How to Run a Successful Pre-PA Club

First, congrats on taking the first steps to help other students. As you walk your own path to becoming a PA, you will find this community is incredibly supportive, and now you get to be part of that support.

Start at your university, or even your high school, and seek out the resources already available for students. At my school we had access to a student resource center that helped us start whatever club we wanted. If you do not have that, reach out to a professor or career counselor for guidance, or a teacher if you are in high school. You can also lean on clubs that already exist, like a pre-health or health and science club, to reach students who might be interested in a Pre-PA club. If you can get access to an established club's email list, or even attend one of their meetings, you can share information about your new club and what you plan to do.

As the former president of the NC State Pre-PA club, I can only speak to what worked for us, but the beauty of starting a club is that you can make it whatever you want. At NC State we met once a month on the same day at the same time. A guest would typically speak for 30-45 minutes, and the rest of the meeting was a Q&A.

Here are speakers and presenters that worked well for us:

• Local PA schools: If a PA program is nearby, email their admissions counselor or coordinator and ask if someone can come speak. More often than not they are happy to. If they are not local, set up a virtual meeting. They usually cover their school, admissions, and helpful tips, and some even bring their own students to answer questions.

• - Practicing PAs: Invite practitioners to talk about their experience and their journey, share advice and things they wish they had known, and answer student questions. They can video conference in if they are not local.

• - Local places students can get clinical hours: Some home health agencies and nursing homes are always looking for extra help and like to recruit pre-PA students. They can come talk about open positions and the flexibility they offer.

Workshops are another great meeting idea, because they give members concrete skills instead of just information. Consider hosting:

• Personal statement workshops

• - GRE studying workshops

• - Interview workshops

• - CASPA workshops

School visits are also worthwhile. If you have a strong turnout or a lot of interest in one particular program, try to organize a visit to that PA school. As a club we visited Campbell's PA program and got to see the facilities and meet the faculty and staff, which was a great way for students to get a real feel for the school and whether they wanted to apply.

Mixing speakers, hands-on workshops, and the occasional field trip keeps meetings fresh and gives your members real value at every stage of their pre-PA journey, from picking prerequisites all the way through interview prep.

We kept a very simple structure, and it worked for us. Find what fits your school best. Here is what we used:

• President: organizes meetings and speakers and sends email reminders to the club.

• - Vice President: reserves rooms and helps with meeting logistics and setup.

• - Secretary or Treasurer: handles club dues and records meeting minutes to send out afterward, which is helpful for students who miss a meeting.

A quick note about dues: at NC State, the Pre-PA club sat under a larger pre-health club umbrella. Members paid dues to the pre-health club, and funds were then allocated to each subgroup. We used our share for things like snacks at meetings and club t-shirts. Keeping the money and the roles simple meant we could spend our energy on the parts that actually helped members.

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Running a Pre-PA club is a chance to support your peers, build leadership experience, and learn the application process more deeply yourself. Start with your school's resources, keep the structure simple, and shape the club to fit your campus. If you want a head start on the content, our pre-PA resources are a great place for your members to dig in between meetings.