Accepted! Advice #5 - Rebecca W.

PPASO alum, Rebecca Whealan, shares her greatest tips and her stats. Read on! -AS

Hi PPASO! For those older members, you might know me as the redhead that asks a lot of questions. If you are still asking yourself “who?” Then I did not have the pleasure of meeting you due to my crazy schedule keeping me from many PPASO events. I’ve technically been a member of PPASO since my senior year at UCSD (2014). If you are new to the organization, let me assure you that this is a great place to be. My entire pre-PA journey has PPASO at the epicenter. I found 1 of my jobs through a post on the PPASO Facebook group. I also met the PA that I shadowed, worked with, and had write my letter of recommendation, at to the Dine-with-a-PA event. This was truly a hallmark experience in my life and I fondly refer to it as a life-changing moment.

Like many of you, I struggled with the PA vs MD vs NP debate. It was PPASO and shadowing a PA that helped me feel confident enough to pursue this profession. Please reach out to me, other PPASO alumni, or the rest of the PPASO family if you ever have doubts. It’s helpful to talk it out, it is your future for goodness sake! At the end of the day, we all want to enter a field we are passionate about. PPASO is here to help you decide if PA is for you. If you have concerns, you are not alone. Believe me, I had plenty of doubts on my long journey to acceptance.

For those of you that are preparing to apply, congratulations on making this decision! I’d like to applaud you for taking the next step in pursuing what you want. This is not an easy thing to do. It’s emotionally taxing and exhausting. At this point in time, you might be second-guessing yourself. “Are my grades competitive?” Do I have enough hours? Will they like me?” These were common thoughts circling in the back of my head. If you find yourself asking similar questions, let me be the one to reassure you. It’s not IF you get in, it’s WHEN you get in. Positive self-talk is truly important in staying grounded throughout the application process. Be patient with yourself and don’t rush the journey. Sometimes it takes longer than we want but in the words of Dory, “just keep swimming”. I was on the lower GPA end and took 3 postbaccalaureate years to obtain all my perquisites and boost my science and cumulative GPA. I worked 3 jobs at the same time. People thought I was crazy (aren’t we all a little?), but if you want something bad enough you will find a way to make it happen. That is the power of ambition.

My advice as you approach the application cycle:

1. Research all your options for programs! I used The Applicant’s Manual to Physician Assistant Program by Volpe and literally highlighted every school I qualified for and crossed of schools I did not or did not have good accreditation. Had I not considered schools I had never heard of, I wouldn’t have found my program at a small private school in West Virginia. If you told me I’d be going to WV last year I would have laughed. But after doing my research and interviewing, I found that this program has everything I could want and MORE! Keep an open mind.

2. Take into account that almost ALL (or at least the strong majority of mine) schools have secondary applications that are of additional cost on top of the CASPA application. This is important if you have a budget for the application process. I did not realize this and applied to over 20 schools which costed an arm and a leg.

3. How to Ace the Physical Assistant School Interview by Rodican is referenced by many applicants because it is a huge source of wisdom for any interview type. I practiced by writing answers to every question in bullet point form on a sticky note and reviewed my stickies on my plane rides to interviews.

4. If you are taking classes while applying, wait till after your final grades are entered to submit transcripts. Many schools do not take updates after you submit, and every A helps boost that GPA!

5. Emphasize what is unique about you in your written application and your interview. I was a trial monitor for a clinical trial, which is not a common healthcare experience. I used this to frame myself as a nontraditional candidate that could bring a new perspective to the cohort. Many questions will ask you what makes you unique. Figure out that answer and nail it

6. Leave time in your schedule to be with friends and family. These are the people that will be your support system during PA school, let them be a part of your life before it as well.

7. Make sure to prioritize your mental health. With the application process becoming more difficult each year, the process of pursuing the PA profession leaves a mental toll. Set aside time in your week doing something you love that has nothing to do with being Pre-PA (some suggestions: petting cute dogs, binge-watching Netflix, eating shrimp tacos).

8. If you don’t get in your first cycle make sure to get feedback on your application. Email or call every program that you received a denial from. While not every school will provide feedback, some will. This will give you something to focus on to strengthen your application for the next cycle! If I had not reached out to schools, I would not have realized that I needed to raise my science GPA (some schools specifically told me I only needed to retake organic chemistry, I had no idea!). I also found that schools provided me with more detailed information about what the minimum GPA is required to receive an interview. With this information, I was able to determine that there were some programs I didn’t qualify for and did not reapply to. In other words, their honesty saved me money and allowed me to find another program that I did qualify for.

Applicant Profile

• Major: Physiology and Neuroscience

• Minor: Cognitive Science

• cGPA: 3.44 sGPA: 3.24 nsGPA: 3.68

• GRE: q 155, v 156, w 4.5

• PCE: ED scribe, orthopedic private practice scribe, Pathmaker internship, Scripps Hospital volunteer, caregiver ~2,968 hours

• HCE: Clinical Trial Monitor Phase 2 knee OA study for biotech company ~3,120

• Research: 2 labs on campus ~240 hours

• Leadership Experience: PPASO mentor, CORE secretary, Alpha Chi Omega Chapter Relations and Standards Committee ~507 hours

• Volunteer Experience: San Diego Humane Society, Preuss School tutor, CORE club member, Alpha Chi Omega ~311 hours

• PA Shadowing: 200 hours (ED and Ortho)

• Letters of Rec: 1 MD, 1 PA, 1 community college professor