Pre-PA Mentor: Recent Episodes
James H. Kimber, PA-C
Started in 2006, PA Mentor has been successfully mentoring students pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant. We provide a personalized one-on-one experience when you use our services. Whether you are still in college completing your undergraduate work or a non-traditional student seeking a career change, all of our Mentors are currently practicing Physician Assistants with admissions board experience. Whether you are just starting out and need help navigating the entire application process, you're stuck trying to write a Personal Statement that will get you an interview, or you have been invited to an interview and you want to make sure you stand out from the rest, contact us for a Free Consultation to learn how we can help. Here on this podcast, we will provide you with tips about what it takes to be a competitive candidate as well as interviews with students we have successfully helped achieve their goal of getting into a PA Program.
If you had to give your Social Media a grade... what would it be? Never thought of that before? The PA Programs are thinking this so you listen to the latest episode to find what you need to know about your Social Media when it comes to applying to a PA Program.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
We had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Burwell, PA-C, who is heading up the new PA Program at North Carolina A&T State University. She talks about what the program will offer and a little bit about why this program is very special. Dr. Burwell comes with extensive experience working with other PA Programs as well as having worked clinically as a PA in multiple specialties.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Although this episode is about the 2026 cycle and what you can be doing now to prepare... it is NOT too late for the current 2025/26 cycle. In fact, it is still very early in the current cycle. But if you recently finished your Junior year in college and will be starting your Senior year in the Fall, now is the time to start preparing. Even if you are going to be a Junior in the Fall... there are things you should be doing now to prepare for the next cycle. Contact us for a Free Consultation if you want learn more about what we can do to help you.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
After reviewing over 330 PA Programs, we now have a searchable database to help you figure out which PA Programs you can apply to. If you notice any incorrect information or have recommendations for the database, please contact us. If you are applying to a PA Program this cycle and want to know how you can be a competitive candidate, contact us for a Free Consultation to learn more about our services.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
In Part II of the Chapman University PA Program, we interview Cassie and Kristen again, now two years after their first interview and the day before graduation. They talk about some of the trials they experienced during their time at school and the great experiences they also had at Chapman. If you are planning on applying to a PA Program, but not sure where you are as a competitive candidate, contact us for the Free Consultation to learn more about our services.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Two years ago we interviewed two of our students that were accepted into the Chapman University PA Program... but we never got around to editing it or uploading. But recently we were talking to these two students are now just weeks away from graduating! So, we thought it would be fun to post the original interview from two years ago and this week, we plan to interview them again so they can share their experiences going through PA School. We upload Part II next week so enjoy this weeks podcast but don't forget to come back next week to listen to the follow-up interview.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Although we have routinely worked with reapplicants... never before have we worked with identical twins at the same time. It was a bit of pressure as of course we wanted them both to get in together. Both sisters had tried twice before contacting us but just listen to the podcast to hear more about their experience working with us and their success.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
After many years, the Atkinson PA Program at UCSD is up and running. We were able to interview the Founding Program Director, Elias Villarreal, DMSc, PA-C.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Are you a reapplicant or are you going to be a reapplicant? Do you think your grades are not competitive? This is the podcast you need to listen. Brian's grades didn't reflect most Pre-PA applicants and he was about to apply for the fourth time when he was accepted! Now, Brian is earning a very solid GPA in PA school and is an inspiration for anyone thinking about giving up because they were not accepted. Visit our website to learn more about our services or sign up for the Free Consult to talk to one of our PA Mentors about how we can make you a more competitive candidate.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Today we talk about what you should know if you are planning to apply in the 2025-26 PA Cycle. If you are still completing your prerequisites, it's a good idea to listen as often, students have the wrong coursework. If you want to learn more about how we can make you a more competitive applicant, just visit our website and sign up for the Free Consultation.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
This is our first time talking to a student attending a Hybrid PA Program, so if you ever have wondered what that experience would be like, this should be helpful. We were able to talk to a student who is in the inaugural class for the Franklin Pierce PA Program in Austin, TX.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
It's time for our annual podcast about what should NOT be in your Personal Statement. There are so many misconceptions about the personal statement and each year we try to hopefully clear up a few things about it. You can always sign up on our website for a Personal Statement editing plan and let us help you stand out from the other applicants.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
In her first cycle Krystal received no interviews. She contacted us to find out how she could improve her application and in this cycle she received TEN interviews including acceptance into her number one choice.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
In this episode, we try to provide some tips when requesting your Letters of Recommendation for your CASPA application.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
This was Ian's third time applying and for those who want to give up after not gaining acceptance the first, or even the second cycle, make sure to listen to Ian. Perseverance it what it takes to not just get through a PA program, but also to get into a PA Program. If you are planning to apply for the upcoming cycle and want to know what it takes to be a competitive applicant, visit our website and sign up for a Free Consultation.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
This was from the 2022-23 PA Application cycle and Jordan was accepted into 9 out of the 10 programs she applied to. We worked with Jordan for more than a year and it was her first time applying. As Jordan talks about her journey, hopefully this will help you. But if you are not sure how to be a competitive applicant and want help during the upcoming cycle, contact us for the Free Consultation to learn about our services and how we can help.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
We keep getting questions about whether or not it is too early to start preparing for the 2024-25 Application Cycle. The simple short answer is... NO. It is never too soon to get started if you are considering applying to a Physician Assistant Program. Whether it's ensuring you are taking the right courses, finding volunteer and shadowing opportunities, choosing the programs that are the best fit for you and more... now is always the best time to get started on the application process. Hopefully the podcast will shed some light on things you should be considering but you can always sign up for a Free Consultation to learn more about our services. If you want to see where you are as a candidate, sign up for General Advising on our website and learn where you stand as a candidate and what you can be doing to be the most competitive.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
It's that time of year and we are going to update our "What Should NOT Be In Your Personal Statement" for the 2023/24 Application cycle opening next month. This year the programs are really looking carefully for anyone who might be using AI to create their statement.
As always, if you want help with your Personal Statement, visit our website to see the Statement Editing options we have
https://pamentoronline.com/
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Given the coursework required by a PA School varies, today we try to clear up some misconceptions and hopefully provide you with some advice and avoid some common errors when it comes to your application.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Happy New Year! January 2023 is a very special time for the Colorado Academy of Physician Assistants (CAPA) as they present legislation that help PA's that practice in the state of Colorado. Unfortunately, the legislation was defeated in the 2022 legislation session but they have been working with the other medical associations in Colorado to rewrite the legislation in order to get in passed in the 2023 legislative session.
Visit the CAPA website to learn about the PA legislation for 2023. Even if you aren't in CO or plan to practice there, every bit of legislation passed that recognizes and advances a Physician Assistant's ability to practice, affects us all and can help other states pass their own legislation.
If you do live in Colorado, make sure to get involved and contact your legislator. Let them know how important this is for them to support and encourage them to vote in favor when it comes to the floor for a vote.
Physician Assistant Mentor Online
Congratulations to Megan who was accepted into the University of Dayton's Physician Assistant Program! Megan, a First Time applicant, contacted us a year ago for help with her application. Megan, still completing her undergraduate work, thought about taking a gap year but we convinced her to submit an application this cycle. Megan received interviews and although it was a long wait... she ultimately was accepted.
Whether you are first time applicant or reapplying, at PA Mentor, we have admissions board experience. If you need help with your Personal Statement, Mock Interview Preparation or want full service where we help you from the beginning until the day you are accepted, we can help you with your needs. Contact us for a Free Consultation to learn about our services and how we can help you successfully get into a PA Program.
Congratulations! After all the hard work, you received your first interview to a PA Program! Yes, that's right, they are already happening with the first one we are aware of happening on June 1st. And it seems this cycle they are many programs still doing "virtual" interviews. We thought (and hoped) that was a thing of the past but they are back again. For the past two cycles we have encountered a long list of problems students run into when interviewing virtually and in today's podcast we go over some of the most common errors you can avoid when you get your interview.
If you have an interview coming up but don't know if you are prepared, sign up for our Mock Interview Preparation service. But if you are still in the process of putting your application together and you just aren't sure you are going to be competitive, or you haven't finished that Personal Statement, or you just have general questions, you can contact us at PA Mentor to find out how we can help.
Today we talk to a student who was accepted during the last cycle and will start her PA Program literally as this airs. She is a non-traditional student and reapplicant who, after not gaining admission during the previous cycle, contacted us for her entire application process. She didn't have the traditional hours a typical applicant would have but we worked hard to make sure she stood out with her personal statement and later, when she received interviews, to make sure she stood out there as well.
If you need help trying to figure out how you can be a competitive candidate this cycle, or even if you are thinking about applying in the next cycle, contact us at PA Mentor and see how we can also help you successfully get into a PA Program.
The 2022-23 CASPA cycle will open this Thursday, April 28th and most applicants have questions about how to fill out certain portions. Or whether or not to use the Transcript Entry Service, getting their Letters of Recommendation, Supplemental Essay questions and Experience Details to name a few. Today we try to answer some of the most common questions regarding CASPA. If you want help with your CASPA application, visit our website to learn about our services and how we can help you to put together a competitive CASPA application.
This week I became one of the first PA's to get a Medicare billing number! I have been working independently for quite some time and bill insurance companies directly. However, I have never been able to bill Medicare... that is, up until now.
In December 2020, there was a massive stimulus bill passed for the Coronavirus and in the midst of those 5,593 pages was a short little paragraph allowing "PAs to receive direct payment under Medicare." This took effect on January 1, 2022 and immediately I filled out all the paperwork and just this week... I received my official number so I could begin billing for my services.
While this might not seem like a big issue, it really is changing the whole PA Profession and will affect all future PAs considerably. In today's episode, I'll cover why this is so important and how it will affect you when you become a PA.
The Franklin Pierce University Physician Assistant Program is going to open a new Hybrid PA Program in Austin, Texas and today we were able to interview the new Program Director. Joseph Hlavin, PhD, PA-C has been in academics for quite some time and talks about the development of a new program as well as how a Hybrid PA Program will work.
For some applicants, a hybrid program is their only option and in 2023, there will be another option. If you want to find out what it takes to be a competitive candidate for any PA Program, don't hesitate to contact us at PA Mentor or just sign up for the Free Consultation to speak with one of our Physician Assistant Mentors to learn about our services.
Congratulations to Julia who was admitted into the Physician Assistant Program at Duke University. This was Julia's six acceptance during the 2021/22 Application Cycle and after much deliberation, she chose to attend Duke for her PA training. Julia contacted us almost two years ago to begin preparing for the application cycle. Julia came to us as a non-traditional candidate having practiced as a licensed Clinical Social Worker for more than ten years. I routine told Julia about my own experience working with Social Workers in the hospital for my Neuro Trauma patients and how extremely helpful they have always been.
We helped Julia make sure she had all the prerequisite courses and went over volunteering, shadowing, letters of recommendation and everything that would make her a competitive candidate. Once we started her cycle, we helped Julia with her Personal Statement and Supplemental Essays. Julia submitted early and about a month later she had her first interview. Julia was such as strong applicant, some of the programs contacted her months ahead of the interview just to let her know they were going to interview her.
If you are thinking about applying this cycle or maybe you are two years about from getting your application together, there is no better time to start than right now. Just visit out website for information about our services or sign up for a Free Consultation if you want to learn more about what we do and how we can make you a competitive candidate.
https://pamentoronline.com/
Divya contacted us more than a year ago after not gaining admission during her first application cycle. We reviewed her previous CASPA application and found areas where she could improve upon and created a list of things to do in order to be more competitive. We worked with Divya on her Personal Statement and when the time came, we helped prepare her with Mock Interviews. Although Divya was waitlisted this cycle, just days before the program started, she came off the waitlist and she is a current student at the George Fox University PA Program.
If you weren't accepted previously or you just want to know how you can be a more competitive candidate, contact us for a Free Consultation. Just visit our website and we will schedule you for a phone call with one of our Physician Assistant Mentors.
https://pamentoronline.com/
In today's episode, we talk about how to pick the PA Program(s) you are going to apply to. We discuss average student statistics, PANCE pass rates, program statuses such as "Provisional" and "Probation". We cover areas of an application such as the GRE, patient care hours and much more in this episode.
If you weren't successful this current cycle at gaining admission into a PA Program... don't give up! There are many reasons why someone doesn't get accepted or even receive an interview when they apply to a PA Program or multiple programs. In this episode, we talk about some of the common reasons why an applicant may not get accepted and what you can do to be a more competitive candidate the next cycle.
The Personal Statement will account for about 50% of a PA Programs decision to grant an interview so clearly it is a very important part of the application. Today we are going to talk about some of the most common mistakes applicants make when writing their Personal Statement.
If you want help with your statement to make sure you stand out from the rest, check out our Personal Statement editing plans or you can sign up for a Free Consult to learn more about our services. Just visit PA Mentor and see how we can help you be a competitive candidate.
Welcome to the Pre-PA Mentor Podcast and our inaugural episode. This is just us introducing ourselves but we expect to have a new episode posted every morning. We will be interviewing current and former students who have used our services as well as talk about all things related to Physician Assistant. If there are specific topics you want us to discuss, feel free to leave comments on site or email us. Thanks for listening!