March 16, 2024 • 35 mins
Navigating PA School Applications: Interviews, Essays, and Insights
On today's podcast episode I am interviewing PA Platform coach, Peter Alfano, PA-C. We dive into the intricacies of preparing focusing on essays and interviews. Through discussing various essay styles and offering live editing advice, we underline the importance of personalizing essays to showcase applicants' journey to wanting to become a PA.
We discuss avoiding common errors such as being too casual or failing to specify why one wants to be a PA. Peter gives tips on interview preparation, stressing the necessity of expressing genuine interest in the PA profession, detailing personal experiences, and tailoring responses to demonstrate a deep understanding of the PA role.
Additionally, he gives advice for re-applicants on enhancing their applications and interviews based on feedback. Throughout, the importance of authenticity, thorough preparation, and understanding the unique aspects of the PA profession is highlighted.
Applying this cycle? Join our Pre-PA Academy: https://thepaplatform.thrivecart.com/...
Never miss an episode of The Pre-PA Club Podcast: https://www.thepaplatform.com/podcast
For Personal Statement and Essay Editing: https://www.thepaplatform.com/prepa-e...
To Schedule a Mock Interview with Peter or The PA Platform: https://www.thepaplatform.com/mock-in...
00:00 Navigating the Quirks of Professional Communication
00:16 Beadaholique: A Go-To for Beading Supplies
00:23 Essay Season: Insights and Preferences
01:10 Deep Dive into Essay Writing for Pre-PA Academy
05:02 Personal Journey to Choosing the PA Profession
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I am honored today to have ourguests on the pre PA club as one of
our very own PA platform coaches.
His name is Peter.
We see so much praise forPeter all the time in the
Facebook group on social media.
He's just a really,really great prepay coach.
So we're talking about how we feel aboutpersonal statements and interviews,
(00:24):
and it's a really great conversation.
Welcome to the Pre PA Club Podcast.
If you want to learn how tobecome a physician assistant,
you're in the right place.
I'm your host, Savannah Perry.
Let's get to it.
What's up guys.
(00:45):
We are getting back into the swing ofthings with some new podcast episodes.
I have some really great interviews comingup, including today's we're interviewing
some of the PA platform coaches.
So today we're talking to Peter.
And y'all, I can't even explain to youhow much of a rockstar Peter is like.
He's been with us for awhile now, a couple years.
(01:06):
And.
He just helped so many students.
And it's just awesome.
So we're going to talk alittle bit about his job.
He had a previous podcast episode a whileback that you can listen to if you want
more about like his story, but todaywe're really getting into, like, what
do we see when we're editing statements?
What do we see in mock interviews?
(01:26):
What mistakes are people making?
What stands out.
And talking all through that.
So.
I hope you enjoy hearing from Peter.
And I appreciate him takingthe time to talk to us.
We are almost a month out fromthe next Caspus cycle opening.
And that is wild.
So we officially know now thatCasbah for the 20, 24 to 2025 cycle.
(01:49):
We'll open on Thursday, April 25th.
That means it is time toget your ducks in a row.
If you are wanting to help withyour personal statement now is a
great time to submit for editing.
So that you have time to work on itbefore it's time to actually turn it in.
Uh, if you are a re applicant and wantto go over your application, we have
our prepay counseling options for that.
(02:12):
But just remember you can use the codefuture PA for a discount on any of the
services the books can be found on Amazon.
So that's the personal statementguide the interview guide
and then our pre PA workbook.
So check all that out.
If you need more help.
And then of course our freeresources, everything that's on
the podcast, the videos on YouTube.
Uh, this video also is already on YouTube.
(02:34):
If you'd like to watch theinterview, instead of listen.
And then tons of blog posts,tons of information and
things to just help you out.
So, yeah, we're here to helpyou hopefully, uh, make this
process a little bit easier.
Uh, pre PA academy alsohas been going great.
If you are interested in agroup coaching setting, you
(02:55):
can still join pre PA academy.
And that is where we meet four timesa week with different sessions,
teaching group work, um, Q anda office hours to help make sure
your application is ready to go.
Everything's recorded ifyou can't attend live.
But, uh, we did not closeregistration for that.
It's still available.
(03:16):
We just, um, are already in theprogram since it started in February.
So, yeah.
Let's get into hearing from Peter.
And as always, if you have anyquestions, feel free to reach out.
You can find me on socialmedia, feel free to email.
Check out our Facebook group.
And, you know, we want to try tomake this as stress-free as possible.
(03:48):
We're just now getting into essay season.
I thought it would be fun if wejust talked about some of the
things, good and bad, that we see.
Do you have a favorite between essaysand interviews or do you flip flop?
I flip flop.
I definitely prefer interviewsonly because there's the
face to face component.
(04:09):
And then, with the essays, I justfind myself getting distracted
sometimes, versus in an interviewyou can't get distracted, it's
gonna be an hour no matter what.
Versus an essay can take 45 minutesto two hours, depending on what I'm
doing on the side, but I do enjoy doingboth, and it's, they're different, but.
Very good, both of 'em.
Yeah.
I feel like I'll like do a bunch ofessays and then get burned out and be
(04:29):
like, oh man, I miss interviews and thenI do interviews and yeah, do a bunch
of, I'm like, oh man, I miss essay.
I need a little bit of both.
Let's talk essays first.
We're doing pre-PA Academy andpart of that is where we do live
editing, and so we've been goingthrough a lot of different.
Essays, which is fun because it'sjust paragraphs from each one.
So in one of the sessions the otherday, it was cool because I got
(04:50):
to see different types of essays.
So we had one that was just jumpin, really straightforward, tell
us why they want to be a PA.
And they just started with that.
And then there was another onethat started with a very intense
EMT story about delivering a babyand all that jazz and being in the
ambulance and sirens and all that.
(05:11):
And then there was another one that wassuper personal and talked about growing up
with some of their household dynamics andhow that led them to exposure to medicine
and then how that led them to meetingand learning more about the profession.
So I was thinking about, like,those are three different styles of
essays, and none of them are wrong.
(05:32):
I'm interested to know if you havea preference of when you read an
essay, which type you're just like,Oh, I love that type of essay.
This is so good.
I find it's good to have all thoseelements, but sometimes what will happen
is a student will spend too much timetalking about a story, or too much time
talking about their healthcare experience,and it'll take away from some of the
other aspects you want, but it's good.
(05:52):
I think what, like, would be aperfect essay to me would be, start
off with, like, a compelling storyabout a patient contact experience.
Then maybe drift into, like, howyou discovered PA, what got you
going on that PA school journey.
Then transitioning to patient contacthours, and then having a good amount of
the specific reasons why you chose PA.
And then wrapping 000 characters,but I have seen students do it
(06:15):
really effectively, and usually atthe end of those essays I'll write,
this is Make these little changesand then you're all set basically.
I've had a few of those too andthey're almost harder to edit when
they're really, when they're reallygood because you're kind of like, oh
man, you're doing everything right.
I've had a few students email backbe like, is this, are you sure?
Are you sure this is good?
I'll have somebody take a secondlook and stuff and I'm just like,
(06:35):
yeah, I mean, we wouldn't tell youit was ready to go if it wasn't.
I think I like the third optionwhen they're just like very
personal and Telling their storywithout trying to be too dramatic.
I think there's just afine line there between.
Too much detail, too muchdescription in telling your story.
(06:58):
It's so hard when you don't have a lot ofcharacters to work with, unfortunately.
To keep it under that kind oflimit that we're looking for.
As far as essays you've edited, whatare some mistakes you see often?
Depending on the student, sometimesthere'll be a lot of spelling, grammar,
punctuation, sometimes not at all.
(07:19):
I was an English tutor in college,so I like jump at that stuff.
I can't skip over a grammarerror if I know it's there.
It's distracting.
It is distracting, yeah.
And then I feel like I'mmissing stuff on purpose.
So I always, like, have to mention those.
But then sometimes youwon't have any of those.
depending on how wellit's been edited before.
But I think the most common thing thatI find myself writing at the end of
an essay is that a student didn't talkenough about actually why they want to PA.
(07:43):
They don't give enough specifics.
Sometimes, unfortunately, they'll talk alot about how they discovered PA or their
experiences, even working alongside PAs.
Uh, and their own patient contact.
Then I'll get to the end ofthe essay I still don't know
why they actually chose PA.
Like, what are the specific reasons,things unique about the profession?
So that's the most common thingthat I'll write at the end is
just, you have to literally say whyyou want to be a PA in the essay.
(08:06):
I agree that it's easy to talkabout the PA profession because
it is such a great profession.
But a lot of what I find studentssay could be applied to a
lot of other professions too.
So if you could say the same thingabout nursing or going to med
school or dental school, then.
That doesn't tell me why you chose.
PA versus those things.
(08:27):
Our previous episode, which I'll linkto from a while back when we spoke,
but I would like to know again why youchose PA and then why family medicine?
I had always known for a whileI was interested in healthcare
just because I had interest in,in science and just enjoyed that.
I had good experiences as a patientwho originally was thinking optometry.
(08:47):
I don't know why, that wasjust an interest of mine,
I thought it would be good.
And then in a health occupations class,which I took in high school on my journey
to become an optometrist, I learned aboutPA and at that point just became a lot
more interested because obviously as aPA you have a much more broad scope than
what you do in one particular, like inoptometry for example, and the ability
(09:08):
to move between specialties of course.
So then after that I startedlooking into what did I do to
need to be a PA, what were Prerequisites, those types of things.
Got my EMT certification in high school.
Fortunately, that health occupationsclass gave me that opportunity
so I could get started withpatient contact pretty early on.
And then went to university of NewEngland for medical biology pre PA.
They actually, it's apretty medical based school.
(09:29):
So they have a specificpre PA major, which I took.
And then, uh, got into theCMS MCPHS for PA school.
At the time, I didn't really knowwhat specialty I wanted to do, so
to have that option open to me wassomething that was definitely drawn to.
The collaboration with thephysicians was something I was
drawn to, something I still enjoy.
I don't ever feel bad going up tothe physician and be like, This is
what I see, this is what I thinkwe should do, do you approve?
(09:50):
Do you agree?
So that was something I was definitelydrawn to, even in high school.
I did And I always tell students, Idon't recommend talking about this in
interviews, but me personally, but thefact that it was two years as opposed
to four years of medical school andresidency and fellowships, it was
honestly something that I was drawn to.
Although I usually tell students notto talk about that in an interview, but
in all honesty, that was something too.
Yeah.
(10:10):
I mean, it's part of it.
I explain those as that's aperk, but is it like a reason?
It's fine that it's like a great partof it, but it shouldn't be your main
reason that you're wanting to do this.
For me, it was the team where thecollaboration and like, Seeing that while
you still got to work with patients andmake decisions and be really involved with
their care, I found that so appealing.
(10:33):
Shadowing is how I saw it andsaid, Oh, yeah, like I think I
fit what this person's doing.
They're doing what I want to do.
Let's do it.
Did you always think familymedicine or did that come later?
You're going to feel like you'rein a mock interview right now.
No, that's okay.
No, I did not think familymedicine initially at all.
At the time I was almost, And it likesounds silly now because I love it so
(10:57):
much but at the time I was almost a littleoverwhelmed by it by having to know every
single spot someone could walk in likeanything any of you could have any degree
of complexity in any of your patientsand at the time I was a little almost
turned off by that I thought that I wouldbe better finding something I really
liked and getting really good at it.
So I was originally thinking orthopedics.
I thought it was going to specialize Andthen I did a family medicine rotation.
(11:19):
I did an orthopedic rotation I justpreferred it's just one of those things
sometimes you learn Something's justnot a good fit for you and I found the
family medicine like I knew at the endof that rotation Okay, this is definitely
what I want to do just based on therelationships with patients over the
years I have some patients at my practicethat have been coming there for Almost 40
years with the same owner who retired afew years ago, um, that I was drawn to.
(11:40):
I learned that I actually did likethe diversity of it as much as I
thought I wanted to specialize.
I actually enjoyed getting to learna little bit of everything and then
having the specialists as a secondline if there was a situation that
needed more help or more support.
And then it's a cushy lifestyle too.
And I know with dermatology isprobably similar, nice hours, no
overnights or holidays for us.
So it's very nice.
(12:00):
That was part of the job, dermatology.
And I like Similar things at this point,I have patients I've been seeing for
almost the 10 years I've been in practice,people that I started seeing when they
were nine and now they're in college.
And it's just, it's wild.
Like it's so cool.
When I see them on my schedule,it just is mind blowing.
I'm like, I can't believeI've been doing this long and.
(12:22):
That you're now like a full adult.
That part's really cool.
And part of why I like dermatology,I think one thing that's helpful is
hearing, and that's part of why we dothe podcasts from PAs and people who
have been through it about what theydo and what they like, because it is
easy to read about the profession and.
It sounds cool.
It sounds good, but you can onlyget so much from reading about it.
(12:47):
Any other big mistakes, big thingsthat you look for in an essay?
I like when they go inchronological order.
That's like a personal thing thatI just want it to flow where it's
like, I can follow it easily.
I definitely like that too.
If they're not jumping around or goingout of order, those types of things.
I think other mistakes issometimes students will have The
(13:08):
paragraphs will almost be too long.
Sometimes you'll have a wholeparagraph to talk about one idea and
you're almost halfway done the essay.
Sometimes it'll be the opposite thing.
A paragraph will be too short.
It's two sentences and you're alreadyjumping to the right idea, like, can
we work this into another paragraph?
And then other just silly things likeusing contractions, using slang, using
Second person pronouns like you likenone of that stuff should be in a formal
(13:30):
essay Those are very common mistakesthat i'll see Not putting a conclusion.
They'll just like end the essay abruptly,please put it It doesn't have to be long,
but I want a conclusion like I want yeahthat kind of wrap up Um, have you ever
had I think this happened last seasonof essays I had Two very memorable ones.
(13:51):
One decided to use the f word.
It was in a quote from a patient, butI was like, ah, let's not do that.
And then the other one was talkingabout a patient encounter and kept
using the phrase butt crack inreferring to this patient encounter.
And I was like, I just think we couldfind something different to use.
(14:14):
And those just stick out.
I don't know if I've everhad anything that fragrant.
I've had nothing like butt crack, but I'vedefinitely had some where I was like, this
is like how I would talk to my friends.
Not how I would talk tothe admissions committee.
Little too casual.
Yeah, little too casual.
Yeah.
We also had last year two poems submitted.
(14:34):
They took some liberties of writing anddid it in the style of a poem, which
I did not get those, but both editorsemailed me and were like, are you sure
this is what they meant to submit?
And then, yeah, we had to talkabout that a little bit too.
I feel like there's anelement of risk with that.
You might get someone reading itfrom our program like, oh, this is so
(14:56):
creative, let's give them more points.
But to me, the risk outweighs the benefit.
Yeah, I agree.
And that's what some peopleare like, should I use humor?
And I'm like, it's hard to do.
I've only seen it done well.
A couple of times when you canreally tell it fits that person's
personality, but I would sayusually it doesn't really translate.
(15:18):
Yeah.
My essay wasn't very humorous.
No, not at all.
Not at all.
One other thing that comes up a lotand I'm just interested on your take
is sharing personal things, personalmedical issues, personal life events.
And to me, it's a, A great area there.
Like, yes, we want to be personal,but also, how much is too much?
(15:40):
Do you see that at all?
That's the thing is, yes, personal isgood because it shows your different
experiences and what you've been through,but there have been a couple essays
where I've looked at it and been like,it's almost like you're trying to play
too much on tugging their heartstrings.
And that usually doesn't work.
They read hundreds of essays a year thatI don't think you want to overdo it.
There was one essay, I don't know if youremember this, but there was one I did
(16:00):
last year that was It was so personalthat I sent it to you, and I'm like, Yeah.
I don't even know if I was being,like, insensitive with how I edited
it, but it was just a very dark thingthat this student had experienced
that I personally didn't think wasthe right strategy for an essay, which
is why I asked you to look at it.
Yeah, no, I, I do remember that.
And I think my thing that I alwaysgo back to with the student is,
(16:21):
Does what you're talking about,does the situation, whatever it
is, does it relate to your YPA?
Are you just sharing it to share it?
Or does it relate to this situation?
Has it impacted your decisionsomehow, your journey somehow?
There are other places you can share someof that stuff, like supplementals, if
(16:41):
appropriate and if given an opportunity.
But yeah, the personalstatement's not always where.
That needs to be, yeah.
And the interview too is another spot.
There'll be times I'll write thisparagraph, wait till your interview.
Yes.
Okay, is it differentin an interview to you?
It just depends on ifthe question comes up.
Because a lot of students, they'llcome in and they're like, no matter
what happens, I really want to talkabout this during my interview.
(17:02):
If the question comes up Certain studentsmight have a really good answer prepared.
The question and answer style in interviewwill allow you that range, um, that topic.
In an interview, there's a lotmore opportunity to branch out.
So some of that stuff that studentswill force into an essay, I do tell
them just wait till the interview.
You're probably going to geta chance to talk about it.
It'll just fit a lot better there.
Whereas the personal statement is justYPA and you have to stay within that.
(17:24):
Yeah, I agree.
You can wait for anopportunity and then make it.
Fit in there, depending on how they ask,may determine how you talk about it.
Yeah, I use the phrase sneak it in whenI'm talking to students and all that.
Sneak it into this question.
It relates just enough that you can do it.
I talk about like having a mentallibrary of what you want to talk
about and then pulling from it.
Some visual like, thencross it off the list.
(17:46):
I've talked about thatvolunteer experience.
I've talked about this life experience andthen pick something else to work in there.
Do you have a favorite questionto ask in mock interviews?
Yes.
Oh man, I have a lotof favorite questions.
You don't have to reveal all your secrets.
One of my favorite ones isn't very commonto be asked in the real interview, but I
will ask students because it will teachme a lot about what their strategy is.
(18:09):
I will ask them if I have time,if you could choose any other
job besides PA, what would it be?
Are they going to beasked that exact question?
Maybe not.
But the take home point is like, If theyask you a personal question, they're
probably just trying to get to know you.
And when the student says, I'm goingto go to medical school, or maybe it's
true, I mean it's a personal question.
But when I get an answer like that,that gives me a lot about what their
strategy was during the interview,which is basically telling me what
(18:29):
they thought I wanted to hear.
Ooh, I like that.
And now they're turning to aT Tune point at that point.
I've never thought about it like that.
But I think you're completely right.
I tell them I wait for the moment where Ifeel confident that they're being genuine.
Like, I can teach you confidence.
I can teach you to lookconfident and act confident.
(18:50):
I can't teach you to be genuine.
If you're not being yourself,like, I can't fix that.
So that's what I'm looking for islike, feel like you are being yourself.
Really like the bachelor, likebeing here for the right reasons.
Like you are passionate.
That's what I'm kind of looking for.
And so I kind of look for thatmoment where I feel like they're
(19:11):
like, egg has cracked and they'relike just being themselves.
That's interesting.
Cause I do get those answers.
I would say the most common answerI get for that one is teacher.
Teacher.
And I'm like, what'd you know?
Like, okay.
My favorite.
Yeah, that's what I tell them too.
(19:31):
If that's really the truth, then youshould answer the question that way.
But my favorite answer to that is whenthey just choose like the most Random
thing ever that teaches me a lot aboutlike their hobbies and interests like I'll
get like travel blogger or baker or likethose types of answers What would you say?
I think I'd be a geniusat the Apple store.
I'm one of those people I like tolike, if my phone's not working I'll
take it apart and replace the batterymyself and put it back together,
so I would love to do that for aliving, but I like health care better.
(19:53):
They asked me that in an interview.
Let's remember I was 21 at the timeWhen I interviewed and it was like the
last question and I've talked aboutthis before because I felt so dumb.
I was like And they asked me thatand I was like, oh, I don't know
wedding dress store like What Idon't know where that came from.
(20:14):
I think I had been watching a tv showabout weddings on tlc or something
Yeah, I don't know and they were like,oh Okay, it's just like, I think that
would be fun and then I asked them andone of the PAs who was interviewing me
said she would own a bookstore and theother one said she would be a singer.
(20:35):
So we got to have like a funlittle conversation about
it and I guess you're right.
Like, they knew I was not like makingup an answer clearly, but I remember
being so embarrassed that I got in.
So I guess it was okay.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe it's more of a strategy question.
Because like you said, you get tolearn something about the person.
Instead, I like to askthe biggest weakness.
(20:58):
I do that one too.
I like to ask it differently though.
Like I like to say, what wouldyour What would your, like, family
say is your biggest weakness?
What would your classmates say?
Your co workers?
That throws them off a little bit.
That's one too, I guess I do thesame thing where I can tell if they
are being honest or if they're just,like, saying something that they
think isn't really a weakness thatthey can, like, twist or something.
(21:19):
If you go on Google and Google what toanswer for that question, they'll tell
you something that you can turn into astrength which is, yes, but there have
been times where students will answer thequestion and I'll, when I'm going through
it at the end I'm like, So this wouldhave been a really good answer if I'd
asked you, what is your biggest strength?
Like they'll say, I like helpingpeople, and I'm like, that's not
a weakness, that's a strength.
So maybe use that as yourbiggest strength answer.
(21:42):
Definitely see some of thatdepending on how genuine you're
being or those types of things.
Right, and it's like, I can'tsay no, or I work too hard.
Yeah.
Okay, I think asking it a littlebit differently makes them think
about it in a different way.
What are some commonmistakes in interviews?
Definitely not relating it to PA enough.
(22:03):
And I always tell students at thebeginning, even before I start, make
sure you relate your answers to PA.
I also find, more often thannot, I'll have students where
their answers are too short.
I always tell students at the end,they'll say, oh, were my answers too long?
And I'll tell them that for everyMaybe one student that gives
me answers that are too long.
I'll have five or six whoseanswers are too short.
So like, when in doubt, just golonger, because you always feel like
(22:24):
you're talking less than what you are.
Definitely answers that are too short.
And then, of course, you'll see juststudents that are just generally
unprepared, which is the worstthing you like to see, because
I can't do as much to help them.
I can do a lot more.
Oh, someone who's almost there.
Cause then I can start pointing outthe little things that you can only
get through practice versus you'll getthose students that haven't practiced
at all, haven't studied at all.
(22:44):
And they just kind ofwant to see how they do.
And then we're talking like really basic,basic things that they could have found
on any website or from listening tolike a single episode of your podcast,
they could have probably gotten.
More out of it than from that hour.
Sometimes they're trying to tella story to supplement the answer.
The story will be way too long,and it will almost take over
or distract from the question.
If I'm asking you why you want to go tothis school, sure, you can tell a little
(23:08):
story about it, a patient care experiencethat relates to the value of the school.
But if it's taking up twothirds of your answer, then
Maybe we need to cut that out.
Yeah.
And that's something that peoplecan practice because I think people
worry about sounding too rehearsedor if they should practice too much,
but I think you can practice gettingto the point quickly and figuring
out from a context standpoint, whatneeds to be there and what doesn't.
(23:32):
Like my thing is I set the stage,make sure your role is clear.
Explain kind of what happened asquickly as possible, but really
focus on why you're sharing that.
Sometimes they'll answer with astory or something and just tell
me the story, but they don't reallyrelate it to why they're telling me.
I think that happens a lot wherethey're like, oh, they're going to
assume I was a CNA, or they're goingto assume I was an EMT, but they don't.
(23:55):
I didn't necessarily know that.
I'll have students that think that ifsomething's in their application, it's
100 percent off limits in their interview.
So now, they're not talking atall about their patient contacts.
And then, and it's no, justbecause it's in your application
doesn't mean it's off limits.
You should, can still find waysto incorporate it and still
add things and be creative.
Yes, a hundred percent.
(24:17):
When I showed up at my interview,they had lost my application.
So they didn't know anythingabout me, like nothing.
I guess, I guess I'm supposed to be here.
Yeah.
They're like, we'll find it.
Okay.
That's a very blind interview.
It was very blind.
Yeah.
They told me, they're like,we totally, we just can't find
your application right now.
Okay, cool.
(24:38):
And they, Couldn't pull itlike online at that point.
So whatever, but yeah, just went for it.
What stands out to you in an interviewof somebody that you're just like, Oh
man, that person, I never give prompts.
I'm never like, Oh yeah,you're definitely getting in.
But sometimes I'm like,you did a great job.
Like you should feel very confident.
(24:58):
I feel good about this.
There will be times when you can just,between the application and between the
interview skills, when you can prettymuch tell, and it's true, I don't
tell them either, you're definitelygetting in, but you can pretty much
tell, and it's usually a combination.
You have to have a lot of things, and someof this stuff is just like personality,
like charisma, you can teach, butsometimes it's just a skill or a talent,
(25:20):
but yeah, it's being able to, of course,articulate your ideas effectively, trying
to seem confident, but not, um, Arrogant.
Right.
And trying to seemprepared but not memorized.
It's a difficult balance.
And then just of course, like the,the preparation, having had enough
patient contact where you canincorporate it into your interview.
Sometimes in the younger applicantswith not as much experience,
(25:41):
it can be more challenging.
Um, relating it back to PA, giving, Ialways tell students, if it's a question
where it's, we're looking for examples,like why do you want to go to our school?
Somewhere between three or four examples.
Just having that.
Combination when you have all thattogether and it's someone that seems
confident and relaxed Just it leadsto a really good quality interview
Yeah, I agree and a lot of theseapplicants even just looking their
(26:05):
application and they get to the interviewand i'm like y'all are Fantastic.
I would accept you.
I would love for you to be in my classI don't think I would get in these
days y'all are doing so much stuffand it's hard for me when I feel like
somebody Does feel so scared fromthe interview when I'm like, you've
done what you're supposed to do, andyou have all these great experiences.
(26:26):
You just have to highlightthem, which it's hard.
It's hard for people totalk about themselves.
We don't want to do that.
I think that makes it a little bit tough.
I enjoyed the interviews.
I didn't think they were thatscary, but that may be abnormal.
Yeah, I didn't have, it alsodepends on the interviewer too.
Yeah, if they're scary.
If they're gonna be, yeah, exactly.
But I guess I was always lucky with that.
Yeah, are you stoic whenyou're doing mock interviews?
(26:48):
I am.
I am too.
Yeah, I tell students at the end toprepare them for worst case scenario.
So I don't show any facial expression, Idon't give any feedback at all, um, and
I do that because then at the end if theytalk about it I'll tell them this is like
the worst case that you're going to have.
Hopefully it's much more conversational.
You can tell by their responding to youor their smiling or those types of things.
(27:11):
But I don't do that because Iwant you to get ready for the
absolute worst case scenario.
I do the same thing.
I like, we're like chatting likethis and all of a sudden we're just.
And yeah, we're starting now.
Yeah.
And then I take my notes.
I don't really, I don't comment.
I don't make any reaction at all.
And then afterwards I'm like, how'd it go?
(27:33):
Take a big breath.
They're sweating.
Yeah.
I'm not trying to scare them too bad, butI definitely had some stoic interviewers.
I had some bad cop, good cop.
Stuff.
They're pretty rough.
They like anything I said, they wouldquestion, they would push back and I think
part of that was strategy just to kindof see my response, see if I like held
(27:54):
my answer, see if I was easily swayed.
So I heard one program,they do zoom interviews.
And in the middle of the interview, theinterviewer acts like something's wrong.
There's a technical difficulty,even though there's not, and makes
the person kind of sweat for aminute to try to figure it out.
And then I don't know whatthey do come back or something.
(28:17):
Just to test them, which,that's a little extreme.
I don't know about all that.
Yeah, that, that might havecaused me to have a mini panic
if that happened in my interview.
Yeah.
Because if that happens during one ofthe mock interviews, when a student drops
out, the first thing I do is I'll do likean internet speed test to figure out, is
this on my end or is this on their end?
Right, it's near you.
So that'd be the first thing I'm thinking,oh my gosh, what if it's on my end?
(28:38):
So yeah, that would stress me out a lot.
I'd be like trying to call the school.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I'm sorry.
Do a little problem solving.
Interviews shouldn't be that scary.
I, I do think people should prepare fortheir mock interview, um, if possible.
Do you prefer people to weartheir suit or you don't care?
I don't really care.
I don't really care just becausedepending on the time of day, and if I
(29:01):
was just working outside, I may or maynot be as dressed up as the student.
Oh, I'm never.
Never wearing a suit, but yeah.
I never am.
Yeah, it doesn't matter.
Besides, I guess maybe it helps thestudents because it makes them feel more.
Feel more real.
It's more of a simulation, yeah.
Yeah, I do film if they're doing aZoom interview to try to have like
their setup just so they can seewhat that looks like on camera and
(29:23):
that makes it a little bit more real.
But as we go into interview season, Anythoughts specifically for re applicants
for either essays or interviews?
I feel like for interviews, sometimesit can be a little bit harder for
somebody, especially if they'veinterviewed at a lot of schools.
Maybe feel a little bit jaded andI think it can be a little tough.
What are your thoughts or anythingyou've seen for the re applicants?
(29:47):
Yeah, just from an applicationstandpoint alone, of course, you
would want to retake any class thatwas like a C plus or minor or less.
Of course, more patient contact,try to get more shadowing.
But for the interview itself, I guessit depends on what the issue was,
because I have had students that have 3.
8s, 3.
(30:08):
9s, really good applications andnot get in and then they finally,
okay, I'll do a mock interview.
And I'm sitting there and I'm like,if this application didn't get
in, it's probably the interview.
And then you'll learn and it's okay,their answers were too short, or their
answers were too long, or they didn't.
For a re applicant, I would say,go back to the fundamentals.
Like, make sure that you knowwhat a PA is, and make sure that
you know why you want to be one.
(30:28):
What experiences youhave led you up to it.
Make sure you research theschool, make sure you know the
history of the PA profession.
These are things that everybody can do.
But what I find when it's a re applicantthat had a great application that
didn't get in, it's usually because ofthose types of things, or just because
they don't have enough confidence.
They are smart and they'd be agreat PA student, but they can't
get over that interview hump.
And for those students, I just tellthem, keep practicing out loud, hopefully
(30:50):
with another person, but worst casescenario, record yourself and watch
it back later because there's noreplacement for out loud practicing.
100%.
Yeah.
I had a message today from someonewho had four interviews this cycle
and, and all rejections and askingme what they should do different.
And I was like, that.
Four interviews is amazing.
That's impressive.
So that tells me it was mostlikely something in the interview
(31:14):
that maybe that was a red flag.
Too general is something I see a good bit.
I think you were sayingthat you need specifics.
A couple years ago, I had someonewho, no pressure, came to me and
she had had seven interviews.
Two wait lists, five rejections,and she had one more interview.
She says, my last chance, it's intwo days, I like, what do I do?
(31:37):
And so we did a mock interview and herthing, she was just way too general.
I was like, I don't feel likeI'm learning anything about you.
I just feel like you're giving me thislike very surface level answer, not
even necessarily like what she thinksI want to hear, but just not going a
little bit deeper or more personal.
So we worked on that some andshe didn't end up getting in, but
(31:59):
that was very intimidating to me.
I was like, Oh no, why didn'tyou come to me months ago?
But we were able to help her out.
Yeah.
Whenever the interview is the next day.
And the students not where theyneed to be, it's very hard because
I want to help them but I also don'twant to overwhelm them so they're
like trying to pull an all nighter.
(32:20):
That's when I'll maybe tone it backjust a little bit on the feedback and
try to give them the big picture pointsto help them for the next morning.
The bottom line is don't schedulethe night before the interview
unless it's like a last minuterehearsal when you're already where
you need to be, but usually not.
Try, yeah, I, I very muchencourage not doing that.
And if people.
Ask me or like email last minute.
(32:41):
I really don't recommend you do thatI I recommend the day before don't do
anything for the interview Just makesure you have your ducks in a row
logistically, but that's it I've hadpeople want to do them the morning of
their interview want to do it at 5 a.
m The morning i'm likewe are not doing this.
You should not do this You're gonnabe exhausted by the end of the day
(33:02):
That's like trying to take the satstwice in a row on the same day.
There comes a point.
That's just too much Yeah last minuteones I think the sweet spot, it's
probably three weeks before thatgives you enough time to practice.
And most people don't do a secondone, but if somebody decided they
needed more practice, they could.
(33:23):
I feel like we give enough feedback thatthen they can work on stuff themselves.
Like you said, record themselves,go work with family and friends
and share that feedback with stuffthat they can keep working on.
Yeah, like sometimes students willask me at the end, they'll say, do
you think I should do another one?
Sometimes the answer is,yeah, you need more practice.
But a lot of the time, I'll tellthe student, take the next few days,
(33:44):
practice, and then see how you feel.
If you look at my notes, practiceout loud, make these changes, then
you'll have a much better idea.
And sometimes those students, I don'thear from them again, then some of them,
yeah, they do want the extra practice,and that's why it's good to do it
enough in advance where you can do that.
Yeah, it's helpful, butnot always realistic, so.
Right.
Thank you for sharing all of yourwonderful insights and everybody will
(34:05):
know where to find you if they wantto get with you for a mock interview.
I'm actually surprisedby how many we've had.
Still in February.
I think with virtual interviews now,the cycles are just very different.
Yeah, there's one or two schoolsI can think of that it seems like
they just started interviewingnow because I'm getting so many
from the same one or two schools.
Interesting.
They probably did.
(34:25):
They probably just sent.
And then some of the newer programs,they don't always get notice of
being able to start so they'llsend on tabulator interviews too.
Yeah.
Yeah, the cycle's different every year.
Yeah, and then we'll getinto essays and all that.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Mhm.
I am honored today to have ourguests on the pre PA club as one of
our very own PA platform coaches.
His name is Peter.
We see so much praise forPeter all the time in the
Facebook group on social media.
He's just a really,really great prepay coach.
So we're talking about how we feel aboutpersonal statements and interviews,
(00:24):
and it's a really great conversation.
Welcome to the Pre PA Club Podcast.
If you want to learn how tobecome a physician assistant,
you're in the right place.
I'm your host, Savannah Perry.
Let's get to it.
What's up guys.
(00:45):
We are getting back into the swing ofthings with some new podcast episodes.
I have some really great interviews comingup, including today's we're interviewing
some of the PA platform coaches.
So today we're talking to Peter.
And y'all, I can't even explain to youhow much of a rockstar Peter is like.
He's been with us for awhile now, a couple years.
(01:06):
And.
He just helped so many students.
And it's just awesome.
So we're going to talk alittle bit about his job.
He had a previous podcast episode a whileback that you can listen to if you want
more about like his story, but todaywe're really getting into, like, what
do we see when we're editing statements?
What do we see in mock interviews?
(01:26):
What mistakes are people making?
What stands out.
And talking all through that.
So.
I hope you enjoy hearing from Peter.
And I appreciate him takingthe time to talk to us.
We are almost a month out fromthe next Caspus cycle opening.
And that is wild.
So we officially know now thatCasbah for the 20, 24 to 2025 cycle.
(01:49):
We'll open on Thursday, April 25th.
That means it is time toget your ducks in a row.
If you are wanting to help withyour personal statement now is a
great time to submit for editing.
So that you have time to work on itbefore it's time to actually turn it in.
Uh, if you are a re applicant and wantto go over your application, we have
our prepay counseling options for that.
(02:12):
But just remember you can use the codefuture PA for a discount on any of the
services the books can be found on Amazon.
So that's the personal statementguide the interview guide
and then our pre PA workbook.
So check all that out.
If you need more help.
And then of course our freeresources, everything that's on
the podcast, the videos on YouTube.
Uh, this video also is already on YouTube.
(02:34):
If you'd like to watch theinterview, instead of listen.
And then tons of blog posts,tons of information and
things to just help you out.
So, yeah, we're here to helpyou hopefully, uh, make this
process a little bit easier.
Uh, pre PA academy alsohas been going great.
If you are interested in agroup coaching setting, you
(02:55):
can still join pre PA academy.
And that is where we meet four timesa week with different sessions,
teaching group work, um, Q anda office hours to help make sure
your application is ready to go.
Everything's recorded ifyou can't attend live.
But, uh, we did not closeregistration for that.
It's still available.
(03:16):
We just, um, are already in theprogram since it started in February.
So, yeah.
Let's get into hearing from Peter.
And as always, if you have anyquestions, feel free to reach out.
You can find me on socialmedia, feel free to email.
Check out our Facebook group.
And, you know, we want to try tomake this as stress-free as possible.
(03:48):
We're just now getting into essay season.
I thought it would be fun if wejust talked about some of the
things, good and bad, that we see.
Do you have a favorite between essaysand interviews or do you flip flop?
I flip flop.
I definitely prefer interviewsonly because there's the
face to face component.
(04:09):
And then, with the essays, I justfind myself getting distracted
sometimes, versus in an interviewyou can't get distracted, it's
gonna be an hour no matter what.
Versus an essay can take 45 minutesto two hours, depending on what I'm
doing on the side, but I do enjoy doingboth, and it's, they're different, but.
Very good, both of 'em.
Yeah.
I feel like I'll like do a bunch ofessays and then get burned out and be
(04:29):
like, oh man, I miss interviews and thenI do interviews and yeah, do a bunch
of, I'm like, oh man, I miss essay.
I need a little bit of both.
Let's talk essays first.
We're doing pre-PA Academy andpart of that is where we do live
editing, and so we've been goingthrough a lot of different.
Essays, which is fun because it'sjust paragraphs from each one.
So in one of the sessions the otherday, it was cool because I got
(04:50):
to see different types of essays.
So we had one that was just jumpin, really straightforward, tell
us why they want to be a PA.
And they just started with that.
And then there was another onethat started with a very intense
EMT story about delivering a babyand all that jazz and being in the
ambulance and sirens and all that.
(05:11):
And then there was another one that wassuper personal and talked about growing up
with some of their household dynamics andhow that led them to exposure to medicine
and then how that led them to meetingand learning more about the profession.
So I was thinking about, like,those are three different styles of
essays, and none of them are wrong.
(05:32):
I'm interested to know if you havea preference of when you read an
essay, which type you're just like,Oh, I love that type of essay.
This is so good.
I find it's good to have all thoseelements, but sometimes what will happen
is a student will spend too much timetalking about a story, or too much time
talking about their healthcare experience,and it'll take away from some of the
other aspects you want, but it's good.
(05:52):
I think what, like, would be aperfect essay to me would be, start
off with, like, a compelling storyabout a patient contact experience.
Then maybe drift into, like, howyou discovered PA, what got you
going on that PA school journey.
Then transitioning to patient contacthours, and then having a good amount of
the specific reasons why you chose PA.
And then wrapping 000 characters,but I have seen students do it
(06:15):
really effectively, and usually atthe end of those essays I'll write,
this is Make these little changesand then you're all set basically.
I've had a few of those too andthey're almost harder to edit when
they're really, when they're reallygood because you're kind of like, oh
man, you're doing everything right.
I've had a few students email backbe like, is this, are you sure?
Are you sure this is good?
I'll have somebody take a secondlook and stuff and I'm just like,
(06:35):
yeah, I mean, we wouldn't tell youit was ready to go if it wasn't.
I think I like the third optionwhen they're just like very
personal and Telling their storywithout trying to be too dramatic.
I think there's just afine line there between.
Too much detail, too muchdescription in telling your story.
(06:58):
It's so hard when you don't have a lot ofcharacters to work with, unfortunately.
To keep it under that kind oflimit that we're looking for.
As far as essays you've edited, whatare some mistakes you see often?
Depending on the student, sometimesthere'll be a lot of spelling, grammar,
punctuation, sometimes not at all.
(07:19):
I was an English tutor in college,so I like jump at that stuff.
I can't skip over a grammarerror if I know it's there.
It's distracting.
It is distracting, yeah.
And then I feel like I'mmissing stuff on purpose.
So I always, like, have to mention those.
But then sometimes youwon't have any of those.
depending on how wellit's been edited before.
But I think the most common thing thatI find myself writing at the end of
an essay is that a student didn't talkenough about actually why they want to PA.
(07:43):
They don't give enough specifics.
Sometimes, unfortunately, they'll talk alot about how they discovered PA or their
experiences, even working alongside PAs.
Uh, and their own patient contact.
Then I'll get to the end ofthe essay I still don't know
why they actually chose PA.
Like, what are the specific reasons,things unique about the profession?
So that's the most common thingthat I'll write at the end is
just, you have to literally say whyyou want to be a PA in the essay.
(08:06):
I agree that it's easy to talkabout the PA profession because
it is such a great profession.
But a lot of what I find studentssay could be applied to a
lot of other professions too.
So if you could say the same thingabout nursing or going to med
school or dental school, then.
That doesn't tell me why you chose.
PA versus those things.
(08:27):
Our previous episode, which I'll linkto from a while back when we spoke,
but I would like to know again why youchose PA and then why family medicine?
I had always known for a whileI was interested in healthcare
just because I had interest in,in science and just enjoyed that.
I had good experiences as a patientwho originally was thinking optometry.
(08:47):
I don't know why, that wasjust an interest of mine,
I thought it would be good.
And then in a health occupations class,which I took in high school on my journey
to become an optometrist, I learned aboutPA and at that point just became a lot
more interested because obviously as aPA you have a much more broad scope than
what you do in one particular, like inoptometry for example, and the ability
(09:08):
to move between specialties of course.
So then after that I startedlooking into what did I do to
need to be a PA, what were Prerequisites, those types of things.
Got my EMT certification in high school.
Fortunately, that health occupationsclass gave me that opportunity
so I could get started withpatient contact pretty early on.
And then went to university of NewEngland for medical biology pre PA.
They actually, it's apretty medical based school.
(09:29):
So they have a specificpre PA major, which I took.
And then, uh, got into theCMS MCPHS for PA school.
At the time, I didn't really knowwhat specialty I wanted to do, so
to have that option open to me wassomething that was definitely drawn to.
The collaboration with thephysicians was something I was
drawn to, something I still enjoy.
I don't ever feel bad going up tothe physician and be like, This is
what I see, this is what I thinkwe should do, do you approve?
(09:50):
Do you agree?
So that was something I was definitelydrawn to, even in high school.
I did And I always tell students, Idon't recommend talking about this in
interviews, but me personally, but thefact that it was two years as opposed
to four years of medical school andresidency and fellowships, it was
honestly something that I was drawn to.
Although I usually tell students notto talk about that in an interview, but
in all honesty, that was something too.
Yeah.
(10:10):
I mean, it's part of it.
I explain those as that's aperk, but is it like a reason?
It's fine that it's like a great partof it, but it shouldn't be your main
reason that you're wanting to do this.
For me, it was the team where thecollaboration and like, Seeing that while
you still got to work with patients andmake decisions and be really involved with
their care, I found that so appealing.
(10:33):
Shadowing is how I saw it andsaid, Oh, yeah, like I think I
fit what this person's doing.
They're doing what I want to do.
Let's do it.
Did you always think familymedicine or did that come later?
You're going to feel like you'rein a mock interview right now.
No, that's okay.
No, I did not think familymedicine initially at all.
At the time I was almost, And it likesounds silly now because I love it so
(10:57):
much but at the time I was almost a littleoverwhelmed by it by having to know every
single spot someone could walk in likeanything any of you could have any degree
of complexity in any of your patientsand at the time I was a little almost
turned off by that I thought that I wouldbe better finding something I really
liked and getting really good at it.
So I was originally thinking orthopedics.
I thought it was going to specialize Andthen I did a family medicine rotation.
(11:19):
I did an orthopedic rotation I justpreferred it's just one of those things
sometimes you learn Something's justnot a good fit for you and I found the
family medicine like I knew at the endof that rotation Okay, this is definitely
what I want to do just based on therelationships with patients over the
years I have some patients at my practicethat have been coming there for Almost 40
years with the same owner who retired afew years ago, um, that I was drawn to.
(11:40):
I learned that I actually did likethe diversity of it as much as I
thought I wanted to specialize.
I actually enjoyed getting to learna little bit of everything and then
having the specialists as a secondline if there was a situation that
needed more help or more support.
And then it's a cushy lifestyle too.
And I know with dermatology isprobably similar, nice hours, no
overnights or holidays for us.
So it's very nice.
(12:00):
That was part of the job, dermatology.
And I like Similar things at this point,I have patients I've been seeing for
almost the 10 years I've been in practice,people that I started seeing when they
were nine and now they're in college.
And it's just, it's wild.
Like it's so cool.
When I see them on my schedule,it just is mind blowing.
I'm like, I can't believeI've been doing this long and.
(12:22):
That you're now like a full adult.
That part's really cool.
And part of why I like dermatology,I think one thing that's helpful is
hearing, and that's part of why we dothe podcasts from PAs and people who
have been through it about what theydo and what they like, because it is
easy to read about the profession and.
It sounds cool.
It sounds good, but you can onlyget so much from reading about it.
(12:47):
Any other big mistakes, big thingsthat you look for in an essay?
I like when they go inchronological order.
That's like a personal thing thatI just want it to flow where it's
like, I can follow it easily.
I definitely like that too.
If they're not jumping around or goingout of order, those types of things.
I think other mistakes issometimes students will have The
(13:08):
paragraphs will almost be too long.
Sometimes you'll have a wholeparagraph to talk about one idea and
you're almost halfway done the essay.
Sometimes it'll be the opposite thing.
A paragraph will be too short.
It's two sentences and you're alreadyjumping to the right idea, like, can
we work this into another paragraph?
And then other just silly things likeusing contractions, using slang, using
Second person pronouns like you likenone of that stuff should be in a formal
(13:30):
essay Those are very common mistakesthat i'll see Not putting a conclusion.
They'll just like end the essay abruptly,please put it It doesn't have to be long,
but I want a conclusion like I want yeahthat kind of wrap up Um, have you ever
had I think this happened last seasonof essays I had Two very memorable ones.
(13:51):
One decided to use the f word.
It was in a quote from a patient, butI was like, ah, let's not do that.
And then the other one was talkingabout a patient encounter and kept
using the phrase butt crack inreferring to this patient encounter.
And I was like, I just think we couldfind something different to use.
(14:14):
And those just stick out.
I don't know if I've everhad anything that fragrant.
I've had nothing like butt crack, but I'vedefinitely had some where I was like, this
is like how I would talk to my friends.
Not how I would talk tothe admissions committee.
Little too casual.
Yeah, little too casual.
Yeah.
We also had last year two poems submitted.
(14:34):
They took some liberties of writing anddid it in the style of a poem, which
I did not get those, but both editorsemailed me and were like, are you sure
this is what they meant to submit?
And then, yeah, we had to talkabout that a little bit too.
I feel like there's anelement of risk with that.
You might get someone reading itfrom our program like, oh, this is so
(14:56):
creative, let's give them more points.
But to me, the risk outweighs the benefit.
Yeah, I agree.
And that's what some peopleare like, should I use humor?
And I'm like, it's hard to do.
I've only seen it done well.
A couple of times when you canreally tell it fits that person's
personality, but I would sayusually it doesn't really translate.
(15:18):
Yeah.
My essay wasn't very humorous.
No, not at all.
Not at all.
One other thing that comes up a lotand I'm just interested on your take
is sharing personal things, personalmedical issues, personal life events.
And to me, it's a, A great area there.
Like, yes, we want to be personal,but also, how much is too much?
(15:40):
Do you see that at all?
That's the thing is, yes, personal isgood because it shows your different
experiences and what you've been through,but there have been a couple essays
where I've looked at it and been like,it's almost like you're trying to play
too much on tugging their heartstrings.
And that usually doesn't work.
They read hundreds of essays a year thatI don't think you want to overdo it.
There was one essay, I don't know if youremember this, but there was one I did
(16:00):
last year that was It was so personalthat I sent it to you, and I'm like, Yeah.
I don't even know if I was being,like, insensitive with how I edited
it, but it was just a very dark thingthat this student had experienced
that I personally didn't think wasthe right strategy for an essay, which
is why I asked you to look at it.
Yeah, no, I, I do remember that.
And I think my thing that I alwaysgo back to with the student is,
(16:21):
Does what you're talking about,does the situation, whatever it
is, does it relate to your YPA?
Are you just sharing it to share it?
Or does it relate to this situation?
Has it impacted your decisionsomehow, your journey somehow?
There are other places you can share someof that stuff, like supplementals, if
(16:41):
appropriate and if given an opportunity.
But yeah, the personalstatement's not always where.
That needs to be, yeah.
And the interview too is another spot.
There'll be times I'll write thisparagraph, wait till your interview.
Yes.
Okay, is it differentin an interview to you?
It just depends on ifthe question comes up.
Because a lot of students, they'llcome in and they're like, no matter
what happens, I really want to talkabout this during my interview.
(17:02):
If the question comes up Certain studentsmight have a really good answer prepared.
The question and answer style in interviewwill allow you that range, um, that topic.
In an interview, there's a lotmore opportunity to branch out.
So some of that stuff that studentswill force into an essay, I do tell
them just wait till the interview.
You're probably going to geta chance to talk about it.
It'll just fit a lot better there.
Whereas the personal statement is justYPA and you have to stay within that.
(17:24):
Yeah, I agree.
You can wait for anopportunity and then make it.
Fit in there, depending on how they ask,may determine how you talk about it.
Yeah, I use the phrase sneak it in whenI'm talking to students and all that.
Sneak it into this question.
It relates just enough that you can do it.
I talk about like having a mentallibrary of what you want to talk
about and then pulling from it.
Some visual like, thencross it off the list.
(17:46):
I've talked about thatvolunteer experience.
I've talked about this life experience andthen pick something else to work in there.
Do you have a favorite questionto ask in mock interviews?
Yes.
Oh man, I have a lotof favorite questions.
You don't have to reveal all your secrets.
One of my favorite ones isn't very commonto be asked in the real interview, but I
will ask students because it will teachme a lot about what their strategy is.
(18:09):
I will ask them if I have time,if you could choose any other
job besides PA, what would it be?
Are they going to beasked that exact question?
Maybe not.
But the take home point is like, If theyask you a personal question, they're
probably just trying to get to know you.
And when the student says, I'm goingto go to medical school, or maybe it's
true, I mean it's a personal question.
But when I get an answer like that,that gives me a lot about what their
strategy was during the interview,which is basically telling me what
(18:29):
they thought I wanted to hear.
Ooh, I like that.
And now they're turning to aT Tune point at that point.
I've never thought about it like that.
But I think you're completely right.
I tell them I wait for the moment where Ifeel confident that they're being genuine.
Like, I can teach you confidence.
I can teach you to lookconfident and act confident.
(18:50):
I can't teach you to be genuine.
If you're not being yourself,like, I can't fix that.
So that's what I'm looking for islike, feel like you are being yourself.
Really like the bachelor, likebeing here for the right reasons.
Like you are passionate.
That's what I'm kind of looking for.
And so I kind of look for thatmoment where I feel like they're
(19:11):
like, egg has cracked and they'relike just being themselves.
That's interesting.
Cause I do get those answers.
I would say the most common answerI get for that one is teacher.
Teacher.
And I'm like, what'd you know?
Like, okay.
My favorite.
Yeah, that's what I tell them too.
(19:31):
If that's really the truth, then youshould answer the question that way.
But my favorite answer to that is whenthey just choose like the most Random
thing ever that teaches me a lot aboutlike their hobbies and interests like I'll
get like travel blogger or baker or likethose types of answers What would you say?
I think I'd be a geniusat the Apple store.
I'm one of those people I like tolike, if my phone's not working I'll
take it apart and replace the batterymyself and put it back together,
so I would love to do that for aliving, but I like health care better.
(19:53):
They asked me that in an interview.
Let's remember I was 21 at the timeWhen I interviewed and it was like the
last question and I've talked aboutthis before because I felt so dumb.
I was like And they asked me thatand I was like, oh, I don't know
wedding dress store like What Idon't know where that came from.
(20:14):
I think I had been watching a tv showabout weddings on tlc or something
Yeah, I don't know and they were like,oh Okay, it's just like, I think that
would be fun and then I asked them andone of the PAs who was interviewing me
said she would own a bookstore and theother one said she would be a singer.
(20:35):
So we got to have like a funlittle conversation about
it and I guess you're right.
Like, they knew I was not like makingup an answer clearly, but I remember
being so embarrassed that I got in.
So I guess it was okay.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe it's more of a strategy question.
Because like you said, you get tolearn something about the person.
Instead, I like to askthe biggest weakness.
(20:58):
I do that one too.
I like to ask it differently though.
Like I like to say, what wouldyour What would your, like, family
say is your biggest weakness?
What would your classmates say?
Your co workers?
That throws them off a little bit.
That's one too, I guess I do thesame thing where I can tell if they
are being honest or if they're just,like, saying something that they
think isn't really a weakness thatthey can, like, twist or something.
(21:19):
If you go on Google and Google what toanswer for that question, they'll tell
you something that you can turn into astrength which is, yes, but there have
been times where students will answer thequestion and I'll, when I'm going through
it at the end I'm like, So this wouldhave been a really good answer if I'd
asked you, what is your biggest strength?
Like they'll say, I like helpingpeople, and I'm like, that's not
a weakness, that's a strength.
So maybe use that as yourbiggest strength answer.
(21:42):
Definitely see some of thatdepending on how genuine you're
being or those types of things.
Right, and it's like, I can'tsay no, or I work too hard.
Yeah.
Okay, I think asking it a littlebit differently makes them think
about it in a different way.
What are some commonmistakes in interviews?
Definitely not relating it to PA enough.
(22:03):
And I always tell students at thebeginning, even before I start, make
sure you relate your answers to PA.
I also find, more often thannot, I'll have students where
their answers are too short.
I always tell students at the end,they'll say, oh, were my answers too long?
And I'll tell them that for everyMaybe one student that gives
me answers that are too long.
I'll have five or six whoseanswers are too short.
So like, when in doubt, just golonger, because you always feel like
(22:24):
you're talking less than what you are.
Definitely answers that are too short.
And then, of course, you'll see juststudents that are just generally
unprepared, which is the worstthing you like to see, because
I can't do as much to help them.
I can do a lot more.
Oh, someone who's almost there.
Cause then I can start pointing outthe little things that you can only
get through practice versus you'll getthose students that haven't practiced
at all, haven't studied at all.
(22:44):
And they just kind ofwant to see how they do.
And then we're talking like really basic,basic things that they could have found
on any website or from listening tolike a single episode of your podcast,
they could have probably gotten.
More out of it than from that hour.
Sometimes they're trying to tella story to supplement the answer.
The story will be way too long,and it will almost take over
or distract from the question.
If I'm asking you why you want to go tothis school, sure, you can tell a little
(23:08):
story about it, a patient care experiencethat relates to the value of the school.
But if it's taking up twothirds of your answer, then
Maybe we need to cut that out.
Yeah.
And that's something that peoplecan practice because I think people
worry about sounding too rehearsedor if they should practice too much,
but I think you can practice gettingto the point quickly and figuring
out from a context standpoint, whatneeds to be there and what doesn't.
(23:32):
Like my thing is I set the stage,make sure your role is clear.
Explain kind of what happened asquickly as possible, but really
focus on why you're sharing that.
Sometimes they'll answer with astory or something and just tell
me the story, but they don't reallyrelate it to why they're telling me.
I think that happens a lot wherethey're like, oh, they're going to
assume I was a CNA, or they're goingto assume I was an EMT, but they don't.
(23:55):
I didn't necessarily know that.
I'll have students that think that ifsomething's in their application, it's
100 percent off limits in their interview.
So now, they're not talking atall about their patient contacts.
And then, and it's no, justbecause it's in your application
doesn't mean it's off limits.
You should, can still find waysto incorporate it and still
add things and be creative.
Yes, a hundred percent.
(24:17):
When I showed up at my interview,they had lost my application.
So they didn't know anythingabout me, like nothing.
I guess, I guess I'm supposed to be here.
Yeah.
They're like, we'll find it.
Okay.
That's a very blind interview.
It was very blind.
Yeah.
They told me, they're like,we totally, we just can't find
your application right now.
Okay, cool.
(24:38):
And they, Couldn't pull itlike online at that point.
So whatever, but yeah, just went for it.
What stands out to you in an interviewof somebody that you're just like, Oh
man, that person, I never give prompts.
I'm never like, Oh yeah,you're definitely getting in.
But sometimes I'm like,you did a great job.
Like you should feel very confident.
(24:58):
I feel good about this.
There will be times when you can just,between the application and between the
interview skills, when you can prettymuch tell, and it's true, I don't
tell them either, you're definitelygetting in, but you can pretty much
tell, and it's usually a combination.
You have to have a lot of things, and someof this stuff is just like personality,
like charisma, you can teach, butsometimes it's just a skill or a talent,
(25:20):
but yeah, it's being able to, of course,articulate your ideas effectively, trying
to seem confident, but not, um, Arrogant.
Right.
And trying to seemprepared but not memorized.
It's a difficult balance.
And then just of course, like the,the preparation, having had enough
patient contact where you canincorporate it into your interview.
Sometimes in the younger applicantswith not as much experience,
(25:41):
it can be more challenging.
Um, relating it back to PA, giving, Ialways tell students, if it's a question
where it's, we're looking for examples,like why do you want to go to our school?
Somewhere between three or four examples.
Just having that.
Combination when you have all thattogether and it's someone that seems
confident and relaxed Just it leadsto a really good quality interview
Yeah, I agree and a lot of theseapplicants even just looking their
(26:05):
application and they get to the interviewand i'm like y'all are Fantastic.
I would accept you.
I would love for you to be in my classI don't think I would get in these
days y'all are doing so much stuffand it's hard for me when I feel like
somebody Does feel so scared fromthe interview when I'm like, you've
done what you're supposed to do, andyou have all these great experiences.
(26:26):
You just have to highlightthem, which it's hard.
It's hard for people totalk about themselves.
We don't want to do that.
I think that makes it a little bit tough.
I enjoyed the interviews.
I didn't think they were thatscary, but that may be abnormal.
Yeah, I didn't have, it alsodepends on the interviewer too.
Yeah, if they're scary.
If they're gonna be, yeah, exactly.
But I guess I was always lucky with that.
Yeah, are you stoic whenyou're doing mock interviews?
(26:48):
I am.
I am too.
Yeah, I tell students at the end toprepare them for worst case scenario.
So I don't show any facial expression, Idon't give any feedback at all, um, and
I do that because then at the end if theytalk about it I'll tell them this is like
the worst case that you're going to have.
Hopefully it's much more conversational.
You can tell by their responding to youor their smiling or those types of things.
(27:11):
But I don't do that because Iwant you to get ready for the
absolute worst case scenario.
I do the same thing.
I like, we're like chatting likethis and all of a sudden we're just.
And yeah, we're starting now.
Yeah.
And then I take my notes.
I don't really, I don't comment.
I don't make any reaction at all.
And then afterwards I'm like, how'd it go?
(27:33):
Take a big breath.
They're sweating.
Yeah.
I'm not trying to scare them too bad, butI definitely had some stoic interviewers.
I had some bad cop, good cop.
Stuff.
They're pretty rough.
They like anything I said, they wouldquestion, they would push back and I think
part of that was strategy just to kindof see my response, see if I like held
(27:54):
my answer, see if I was easily swayed.
So I heard one program,they do zoom interviews.
And in the middle of the interview, theinterviewer acts like something's wrong.
There's a technical difficulty,even though there's not, and makes
the person kind of sweat for aminute to try to figure it out.
And then I don't know whatthey do come back or something.
(28:17):
Just to test them, which,that's a little extreme.
I don't know about all that.
Yeah, that, that might havecaused me to have a mini panic
if that happened in my interview.
Yeah.
Because if that happens during one ofthe mock interviews, when a student drops
out, the first thing I do is I'll do likean internet speed test to figure out, is
this on my end or is this on their end?
Right, it's near you.
So that'd be the first thing I'm thinking,oh my gosh, what if it's on my end?
(28:38):
So yeah, that would stress me out a lot.
I'd be like trying to call the school.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I'm sorry.
Do a little problem solving.
Interviews shouldn't be that scary.
I, I do think people should prepare fortheir mock interview, um, if possible.
Do you prefer people to weartheir suit or you don't care?
I don't really care.
I don't really care just becausedepending on the time of day, and if I
(29:01):
was just working outside, I may or maynot be as dressed up as the student.
Oh, I'm never.
Never wearing a suit, but yeah.
I never am.
Yeah, it doesn't matter.
Besides, I guess maybe it helps thestudents because it makes them feel more.
Feel more real.
It's more of a simulation, yeah.
Yeah, I do film if they're doing aZoom interview to try to have like
their setup just so they can seewhat that looks like on camera and
(29:23):
that makes it a little bit more real.
But as we go into interview season, Anythoughts specifically for re applicants
for either essays or interviews?
I feel like for interviews, sometimesit can be a little bit harder for
somebody, especially if they'veinterviewed at a lot of schools.
Maybe feel a little bit jaded andI think it can be a little tough.
What are your thoughts or anythingyou've seen for the re applicants?
(29:47):
Yeah, just from an applicationstandpoint alone, of course, you
would want to retake any class thatwas like a C plus or minor or less.
Of course, more patient contact,try to get more shadowing.
But for the interview itself, I guessit depends on what the issue was,
because I have had students that have 3.
8s, 3.
(30:08):
9s, really good applications andnot get in and then they finally,
okay, I'll do a mock interview.
And I'm sitting there and I'm like,if this application didn't get
in, it's probably the interview.
And then you'll learn and it's okay,their answers were too short, or their
answers were too long, or they didn't.
For a re applicant, I would say,go back to the fundamentals.
Like, make sure that you knowwhat a PA is, and make sure that
you know why you want to be one.
(30:28):
What experiences youhave led you up to it.
Make sure you research theschool, make sure you know the
history of the PA profession.
These are things that everybody can do.
But what I find when it's a re applicantthat had a great application that
didn't get in, it's usually because ofthose types of things, or just because
they don't have enough confidence.
They are smart and they'd be agreat PA student, but they can't
get over that interview hump.
And for those students, I just tellthem, keep practicing out loud, hopefully
(30:50):
with another person, but worst casescenario, record yourself and watch
it back later because there's noreplacement for out loud practicing.
100%.
Yeah.
I had a message today from someonewho had four interviews this cycle
and, and all rejections and askingme what they should do different.
And I was like, that.
Four interviews is amazing.
That's impressive.
So that tells me it was mostlikely something in the interview
(31:14):
that maybe that was a red flag.
Too general is something I see a good bit.
I think you were sayingthat you need specifics.
A couple years ago, I had someonewho, no pressure, came to me and
she had had seven interviews.
Two wait lists, five rejections,and she had one more interview.
She says, my last chance, it's intwo days, I like, what do I do?
(31:37):
And so we did a mock interview and herthing, she was just way too general.
I was like, I don't feel likeI'm learning anything about you.
I just feel like you're giving me thislike very surface level answer, not
even necessarily like what she thinksI want to hear, but just not going a
little bit deeper or more personal.
So we worked on that some andshe didn't end up getting in, but
(31:59):
that was very intimidating to me.
I was like, Oh no, why didn'tyou come to me months ago?
But we were able to help her out.
Yeah.
Whenever the interview is the next day.
And the students not where theyneed to be, it's very hard because
I want to help them but I also don'twant to overwhelm them so they're
like trying to pull an all nighter.
(32:20):
That's when I'll maybe tone it backjust a little bit on the feedback and
try to give them the big picture pointsto help them for the next morning.
The bottom line is don't schedulethe night before the interview
unless it's like a last minuterehearsal when you're already where
you need to be, but usually not.
Try, yeah, I, I very muchencourage not doing that.
And if people.
Ask me or like email last minute.
(32:41):
I really don't recommend you do thatI I recommend the day before don't do
anything for the interview Just makesure you have your ducks in a row
logistically, but that's it I've hadpeople want to do them the morning of
their interview want to do it at 5 a.
m The morning i'm likewe are not doing this.
You should not do this You're gonnabe exhausted by the end of the day
(33:02):
That's like trying to take the satstwice in a row on the same day.
There comes a point.
That's just too much Yeah last minuteones I think the sweet spot, it's
probably three weeks before thatgives you enough time to practice.
And most people don't do a secondone, but if somebody decided they
needed more practice, they could.
(33:23):
I feel like we give enough feedback thatthen they can work on stuff themselves.
Like you said, record themselves,go work with family and friends
and share that feedback with stuffthat they can keep working on.
Yeah, like sometimes students willask me at the end, they'll say, do
you think I should do another one?
Sometimes the answer is,yeah, you need more practice.
But a lot of the time, I'll tellthe student, take the next few days,
(33:44):
practice, and then see how you feel.
If you look at my notes, practiceout loud, make these changes, then
you'll have a much better idea.
And sometimes those students, I don'thear from them again, then some of them,
yeah, they do want the extra practice,and that's why it's good to do it
enough in advance where you can do that.
Yeah, it's helpful, butnot always realistic, so.
Right.
Thank you for sharing all of yourwonderful insights and everybody will
(34:05):
know where to find you if they wantto get with you for a mock interview.
I'm actually surprisedby how many we've had.
Still in February.
I think with virtual interviews now,the cycles are just very different.
Yeah, there's one or two schoolsI can think of that it seems like
they just started interviewingnow because I'm getting so many
from the same one or two schools.
Interesting.
They probably did.
(34:25):
They probably just sent.
And then some of the newer programs,they don't always get notice of
being able to start so they'llsend on tabulator interviews too.
Yeah.
Yeah, the cycle's different every year.
Yeah, and then we'll getinto essays and all that.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Mhm.
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