Application Guide
Admission to a physician assistant program generally requires volunteer or paid experience in a health care setting.
Application Information
Centralized Application Service: CASPA - Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants
Cost: $179 for first program choice. Each additional school is $55.
When to apply: Students will apply in the spring/early summer of the year preceding their planned matriculation. The CASPA cycle opens mid-April.
Courses and Transcripts: The courses you have taken will need to be self-reported and you will also need to have official transcripts sent to the application service.
Most centralized applications will have a form to print off that will need to be attached to your transcript. You will be asked to enter information, grades and credits for every course that you have enrolled in at any U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution. Transcripts should be sent from the registrar’s office of all US and/or Canadian Schools attended.
You may order a transcript from the MSU registrar’s office from the registrar’s web site, https://reg.msu.edu/. There is no charge for sending transcripts. If you are taking courses during the spring semester, it is advised you wait until your spring semester grades are posted to your record as professional schools will want to see those grades.
Resources: 2017 CASPA Instructions
Entrance Exam
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The GRE is required for admission to many PA programs. Please see our GRE page for more information on this exam.
Physician Assistant College ADmissions Test (PA-CAT)
The PA-CAT was developed to assess common basic science subjects and statistics consistent with what is typically required for admission by a majority of PA programs.
Important - At this time, most programs do not require the PA-CAT. In Michigan, only Central Michigan University requires this exam as part of their admission criteria.
Length: 4.5 Hours
Sections: 240-item assessment covering 9 science subject areas. Subjects covered include: Anatomy, Physiology, General Biology, Biochemistry, General and Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Behavioral Science, Genetics, and Statistics.
Cost: The registration fee is $228 which includes test center fee and a free practice test.
PA-CAT Prep Resources:
Personal Statement
The personal statement is a very limited in length essay that is used as a device to get a better understanding of the applicant.It is a very important element that should be prepared well in advance to the application and should be edited thoroughly by many different people, such as but not limited to, the writing center, friends and family.
Length: 5000 character limit for CASPA participating schools.
Prompt: "Please explain why you are interested in being a Physician Assistant."
What to include:
- Why you selected this field of health care
- What motivates you to learn more about health care
- Pertinent information about you not included elsewhere in the application
- Special hardships or experiences that have influenced your educational pursuits
- Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record not explained in the application.
Resources:
Patient Care Experience
Patient care experience is a critical admission criteria for most PA programs, but can vary between schools. On average, applicants are encouraged to complete 2000 hours of direct patient care before their intended matriculation.
Examples of direct patient care includes taking vitals, bathing patients, walking patients, drawing blood, performing diagnostics, and administering prescribed therapy or treatment.
Applicants without previous health care experience can acquire direct patient care experience by working as a nursing assistant or aide, phlebotomist, EMT, or other healthcare position working directly with patients. Visit our blog post on patient care hours to explore a few different options.
It is strongly suggested that you contact the schools you wish to apply to and verify the types of patient care experience will be accepted, and the number of recommended hours.
Activities not typically accepted by most programs as direct patient care:
- Shadowing
- Research
- Volunteering
- Medical Scribe - varies between schools, consult with your chosen PA schools
- Taking care of a family member
Recommendation Letters
CASPA requires a minimum of 3 letters and accepts up to 5.
While you must pay careful attention to the guidelines of each school that requests your letters, we suggest you identify the following people to request letters of evaluation from:
- Two science faculty who taught you in a class
- One non-science faculty
- One individual working in the profession you wish to pursue (example: an osteopathic physician, dentist, physical therapist, pharmacist, etc)
- One or two additional individuals who know you well from a work, volunteer or research experience
Interviews
After submitting the primary application, and secondary applications if required, students may receive an offer to interview. Not all PA programs require an interview as part of the application process, but for the ones that do, they have indicated an interest in selecting you. Remember, you are not only preparing to answer their questions, you are preparing to ask your own. While they determine whether you are the right fit for the program, you need to determine if the program is the right fit for you.
Schools use personal interviews with applicants to assess qualities such as maturity, interpersonal skills, and ability to articulate strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared to discuss why you wish to pursue a career in physician assistant and the experiences that have motivated you.
Resources:
- Interview Tips
- InterviewStream - Free mock interview software