Savanna Perry

January 16, 2017

Program Spotlight

Up and Coming: Dominican University of California

Savanna Perry

January 16, 2017

Program Spotlight

Location: San Rafael, California

Number of students: 24

Application Cycle: June 15 - March 1 through CASPA

Interview dates: November - May

Start date: August

Length of Program: 28 months

Public/Private: Private

HCE: Minimum 500 hours (preference given to those with EMT certification)

GPA: Minimum 3.0 GPA with minimum B- in prerequisite courses

Shadowing: No specific requirement

The Good Stuff:

Anatomy and Physiology must be taken in the last 5 years
GRE NOT required
All prerequisites must be completed before applying
Expected provisional accreditation in March 2017

Program Link: Dominican University of California PA Program Website

For the most up to date information on PA programs in one place, check out The Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs. (Affiliate link)

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Who is this? Just another future PA! Congratulations to Camil on her acceptance to Pace University! These are our favorite types of emails:

I am so excited to tell you that I WAS ACCEPTED! I received the email on 11/8 and I actually did not see it until just now, 2 days later, when I checked my spam folder! I am so glad that I did! Thank you for all your help and guidance, it was super helpful. Thanks again!

2 lessons - Do a mock interview and always check your spam folder! Hanna was able to coach Camil and give her some advice. If you have an interview coming up, check out the link in bio or the schedule now button to get yourself scheduled for a mock interview with one of our awesome coaches! #welcometotheclub #accepted #futurepa #physicianassistant #prepa #paschool #paprogram

Waiting is the worst! After you submit your application to CASPA and pouring your heart and soul into the process, there’s a period of now knowing what to do next. That’s what we’re talking about in today’s episode of the podcast. What can you do in this period? What should you do? After answering some listener questions, we’ll jump into some practical tips for the waiting period after you submit your applications.
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New episodes of The Pre-PA Club podcast are posted every Friday on The PA Platform and iTunes. Links in bio! I'm always open to any suggestions for topics or guests so feel free to comment or DM, and you can leave a voicemail question at www.thepaplatform.com/podcast to be featured in an episode!
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#prepa #pacoach #prepaclub #paschool #paprogram #physicianassistant #futurePA #futurephysicianassistant #pastudent #pance

Let’s talk about goal setting! I heard on a podcast this morning that a person is 40% more likely to complete a goal if you write it down.

This makes sense to me. I’ve always retained information more if I write it out. Whether it’s studying or working on my never ending to-do list, putting them on paper tends to solidify what I’m thinking. I’ve always been big on journaling too and organizing my thoughts by putting pen to paper. Typing just isn’t the same!

I want to be intentional and specific with my goals in 2019, so I’m starting to think about them now. What are you working towards for the rest of this year and next year? I want to know what your goals are, and if I can help you reach them in any way, let’s do it! I encourage you to also work on writing your goals out and post them so you’ll have some accountability. Tag me in your post and I’ll help hold you to them!
#goals #goalsetting #resolutions #todolist

@alexisleigh.pa_s is sharing her stats and advice in an Accepted post on the blog today. Here's just a tidbit of what she has to say:

Don't let one weakness in your application prevent you from applying! Practically every applicant has a weakness in their application (GPA, PCE, GRE, etc), but they compensate for that weakness with strengths in other areas of their application. After reading all the accepted student stats on multiple PA programs' websites, I genuinely thought that I was going to get rejected from all 10 programs because I had very low PCE as a CNA. However, my application was very strong in every other way to compensate for my one weakness and I was invited to interview with 6 PA programs! So my advice is if you have a low GPA, then take some extra upper level courses during the application cycle to boost your GPA. And if you have low PCE, then work full-time during the application cycle to increase your hours. By working on your hours and grades even after submitting your application, you will be able to show the committee your improvements at the interview or, worst comes to worst, have a stronger application for the next cycle.

Read more at thePAplatform.com (Link in bio).
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If you've been accepted to PA school and would like to share your story in an Accepted! post, send me an email or DM.
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#pastudent #prepaclub #accepted #paschool #paprogram #futurepa #physicianassistant

Anyone else ever feel burnt out? Work, school, daily duties, etc? 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️ Inspired by a recent post from @stethoscopeandsparkle, I wanted to share what I’ve learned about “work/life balance” over the past few months.

I’ve actually decided that the “balance” part doesn’t exist. There will never be a perfect balance of time. As a new mom, wife, full-time PA, and part-time blogger and pre-PA coach, I’ve had to find a new normal after adding a baby to the mix because she has become my #1 priority. I’ve had plenty of times that I’ve felt completely overwhelmed by all the things I feel like I need to get done, and usually that’s when the tears start flowing.

My house may not be spotless and the dishes aren’t always done, but I’m figuring it out one day at a time. Maybe you’re at a different stage and your balancing act consists of school, work, and all of the endless requirements it takes to become a PA, but I encourage you to give yourself some grace. Take a break. Do something for yourself. And know that it’s okay if you can’t always do all the things! You expect more from yourself than anyone else does, and you’re doing a great job. That’s what I keep telling myself. Let’s encourage each other to keep going. It’s okay to be emotional and feel like you don’t have your stuff together. It’s a season and this too shall pass.
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I’m wearing the new Kinetic scrub jacket from @medelita_gram and I’m obsessed. This is an extra small. Link in my bio and use code PAPLATFORM1 for a 20% discount. #medelita #medelita_gram #medelitahipambassador #scrubjacket #yougotthis

Melody is a new grad Urgent Care PA on the West coast, and in today’s episode she shares her experience of being a pre-PA student to becoming a physician assistant. IG: @apalifejourney
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New episodes of The Pre-PA Club podcast are posted every Friday on The PA Platform and iTunes. Links in bio! I'm always open to any suggestions for topics or guests so feel free to comment or DM, and you can leave a voicemail question at www.thepaplatform.com/podcast to be featured in an episode! ...
#prepa #pacoach #prepaclub #paschool #paprogram #physicianassistant #futurePA #futurephysicianassistant #pastudent #pance

New Accepted post is up on the blog! With an overall 3.0 GPA, and a science GPA of 3.1, Anna can definitely give you hope! Here is some advice from @annathepa_ and make sure you check out the post with the link in bio to read more! Good luck and don't give up. Don't make any assumptions (e.g. I made the mistake of assuming that people know that a research coordinator is direct patient care experience, without explaining the capacity of how closely I worked with patients to manage their care). BE YOURSELF and be able to articulate why you care on a PERSONAL level - the most helpful thing for me was just being able to talk to people about it! It's hard and puts you in a really vulnerable position, but it's good practice because that's exactly what you'll be doing for your personal statement and also for your interview. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, and don't lose your voice in your application by framing your answers around what you think people want to hear. Most importantly, rejection is likely but it's NOT personal, as everyone else applying is a really great applicant... But guess what? SO ARE YOU! Try to enjoy the process as much as you can -- you really learn so much just by going through the process of applying and getting into PA school. And remember that it's not IF you get in, it's WHEN. :) If you’d like to share your story in an Accepted post, send an email or DM now! #futurepa #physicianassistant #lowgpa #pastudent #paschool #paprogram

This year’s fall SDPA conference was one for the books! So many highlights along with the amazing lectures and CME. (Somehow none of these pics ended up on my phone so I stole them from everyone else 😬) Meeting some of the familiar faces from Instagram and catching up with PA school friends was possibly my favorite part. I met @theskinscholar on the way to the @derm_pa Harry Potter world event where we met up with @skinmadesimple and had some butterbeer. Lauren introduced me to @lrmpaderm and it’s so much fun to meet other derm PAs and learn from each other. Then Ortho Dermatologics was kind enough to host a social media meet-up dinner last night and it was so much fun! Huge thanks to @destination_whitecoat for getting it set up and @roshreview and @medelita_gram for giving us some fun gifts for the attendees!

Conferences are an amazing way to get CME and stay up to date, and they can be so much fun. So where are we going next guys? Anyone down for AAPA in May?? 😉😊 #dermpa #dermconference #sdpafall #dermatology #physicianassistant

I've been getting a lot of questions about post-interview etiquette, so let's check out what the PA School Interview Guide has to say! If you need more info, check out Chapter 11 (Link in Bio. Available on The PA Platform or Amazon)

A common question in regards to appropriate etiquette following the interview is, “What do I do now? Should I send thank you notes? An email? Who should I send them to? Will it look bad if I don't send them?” No matter how you look at it, it’s always nice to get a handwritten note. If you are wanting to send something to the program to say thank you, sending a written card in the mail is a great option. An email is a quicker option to express your thanks. I’ve heard of people putting a letter in the mail and then getting a rejection the same day. Whoops! A rejection shouldn’t affect your decision to be gratuitous though.

Knowing where to send your note or email can be a hurdle. Attempt to obtain this information at your interview. Oftentimes, it’s provided on a handout or given directly by the program coordinator. If you forget (probably due to nerves), contact the program coordinator or look on the program website, and ascertain if either resource can provide the mailing address or emails you need. If you don’t recall your interviewer’s name(s), you may be out of luck with getting this information at a later date, however you can in the least send a general letter to the director.
Keep your note short and sweet because you want to be respectful of your recipient’s time. Thank your interviewer for the opportunity to learn more about their program. If there’s anything memorable or specific you discussed during your time, refer to that in your note to add a personal touch.

While thank you notes are a nice gesture, don’t let them stress you out. At the end of the day, it’s a courtesy, and not a deal breaker that will impact your acceptance to PA school. If it’s too much to handle right now, that’s ok! To be perfectly honest, I did not send thank you notes. During interviews, I was in the middle of finals and actually had to reschedule some tests. Nevertheless, I was still accepted!