Savanna Perry

August 1, 2016

Program Spotlight

Up and Coming: University of North Carolina

Savanna Perry

August 1, 2016

Program Spotlight

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

Number of students: 20 students

Application Cycle: CASPA and supplemental due by August 1st (recommended by July 1st)

Interview dates: 1 week in the fall (previously October)

Start date: August

Length of Program: 24 months

Public/Private: Public - less expensive for in-state residents

HCE: 1000 hours required at time of application

GPA: Minimum cumulative of 3.0, or will evaluate last 60 hours; minimum 3.2 in prerequisites with a minimum C in courses

Shadowing: No specific requirement

The Good Stuff:

Currently under Provisional Status
No time limit on recommended courses, but recommended within the last 7 years

Program Link: UNC 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)

Blog

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What's the biggest challenge facing PAs? This commonly comes up during interviews.⁣
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Schools want to know that you are aware of what you're getting yourself into. Some of the challenges facing PAs are relevant to everyone working in medicine, such as insurance issues, getting medications covered, not having enough time to see all the patients who need care, and non-compliant patients. Those are some of the frustrating things you deal with daily working in medicine.⁣
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That may not be the best response to this question, because you need to be more specific to the challenges that come from being a PA. The most common answer is the lack of understanding about what PAs are and what our role is. To be honest, sometimes, some physicians don’t understand this either.⁣
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To be honest, this doesn’t bother me, and I don’t get questioned that often. I still get comments such as, "When are you going back to medical school?" I respond that I let me husband do that, and I'm perfectly happy in my position. This is a great opportunity to educate patients on the role of a PA and share about our education and training.⁣
One thing I love about being a PA is the collaboration I have with my supervising physician. I work very independently, but if I ever have a question or a doubt, I can ask her. Many times she echoes exactly what I said because she trained me. Patients will say "She just said that!" I emulate her care, but that doesn’t mean I agree with her 100% of the time. We are on the same page most of the time and can work together to make sure patients are getting the best care possible. This gives patients reassurance, especially when they see us both say the same thing.⁣
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As a PA you will be explaining your career. There will be people who don't understand it. You will be faced with a little bit of adversity there. All you can do is try to earn respect and trust. Is this something you've seen while working or shadowing?⁣
#pastudent #paschool #physicianassistant #paprogram #futurepa #whatisapa #dermpa #dermatology

Love this email from Taylor!! She did a mock interview with one of our coaches (Hanna):⁣
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I GOT ACCEPTED!!! I was recently accepted to the PA program st Chatham University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania!⁣
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This is one of my top choices because it uses problem based learning!⁣
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The help you gave me in my interview really helped me earn this spot for sure! You had so many good tips and extra little things for my interview to make an impact! I am forever thankful!⁣
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The book from the platform helped too! So much good information! I’ve been recommending it to everyone I know! (Haha including some Pre DPT students).⁣
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Again thank you sooooooo much!!!!!:)⁣
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Use the Link in Bio to schedule your interview or comment with any questions! #accepted #physicianassistant #futurepa #pastudent #paschool #paprogram #yougogirl

Demy from @thispa_bettawerk is sharing his success story of being accepted at Western University of Health Sciences for PA school. Read some of his info below, and check out the blog post for more! Link in Bio:

cGPA: 3.65
sGPA: 3.32

Total HCE hours: 6500+
Total PCE hours: 300+
Shadowing hours: 15+
Other volunteer hours: 700+

How many times did you apply?: 1
How many programs did you apply to? 11

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I was invited to 7 interviews, 6 of which I attended. Out of the six I was waitlisted at 2, accepted at 2, and the rest is history.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?
I know people hear this a lot, but trust the process. By no means is it easy or quick. It takes hard work, patience, dedication, and a passion for the profession. And yea, sometimes we cry and that is totally okay. I know I felt this rush of anxiety and impatience, and I faced times when I questioned my abilities and qualifications. Quitting seemed to be the easiest option. However, keep in mind the reasons behind why you want to be a PA and really hold onto that during the application process because that will serve as motivation. Write it down on a sticky note and post it up somewhere where you will see it everyday. Do not compare yourself to other applicants because you are unique and have experiences that only you can bring to the profession and to the programs. Play up your strengths and use them to your advantage, but do not be afraid to confront and discuss your weaknesses. Remember, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, despite sometimes feeling otherwise. ...
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

I just turned 29 last week (in the Bahamas 💁🏻‍♀️), and I’ve been reflecting a little bit. It doesn’t even feel like I graduated from PA school almost 5 years ago, let alone high school 10 years ago! I was thinking about what I would go back and tell myself, so I wanted to share some of those thoughts.
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Don’t be so hard on yourself. Most likely, everything will work out better than you could imagine. That doesn’t mean it will all come easily or without hard work and sacrifice, but when you look back, usually things come together in the right timing. That can be hard to remember when you’re in the thick of the tough stuff and the daily grind.
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Your chemistry grade does not define you, and you would probably do better if you actually studied and tried to learn the material instead of stressing about how much you don’t understand it and trying to memorize everything. Focus on the concepts, and ask for help before you need it. It’s not a weakness to know when you’re struggling.
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Have fun sometimes. You don’t have to study 24/7 and you need breaks. College and even grad school are some of the best times to just enjoy yourself and make memories. Summers end in the real world.
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Learn about money and finances. No one really teaches younger people about that stuff, but it’s really important and can be confusing if you’re only trying to figure it out as stuff comes up.
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I could go on and on I think, but what do you wish you could tell your younger self? #reflections #tomyyoungerself #physicianassistant #imadeit #youwilltoo #dermpa #paschool #paprogram #pastudent

This interview is very inspirational and worth your 30 minutes! Jason is a soon-to-be PA student at MEDEX, but it wasn’t an easy road to get there. After dropping out of undergrad with a 1.6 GPA, he got on track and went above and beyond to make himself a competitive applicant for PA school. At 36, he’s achieving his goals and wants to help inspire other students that may feel that becoming a physician assistant is out of their reach due to grades and life circumstances. Follow his journey on Instagram - @thePAascent - Listen now with link in bio, search The Pre-PA Club on iTunes, or find the video on YouTube! If you like the interview, I would love if you could leave a review on iTunes or give it a thumbs up on YouTube! Let us know what you want to hear more of! #podcast #youtube #lowgpa #futurepa #physicianassistant #paschool #paprogram #prepa #pastudent

**Valentines Giveaway** with @freskincare - Want to get your hands on a Starter set from FRE Skincare? Comment with your favorite skincare tip! Must be following @thePAplatform and @freskincare to win! Tag a friend for an extra entry (each tag is separate) Winner will be chosen 2/16. If you don’t want to wait, today only (2/14) FRE is having a flash sale with buy one product or set, get one free! Use my link in bio or code SAVANNA1 at checkout. If you miss out on that the code will still work for 15% off!
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Healthy skin habits! I got a DM asking for some tips, so here you go:
1 - Wash your face twice a day. No exceptions. I’m super lazy on the weekends and sometimes this is a struggle for me. The face wash in the FRE set is gentle enough to use twice a day and smells amazing!
2 - Moisturize twice a day. Even if your skin is oily, don’t skip the moisturizer. It actually helps to balance out oil production.
3 - Don’t skip SPF and reapply. Minimum 30, and it only lasts 80 minutes. Don’t complain to me about wrinkles and sun spots later if you aren’t diligent about sun protection. The FRE daily moisturizer combines #2 and #3, and get the tinted version if you are looking for #lazygirlmakeup like me.
4 - For breakouts - There isn’t a one size fits all for acne, and I do recommend seeing derm if the OTC stuff doesn’t work for you. Benzoyl peroxide does the best (in my opinion) at reducing inflammation and fighting pink bumps, and Differin is available OTC to work on blackheads.
5 - Find what works for you and stick to it! Whether it’s a system like FRE or separate products, once you know what does well for your skin, don’t switch it up too much. It takes a few months to see how a product is going to work for you, so don’t give up after a couple of tries.
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This giveaway is not directly affiliated with Instagram. Only open to US and Canada. #giveaway #skincare #dermpa #facewash #physicianassistant #skin #freshface #spf #moisturizer #dailyroutine #loveyourskin #freskincare

If you’re worried about being too young to get into PA school, read about how @savannahmelvin was accepted when she was 20! Even with great GPAs, she had doubts about how it would affect her application. And even though many don’t want to hear it, her story also shows the emphasis programs put on GPA. According to PAEA, GPA is the best factor for determining how a student will perform in PA school. Here’s a snippet of her post, but read more on The PA Platform - Link in Bio:
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Overall GPA: 3.93
Science GPA: 3.95
GRE: 304 with a 4.5 writing score
Total PCE hours: At the time of application, ~1300-1800. 500 of my hours were not counted at certain schools because I obtained them as a Paramedic Intern. Most of my patient care hours were obtained as a Paramedic and the rest I functioned as an EMT-Basic.
Shadowing hours: 54 with a PA and 8 with a physician
Other volunteer hours: ~350. Most hours were obtained volunteering at events for our honors college.
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How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 21 now, and 20 at the time of applying/being accepted
How many programs did you apply to? 10. Still waiting to hear back from 5 schools.
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? Invited to 5 interviews, rejected 4 of the invites, and accepted to the 1 school I interviewed with.
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Where will you be attending? Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC. I am local to this area, so Methodist was one of my top picks.
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Anything you found surprising about interviews? The faculty was easy to talk to, and they were also transparent about any issues the school had dealt with in the past. Methodist exhibited professionalism throughout the entire process, even before I had applied. Their program director answered emails promptly, and the interview process was explained in great detail. When contacting schools and interviewing with them, please keep in mind how they talk to you and how eager they are to assist you with questions. This process is a two way street, and they are trying to sell themselves to you too.
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#futurepa #physicianassistant #paschool #paprogram #caspa

Burnout in healthcare. It is a real thing and gets the best of us sometimes. This doesn’t just apply to PAs, but anyone working in the healthcare field. I’m on vacation this week (🙌🏼), but this has been on my mind lately.
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I’ve been at my job for almost 5 years. While I love what I do, they are definitely days where I feel the burnout more. Seeing the same things all the time, the same explanations, and just doing the same thing every single day can get a little exhausting. I’m pretty sure I’ve said “You need a minimum of 30 SPF and sunscreen only lasts 80 minutes” close to a million times. And don’t get me started on explaining why insurance doesn’t pay for seborrheic keratosis treatment (Any other derm PAs feel me on that one??) 🙈
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This redundancy can make it tough to stay focused and diligent, but it’s important to find a way to deal with burnout so it does not affect patient care. They are the reason we started doing this in the first place, right? If feeling worn out by the job, redundancy, or rigorous schooling is making you question why you decided to do this in the first place, try to remember what inspired you to enter this healthcare world.
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I’ve been working on this personally by intentionally making time for myself. The PA Platform is actually a great outlet for me to do something that is not exactly clinic or work related. It’s a different type of work, but I enjoy it so much. I’m working on my priorities outside of work so I can focus on having time with my baby, working out, and doing things I enjoy. This helps me to recharge so I can give my patients my full attention. There’s a lot of talk about “mental load” right now. Basically, all of the things that crowd our thoughts about the millions of things we need to get done. I’m working on focusing on tasks one at a time, and helping myself to realize I can’t do it all. And that’s ok! I’m a wife and a working mom. It will never be a perfectly equal balance, but I’m working on finding what will be the right combination for me.
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I would love to hear your ways of dealing with burnout and how you’re feeling right now
#burnout #dermpa #physicianassistant #medicaljobs #ilovemyjob #butimtired #vacay

I had the pleasure of meeting Leighanne at the most recent SDPA conference and she’s joining me today on the podcast and YouTube! Dermatology is a popular specialty for physician assistants. Leighanne is a derm PA in North Carolina, and she shares about her journey to becoming a PA, how she found a job in derm, and the learning curve. Follow Leighanne on Instagram and listen with the link in bio! - @lrmpaderm - if you have any questions for Leighanne, comment below! #dermpa #physicianassistant