Getting to talk to PA faculty is one of my favorite things, because they'll tell you exactly what they're looking for if you just ask.

Dr. Lori Tarke is faculty at the new PA program at the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey. We talk about what they want in an applicant, and also about what it takes to build a program from nothing - the accreditation process alone took over three years.

Their program is built around social justice and servant leadership, which tells you something important: programs have personalities. The school that's a perfect fit for your friend might not be a fit for you, and that's worth paying attention to when you're picking where to apply.

If you've been nervous about applying to a brand new program, this conversation should help.

What we talk about:

• What the program looks for in applicants
• Building a new PA program and getting accredited
• Why provisional accreditation isn't a red flag
• Social justice and servant leadership as program values
• How to tell whether a program's mission fits you
• What faculty notice in applications and interviews

Resources:

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA School Interview Guide: https://www.thepaplatform.com/physician-assistant-school-interview-guide

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

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Hey guys, welcome to episode 80.

Today I'm talking to Dr. Lori Tark, who is going to be a faculty member at a brand new PA program, College of St Elizabeth in New Jersey.

So we're able to talk through what they're looking for in a PA school applicant and what it looks like to be a new program because that's something I get a lot of questions about.

Welcome to the Pre PA Club podcast.

If you want to learn how to become a physician assistant, you're in the right place.

Your host, Savannah Perry.

Let's get to it.

Hi everyone, thanks for tuning in.

I'm Savannah Perry.

If we've never met before, I am a full time dermatology PA and I also run a website called the PA Platform, which is a blog that helps pre PA students and current PA students and PAs connect and get all the information they need about the PA profession.

So if you are interested in anything having to do with physician assistant stuff, you are in the right place.

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I have an episode coming up with a voicemail that someone left.

So that link is in the description where you can leave us a message and we'll play it on the podcast and answer your question live.

So before we jump into our interview with Lori Tark, I wanted to mention our sponsor, mypa Resource and and y', all, it is crunch time.

It is time to apply to PA school.

And so if you are applying this cycle, your essay should be in the works if not completed.

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The code does work on the PA school interview guide as well.

And if you have any questions at all, feel free to email me or reach out on Instagram.

That's honestly probably where I respond the quickest.

And yeah.

So thank you for being here.

I am so excited for this interview.

This is a first for the the Pre PA Club podcast to have someone from a school on here.

Well, I guess it's not.

We had the PA professor a while back, so the second time.

But I hope to have more of this.

And hey, if there's a school you want to hear from, let me know.

I'll reach out and see if I can get someone on here.

That'd be cool, right?

All right, let's jump in.

Thank you for being here.

All right, so my name is Lori Tark.

I'm one of the directors and doctors for the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey.

We have a brand new PA program starting there.

We are actually expecting the ARCPA to come and visit our site in the next three weeks to give us accreditation or not.

And we're hoping it's going to go all in the right direction.

We've done our due diligence, but we should find out by June.

Okay, cool.

So if all goes well, when would your first student start?

We will be taking 50 students.

Okay, cool.

Well, I'm excited to learn more about this process because I know it takes a lot of hard work and having everything in order to get their approval.

They're not.

Not just going to hand that over?

No.

So a little bit.

Tell us about you and kind of.

Your education and how you got involved with working with a PA program.

Well, I am literally the only non PA in my PA program.

However, I'm very much dedicated to the healthcare field and expanding the PA profession.

So I went to school for psychology and I ended up getting my bachelor's in psychology.

I got a master's degree in adult education.

And with those two degrees, I basically went out and started my own business of learning and development, human resources and diversity and inclusion, consultant to mostly healthcare, government and education higher education entities.

So with that being said, one of the people that were in my audience once when I was doing a conference was a PA who was starting a PA program.

And she said, you know, you might be a good fit.

And I was already very much dedicated to the field and to Health care.

And so what I ended up doing was joining a PA program and it's been nothing but great ever since.

Those connections that I had in my own business actually flowed into what I'm doing right now.

But I'm also filling in a gap that exists within the PA profession because traditionally PAs are put into this clinical role and quite often they don't break out of that clinical role.

So what our program is going to do is it's going to give PA students the ability to go and expand their PA profession by learning how to go into administration and lead teams.

Cool.

Okay, interesting.

So since you kind of made that.

Connection and this has been the progress, how long does it take from the idea of let's start this new program to getting, okay, it's time for us to get accredited.

How long has that been in the works?

I would say it's been in the works for three plus years.

They did the leadership of the college, did their due diligence in looking into all the programs that they could go into.

But what really made it possible was that we had an alumni who, she recently passed away.

Her name was Dr. Anastasia and she loved the school.

And so she gave the school a huge financial gift and she said that it must only be used for the health sciences.

And so with her gift and with the leadership of our administration, they chose to go with a physician assistant program.

And with that money, we were able to literally gut out a whole building, renovate it, put in state of the art simulation.

We have a 12 bed clinical assessment lab, six examination rooms, two control rooms, cameras over each bed to record every single interaction.

We've made tons of community partnerships.

We have every type of sin mannequin on the entire family.

I'm sure you remember those, from low fidelity to high fidelity, the task trainers.

And we're also going to be the only school, as far as I know, in New Jersey to offer point of care ultrasound.

So that's a lot of attention lately as a skill that is important.

Yeah.

So we have that and then we have two virtual dissection tables.

So we have the anatomage tables.

But they're really what really distinguishes this program is the fact that so many people were involved in doing their homework, dotting every I, crossing every T, getting all the support and resources available to give a strong application.

So literally it took three years and it's still going, you know, where we as a team are working together to put the best application forward.

And during this whole process, while we're gaining our accreditation, we're Also accepting the applications for our first cohort.

So it's kind of like a fun time and an exciting time.

Okay, that was my next question is, have you already started the process of reviewing applications?

Have y' all interviewed yet?

We have not interviewed yet.

Our deadline for the applications is tomorrow.

Oh, wow.

And then we have already started reviewing who will be invited back for an interview or not.

We've got our committee together, so we're going to wait until the accrediting body leaves in a few weeks and then we will be calling in our first students for their interviews.

So it's going to be very exciting.

I hope it's exciting for them too.

I guess too late for my listeners to apply this year, but maybe next year.

Well, by then we will definitely have an answer on the accreditation.

Exactly.

Talking about the accreditation process, you know, that's something that people are very apprehensive about with new programs, which to me, I see both sides.

I mean, why you could be a little doubtful, man.

It's a new program.

Do they know what they're doing?

But I mean, I went to a very established program and we were still working out kinks 30 years later, you know, So I think it's always a work in progress.

But I think it's also somewhat really exciting to be part of that first class and getting to kind of shape the program and set that reputation.

But what are your thoughts on should people be a little bit nervous about a provisional program or do you think maybe those concerns aren't very warranted?

Well, I think, you know, I understand if somebody feels nervous.

However, there is really.

You're right.

There is something magical about being part of that inaugural class.

They will be the ones that set the tone and for the entire college, they are the ones that are going to be going out there and representing us.

So in a way, they have the privilege of receiving the best of our intentions with the best, you know, with the best preparation that we've done now, I'm sure there's going to be kinks in the way and I'm sure that we're gonna hit some, some bumps because it is our first cohort.

However, with that being said, that first cohort will also help to shape and model the entire program.

And so with that being said, I think it's going to be, you know, a growth oriented experience for both not only the professors, but also the students, and not only that, but also the preceptors that are going to get involved as well.

And Community partners.

So I wouldn't be so nervous because, say, if it does not get accredited, they will still have gained acceptance into the program.

And this program has received so much support that the only thing that will end up happening is that we'll get even more support to correct anything and they will just be put into the following year.

Okay, good to know.

So your first cohort, I think you said 50 students, is about where you.

Okay, that's awesome.

What are you gonna be looking for?

What makes someone stand out that says, I want this person to be in our class?

So our program, well, with any school, and I say this in our, in our virtual orientations and tours, basically you want to apply to PA school when you could put your best foot forward.

That is what our program Director tells everybody.

Dr. Valdez.

She tells everybody, apply to PA programs when you can put your best foot forward.

And so with that being said, she also tells students to make sure to read the mission statements and the values of the college itself.

And I've seen that stated in a bunch of different.

On, you know, the pre PA site.

I've seen tons of people say that same advice.

I couldn't stress it more.

Now our college is really a college that was founded in social justice.

Up until three years ago, it was an all women's college and so it recently went co ed.

But when we say social justice, they are really, really serious about social justice.

So helping marginalized groups, making sure that health care is available to all, making sure that we're able to minimize disparities, give people dignity and respect in health care.

If you can live those values, then you would be a great fit for the program because it's literally infused in every aspect of the program, including the people that we hire.

Okay, so anybody that works at the College of Saint Elizabeth, you can pretty much bet that they're do gooders, you know, and I don't know if you know what I mean by that, but outside of work, they are pretty much in the service of others.

And that if I could just describe the people that work there, that's how we all function.

So inside and outside of work, we're in the service of others, in the service of our students, in the service of the college.

And so with that attitude and that mission focus, our teams work like that too.

And we expect that within our students, we expect them to want to give that servant leadership out.

So if they can live those values, I think they'd be a great fit.

That's a great mission.

And I think that will fit With a lot of people's interests, just from what I've seen, working with people and reading essays and all that.

So when an application comes in, and.

I mean, and you don't have to go through yalls way you review applications or anything, but is there one part that makes someone stand out?

I mean, grades, gpa, experience, personal statement, what catches your eye?

So with, you know, the applications, it.

We really do look at the.

Each applicant in a very.

With a holistic approach.

You know, grades, grades tell me how you do academically, but it doesn't tell me about your bedside manner.

It doesn't tell me about your manners.

It doesn't tell me about your professionalism.

It doesn't tell me about your values or how you're going to be so equally, it's going to be that interview.

It's also going to be how you describe yourself in those personal statements and also what other people say about you.

So I can't really say that one weighs more than the other.

I think the grades get you in the door.

Okay.

However, it's really going to be that interview and who you are as a person, that's really going to hit it home for you.

Now, one of the other things that makes our program unique is that we don't require the GRE because again, we're the college that believes in social justice.

We don't think the GRE is really indicative of a person's intelligence.

So, you know, with those ideas in mind, we want to accept not only somebody who's going to do well academically, but who's really going to be that person who is, you know, a force for social justice and healthcare.

Okay, question about the GRE thing.

And from an accreditation standpoint, there are some schools that require it and some that don't.

And I get asked all the time, should I still send my GRE score Even if the school doesn't require it, will they even look at it?

I can't speak for everybody on the program.

It can't hurt.

You know, but we're really going to see if you meet our overall GPA requirement, you know, the prerequisite requirement.

But like I said, it's those two things that we're going to look at.

First to get you in the door, and then once you meet those, those personal statements, you know, your letters of recommendation are also going to say a lot about you.

But it's really going to be that interview, you know, that's.

That's going to do the.

The other work.

Yeah, and I agree.

The interview I would say the essay gets you the interview, the interview gets you accepted.

Right.

And in my mind.

So is there anything.

So this is primarily geared towards pre pas.

Is there anything extra that you feel like pre PA students should do just to prepare them for PA school?

And I think it's interesting that you.

Guys do have the outlook of, you know, furthering the profession and kind of spreading awareness, because I think that's something that I try to Instill in pre PAs is, you know, you need to think about how you're going to give back to this profession and think beyond.

I'm just going to be a PA and go to work.

Like, you need to think about how you're going to actually be part of the community little bit more.

So, like, does it help if they're members of AAPA or their state societies, or is there any volunteering or anything extra that they could do just to kind of prepare them better?

Well, yes, if you look, you know, it's always good to get a good understanding of the programs that you're.

That you're applying to.

And what I mean by that is, for instance, I have a student that's interested in being part of the College of St. Elizabeth, right?

And she initially was afraid of networking and asking for help.

And I.

And through this whole process, I've told her, I said, you know, there's no problem in asking for help or networking with the people that are going to be people that you're going to be applying to their school.

I mean, there's no.

There's no issue in asking for help or networking with those people as a result of losing that, I guess I want to say, almost insecurity.

She was able to ask all the right questions.

And what I mean by that is that she said, oh, my goodness, the preceptor or the PA that I was going to shadow just went on maternity leave.

What do I do?

What do I do?

And so through that, because of my relationship with the New Jersey State Society, you know, I was able to have her network with them and they were able to find her somebody to shadow within a week and a half.

She also said, you know, what can I do to help?

How can I be more mindful of your program?

What can I.

How can I be more involved?

And this student was very smart because she studied, you know, the.

The virtual open house that I did.

She saw the keywords in there, like that we are all about social justice, all about servant leadership.

And she keeps communicating with me, like, what can I read about this?

Where can I Get information about this, which is very smart.

In addition to that, some other students, you know, they actually looked into the relationships that we're building as a college.

So some of those relationships are with the state association.

So we're hosting their conference.

So a lot of these students who are interested in being part of our program have come up to me and said, can we volunteer at the conference for networking?

Smart.

Smart idea.

Yeah.

And you know, who, like, what other things can we get involved with where we can learn more about your program?

The more proactive and the more present that you are and the more interested that you are in the program, the more you're going to make your face known, you know, so those are things that can obviously strengthen your understanding of the program, and it also strengthens our understanding of you as a candidate.

Yeah.

Yeah, I like that a lot.

And people do seem kind of scared to ask about shadowing or just experience questions.

And it's.

It's great to ask questions.

I mean, the worst thing that happened is somebody says no or you just get no response, so why not try, you know?

Yeah, so.

So, yeah, I mean, I've told them, join the state.

State associations.

Go into the conferences.

Look on aapa, look at, you know, under in on the AAPA site, there's the specialty organizations.

Are you interested in dermatology?

Go join their association.

You know, again, go into every aspect.

And B, if you are really passionate about being a pa, learn about the relationships that that school has, how you can mirror those relationships and what you can get involved with to make yourself known amongst this core group of people that are ultimately going to be people who help you in your profession.

Yeah.

Okay, so let's transition to advice for PA students.

And I guess kind of with your background and expertise in leadership and everything, PA students kind of maybe moving towards their profession, you know, and it happens really quickly.

What should they be doing to get involved and start making kind of steps towards furthering the profession and taking on those leadership administration roles that PAs maybe don't necessarily pursue or know how to pursue, but may want to be involved in?

Well, there's.

They have to want to become familiar in a few key areas.

And what I mean by that is that they need to want to be a leader, so they need to, you know, make sure that they get an education in leadership.

Make sure that they get an education and team building, communication, the psychology of people, the dynamics of teams, all of these topics are extremely important in gaining one of those administrative roles.

But not only that, but the, you know, again, Getting just basic business savvy, like, what is an roi?

You know, what is basic project management planning?

These are separate ideas that you don't necessarily have to have an MBA for.

I mean, the MBA helps, don't get me wrong, but you don't have to put yourself in further student debt to get these concepts.

So, you know, if you did not get this while you're in PA school, or if the PA program that you're joining does not offer these types of classes, then what I would do is, you know, once you gain the profession, see if the places that you work for have tuition reimbursement or can send you to these types of classes.

But I could tell you right now that most healthcare functions under this type of leadership called dyad leadership.

Now, and that's something that they could look up to.

It's a dyad.

And what that means is that the black coats who are administration and the white coats, they are taking one from each and they're putting them in pairs to lead a team so that, you know, this person can get the clinic.

So basically, out of each team, they're getting the clinical role represented by one person, and the administration represented by another person to come up with the best possible outcome for one team.

Now, the more that a PA can step into that black coat role, the better, you know, they will be suited for those positions.

But again, they have to have the education to support them, whether that be through CME events or formal education or even just by attending trainings somewhere.

So it doesn't have to be something formal in a school.

It could also be something that they, you know, topics that they just attended during a conference or something along those lines.

Yeah.

And coloring themselves, which I hope to see more of those kind of topics at different conferences.

Yeah.

I'm going to AAPA for the first.

Time this year, so we'll see if they address it in any way.

Yeah.

So I think your program sounds amazing and hopefully everyone will go and try to learn, learn more about it.

And I hope you guys get a really great first cohort.

Is there any other advice or anything you feel like would be helpful to students looking into your program or other programs and anything you'd want them to know?

Well, you know, to wrap it up, it's like I said before, make sure that your grades are sound, make sure you're meeting the GPA requirements, but make sure to read that mission statement.

Make sure to know.

Make sure that your values match that mission statement and that you're able to speak to it in every which way possible during that interview?

Also, you know, I found this out through our program director.

Even if you don't get into a program once, okay.

Please realize that CASPA records your application, so we're going to be able to see if you've progressed the following year or if you're just resubmitting the same thing.

So, in other words, you have to have that constant growth mindset.

And what that means is that you have to constantly be improving yourself, constantly be.

Show that you've gained more patient contact hours, you've done more volunteerism, you've gained more education.

So long as you're showing constant growth, it's definitely going to go in your favor at some point.

But also, one of the big things that I.

That I want to stress to people is that even if you don't get in the first time, please don't give up.

You know, I've had students who have written to me saying I got in the first time, and I'm so grateful for that.

And I've had people be leaders of organizations who applied 10 times for several years, and on the 10th time is when they got in, and now they're the president of these associations.

Yeah.

So again, the big thing is don't give up.

Keep going and keep growing.

Yeah.

Hard work pays off.

That's right.

Yeah.

Well, this was extremely, extremely helpful.

Thank you for taking your time and being willing to talk to me and everyone else, and you might get some questions.

So I'll make sure to make sure everyone has your contact information if they need anything or the school's contact information.

So.

Perfect.

Well, thank you so, so much.

Thank you.

All right, you too.

Bye.

Bye.

All right, guys, there you have it.

And if you have any questions, reach out directly to the program, and you can find their contact information online.

But I'll put the link to the program in the description, but that is College of St. Elizabeth.

And, you know, I just.

It's not a bad idea to reach out and just say thank you to Dr. Tart for taking her time.

You know, everyone who comes on the podcast and does this takes their own personal time to share their story and share their information with everyone.

And usually that's late at night after work hours, because I've worked all day.

So I'm very grateful to everyone who takes the time to do that.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to reach out.

And I'm really excited about some interviews and some things we have coming up, so be on the lookout for those.

And I'm headed to AAPA in May.

If anyone's gonna be in Denver, let me know.

And I'm very excited to meet some of the PAs that I've spoken with.

So make sure you're following along on Instagram and social media.

And you're in the Pre Pa Club Facebook group, which has now 5,000 members to get the updates on all of that.

Thank you for listening, and if you need me, I'll be here.

See you later.