Buy the BEST personal statement writing book: a.co/d/6vHt4EK In the book, I show you how to write a powerful personal statement step by step. I also share my best tips for filling out the CASPA application!
I’m literally taking classes at a community college... re-taking them that is So I can get my gpa up. Seems like a long battle but your video motivated me again. However I am only a part time student as I pay out of pocket and have bills so still unable to go to school full time. But my basic dream is also to get into PA school. Your story resonated with me A LOT, looking forward to more content. Please shed light on caspa app. And how your past grades were calculated along with your post-bac grades.
Thank you SO MUCH for your support! All bachelor's level grades are calculated together, so unfortunately it is very hard to get your overall GPA up. I actually just posted a video about how to get in with a low GPA: ua-cam.com/video/pJ1SHiMgiqQ/v-deo.html. For the CASPA application, the channel "Day With A PA" did a great tutorial: ua-cam.com/video/f2V-hF9CCwo/v-deo.html. This is just my experience, but the admissions directors I spoke with when I was applying all told me that they really want to see you get good grades with a full course load. I realize you are taking 1-2 classes at a time due to financial reasons, and the admissions folks you speak with may understand that. My advice is to pick a few schools you want to go to and speak directly with their admissions people and ask exactly what you would need to do to become competitive for their program!
Thank you so much for sharing this Boris! That is a long journey but I'm really happy that you were able to achieve it and that all of the hard work and dedication payed off.
I can't tell you how grateful I am that you shared your story. It is extremely motivating and what resonated with me most is "nothing less than excellence was accepted". I was pre-PA but gave up and graduated with a BBA. This video has motivated me to break down the process into baby-steps and not give up on my dream- thank you Boris.
subscribed! i'm a junior in college trying to apply as a long-shot applicant this year, and then a more competitive applicant next year after i graduate. looking forward to watching all your videos!
I’m so happy I came across this video! I needed to see this because I’ve been struggling on what path I should take for applying to PA school. It made me see I need more discipline on the mental aspect to apply and to tweak things concerning my GPA and experience. I really appreciate this video and you sharing! Thank you!
Thank you so much for saying that! I’m so happy my story is helping people. Let me know if you need help with your personal statement/application or just planning your pre-PA strategy.
Thank you for the awesome content Boris. It's a relief to find a PA I can relate to! Like you, I have bit of an engineering background with an associates in electronics, currently in the Navy working on aircraft. As rewarding as it can be, its certainly not my passion. Working in patient/health care has been my dream for a while now and I've finally gained the confidence to go that route. I have a long way to go, but soon I'll be starting a bachelors program once i discharge soon and am currently volunteering at the local hospital. Looking forward to more videos! ~Doug
Hey man that's awesome! My last duty station was HSM-37, an H-60 helo squadron. Are you an AM, AE, AD, AO, AWR/AWS? If you're an AW I bet you can count a lot of your rescue training as PCE hours. You should also check out some veteran-PA bridge programs like this one! www.lemoyne.edu/Academics/Veterans-Programs-and-Military-Affairs/Veteran-Physican-Assistant-Bridge-Path
Neither of those actually, I'm an AT, on helos! I was in San Diego at HSM-35 and now finishing up in Pax River, MD. Unfortunately the only PCE related hours I get as an AT is CPR training every other year lol. I should have been an AW! I'll check out the link. I've highly considered pursuing the military PA route, but ultimately decided on being a civilian again
Update: I've never heard of Le Moyne till now actually, but this program seems almost too good to be true haha. Definitely considering this program in the future. 🙂
@@douglaslivingston5398 That's awesome, I remember our pilots and AW's went over to San Diego to train and I remember them talking about HSM-35 all the time! I think your CO visited us a few times too. Yeah man this bridge program is a great deal, I wasn't eligible because I already had a bachelor's when I left the service, but if you're still working on your pre-reqs then it's an amazing opportunity for you. Le Moyne is a great school too, it's where I'm going to PA school currently. If you want to know more shoot me an email and I'll put you in touch with our veteran coordinator.
Wow, small world in aviation! When I was deployed we ended up helping out 37 tremendously and took care of one of their helos at sea. My plans to continue my education are to move west to be closer to family. But I have a little less than a year left in active duty and things may change by then. I'll def keep your email on standby for any assistance if need be. Thanks Boris!
This is really inspiring. I just graduated with my BS in Biomedical Engineering but I really want to interact with patients and not in an industry setting. I’m hoping to apply to PA school in a few years because I have 0 patient care hours as well
I was shocked while watching this because of how similar my story is to yours. I was in Chemical Engineering, my GPA at the time that I decided to pursue PA was 2.98 with 0 volunteer/clinical experience, and I had no prerequisites for PA school whatsoever. I had no interest in the content of my Chemical Engineering undergrad and was always slacking off, sleeping in class, just generally unhappy and unexcited to be there... But I found myself watching Medical school vlogs on youtube, or "day in the life of a doctor" vlogs all the time just for fun. I actually went to do a co-op which I thought was going to give me some sort of hope that my schooling was worth it.. but I ended up disliking it so much to the point of quitting in the middle of my co-op term. I could not find any joy, excitement, interest, or passion in running around in the lab, or doing calculations on the computer all day, or reviewing graphs and diagrams of processes. There was no human aspect of the profession, and I came to realize that very quickly. Right after I realized that the profession itself just fundamentally was not going to be able to provide me with what I wanted in a workplace for the future, I went back to continue my schooling and shifted my path to PA. Over the last 2 remaining years of my undergrad degree I took my prereq courses, volunteered/worked to get my hours in, and boosted my GPA from 2.98 to 3.23. Luckily, I got into PA school right after graduation, and I am starting in 2 months! It was crazy seeing how similarly your story matched mine! I'm really happy to see things work out for you, and your story was really inspirational and relatable :)
That's AWESOME I'm so glad you got in, congratulations!!!! You obviously got very motivated and worked very hard those last 2 years of undergrad and it paid off. There's actually a former engineer in my PA program. She's not a former engineering student like you and me, she actually worked as an engineer (I think mech-E but not sure) for 5-10 years before pursuing PA school. After this channel grows a bit I'll see if she would come on here and do an interview. Anyway, keep kicking butt, and good luck in PA school!
Your story is so inspiring!! I’m currently in the Marine Corps stationed in Hawaii and my service ends in Sept. I’m hoping to transfer to a college in FL or MO to finish my Bachelors in Health Science and then apply to PA school since it’s my ultimate dream! I’m nervous because I feel like I’m starting late since I’m 22 and all my peers have already graduated college and I have no experience in the medical field as I was doing administrative work in the Corps. However I’m trying to stay positive and doing everything I can to prep myself for PA school. Since I don’t start college until Jan of 2024 my plan is to take a medical assistant course through US Career Institutions and get certified before starting college so I can get PCH for PA school. Thank you for sharing your story !!
Semper fi Marine! I was stationed on MCBH at HSM-37 (Navy helo squadron) from 2014-2017! Beautiful place. Lol 22 is NOT late for starting college, especially since you have the GI bill I’m assuming. You’ll be debt free living your best life before most of your peers even make a dent in their student loans. Also, since you do not have a bachelors yet, look into accelerated PA programs. With some of them, you can be done with both bachelors and PA in five years and you don’t have to go through the trouble of applying to PA school after undergrad. The school I went to, Le Moyne college, is one of those schools.
😂you're not too late. I turn 25 in april. And I'm just now researching PAs. When you compare your self to others, yes , but you should compare yourself to your old self only
Bro I feel like your talking to me. I’m from Western Pa (from Pittsburgh) I’m active duty in the navy (ABH2) and I’m trying to become a PA when I get out in the next 3.5 years with a subpar GPA. This video definitely gave me some hope and a lot of insight. I appreciate it and wish you the best of luck shipmate 🤝
we really have a similiar story fr. I've been contemplating the army national guard as a dental specialist to help me gain some patient experience, character development and more importantly tuition. It's just a bit difficult because signing a contract now means my goal of PA school will be pushed back a lot further when deployments occur. Despite my high GPA and being a senior in my undergrad, I haven't taken a full course load of hard science classes because I simply can't afford to haha.. Hopefully I'll get my head straight in the coming weeks as i contemplate this. If the odds were stacked against you and you made it work, maybe I need to do that too. We'll c Thank you for sharing.
I have 50 credits left of under grad , unfortunately I’m sitting at a 3.01 , it’s not because of the material , it’s because I didn’t take school serious before and I had the whole “Cs get degrees” concept
Boris Temkin, PA-S1 yeah I am , I have clinical experience hours , currently working on patient care experience hours as a phlebotomist , did community service , and my grades have improved significantly. I am a biology major
Thanks for this inspiring video! I've been a medical Social worker in hospital, hospice and primary care settings for 11 years. I've decided to switch gears and go to PA school. I'm taking science pre-requisites starting next month. Fortunately, the schools I'm interested in said my medical Social Work experience counts as healthcare experience. Thank goodness. I do have a question. When you took full course loads, were you working simultaneously? I can imagine that one would need to dedicate all of their time to coursework, even for pre-reqs if they decide to take a full load and get all A's. Congratulations to you and your accomplishments!! I'm hopeful that this new path will be a success for me and everyone else pursuing their dreams.
11 years as a medical social worker is amazing patient care experience! Assuming you work full time, that's 23,000 hours of PCE on your application, that will DEFINITELY stand out! That being said, it's still very important to have competitive grades. For that reason, if possible, I would not recommend working while you're taking a full-time load of pre-reqs. If you can get excellent grades and in your classes and still work, then that's amazing and you're a rockstar. Personally, I did not work while I did my post-bac and dedicated all of my time to getting good grades. Thank you SO much for your support, and good luck to you!
@@BorisThePA thank you for your advice, encouragement and support. I know there will be days of self doubt. But focusing on the end goal and our "why" for doing it keeps us going.
So glad I came across your channel, I attended a regional accredited school where I got my bachelors- all PA programs I’ve looked into are only accepting nationally accredited bachelor holders? Any tips? I have my clinical patient care experience, been in healthcare over 5 years I have shadow experience and I can get letters of recommendation. I’m hopeless right now I don’t know where to turn to even try to start my prerequisites (science classes) and gpa is also below 3.0
Hi Mayra, I'm so glad you found the video helpful! The regional vs. national accreditation issue doesn't sound right. Most undergraduate institutions are regionally accredited, and national accreditation is usually reserved for schools that focus on one particular area of training, like nursing. Please see this resource for more information: www.online.drexel.edu/news/national-vs-regional-accreditation.aspx It sounds like you have a lot of other questions and concerns, write me an email and I'll see if I can help you. Just give me a couple of weeks to get back to you, since this semester of PA school is really busy!
It's inspirational to watch this today and see you achieve your dreams! I'm also in a unique position in my pursuit of PA school. - BA Marketing - 2.92 - Student Athlete/Student Body President - '17-'19 Peace Corps Health Volunteer - Zambia - '19-'20 Master's in Nonprofit Admin. University of Notre Dame - 3.32 GPA - Student Athlete - '20-'24 Master's in Public Health - Emory University - 2.97 GPA (2020 classes stink) - Team USA Athlete/Student Body President I'm almost 31, getting my EMT-B in May, and joining the Army in 1-2 years as a combat medic or 38W. I must take 30ish science credits to qualify for most PA prerequisites. I'm hoping I can boost my GPA, but I'm really banking on my personal statement on my life pursuit to help people and overcoming challenges as a person born with one hand.
If you think you will enjoy being in the army and you are passionate about it then that is an excellent option for you! I’m sure you know about all the various pipelines to go from enlisted to PA in the army right? Also, may I ask why you’re going and listed and not as an officer?
2.5GPA , 26yr old. Biomed/Spa major. Working at the ER dept. working on my EMT License. My problem was that I never had the chance to shadow which is a very important thing to do.
@@raymundoserrano5140 It's never too late to start shadowing and asking for advice. Ask the PAs/NPs at your ER if you could come in one day when you're not working and shadow them for an hour or two. It might be best to do this at night when it's quieter and they have more time to talk to you. No sorry I don't have an instagram, should I start one?
@@BorisThePA if I udnerstand correctly you went to cornell after you got your BA for a pre medical prep program. I could not find the program on their website. but I am asking how you do it? i am want to do it but I am poor student.
What did you do in the Navy? I’m assuming you weren’t a corpsman since you needed pt care hours after getting out, but do you think going corpsman/aerospace med tech/68W is a good route for someone who’s pre PA but also wants to be in the military before hand?
I actually enlisted as a corpsman but then got recruited to the Ceremonial Guard out of bootcamp and ended up changing my rate to yeoman. In hindsight, maybe sticking with HM would have made more sense, but it all worked out anyway! If you're set on enlisting and your ultimate goal is PA school, then yes, a medical rate/MOS would be the way to go. The PA profession was founded on providing fast-track medical training to Vietnam War era corpsmen. There are also federal grants provided to PA schools to accept veterans. Take a look at this one, for example: www.lemoyne.edu/Academics/Veterans-Programs-and-Military-Affairs/Veteran-Physican-Assistant-Bridge-Path. While you're in the service, if possible, you should take every opportunity to take college classes using TA (tuition assistance) and CLEP (college level examination program) to knock out your basic college credits and PA school pre-reqs. Then, once you get out, you can use one of those bridge programs I mentioned in the previous paragraph to complete your bachelor's and then PA school. Another option is the the IPAP (inter-service physician assitant program), where you can apply for the military PA school while you're enlisted. For this, you would have to get all your pre-reqs while you're still in the service, which may take more than one enlistment, but depending on your situation it may be possible during your first enlistment.
The program was through Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences. Unfortunately, my class of 2018 was the last one for now. The program has not had students for the past 2 years. Please see the link to contact one of the program directors if you have any additional questions! www.human.cornell.edu/people/eb572 I'll make a study tips/techniques video over the holiday break!
One thing that scares me as a person trying to get into PA school is my GPA. When I first started college, I didn’t take it seriously so I have really bad grades in like arts and music classes. Then I decided to try to become a PA and I have great grades in all my science classes, but those bad classes killed my GPA. also because I already have a degree, my GPA is final so I just took microbiology and got an A but it doesn’t change my GPA because I have the degree already. Any suggestions on how I can move forward without having to get another degree? I have been a paramedic firefighter for the past 4 years
Absolutely. Most full time students take 4 4-credit classes at a time, and at most maybe 3 of them should be science classes with labs. At least 1, maybe even 2 should be easier courses like English, psych, etc. You're gonna do great, I'm excited for you.
@@BorisThePA thanks, I did Genetics, Anatomy, cell biology all this fall semester plus one Anthropology class. I think I would have got the best results if I had only picked two science classes. But I’m glad I passed all of them .
@@BorisThePA I ended with a 3.5 , and I plan on applying next year. I’m just starting my patient care experience hours now working as a home health aid. Hopefully I’ll have 750 hours by September 2021.
There was a pretty typical application process. Transcript, personal statement, letters of recommendation, etc. But honestly everyone was there to get their grades up so it wasn’t very competitive. That particular post-bacc isn’t around anymore last I heard though.
HOw did you change your study habits and organization? Also, some post-Bac programs have guaranteed admissions when tied to a college. do PA schools have any agreements like that?
I haven’t come across any post-bacc programs with linkage (guaranteed acceptance) at a PA school if you keep a certain GPA. However, depending on how many undergrad classes you’ve taken, 3+2 programs may be an option for you! It’s basically the same thing - you do 2-3 years of undergrad and if you keep a certain GPA and get enough PCE hours, then you are guaranteed spot in that schools next PA school class. There’s a lot of these programs around, just google 3+2 PA programs or accelerated PA programs! How I changed my study habits? Trial and error. I watched dozens of “how I study” and “how to memorize everything” UA-cam videos and most tried a bunch of different methods until I found my process. Then I put in hours and hours and hours and was completely single focused during post-bacc and got a 3.9 :) I actually have a video describing this in detail coming out next month. It will be called “Studying when it feels hopeless” so look out for it. If you feel like you’re stuck and you could use my help personally to create better study habits check my website BorisThePA.com
@@BorisThePA for personnel reasons, i can't divulge everything here. i emailed you on the site you linked. i have had a long road... please respond through the message i sent you on your site.
It was through Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences. Unfortunately, my class of 2017 was the last one for now. The program has not had students for the past 2 years. Please see the link to contact one of the program directors if you have any additional questions! www.human.cornell.edu/people/eb572
Great video, I was wondering if someone can help me with a question I have. I have my bachelors degree and almost all my prerequisites. I'm only missing several classes. I would like to take them at my local community College, I have seen in more than 1 PA program that they only accept classes/prerequisites from 4 yesr universities. Is this a common thing? Also, what are your guys opinions on retaking classes? For example, my worst science grade is AP1 with a C. Should I retake it? Thanks in advance and any help is appreciated.
1. I’m not a fan of retaking classes, the new higher grade does not replace the old lower grade, it just adds to the overall GPA. I would prefer to see you take a different class of the same caliber, and do well. 2. For the majority of your classes yes, it is recommended that you take them at a four-year university, however, taking one or two classes online or at a community college is OK. And it really depends on the school, I actually just interviewed a student who got into PA school on their first try and took the majority of their classes at a community college.
@BorisThePA Thank you so much for the quick response. I would really prefer to take the classes (I calculate 3) at the community school as they also have much better scheduling options. I work full time as a MA and a father of 4. Options are definitely limited.
I did take the GRE but the program I ended up getting into didn't require it. I did not take the PA-CAT, I don't think it was even around 2 years ago when I was applying!
I just turned 30 when I started the program. I didn’t actually re-take any courses. The post-bacc consisted of all new upper-level science coursework. It also had a proprietary applied human anatomy course which was awesome 😎
Good luck man you’re hope for those who want to be in your shoes one day. Discipline is absolutely necessary. Is it something i have learned too. I used to jump all over the place now i learned to focus on something and have a target 🎯
@@hardlaughs8462 you sound just like me dude, I just can't focus on one thing lol (hence the UA-cam channel and pre-PA counseling business while I'm still in PA school)
It is, but some schools are more competitive than others. Most programs do require PCE hours but again that requirement varies from school to school. Take a look at this video I posted regarding PCE hours! ua-cam.com/video/uDYvfh5zjqU/v-deo.html
I can see how you would think that and I'm sorry you were confused. You're right, it is not realistic to be accepted with the stats I started with. The purpose of my video was to say that even if you are starting with unimpressive stats, like mine were, it's still possible to reach your goal if you put in the work!
He did say he started there and then details what he did to improve his app and get in. . .. . .maybe you should watch the video and not just read the titles bro.
Buy the BEST personal statement writing book:
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In the book, I show you how to write a powerful personal statement step by step. I also share my best tips for filling out the CASPA application!
I’m literally taking classes at a community college... re-taking them that is So I can get my gpa up. Seems like a long battle but your video motivated me again. However I am only a part time student as I pay out of pocket and have bills so still unable to go to school full time. But my basic dream is also to get into PA school. Your story resonated with me A LOT, looking forward to more content. Please shed light on caspa app. And how your past grades were calculated along with your post-bac grades.
Thank you SO MUCH for your support! All bachelor's level grades are calculated together, so unfortunately it is very hard to get your overall GPA up. I actually just posted a video about how to get in with a low GPA: ua-cam.com/video/pJ1SHiMgiqQ/v-deo.html. For the CASPA application, the channel "Day With A PA" did a great tutorial: ua-cam.com/video/f2V-hF9CCwo/v-deo.html.
This is just my experience, but the admissions directors I spoke with when I was applying all told me that they really want to see you get good grades with a full course load. I realize you are taking 1-2 classes at a time due to financial reasons, and the admissions folks you speak with may understand that. My advice is to pick a few schools you want to go to and speak directly with their admissions people and ask exactly what you would need to do to become competitive for their program!
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing. ♥️
Thank you for your support!
Thank you so much for sharing this Boris! That is a long journey but I'm really happy that you were able to achieve it and that all of the hard work and dedication payed off.
Thanks!! Still have a little while to go :)
Really needed this video
Always happy to hear that!
Thank you for sharing us your experience. It gives someone like myself hope that even with low GPA I can still fulfill my dream of becoming a PA😊
If it's what you really want, you will find a way. You can do it!
this was the most authentic, honest and real videos. thank you
Thank you for the kind words Candice
Very inspiring video. thanks for sharing.
I can't tell you how grateful I am that you shared your story. It is extremely motivating and what resonated with me most is "nothing less than excellence was accepted". I was pre-PA but gave up and graduated with a BBA. This video has motivated me to break down the process into baby-steps and not give up on my dream- thank you Boris.
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”
- Henry Ford
subscribed! i'm a junior in college trying to apply as a long-shot applicant this year, and then a more competitive applicant next year after i graduate. looking forward to watching all your videos!
Thank you so much for your support, and good luck!
Why why I am crying🙏🙏 you are awesomeeeee
😄
I’m so happy I came across this video! I needed to see this because I’ve been struggling on what path I should take for applying to PA school. It made me see I need more discipline on the mental aspect to apply and to tweak things concerning my GPA and experience. I really appreciate this video and you sharing! Thank you!
Thank you so much for saying that! I’m so happy my story is helping people. Let me know if you need help with your personal statement/application or just planning your pre-PA strategy.
Boris I admire ur dedication ur video is motivate me thank u
You’re very welcome! Thank you so much for watching and supporting my channel
You give me hope.
You got this!
Thank you for the awesome content Boris. It's a relief to find a PA I can relate to! Like you, I have bit of an engineering background with an associates in electronics, currently in the Navy working on aircraft. As rewarding as it can be, its certainly not my passion. Working in patient/health care has been my dream for a while now and I've finally gained the confidence to go that route. I have a long way to go, but soon I'll be starting a bachelors program once i discharge soon and am currently volunteering at the local hospital. Looking forward to more videos!
~Doug
Hey man that's awesome! My last duty station was HSM-37, an H-60 helo squadron. Are you an AM, AE, AD, AO, AWR/AWS? If you're an AW I bet you can count a lot of your rescue training as PCE hours. You should also check out some veteran-PA bridge programs like this one!
www.lemoyne.edu/Academics/Veterans-Programs-and-Military-Affairs/Veteran-Physican-Assistant-Bridge-Path
Neither of those actually, I'm an AT, on helos! I was in San Diego at HSM-35 and now finishing up in Pax River, MD. Unfortunately the only PCE related hours I get as an AT is CPR training every other year lol. I should have been an AW! I'll check out the link. I've highly considered pursuing the military PA route, but ultimately decided on being a civilian again
Update: I've never heard of Le Moyne till now actually, but this program seems almost too good to be true haha. Definitely considering this program in the future. 🙂
@@douglaslivingston5398 That's awesome, I remember our pilots and AW's went over to San Diego to train and I remember them talking about HSM-35 all the time! I think your CO visited us a few times too. Yeah man this bridge program is a great deal, I wasn't eligible because I already had a bachelor's when I left the service, but if you're still working on your pre-reqs then it's an amazing opportunity for you. Le Moyne is a great school too, it's where I'm going to PA school currently. If you want to know more shoot me an email and I'll put you in touch with our veteran coordinator.
Wow, small world in aviation! When I was deployed we ended up helping out 37 tremendously and took care of one of their helos at sea. My plans to continue my education are to move west to be closer to family. But I have a little less than a year left in active duty and things may change by then. I'll def keep your email on standby for any assistance if need be. Thanks Boris!
Inspiring !
Thank you so much, Tracy!
This is really inspiring. I just graduated with my BS in Biomedical Engineering but I really want to interact with patients and not in an industry setting. I’m hoping to apply to PA school in a few years because I have 0 patient care hours as well
You should take a look at the video I posted a few weeks back called Engineer to Physician Assistant!
I was shocked while watching this because of how similar my story is to yours. I was in Chemical Engineering, my GPA at the time that I decided to pursue PA was 2.98 with 0 volunteer/clinical experience, and I had no prerequisites for PA school whatsoever.
I had no interest in the content of my Chemical Engineering undergrad and was always slacking off, sleeping in class, just generally unhappy and unexcited to be there... But I found myself watching Medical school vlogs on youtube, or "day in the life of a doctor" vlogs all the time just for fun.
I actually went to do a co-op which I thought was going to give me some sort of hope that my schooling was worth it.. but I ended up disliking it so much to the point of quitting in the middle of my co-op term. I could not find any joy, excitement, interest, or passion in running around in the lab, or doing calculations on the computer all day, or reviewing graphs and diagrams of processes.
There was no human aspect of the profession, and I came to realize that very quickly. Right after I realized that the profession itself just fundamentally was not going to be able to provide me with what I wanted in a workplace for the future, I went back to continue my schooling and shifted my path to PA.
Over the last 2 remaining years of my undergrad degree I took my prereq courses, volunteered/worked to get my hours in, and boosted my GPA from 2.98 to 3.23.
Luckily, I got into PA school right after graduation, and I am starting in 2 months!
It was crazy seeing how similarly your story matched mine!
I'm really happy to see things work out for you, and your story was really inspirational and relatable :)
That's AWESOME I'm so glad you got in, congratulations!!!! You obviously got very motivated and worked very hard those last 2 years of undergrad and it paid off. There's actually a former engineer in my PA program. She's not a former engineering student like you and me, she actually worked as an engineer (I think mech-E but not sure) for 5-10 years before pursuing PA school. After this channel grows a bit I'll see if she would come on here and do an interview. Anyway, keep kicking butt, and good luck in PA school!
Good job!!!!!!
Tracy did I not think to follow you on UA-cam yet??? Following!
Your story is so inspiring!! I’m currently in the Marine Corps stationed in Hawaii and my service ends in Sept. I’m hoping to transfer to a college in FL or MO to finish my Bachelors in Health Science and then apply to PA school since it’s my ultimate dream! I’m nervous because I feel like I’m starting late since I’m 22 and all my peers have already graduated college and I have no experience in the medical field as I was doing administrative work in the Corps. However I’m trying to stay positive and doing everything I can to prep myself for PA school. Since I don’t start college until Jan of 2024 my plan is to take a medical assistant course through US Career Institutions and get certified before starting college so I can get PCH for PA school. Thank you for sharing your story !!
Semper fi Marine! I was stationed on MCBH at HSM-37 (Navy helo squadron) from 2014-2017! Beautiful place.
Lol 22 is NOT late for starting college, especially since you have the GI bill I’m assuming. You’ll be debt free living your best life before most of your peers even make a dent in their student loans. Also, since you do not have a bachelors yet, look into accelerated PA programs. With some of them, you can be done with both bachelors and PA in five years and you don’t have to go through the trouble of applying to PA school after undergrad. The school I went to, Le Moyne college, is one of those schools.
😂you're not too late. I turn 25 in april. And I'm just now researching PAs. When you compare your self to others, yes , but you should compare yourself to your old self only
Thank you for posting this video...my story is very similar to yours. Looking into some pre health programs to apply for PA schools.
Awesome, I wish you the best of luck!
Bro I feel like your talking to me. I’m from Western Pa (from Pittsburgh) I’m active duty in the navy (ABH2) and I’m trying to become a PA when I get out in the next 3.5 years with a subpar GPA. This video definitely gave me some hope and a lot of insight. I appreciate it and wish you the best of luck shipmate 🤝
ima pretend like you didn't just call me shipmate, shipmate 😉
Boris Temkin, PA-S1 🤣 it’s all love bro
@@slomotion589 lol what squadron ru with? I was with HSM-37 out of K-Bay, HI
Boris Temkin, PA-S1 I’m out in Bahrain with the on Base Fire Dept!
That's a nice duty station! Let me know if you ever need help with your PA journey.
I had a 2.5gpa and still determined to become a PA. Working as a ERTech for now! Waiting for my medic job in the AF!
Thank you for your service Raymundo!
we really have a similiar story fr.
I've been contemplating the army national guard as a dental specialist to help me gain some patient experience, character development and more importantly tuition. It's just a bit difficult because signing a contract now means my goal of PA school will be pushed back a lot further when deployments occur. Despite my high GPA and being a senior in my undergrad, I haven't taken a full course load of hard science classes because I simply can't afford to haha..
Hopefully I'll get my head straight in the coming weeks as i contemplate this. If the odds were stacked against you and you made it work, maybe I need to do that too. We'll c
Thank you for sharing.
It’s definitely a sacrifice, but that’s why they call it service. If you play your cards right, it can set you up very well for the future.
I have 50 credits left of under grad , unfortunately I’m sitting at a 3.01 , it’s not because of the material , it’s because I didn’t take school serious before and I had the whole “Cs get degrees” concept
That was exactly how I felt in undergrad too! Are you pre-med/pre-PA?
Boris Temkin, PA-S1 yeah I am , I have clinical experience hours , currently working on patient care experience hours as a phlebotomist , did community service , and my grades have improved significantly. I am a biology major
Thank you
😀
Thanks for this inspiring video! I've been a medical Social worker in hospital, hospice and primary care settings for 11 years. I've decided to switch gears and go to PA school. I'm taking science pre-requisites starting next month. Fortunately, the schools I'm interested in said my medical Social Work experience counts as healthcare experience. Thank goodness. I do have a question. When you took full course loads, were you working simultaneously? I can imagine that one would need to dedicate all of their time to coursework, even for pre-reqs if they decide to take a full load and get all A's. Congratulations to you and your accomplishments!! I'm hopeful that this new path will be a success for me and everyone else pursuing their dreams.
11 years as a medical social worker is amazing patient care experience! Assuming you work full time, that's 23,000 hours of PCE on your application, that will DEFINITELY stand out! That being said, it's still very important to have competitive grades. For that reason, if possible, I would not recommend working while you're taking a full-time load of pre-reqs. If you can get excellent grades and in your classes and still work, then that's amazing and you're a rockstar. Personally, I did not work while I did my post-bac and dedicated all of my time to getting good grades. Thank you SO much for your support, and good luck to you!
@@BorisThePA thank you for your advice, encouragement and support. I know there will be days of self doubt. But focusing on the end goal and our "why" for doing it keeps us going.
@@Julia-qp1hb absolutely :)
So glad I came across your channel, I attended a regional accredited school where I got my bachelors- all PA programs I’ve looked into are only accepting nationally accredited bachelor holders? Any tips? I have my clinical patient care experience, been in healthcare over 5 years I have shadow experience and I can get letters of recommendation. I’m hopeless right now I don’t know where to turn to even try to start my prerequisites (science classes) and gpa is also below 3.0
Hi Mayra, I'm so glad you found the video helpful! The regional vs. national accreditation issue doesn't sound right. Most undergraduate institutions are regionally accredited, and national accreditation is usually reserved for schools that focus on one particular area of training, like nursing. Please see this resource for more information: www.online.drexel.edu/news/national-vs-regional-accreditation.aspx
It sounds like you have a lot of other questions and concerns, write me an email and I'll see if I can help you. Just give me a couple of weeks to get back to you, since this semester of PA school is really busy!
It's inspirational to watch this today and see you achieve your dreams! I'm also in a unique position in my pursuit of PA school.
- BA Marketing - 2.92 - Student Athlete/Student Body President
- '17-'19 Peace Corps Health Volunteer - Zambia
- '19-'20 Master's in Nonprofit Admin. University of Notre Dame - 3.32 GPA - Student Athlete
- '20-'24 Master's in Public Health - Emory University - 2.97 GPA (2020 classes stink) - Team USA Athlete/Student Body President
I'm almost 31, getting my EMT-B in May, and joining the Army in 1-2 years as a combat medic or 38W. I must take 30ish science credits to qualify for most PA prerequisites. I'm hoping I can boost my GPA, but I'm really banking on my personal statement on my life pursuit to help people and overcoming challenges as a person born with one hand.
I'd really appreciate it if I could message you more details and ask for your suggested pipeline to get into a PA program
If you think you will enjoy being in the army and you are passionate about it then that is an excellent option for you! I’m sure you know about all the various pipelines to go from enlisted to PA in the army right? Also, may I ask why you’re going and listed and not as an officer?
2.5GPA , 26yr old. Biomed/Spa major. Working at the ER dept. working on my EMT License. My problem was that I never had the chance to shadow which is a very important thing to do.
Do you have an Instagram?
@@raymundoserrano5140 It's never too late to start shadowing and asking for advice. Ask the PAs/NPs at your ER if you could come in one day when you're not working and shadow them for an hour or two. It might be best to do this at night when it's quieter and they have more time to talk to you. No sorry I don't have an instagram, should I start one?
You are such an inspiration to me. I am a poor student. Can you share a video explaining in detail how u excelled in that pre PA school?
Thanks :) happy to help. I’m a little confused about exactly what you’re asking… how I excelled in pre PA school..?
@@BorisThePA if I udnerstand correctly you went to cornell after you got your BA for a pre medical prep program. I could not find the program on their website. but I am asking how you do it? i am want to do it but I am poor student.
What did you do in the Navy? I’m assuming you weren’t a corpsman since you needed pt care hours after getting out, but do you think going corpsman/aerospace med tech/68W is a good route for someone who’s pre PA but also wants to be in the military before hand?
I actually enlisted as a corpsman but then got recruited to the Ceremonial Guard out of bootcamp and ended up changing my rate to yeoman. In hindsight, maybe sticking with HM would have made more sense, but it all worked out anyway!
If you're set on enlisting and your ultimate goal is PA school, then yes, a medical rate/MOS would be the way to go. The PA profession was founded on providing fast-track medical training to Vietnam War era corpsmen. There are also federal grants provided to PA schools to accept veterans. Take a look at this one, for example: www.lemoyne.edu/Academics/Veterans-Programs-and-Military-Affairs/Veteran-Physican-Assistant-Bridge-Path.
While you're in the service, if possible, you should take every opportunity to take college classes using TA (tuition assistance) and CLEP (college level examination program) to knock out your basic college credits and PA school pre-reqs. Then, once you get out, you can use one of those bridge programs I mentioned in the previous paragraph to complete your bachelor's and then PA school. Another option is the the IPAP (inter-service physician assitant program), where you can apply for the military PA school while you're enlisted. For this, you would have to get all your pre-reqs while you're still in the service, which may take more than one enlistment, but depending on your situation it may be possible during your first enlistment.
If you don/t mind me asking, what was the name of the program you did at Cornell? And what are some of your favorite studying tips?
The program was through Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences. Unfortunately, my class of 2018 was the last one for now. The program has not had students for the past 2 years. Please see the link to contact one of the program directors if you have any additional questions!
www.human.cornell.edu/people/eb572
I'll make a study tips/techniques video over the holiday break!
One thing that scares me as a person trying to get into PA school is my GPA. When I first started college, I didn’t take it seriously so I have really bad grades in like arts and music classes. Then I decided to try to become a PA and I have great grades in all my science classes, but those bad classes killed my GPA. also because I already have a degree, my GPA is final so I just took microbiology and got an A but it doesn’t change my GPA because I have the degree already. Any suggestions on how I can move forward without having to get another degree? I have been a paramedic firefighter for the past 4 years
Sounds like we had a pretty similar situation. Definitely go watch my video called “get into PA school with a low GPA”.
Just learned that it's good to balance hard and easy classes to maintain a high GPA.
Absolutely. Most full time students take 4 4-credit classes at a time, and at most maybe 3 of them should be science classes with labs. At least 1, maybe even 2 should be easier courses like English, psych, etc. You're gonna do great, I'm excited for you.
@@BorisThePA thanks, I did Genetics, Anatomy, cell biology all this fall semester plus one Anthropology class. I think I would have got the best results if I had only picked two science classes. But I’m glad I passed all of them .
That's a tough schedule man, were your grades ok?
@@BorisThePA I ended with a 3.5 , and I plan on applying next year. I’m just starting my patient care experience hours now working as a home health aid. Hopefully I’ll have 750 hours by September 2021.
@@AfroMedic nice!
Boris, how difficult was it to get into the Post Bacc program at cornell?
There was a pretty typical application process. Transcript, personal statement, letters of recommendation, etc. But honestly everyone was there to get their grades up so it wasn’t very competitive. That particular post-bacc isn’t around anymore last I heard though.
HOw did you change your study habits and organization? Also, some post-Bac programs have guaranteed admissions when tied to a college. do PA schools have any agreements like that?
I haven’t come across any post-bacc programs with linkage (guaranteed acceptance) at a PA school if you keep a certain GPA. However, depending on how many undergrad classes you’ve taken, 3+2 programs may be an option for you! It’s basically the same thing - you do 2-3 years of undergrad and if you keep a certain GPA and get enough PCE hours, then you are guaranteed spot in that schools next PA school class. There’s a lot of these programs around, just google 3+2 PA programs or accelerated PA programs!
How I changed my study habits? Trial and error. I watched dozens of “how I study” and “how to memorize everything” UA-cam videos and most tried a bunch of different methods until I found my process. Then I put in hours and hours and hours and was completely single focused during post-bacc and got a 3.9 :)
I actually have a video describing this in detail coming out next month. It will be called “Studying when it feels hopeless” so look out for it. If you feel like you’re stuck and you could use my help personally to create better study habits check my website BorisThePA.com
@@BorisThePA
for personnel reasons, i can't divulge everything here. i emailed you on the site you linked. i have had a long road... please respond through the message i sent you on your site.
What was the name of the post bac you did at Cornell
It was through Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences. Unfortunately, my class of 2017 was the last one for now. The program has not had students for the past 2 years. Please see the link to contact one of the program directors if you have any additional questions!
www.human.cornell.edu/people/eb572
Great video, I was wondering if someone can help me with a question I have. I have my bachelors degree and almost all my prerequisites. I'm only missing several classes. I would like to take them at my local community College, I have seen in more than 1 PA program that they only accept classes/prerequisites from 4 yesr universities. Is this a common thing? Also, what are your guys opinions on retaking classes? For example, my worst science grade is AP1 with a C. Should I retake it? Thanks in advance and any help is appreciated.
1. I’m not a fan of retaking classes, the new higher grade does not replace the old lower grade, it just adds to the overall GPA. I would prefer to see you take a different class of the same caliber, and do well.
2. For the majority of your classes yes, it is recommended that you take them at a four-year university, however, taking one or two classes online or at a community college is OK. And it really depends on the school, I actually just interviewed a student who got into PA school on their first try and took the majority of their classes at a community college.
@BorisThePA Thank you so much for the quick response. I would really prefer to take the classes (I calculate 3) at the community school as they also have much better scheduling options. I work full time as a MA and a father of 4. Options are definitely limited.
@@GameOver321 also consider portagelearning.com
Did you take the GRE? PA-CAT?
I did take the GRE but the program I ended up getting into didn't require it. I did not take the PA-CAT, I don't think it was even around 2 years ago when I was applying!
how old were you when you were accepted to pa school? what courses did you retake with the post bacc program?
I just turned 30 when I started the program. I didn’t actually re-take any courses. The post-bacc consisted of all new upper-level science coursework. It also had a proprietary applied human anatomy course which was awesome 😎
@@BorisThePA thanks for the response! Makes me feel better about my plan to apply at around 26.
There’s a guy in the class after mine that’s in his 50s. Never too late to become the person you’re supposed to become ;)
How old are you starting pa? This is inspirational
I had just turned 30 when I started PA school and will be 32 when I graduate next month
Bro is this even true. I am crying now over my biology 2 grade and school semester is not even done yet.
Hahaha truth. I got a C in bio 2.
That is so relieving. But good thing is i have good GPA and tons of healthcare hours.
Good luck man you’re hope for those who want to be in your shoes one day. Discipline is absolutely necessary. Is it something i have learned too. I used to jump all over the place now i learned to focus on something and have a target 🎯
Since you were a veteran, did your GI Bill pay for your masters in PA??
@@hardlaughs8462 you sound just like me dude, I just can't focus on one thing lol (hence the UA-cam channel and pre-PA counseling business while I'm still in PA school)
Syracuse? Wow that is where I am from
Go Orange!
Software engineer here. My goal is to get out of my current industry and become a PA.
Right on. Have you seen my video called “ engineer to physician assistant”?
@@BorisThePA I have and I loved it. Thanks for the amazing content!
@@GorillaDev417 you're welcome, thanks for supporting the channel!!
So... its super competitve? 😐 and i need hours? Does being a scribe count as experince?
It is, but some schools are more competitive than others. Most programs do require PCE hours but again that requirement varies from school to school. Take a look at this video I posted regarding PCE hours!
ua-cam.com/video/uDYvfh5zjqU/v-deo.html
@@BorisThePA oh tysm!
@@bestcity0979 any time!
Can we talk personally about helping become a PA
Of course, boristhepa.com/services
2.98 to pa school my type of video
I hope it helps!
CLICK BAIT: they didnt take u with 0 patient care hours and they didnt take u with a 2.9 gpa
I can see how you would think that and I'm sorry you were confused. You're right, it is not realistic to be accepted with the stats I started with. The purpose of my video was to say that even if you are starting with unimpressive stats, like mine were, it's still possible to reach your goal if you put in the work!
He did say he started there and then details what he did to improve his app and get in. . .. . .maybe you should watch the video and not just read the titles bro.