Get a pen. This one is dense in the best way.
Anu Mathur chairs admissions for the PA program at Mount St. Joseph University, and she gets specific about what actually helps an application at their program. Shadowing and direct patient care hours come up early and often, which is a good reminder that "any experience counts" is not the same as "all experience counts equally."
The part that caught my attention is that Mount St. Joseph builds in three electives. Most PA programs have zero. That's a real differentiator if you already know you're drawn to a specialty, and it's exactly the kind of detail you should be hunting for when you build your school list.
She also talks about how close students and faculty are there, which matters more than people realize when you're in the hardest two years of your life.
What we cover:
Resources:
PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map
Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline
Free Pre-PA Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download
Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling
Mentioned in this episode:
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Today you're getting the inside scoop from the admissions director at Mount Saint Joseph University's PA program.
Speaker A:Anu Mather and I sit down and dive deep into what you need to know for PA school admissions.
Speaker A:Welcome to the Pre PA Club Podcast.
Speaker A:If you want to learn how to become a physician assistant, you're in the right place.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Savannah Perry.
Speaker A:Let's get to it.
Speaker A:Hey guys, before we jump into today's episode, I wanted to give a reassuring reminder to everyone that you still have time to apply.
Speaker A:It is not too late.
Speaker A:There are deadlines coming up, but it's still June, so you're good.
Speaker A:And if you have not received an interview invite or heard from a program yet, that's okay too.
Speaker A:Interview invites are going out for some programs, but some won't even start until the fall.
Speaker A:Take a deep breath.
Speaker A:It's okay.
Speaker A:But if you have submitted, now is the time to start working on your interview prep.
Speaker A:And if you feel like you need some guided assistance but you're not quite ready to practice with a mock interview, check out the PA school interview [email protected] there are over five hours of instruction of everything you need to know about the interview process.
Speaker A:Different types of interviews, going through, interview questions, questions, examples of mock interviews.
Speaker A:Lots of great info there.
Speaker A:And so if you go to prepaycourses.com you'll find that and you can use the code Future PA for a discount.
Speaker A:And if you have any questions about that at all, feel free to reach out to me on social media at the PA platform on Instagram or email me.
Speaker A:Info thepapaplatform.com Ah, sorry I got tongue tied, but let's jump into talking about what today's episode is going to be about.
Speaker A:I'm Savannah, by the way, your pre PA coach, your derm pa if you live in Georgia and want to come see me and the creator of the PA platform.
Speaker A:So I was connected with some of the faculty at the Mount St. Joseph PA program.
Speaker A:They call themselves the Mount, which I've learned.
Speaker A:And the admissions director was kind enough to agree to sit down and chat about their process and their program.
Speaker A:And so we're going to be diving in like we talk so much about what is important to know from a student or a candidate perspective going into an application cycle.
Speaker A:Things that you should be focused on thinking about.
Speaker A:And I think this will be an extremely helpful episode.
Speaker A:Make sure you have your notes ready to jot some stuff down.
Speaker A:And I think this will be really awesome for everyone to get an inside look from a program.
Speaker A:And in a couple weeks, it's actually really cool because I am speaking with a couple of students from the program who just graduated.
Speaker A:So we kind of get a look at the program from a faculty perspective and then from a student perspective so that you can really feel like you understand what this program is about.
Speaker A:And I hope that helps to show you a little bit more also of what you can expect when it comes to PA school stuff.
Speaker A:All right, we'll jump into our interview, and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Speaker A:And thanks for listening.
Speaker B:Hello, my name is Anu Mathur.
Speaker B:I've been a physician assistant for about 13 years now.
Speaker B:I graduated from Baylor's physician assistant program in Houston and transplant to Cincinnati.
Speaker B:I've been here about nine years.
Speaker B:I've been in PA education for about four years.
Speaker B:My clinical background, I worked in family medicine, internal medicine, urgent care, sleep medicine.
Speaker B:So jumped around there a little bit.
Speaker B:And then more recently, full time in PE education, working just one day a week in urgent care.
Speaker A:Okay, so still keeping some of those clinical skills, but mainly doing the academic part.
Speaker B:Correct.
Speaker B:All our faculty members at the Mount PA program still continue to work clinically.
Speaker A:Okay, so what brought you to the PA profession?
Speaker B:I think like many who start on this journey of medicine, we all think about either a doctor or nurse.
Speaker B:And so I was kind of very similar.
Speaker B:So I was pre med in college.
Speaker B:I was, I think, my senior year about to graduate while I was volunteering in the emergency room, fast track, studying for the MCATs.
Speaker B:And I was in the fast track, which was run mainly by pas.
Speaker B:And so all of a sudden I was like, why am I doing this?
Speaker B:So this is what they were doing is what I wanted to do.
Speaker B:And then quickly, you know, I'd heard of a pa, like many of us may have heard the title, kind of know what it is about, but I hadn't actually, quote, unquote, seen one in action.
Speaker B:And so when I finally saw what they were doing, how they were caring for patients, the ability, the clinical decision making that was involved, I knew that that was the right path for me.
Speaker B:So then I switched.
Speaker B:I took some extra time to graduate so I could get extra prereqs for PA school.
Speaker B:And then the rest is history.
Speaker B:So kind of started from.
Speaker B:From that experience.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker A:Okay, and so you went to Baylor, which I've only ever heard great things about.
Speaker A:Everyone seems to love Baylor.
Speaker A:Obviously been around a long time, and now you're more involved with a newer program.
Speaker A:What took you to that program and kind of led you down that path getting into academics.
Speaker B:So I, as I said, it was wonderful to be part of Baylor's program.
Speaker B:It is an iconic kind of institution in itself, let alone the PA program has a very long history as well.
Speaker B:So I had wonderful experience.
Speaker B:But the program was really good about ensuring that the alumni were involved from the day they graduated.
Speaker B:And I honestly graduated in December.
Speaker B:In February I started my first job as a PA after, you know, licensing and credentialing and everything.
Speaker B:And I had a student in April.
Speaker B:So it was, you know, there was a student assigned to my supervising physician or my collaborating physician at the time.
Speaker B:But then, you know, again we were splitting and I, all of a sudden I was like, I just started, started like, how do I have a student?
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:But after that it didn't feel alien anymore because I started my career as a PA as also being part of giving back, you know, whether it was having a pre PA student shadowing or it was a PA during their rotation.
Speaker B:So it just felt natural.
Speaker B:So I kind of continued that throughout my career as a pa.
Speaker B:So I always kind of worked at students either on rotations then definitely appreciate the pre PA shadowing experiences.
Speaker B:But then I got involved with the Baylor's program as a clinical adjunct.
Speaker B:Kind of working through their program was a little bit different.
Speaker B:They're first year students, they would have community pas kind of work on their note writing skills and case presentation.
Speaker B:So I was always involved in that.
Speaker B:When I moved to Cincinnati, I was again still getting to know the area and the various programs and heard about this new PA program that was about to start up, met the program director.
Speaker B:He had done kind of like an info session for the community pas talking about this new thing that was going to get started.
Speaker B:I was thoroughly impressed with what their vision was of what they wanted to accomplish.
Speaker B:In my mind I would have been a preceptor, but I was in a subspecialty of sleep medicine at that time.
Speaker B:So not too many who want to do that as a rotation.
Speaker B:So I thought I would be involved.
Speaker B:But before I knew it, Patrick did an amazing job of convincing me that I should become faculty.
Speaker B:So anyway, like I said, the rest is history.
Speaker B:So just his vision and their plan just kind of won me over.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker A:So what is your role with the program?
Speaker B:So I started out as principal faculty, so I'm in charge mainly in the didactic phase.
Speaker B:I teach pretty much the entire 12 months, the first didactic classroom phase of the program.
Speaker B:So I teach their medical interview and physical examination course.
Speaker B:In the spring semester, and then their patient assessment 1 and 2 in the summer and fall.
Speaker B:So that mainly focuses on history, taking physical exam, and then putting it all together, organizing standardized patient events, things like that.
Speaker B:So that's kind of where I spend majority of my time.
Speaker B:And then over the last two years or so, kind of transitioned and becoming admissions chairperson.
Speaker B:So that has been a lot more challenging in some ways, but very interesting to be on the other side now.
Speaker A:That is a big job.
Speaker A:And then you got probably hit with the pandemic, and the whole process changed.
Speaker B:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker B:I can't tell you everything, right.
Speaker B:The classroom.
Speaker B:It's hard to teach a physical exam on Zoom.
Speaker B:So I have learned the hard way.
Speaker A:Yeah, I heard of students, like, doing their.
Speaker A:Their physical exam practicals on teddy bears.
Speaker A:They're like, I didn't have a person.
Speaker B:It really was.
Speaker B:It was a very.
Speaker B:A lot of growing pains.
Speaker B:You know, last spring is a blur based on.
Speaker B:Based on all those experiences.
Speaker B:But we learned so much from it.
Speaker B:And there were a lot of things that we've kept.
Speaker B:Like, I incorporated a telemedicine osce, and we decided to keep that as part of our curriculum.
Speaker B:You know, so there's our.
Speaker B:There are certain positives that came out of it.
Speaker B:Although at the time, it felt like a nightmare.
Speaker A:Yeah, it seems like forever ago, but it wasn't that long ago.
Speaker A:Well, I want to know a little bit more about the program.
Speaker A:And I notice y' all call it the Mount.
Speaker A:Is that what everyone refers to it as?
Speaker B:Or MSJ is the other.
Speaker B:You know, just.
Speaker B:We tend to refer to ourselves as the Mount.
Speaker A:I was talking to a couple students from there recently who were just telling me about the program from the student perspective, and that's what they kept saying.
Speaker A:And I was like, Yeah, I guess Mount St. Joseph.
Speaker A:That's, like, kind of a mouthful.
Speaker A:Yeah, got it.
Speaker A:How many students are in the program?
Speaker B:So we're accredited to accept about 32 students per cohort.
Speaker B:And so our first two cohorts were a size of 32.
Speaker B:The last two have been 24.
Speaker A:Okay, so that's a fairly small group.
Speaker A:What's the environment like there as far as between the students and the students and faculty?
Speaker A:What kind of does that look like?
Speaker B:I think our program is very unique in the sense that all our faculty or principal faculty teach practic majority, if not all of the courses.
Speaker B:We rarely rely on guest lecturers.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So we're in the classroom with our students.
Speaker B:And so there is a very strong relationship between our students and faculty.
Speaker B:We, of course, have advisees as well.
Speaker B:So every student has a faculty advisor.
Speaker B:We meet with them at least twice a semester at the minimum if needed, depending upon the situation, maybe more.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker B:So I would say our student to faculty ratio is awesome because, like I said, we have about six faculty members.
Speaker B:One is part time, but the rest are full time.
Speaker B:And then we have 24 students.
Speaker B:So they really.
Speaker B:You can't really complain in that situation.
Speaker B:But the attention that our students tend to get.
Speaker B:And as I said, because we don't rely so much on guest lectures, we spend, you know, I spend minimum 7 hours of FaceTime with them every week, you know, in the classroom.
Speaker B:And most of the other faculty do the same thing.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So they have a really strong relationship with our principal faculty as they move along.
Speaker A:That is unique.
Speaker A:That's very interesting.
Speaker A:Thinking about my program, we had 44 students, but it still felt very close.
Speaker A:But I would say it was.
Speaker A:The majority of our lectures were guests that they brought in.
Speaker A:And some of them were amazing.
Speaker A:I still remember them to this day.
Speaker A:But some of them I remember for a different reason.
Speaker A:Because the whole time we were looking at each other like, what is this person talking about?
Speaker A:Why is this relevant?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:They're talking on this subject for two hours.
Speaker A:That, according to the breakdown, is minuscule and not important.
Speaker B:It wasn't on the pants blueprint.
Speaker B:It's just there, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:And so that's interesting.
Speaker A:Like, I feel like that would make the education much more standardized because you all are able to really focus and control what.
Speaker A:Because speakers get in there and talk about whatever they want to talk about.
Speaker B:You're absolutely right there.
Speaker B:That was my experience as a student, too.
Speaker B:There were many times, you know, sometimes I was part of a big academic institution, so we had residents come in and, you know, so it was just very, very different in the sense that sometimes you could tell that they were pulled in last minute, like, you're going to go give this lecture.
Speaker B:So they would have that deer and headlights look like, okay, where do I start?
Speaker B:But they didn't have that concept of where have.
Speaker B:Where has this cohort.
Speaker B:What have they already learned?
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:I mean, knowing that I know exactly from day one, at what point, what they've already covered, what are they about to cover, maybe even in the next course.
Speaker B:And so I know I'm a step ahead.
Speaker B:And I'll tell them, like, I know this is going to sound alien, but, you know, repetition is good.
Speaker B:But I'm going to start you off at the foundation here, and it's going to be repeated in the other courses in the next week.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Because I know the lectures that are coming, even though I'm not teaching that.
Speaker B:That we all know because we're the principal ones teaching them, you know, so.
Speaker B:And I'm not relying on guest lectures, as you stated.
Speaker B:You can give the objectives, but it may not hit them all.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:I like that.
Speaker A:And that's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I think it's hard, especially for prepa students and students applying to differentiate these things unless they hear it from the program, because looking at websites, they all start running together and you just don't understand kind of those small differences.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:It's so wonderful that they have an opportunity to get an insight like that based on these questions, you know, like these kind of platforms.
Speaker B:Because you're true.
Speaker B:You wouldn't know, especially from the aspect of, you know, guest lecturers or faculty members giving most of that, because it just talks about content covered or courses.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Doesn't tell you who's delivering it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And if you're a PA student in the program, you only know your program.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I have the unique perspective of what I experienced and now what I'm.
Speaker B:Where I'm at, but most have just the one place they've been.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think that's a.
Speaker B:That's a fair point.
Speaker A:That's interesting.
Speaker A:Okay, well, that, that's really cool.
Speaker A:That's definitely a really cool point to point out.
Speaker A:So going off of that.
Speaker A:So let's say an applicant is looking into programs, trying to figure out where they want to apply, what's going to be a good fit, what should they be looking for in a program or what question should they be asking to figure that out?
Speaker A:Because I'm sure you get applicants who are great fits that you're so excited about.
Speaker A:And then once you're kind of like this one just doesn't quite seem like they fit what we're looking for.
Speaker A:And so what.
Speaker A:What should applicants really kind of be looking for?
Speaker B:And I think, you know, it's.
Speaker B:There's two different perspectives, the student or the applicant's perspective.
Speaker B:And then you know me from a faculty or program perspective, so I guess I'll try to break it up.
Speaker B:And first, I would say from a student or applicant perspective, I would hope that the candidate would take the time to understand the nuances of the program as much as possible.
Speaker B:You know, that they've attended the information sessions, whether in person or virtual, to get a feel for the people, because you're going to be spending anywhere between 27 to 30 months with them.
Speaker B:At one of the most intense time of your life, you want to be able to sense that you have the support system or that comfort level is important.
Speaker B:So I think just getting an idea of the personality versus.
Speaker B:Is it just a tagline?
Speaker B:I don't know if that makes any sense.
Speaker B:You know, that the faculty are just not these figureheads, you know, that they have stories of their own and experiences that they can share, and their personality shines through when you have a conversation, because these are the people that you'll be relying on, you know, while you're in the program.
Speaker B:Understanding the mission and vision of a program as well, what is its focus?
Speaker B:You know, some programs more focus on family medicine, and that's, you know, primary care, and others might, you know, everyone has its own little nuances that they may have.
Speaker B:And so we tend to focus a lot on service and giving back to our community as well.
Speaker B:And so we incorporate that in our didactic curriculum.
Speaker B:And then we hope that our students and soon to be alumni will carry it on once they graduate as well.
Speaker B:And so that's kind of incorporated into our mission and vision as well.
Speaker B:So hopefully the candidate has done some research along those lines and then talking to the students, because I think they're our best ambassadors.
Speaker B:So taking every opportunity that there is to talk to our current students or now we have a couple of cohorts of alumni, you know, trying to discuss with them what their perspective is.
Speaker B:We try as a program really hard that anytime we have information sessions or even interviews, we'll give them private space to have that conversation.
Speaker B:There's no faculty or staff in the room.
Speaker B:We want our students, current or alumni, to talk to the candidates in an open, free setting.
Speaker B:You know, so you can ask any question and they can answer however they want.
Speaker B:They're not coached.
Speaker B:It's true responses.
Speaker B:And thinking back to when I was a student applying to programs and going to interviews, that was really important for me.
Speaker B:I wanted to make sure that I had access and inability to ask questions of the current students.
Speaker B:And so I think that's what I hope the candidate would do as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, those are good points.
Speaker A:Do y' all have information sessions?
Speaker B:Yes, we.
Speaker B:We do them fairly frequently nowadays with, you know, it used to be a couple of times a semester because it was on campus, but now we're doing them virtual, so it's.
Speaker B:It's much more convenient and more frequent.
Speaker B:And so we.
Speaker B:We just had one a couple weeks ago, and now we're most likely we have another one.
Speaker B:In July.
Speaker B:I'm sorry, the date escapes me.
Speaker B:I can pull up the calendar, but we do have one July 13th at 6:00'.
Speaker B:Clock.
Speaker B:And information is on our.
Speaker B:On our website.
Speaker B:And then we're hosting just a free workshop as well next week for some students, prepa students who might be interested in learning a little bit more about shadowing and direct patient care hours.
Speaker B:So we're using this online platform as a way to kind of reach out to more students, sorry, candidates interested in the PA profession or into the.
Speaker B:Into our program specifically to kind of help guide them on their path to becoming a pa.
Speaker A:I just, I really love that level of support and I've spoken to some other faculty who really seem passionate just about the program, which is always a great thing.
Speaker A:So how long is the program?
Speaker B:27 Months.
Speaker A:27 Months.
Speaker A:Okay, got it.
Speaker A:Is there anything else that makes your program just unique or different that you think students may like to know?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:We recently did a curriculum redesign and we're one of the only programs, at least in the region, that offers three electives.
Speaker B:And so that is something that's unique to us.
Speaker B:So we have a couple of things.
Speaker B:We have a January start, which is a little bit different.
Speaker B:So we start in January, and then 27 months later graduated May.
Speaker B:But as we had made a couple of changes on our rotation.
Speaker B:So we'll have 11 rotations, but three of them will be electives.
Speaker B:And one, we hope this will be a new cohort that will start in January of next year.
Speaker B:We'll have an opportunity of doing a special population elective.
Speaker B:So maybe it's geriatrics or maybe it's working with the homeless population or lgbtq, whatever.
Speaker B:We hope to build upon that.
Speaker B:But that was something new we've introduced, and that's something that's unique to us, especially in this region.
Speaker B:So I'm really excited, Excited about that.
Speaker B:So, you know, most candidates like the opportunity to have more electives, so we're lucky to have to offer that to them.
Speaker A:That is really cool.
Speaker A:I've actually, I don't know of another program that has three electives.
Speaker A:I'm sure they're out there, but that's not something here a lot.
Speaker A:And some even only have one, which seems crazy to me.
Speaker B:Yes, I think the other unique aspect, you know, now that you point that out, is like our rotations are five weeks long, which is a little bit different.
Speaker B:Most programs typically tend to have four weeks.
Speaker B:Yeah, rotation.
Speaker B:So that's another thing.
Speaker B:It's not only that we have, you know, 11, but they're five weeks long.
Speaker B:So if you recall, you know, as a student, that first week just goes in a blur because you're trying to figure out where's.
Speaker B:How do I even get down the hall, all these other things like how do I get access to the EMR and all those things.
Speaker B:It seems like the first week just disappears, and then you have three weeks to get your hands dirty and learn as much as you can.
Speaker B:So I think that's another unique aspect about our program, that they get five weeks at every rotation.
Speaker A:That is you.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's as soon as you get.
Speaker A:Mine were four weeks.
Speaker A:So as soon as you get comfortable, it's time to move on.
Speaker A:You have to start all over and learn it all again.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Blur was the right word for that.
Speaker A:Yeah, that was a lot.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So that.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's really unique.
Speaker A:I like that.
Speaker A:Can we talk about January start for a second and how that works with admissions?
Speaker A:Because this is a question that comes up a lot.
Speaker A:Students get very confused.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:And I'm sure it varies between schools, because I know there's a school here in Georgia, Mercer, that starts in January, too.
Speaker A:Sorry, not Mercer South.
Speaker A:But if a student is applying, do they apply like the same cycle to basically start in six months, or are they applying to start a year and a half from now?
Speaker B:So the way we are currently set up, they would.
Speaker B: th of: Speaker B: t them to start in January of: Speaker B:So we have a very shortened application cycle because of that, because we have our deadline as October 1st, and we do rolling admission.
Speaker B:So we really do move pretty quickly within our program because of that.
Speaker B:So we will.
Speaker B:So, for example, this Friday is our first interview for this.
Speaker B:We're doing virtual interviews this year, and our first interview session is this Friday.
Speaker B:And so CASP opened in April 30th.
Speaker B:We probably got verified applications about three, three weeks ago.
Speaker B:We got a few come in, and then we immediately start reviewing them.
Speaker B:And because candidates need to have time to make arrangements for the interview.
Speaker B:So I'd like to give them at least a week or two advance notice to get.
Speaker B:Can I can get ready.
Speaker B:So, yes, we were probably rolling about three to four weeks ago, just reviewing as many applicants as possible to fill up our day.
Speaker B:And so we have 12 candidates we interviewing on Friday.
Speaker B:So fast.
Speaker A:Okay, so that.
Speaker A:That's kind of nice that then they don't have to wait so long to start either like, you can get the ball rolling, get going, be ready to go.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And so we do.
Speaker B:It has some challenges because if you were at the tail end of the interview cycle, then you do not have as much time to prepare because school starts in January.
Speaker B:So we do have that.
Speaker B:So we always encourage applicants, as practically every program does apply early.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But that's also partly why we do rolling admissions, because that way, you know, in some cases as early mid summer that, you know, you're starting the program in January and make the appropriate arrangements.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:But we try as much as possible to have a sense of what our cohort is going to look like as.
Speaker B:As early.
Speaker B:But it depends upon the applicant pool.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Interesting.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker A:That helps because.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's something people get really confused about is the whole start and how that works with applications.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:When you're reviewing applications, I have to ask, what are some red flags?
Speaker B:I think for, you know, the typical situation that I would come across is maybe someone for.
Speaker B:Again, every program is different.
Speaker B:So I should start with a caveat.
Speaker B:We do require shadowing experiences.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:At least 40 hours of shadowing.
Speaker B:Not every program requires that.
Speaker B:And so from my perspective, even if you applied early, but you don't have any shadowing experiences, then it makes it challenging because I've been doing interviews even before.
Speaker B:I used to help with interviews at Baylor, and then as an alumni, and now as faculty member, I find that candidates struggle during the interview to make those connections.
Speaker B:And so I think it's helpful, whether the program requires it or not, to have at least some shadowing hours that you can draw upon.
Speaker B:And then, of course, those direct patient care experiences.
Speaker B:Last year was unique with the pandemic, so it was challenging for some of our candidates to meet all the requirements by our deadline, and we made adjustments for that.
Speaker B:But this year, looking at the pool so far, everybody has been able to meet this because, you know, they anticipated and it wasn't an abrupt worldwide change.
Speaker B:So many of them who were thinking about applying this cycle, I think, have made that adjustments.
Speaker B:But since we are unique and we start in January, sometimes candidates may have courses that are still pending, which doesn't bother me so much as long as you can get it done by the end of the year when you start in January.
Speaker B:But if you've had no shadowing experiences, then I would hesitate to give you an interview because I don't know if you can truly draw upon a lot of experiences at that point.
Speaker B:So having no direct patient care experience, no shadowing experience, that I think is more bothersome.
Speaker B:GPAs and GREs are numbers.
Speaker B:We look at them because it's one way to help us.
Speaker B:Sometimes the candidates.
Speaker B:But I won't say that's the first thing I look at.
Speaker B:It is generally it is just like, okay, this is where they are.
Speaker B:GREs can depend upon the program you attend, you know, how rigorous the school was and your major.
Speaker B:So it really is not the best indicator of how well the student is going to do in our program, in our candidate, I should say.
Speaker B:I keep saying student.
Speaker B:I apologize.
Speaker B:It's like everybody was a patient.
Speaker B:When I first started teaching, I used to call the students patients all the time, and now everybody's a student.
Speaker B:But anyway, so I think that that's kind of some of the things that we look at is.
Speaker B:And from our perspective, we like to see community service and volunteerism as well.
Speaker B:It's not a requirement, but it fits with our mission and vision.
Speaker B:So that is something that we also highly value of somebody who has committed to their community.
Speaker B:And so I think that is something else that I continue to look at.
Speaker A:So, yeah, it kind of helps.
Speaker A:Would you say that helps someone stand out on their application?
Speaker B:I would say so, yeah, definitely.
Speaker B:Because they have so much more to drop on.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:You know, when they're talking about why they love the city or why they love this community or healthcare setting, it doesn't always have to be in a healthcare setting where they're volunteering.
Speaker B:It's just a matter of their commitment.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And I think this career is a commitment.
Speaker B:And so to show that you've already demonstrated that in some other aspect of your life is a wonderful thing for us to see.
Speaker B:Versus I did 10 hours at this one thing, one health fair versus I do something at the local food pantry every other weekend or something like that.
Speaker B:I think that shows so much that you're taking your time away from things that you could be doing.
Speaker B:You could definitely be doing a hundred thousand other things, but you chose to do this.
Speaker B:That says a lot about you.
Speaker B:And so I think we tend to look at those aspects as well.
Speaker A:Okay, good to know.
Speaker A:Okay, so I had a question.
Speaker A:Oh, gosh.
Speaker A:It slipped my mind.
Speaker A:We were chatting too much.
Speaker A:It's okay.
Speaker A:But I think you.
Speaker A:You've said a lot of really great things that students need to.
Speaker A:I hope they're taking notes, you know, with.
Speaker A:With making sure that they are, you know, participating a lot of things and doing it continuously.
Speaker A:Do you have any thoughts about virtual shadowing?
Speaker A:I've heard mixed things.
Speaker A:So I want a different opinion than my Own.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:I think, of course, the pandemic forced us in some situations to that and it has flourished.
Speaker B:Now, if anybody's on any kind of pre PA social media platform, you're going to see you're bombarded.
Speaker B:Seems like on a daily basis of a virtual shadowing opportunity, which I think is awesome.
Speaker B:It's great that other PAs are willing to do that.
Speaker B:But I, as an admissions chairperson, I think what I'm concerned about if you're a tiny box of 300, you know, not that you're not gaining some information, but how, how could you really delve into that particular PA's history or background, you know, kind of learning their path there.
Speaker B:Our program does accept virtual shadowing, but we encourage it to be more on a one on one setting.
Speaker B:So, you know, you made that connection before.
Speaker B:You couldn't come to the clinic because everything was closed, but you still had the ability to go back and forth and discuss the pa, probably got to know the candidate better and vice versa.
Speaker B:And also ideally, seeing one in action in the clinic.
Speaker B:Like I said, my prior experience of how I became a PA was totally dependent on them seeing one versus just hearing about it.
Speaker B:Because I heard a lot about PAs before, but not until did I see one in clinic working with patients.
Speaker B:What is their relationship with the collaborating physicians and the rest of the team?
Speaker B:Did I realize, oh yeah, this is exactly what I want.
Speaker B:So I think there is.
Speaker B:So what we did this year is we require 40 hours of shadowing.
Speaker B:So 20 of those could be virtual and then 20 will be required to be in person to kind of find that balance.
Speaker A:That seems reasonable.
Speaker A:All right, well, where can people find more information about the program?
Speaker A:I'm assuming the website is the best place.
Speaker B:Yes, it's msj.
Speaker B:Edu Paul.
Speaker B:And so that will take you to our website.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker A:And I'll put that in the description and then is there anyone?
Speaker A:So they all should be well educated now that they need to search the website before asking any questions.
Speaker A:But if they have a question, is there a contact on there that they should go to for the program?
Speaker A:Specifically, yes.
Speaker B:Again, if you go to the website, there's a PA program email address that you can just contact us and then it'll get forwarded to the appropriate person and then we'll get back to you.
Speaker B:Lindsey Thompson is our admissions coordinator as well, and she's awesome.
Speaker B:Most every.
Speaker B:She will spend one on one time with any candidate interested in the program.
Speaker B:So regardless, it's amazing the amount of time and effort she puts into it.
Speaker B:Sometimes those candidates end up choosing us.
Speaker B:And they're part of our school, but many of them got accepted elsewhere maybe, and they still send her thank you notes for the time they spent with her.
Speaker B:We pride ourselves here at the Mount at the one on one attention we give not only our students, but even our candidates who are interested in the program.
Speaker B:So absolutely anybody can contact us and we can walk you through.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Okay, Lynn, on one last question.
Speaker A:What's your favorite thing to do in Cincinnati?
Speaker B:I think it's a grater's ice cream.
Speaker B:Is my.
Speaker B:That is probably the best thing that I discovered once I moved here.
Speaker B:I'm a chocoholic.
Speaker B:And then if you go to the grater's ice cream, they're definitely known for their big chocolate chunks in any ice cream that you ask for.
Speaker B:So there you go.
Speaker B:I'm grateful that my husband and kids are all, you know, all have a sweet tooth.
Speaker B:So we spend way too much time curators.
Speaker B:But that would be my everyone.
Speaker A:That'll be their first field trip when they come.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:All right, well, thank you so much for your time and I'll make sure everyone knows where to find more info about the Mount.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker B:I really appreciate this opportunity.