Having a Baby in PA School: A Mom's Real Story

Nora is originally from Ghana and moved to Minnesota about ten years before this interview, then to Connecticut, where she worked as a CNA. She did not know what a PA was until one was on her brother's neurology team. That PA explained things clearly and made the family feel comfortable, which inspired Nora to shadow PAs and pursue the profession.

She applied to five schools, got three interviews, and was accepted to two programs, both in New York. Then she found out she was pregnant. That changed everything. With her family in Connecticut and a baby on the way, moving to New York no longer made sense. She deferred both New York programs, then made a last-minute decision near the end of the next cycle to reapply to programs close to home.

Nora interviewed at Sacred Heart University when she was about seven months pregnant and visibly showing. She was nervous and worried the program might have preconceived notions about whether she could handle school with a newborn. A PA she had shadowed warned her that some people might think that way and told her to simply give the best interview she could.

In the end, she felt completely comfortable. The program did not ask any pregnancy-specific questions or treat her differently, and the process went smoothly. She got the acceptance call in January. Her experience is a good reminder that programs are evaluating you as an applicant, and a strong interview speaks for itself regardless of your circumstances.

Nora's son started daycare around five months old, before school began, so he could adjust. Of course, her very first week of school he got sick, which is exactly the kind of curveball that makes a support system essential. Most programs have strict attendance policies even when your child is sick.

She leaned heavily on her family for pickups, backup childcare, and emotional support, and she had real conversations with them ahead of time so they understood this was not like part-time college where she could skip class. As a visual learner, she relied on videos from YouTube, Osmosis, Picmonic, and SketchyMed, often with her son nearby when no one was available to watch him. She also learned to review the day's material each evening to avoid falling behind, then protected time with her son before diving back into studying at night.

This is a question I get constantly, and Nora was honest that she can only speak from her own experience. If she did not already have a child, she would not choose to get pregnant during PA school, especially the didactic year. The days are long, you are sitting eight hours at a time in uncomfortable chairs, and exam stress is constant, none of which feels ideal during pregnancy. She noted some people plan pregnancies during clinical year, but she has not experienced that.

Ultimately she sees it as a personal choice. If you do have kids before or during school, you need people around you to help, plus a realistic look at the financial side, since living on loans with a baby adds expense. Her throughline is that being a parent does not have to stop you from chasing this goal.

Nora proves that becoming a parent does not have to derail your PA dream, as long as you go in with support and a realistic plan. If you are weighing how a family fits into your timeline, that is exactly the kind of thing worth talking through with someone who has helped applicants in your shoes. Our coaching team is here whenever you want to map it out.