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Frequently Asked Questions

You Got Questions. We Got Answers.

What is a PA?

A Physician Associate is a medical provider that can treat & diagnose illness, prescribe medication and conduct physical examinations. Depending on the scope of practice, most PAs work under the supervision of a doctor, while others can work autonomously.

What is the difference between HCE & PCE?

Health Care Experience: Includes both paid & unpaid work where you might not be directly responsible for a patient's care but have patient interaction.

Patient Care Experience: Refers to experiences in which you are in direct responsibility for a patient's care.

How can I gain Patient Care hours?

While most schools share a consensus on what they count as patient care experience, ALWAYS make sure to check with the programs that you plan on applying to find out what they constitute as patient care hours!
Examples: Medical Assistant, EMT, Nurse, CNA, Scribe, Phlebotomist, Patient Care Technician, etc.

What should I major in?

Your major can be anything you want and does not have to be science-related as long as you complete the pre-requisites for the PA programs you plan on applying to.

What is CASPA?

CASPA stands for Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants. It is an application system where students input academic information and personal experiences when applying to multiple PA programs.

How Can I Book a visit?

Be thoughtful, write clearly and concisely, and consider adding written as well as visual examples. Go over what you’ve written to make sure that if it was the first time you were visiting the site, you’d understand your answer.

FAQ: FAQ

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