Undergraduate education: NC State University
Overall GPA: 3.7
Science GPA: 3.63
GRE: 310
Total PCE hours: 2,600+ hours I've worked as a CNA, MA (primary/urgent care, dermatology, pulmonary/sleep specialties), and as a medical brigade volunteer
Total HCE hours: 1,500+ hours, I was a hospital volunteer, optical assistant, and remote medical scribe in orthopedics
Shadowing hours: 100+ hours, I shadowed 2 PAs in-person (addiction medicine and dermatology) and virtually shadowed multiple PAs (orthopedics, oncology, primary care). I also got shadowing hours from shadowing two MDs abroad in Poland (cardiology and internal medicine departments)!
Volunteer hours: 450+, I volunteered through my college's service fraternity (Alpha Phi Omega) and pre-health fraternity (Alpha Epsilon Delta). I also volunteered on 2 medical brigades (Ecuador and Guatemala) and for the Crisis Text Line.
How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Why PA? My PA journey began while shadowing a PA on a medical brigade in rural Ecuador. Prior to that I wanted to go into healthcare but was unsure of whether to pursue research or medicine. After my experience in Ecuador, I realized I wanted to pursue a profession that allowed me to work with underserved populations. Later that year, I enrolled in a CNA course in order to accrue PCE. Additionally, I started shadowing and doing more research on the profession. Lateral mobility appealed to me as I would have the flexibility in pursuing different specialties, updating and expanding my knowledge base not only for myself, as a future provider, but also for my communities. I also really liked the idea of working in profession that allows you to be autonomous but also collaborative when it comes to diagnosing and treating patients. These reasons solidified my desire to go not just into healthcare, but specifically pursue the PA path!
How many programs did you apply to? 18
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I received 11 interview invites and attended 7 of those. I ended up being accepted to 5 programs and rejected by 2 programs post-interview. In fact, I was originally on the waitlist before being accepted to the program I will be attending!
Where will you be attending? Wake Forest University
Anything you found interesting about interviews? I was not expecting to get as many non-healthcare related questions as I did. I remember being asked more about my study abroad/shadowing experiences in Poland over my main form of PCE in some interviews! Programs are really trying to get to know YOU as an applicant and not as a specific statistic or number to rank.
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, webinars, etc) you used to get through prerequisites courses, the application or interview process? myPAresource and myPAlife for personal statement reviews, the CASPA website, and Savannah Perry, PA-C's PA school interview prep guide :) I also highly recommend using a spreadsheet to keep track of all the programs you're applying to (what pre-reqs are required, minimum GPA, application due dates, etc)
Any advice for other pre-PA students? My advice to pre-PA students is to have at least 1 hobby unrelated to healthcare. At times, it may seem like everything in your life revolves around getting to PA school, however having extracurriculars/interests outside of healthcare are important for those times where you may feel burnt out or unmotivated. Having non-healthcare related hobbies can also help with keeping a healthy balance between school, work, and social life and building on time management skills!
Where can we find you? (Instagram, TikTok, Website, etc) - @anatomically.akshara on instagram!
