For me, the hardest part of the application process was deciding to apply. It was like putting in that bit of extra effort to get off your butt after a long day at work and head to the gym for your workout. I had to do a lot of self-evaluation and soul-searching before I arrived at the conclusion that it was the perfect time for me to get my Master’s degree and that this was the perfect profession for me. Once I was committed to CASPA’s application process, the rest fell into place. With 154 different ARC-PA programs throughout the nation, how did I end up at Quinnipiac University?

Since this was the profession that I planned on keeping for the rest of my life I wanted to make sure that I received the best education possible. With that said I picked up a copy of US News and Report from Barnes and Noble and only applied to programs within the top twenty. I wanted to make sure that the time and money spent on my Master’s degree in Physician Assistant studies would be worth it several times over.

Have you ever been told in a resume writing class that you should read the mission statement of the business that you are applying to? The mission statement is like a personals ad that gives you an idea of whether or not you and your potential employer are a match. Well I never read mission statements until I decided to apply to PA school. Thank goodness I did, though!

When I read through the brochure for QU in 2008 there were two things that stood out which set QU apart from other universities. Not only was QU committed to excellence in education (which of course every university should be), they were also committed to community service and to making leaders of their students. These commitments were clearly demonstrated as I sat in the Echlin Center auditorium and listened to the PA program director during an interview session on a chilly Saturday morning in October 2008.

She spoke of the many community service projects that QU’s PA Program takes part in year after year such as KEEP with the National Kidney Foundation and the Literacy project at ACES and St. Raphael’s Hospital. In regards to leadership, a large percentage of the faculty were involved on both the state (ConnAPA) and national (AAPA) level in Physician Assistant organizations. How much more of a leader could you get than serving as past president of the AAPA? It couldn’t be more obvious that this program was committed to healthcare on so many different levels. The fact that their students’ pass rate on the PANCE has consistently been above the national pass rate since at least 1996 was just icing on the cake.

To all of you reading this and thinking about applying to PA school, make every effort possible on interview day to get a good feel for the program that you are interviewing at. I can’t emphasize this enough. Ask the students and the faculty all the questions that you need answers to so that you can make the right decision for YOU. Imagine yourself attending classes with the students that are currently in the program. Imagine yourself working with the faculty to make sure you perform well academically. PA school is at least 24 months long and you don’t want to spend those months feeling miserable because you didn’t pick your “favorite flavor of ice cream.” Trust me, the course load alone can make you miserable enough at times. Best of luck to all of you!

-Ryan Narciso