinder your chances of being invited the PA school interview.

One of the ways I personally learned how to write effectively was journaling. I kept a diary when I was younger, which served as a place for me to not only write what had happened to me in that day, but to write out my thought processes, and articulate how I was feeling.

The type of journaling I recommend is not “Dear Diary, Here is what I did today…”, but rather using prompts to practice answering questions and conveying your ideas in a clear, concise way.

This is a video interview I did with Hannah, a UofT PA graduate who got accepted into more than one PA program. She outlines how Journaling helped prepare her for PA admissions:

To get started, you can begin with answering the following prompts (in free-form, no word restrictions whether written or typed):

• Why do you want to be a PA?

• Why do you want to work with patients?

• What area of medicine do you see yourself working in the future? Why?

• Why do you want to work in health care?

Or you can write journal prompts around experiences (work, academia, volunteer, community service):

• What happened during the activity?

• What went well about the experience? What didn’t go well?

• What did I learn from this experience?

• How would this experience help me to become a better PA?

Tip#7: Optimize your GPA

Strong PA candidates have a competitive GPA that is above the minimum GPA requirement. See the PA Infographics which lists GPAs of successful PA students (its in our closed Free Pre-PA Facebook Group, be sure to request to join so you can see it!).

What if I have a low GPA? If you meet the minimum requirement for GPA, but are worried about having a lower than-competitive GPA. You have several options:

• Apply with your current GPA.

• Retake an undergraduate course (or more courses) to upgrade where you have poor courses

• Take more undergraduate courses to boost your GPA.

• Remember to always check with PA Program admissions on how they evaluate re-takes of courses. Be cognizant that some PA programs do not count grades you obtain during your Master’s or PhD as part of your GPA average. Go to the official PA admissions websites to learn more.

What if I can’t retake courses? If you meet the minimum requirement and are not in a situation to be able to re-take courses, make sure you have a STRONG supplementary application, with strong references (if applicable). Remember that GPA is only one part of the equation when it comes to determining whether you are a good candidate for PA school.