EPPA Scribes attend monthly education sessions. We cover clinical topics which continue expand our scribe’s understanding of medicine after their initial training. Past topics have included; ‘evaluating abdominal pain in the acute care setting,’ ‘psychosocial aspects of care,’ etc. This month, we were proud to host the Director of Bethel University’s Physician Assistant Program – Dr. Wallace Boeve. Dr. Boeve spoke about the history of the PA profession and provided invaluable advice for students preparing to apply to health professions programs. Check out some what he had to say in response to our scribe’s questions;
In general, how do you think about evaluating an applicant?
At Bethel we use the “3 C’s” as part of our evaluation process; Competency, Compassion and Confidence. Applicants have to be strong in each of these areas to be considered for admission. Competency refers to academic ability, their GPA, course rigor, etc. Compassionate applicants should be able to demonstrate that they care about people; volunteerism, service work, or mentoring all point to this. Finally, applicants who demonstrate confidence have leadership experiences and relevant experience in health care and know how to be a servant leader in medicine or community.
If I’m weak in a particular area like GPA, will a lot of health care experience make up for this?
Not really. Health care experience hours are not weighted. You need the minimum 250 hours but those with higher hours show stronger communication scores during the interviews. If you have a lower GPA, then you need to be strong in your interview and the personal statement and Bethel questionnaire.
Besides the obvious criteria, what nuanced things do you look for in the interview?
Our curriculum consists of a lot of interactive team work and collaborative problem solving. During the interview, we’re observing how you interact with your peers; do you get to know them, or do you stand in the corner and stay isolated? We can get a sense of how well you’ll work in a group through verbal and non-verbal cues.
What makes someone memorable?
For this current cycle (deadline August 1, 2017, we have close to 700 applicants for 32 spots, and we’ll likely interview 120. That’s a lot of applicants. The people I really remember share good life stories or patient stories that show how much they care. Remember, patients don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.
How do you mentor students who don’t get in on their first try?
Don’t give up, stay dedicated. Applicants can meet with admissions faculty after a decision has been made and discuss where their application was weak. Students who listen to this advice and work on those areas can improve their chances when they reapply. Further, if you end up on an alternate list – don’t just give up. Keep working on completing your application prerequisites. You won’t move up the list, but you’ll be ready if you are called.
Dr. Boeve also spoke to the value of community service, leadership, preparing for and being successful at an interview. Stay tuned for part 2 of this article where we’ll have Dr. Boeve’s colleague, Jeanne Szarzynski share her experience as a practicing PA for 37+ years, faculty at Bethel PA program and former member of the Augsburg PA program’s admissions committee.