Take a step back from the position, and rather than describe it solely as a job, describe the experience holistically. Aim to be as descriptive as possible when completing your CASPA application. Your previous content has been restored. Your personal statement is the place to describe the impact of your experiences. I used bullet format, job title - job description. Example 2 (lacks sufficient detail): I work at a doctors office and my responsibilities include interacting with patients and performing different tests on them. If you made Dean's List, describe what that means: "Dean's List is reserved for students who achieve a 3.5 or higher GPA for any given semester." Step 5: Next you will enter the Description/Key Responsibilities of the experience. Leadership Experience For shadowing role description, would it be wrong of me to simply put "Observed the role of a PAin the sickle cell clinic". A great way to assure that each description is filled with as much meaningful information as possible is to jot down your responsibilities, what you learned, how these experiences helped you grow, etc. A couple examples weve run across: I strove to provide excellent patient care and gain an intimate understanding of patient needs. Check out the r/PAstudent subreddit once accepted and r/physicianassistant after graduation. Enter information about your supervisor at the organization. Touch is the feeling of contact between a living creature and its environment. Describe everything. At this part of the PA school application process, youll have to brush up on your interview skills. CASPA will automatically calculate the total number of hours based on these numbers, and this calculation will show up directly under the numbers you have entered. . Most students list them but leave the experiences description blank. Next you will enter the Description/Key Responsibilities of the experience. Volunteer work done outside of the health care field; for example, working for Habitat for Humanity, tutoring students, participating in or working for a fundraiser walk or blood drive, etc. Also, it is a good idea to have these proofread, just like your personals statement should be. If you struggle to understand what to put for your experience, it can help to break ideas into bullet points. CASPA defines verification process as follows: Verification is the process used to ensure all of your coursework was entered correctly and consistently. endstream endobj 312 0 obj <. You can reach their customer service line at (617) 612-2080 or caspainfo@caspaonline.org Monday through Friday, 9-5 Eastern. How should you word your experiences? This portion of your application will be discussed in detail below. It also avoids the "not limited to" statement from the original. But it can make or break your chances at getting interviews for PA school. In the supporting materials section of CASPA, you are given the opportunity to list and describe the various roles that add to your application. While you should be detailed with every experience that you add, being extremely descriptive is vitally important for the experiences that fulfill your patient care experience category. As DarcyJ stated, save the stories for your essays/ interviews! Many schools accept lower GPAs or have less stringent admissions requirements. This mistake is common and more work to avoid. CASPA will automatically calculate the total number of hours based on these numbers, and this calculation will show up directly under the numbers you have entered. If the experience was a student-organized group and there was no advisor, list a member who can verify your experience. Several schools offer PA programs. Step 3: You will then be prompted to enter the Experience Dates, which will give you the chance to enter both the start and end date, whether it is a current experience, and the status of the experience (full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary). In mine, I wrote specific things that I witnessed - lacerations, sutures, MVCs and so on. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Once you add the experience, youll be prompted to categorize the Experience Type based on the following categories: After categorizing the experience, you will enter details about the organization (name, location, etc.) What it was like to live in a medically underserved area. Instead say: I communicated with both providers and scribes. What sort of details should you include? Note that this may take a few weeks, but the average time it takes for your application to be verified is two weeks. The CASPA application has separate sections where you are asked to list your achievements, memberships, certifications, and licenses. Again, if you have a comment, leave it below. Allowing PA programs to contact these people gives your experiences more validity. You can all Whateverville and to figure out whats going on. Some essays they read are very basic. I'm just wondering how much detail to go into because of the 600 character limit. Think about how what you've done in the past can align with what you will do as a PA. Instead say: I helped to managed needed patient services such as. All these little data points help a reader picture you in their mind. We think this is a missed opportunity. Once your application is submitted and all required material is received, your applications status will update to Complete. Your application is then in line to be verified. 311 0 obj <> endobj Getting Started with Your CASPA Application Creating and Managing Your CASPA Account Adding and Deleting CASPA Programs Filling Out Your CASPA Application Many applicants are surprised by their CASPA calculated GPA. You will have their attention, and a good essay can leverage that attention into an interview. If you ever have a question about the CASPA application, reach out to a representative through their website! For example, if you are currently a teaching assistant for a college course, keep a list of key points from this experience that can strengthen your PA program applications. The Act ensures that reproductive health services, such as birth control, abortion, and emergency contraception, are available to all . When you were cared for by a physician assistant. Our advice: write a brief paragraph about the home you grew up in. All Rights Reserved. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Step 6: Finally, the last step is giving authorization for the PA programs to contact these organizations/supervisors. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In the CASPA application for documenting shadowing hours, what should be written in the description/key responsibilities section? Select the appropriate experience type from the drop-down. You should also go over how your family life was when you were growing up. Describing Your Experiences In The CASPA Application First, have your "experiences" descriptions prepared before the cycle opens. Your CASPA GPA may be slightly different than your universitys calculated GPA for a few reasons. Sentence mentioning skills and values gained from this experience. Time spent officially following and observing a health care professional at work, preferably in the physician assistant field. Please try again. Conclusion sentence connecting the experience back to your goal of being ready for PA school. Here is where you will explain to the admissions committee your responsibilities, job duties, level of involvement, etc in this particular experience. As anyone who has tackled the CASPA application in the past can attest, it's not something that can be done in an afternoon. Learned the importance of taking time with each patient and that each patient has different needs and expectations. Related activities you would like your selected programs to review; for example, academic clubs and competitive teams. Get right to the point and leave the reader impressed by your involvement in these experiences. Experiences in which you were in charge of instructing others, such as a teaching assistant, tutor, etc. Applicants everywhere are working hard to polish their PA school applications. When you're faced with the CASPA experience descriptions, just stick to the facts and only include what's relevant. Contact I suggest keeping a file on your computer dedicated to drafting and editing experience descriptions so that once CASPA opens, they are polished and ready to go! The blank space is just about the facts. Since patient care hours are a huge element of your application for many PA programs, its important that you carefully and strategically explain your experience so that PA programs get a clear understanding of that specific experience. As DarcyJ stated, save the stories for your essays/ interviews! Hi, I saw on a YouTube video that someone suggested to describe the experience and include a brief explanation of what they also learned from that experience. The goal is to pique the admissions committee's interest in you, in hopes they will contact you for a school interview. Tagged: CASPA tips, CASPA, PA school application, PCE, pce, be a pa3, AHS. Through this role, I have gained valuable clinical experience, strengthened my communication skills with both patients and fellow medical colleagues, increased my medical knowledge, and learned the art of team-based care. myPAresource inc.,2020. For over three years, I have been working as a clinical assistant at an Internal Medicine practice. ^lW(y $k^ r x#1, 0 | For example, a 40 hour a week position with 10 hours a week of research and 30 hours a week of direct patient care would be entered under both Research and Patient Care types with the appropriate hours and duties listed within each entry. The project included assessing the time from arrival to discharge . How to use this in your personal statement: Bring together shared experiences - in this example the author hints at her medical heritage when she says: "I gleaned some insights into the profession from my father", and ties this into her shadowing experience. The Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) simplifies the process of applying to physician assistant programs. My tasks included, but were not limited to, taking patients' vitals signs and blood sugar checks. It seems strange if you don't. If you showed up for the day to volunteer, keep the description simple and don't embellish. How do you calculate your hours? This can be really helpful when you've held several similar positions. This gives a much clearer picture of the applicant's experience. Now What? To prevent missing any deadlines, keep a list of important dates for each program you are applying to. In the CASPA application for documenting shadowing hours, what should be written in the description/key responsibilities section? Aim to be as descriptive as possible when completing your CASPA application. Any experience working on a research project, preferably in addition to or outside of regular classroom work. Talk about the setting, what you observed, things you learned. Most will lack any of their writers unique personality. Through this role, I have gained valuable clinical experience, strengthened my communication skills with both patients and fellow medical colleagues, increased my medical knowledge, and learned the art of team-based care. CASPA provides a general guideline of limiting your entries to the past ten years of experience and including only activities that are college-level or above. endstream endobj startxref Check this list when the application cycle opens and make a plan that will guarantee your application is received by the admission committees before it is too late. CASPA experience section explained: advice on how to crush the experience section on CASPA! Allowing PA programs to contact these people gives your experiences more validity. Healthcare Experience* The level of detail you should include for a volunteering entry depends on the relevance of that experience to a career in medicine. My key responsibilities include taking patient vitals, recording patient medical histories, discussing current patient medications, administering vaccinations, and performing electrocardiograms. I'm trying to fill out my experiences, is it okay to use subjective information/words? Since credit values, grade values, and course subjects vary widely from school to school, your programs need some type of standardization so they can accurately compare applicants. Best Physician Assistant (PA) Schools in Delaware. Only then can you rest for a bit until you are invited to interview! We dont think applications need to be in as soon as the starting gun goes off, but waiting until September is a mistake. Describing your background in this way will allow the person reviewing your application to better understand the breadth of your experience. So, what does that look like? This is a person that programs can contact to verify that this experience occurred. In this post, you'll learn exactly how to approach that application blank space. Note that since each program's definitions and requirements vary, CASPA has no specific preference as to which category you choose. Basically, your goal should be to succinctly describe your setting (including the types of patients you cared for), the general scope of your patient care, and any areas in which you went above & beyond that. If it is, do your best to add in the details. Learn more. This portion is one of the few parts of CASPA you can work on before the cycle opens. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. This is how I formatted my experiences on CASPA to give myself the best chance to get selected. This is a person that programs can contact to verify that this experience occurred. It is the first sense to develop in the fetus, and it is the most sensitive of the senses in both adults and children. I'll share with you the three things PA. Describing your experience in succinct points will help you to collect your ideas and avoid "fluffing up" your experience with unnecessary information. Schools with rolling admissions usually have few seats available by that late in the year, and interviews for them are already well underway. Fun fact:you can begin an application in CASPA even if you donotplan to apply for that cycle. What you learned from your personal medical experiences. The tough part is that the experience descriptions are limited to just 600 characters, which correlates to roughly 100 words! Describe your patient care experience(s) in detail, including direct patient care responsibilities and duration in estimated . Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk. If you volunteered at a 5K run, we don't need to know that you helped fold chairs, handed out race bibs, or passed Gatorade to participants. The method to document this experience is through the CASPA online application. Use your best judgment to relay the information that you need the reader to know, rather than all the information you would want the reader to know. All Rights Reserved. A question? Impress admission committees every chance you can, including with these short paragraphs. The experiences section of CASPA is a crucial part of your application. Each of these make positive contributions to your ability to be a successful PA student and will be valued by admissions committees. Pay particular attention to the difference between the first two, which are frequently confused. Be very picky about the words you use to describe your experiences and avoid using any filler words or sentences. Applications open in April, and much of your competition will submit their apps in April. January 12, 2018 in CASPA. Do you think it would help get an interview? Select the appropriate experience type from the drop-down. One last note: Some of your experiences may be long ago, and maybe you can't find your supervisor's information or specific details about the experience. In the supporting materials section of CASPA, you are given the opportunity to list and describe the various roles and work experience that add to your CASPA application. There is a difference and it is important when it comes down to program deadlines since every school might be on a different timeline. All rights reserved. This is known as the experiences section. Every week or so you should log into CASPA to check your applications progress. Once you fill out the required information, such as your position and the number of hours gained, there is a textbox to describe the entry.