Speakers | Medicine

Tracy King 17th September 2020

Tracy works at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
To become a NP she received a masters degree from VCU
- Essentially a primary care clinic and they do almost everything, including labs but no x-ray capabilities
  - Mental health, primary care, GYN
- VCU employee but not a system employee
VCU has "approximately 11 nurse practitioners, 2 PA's, 5-6 attending/medical doctors"
Worked as a registered nurse before nurse practitioner
- "I do not think you have to take a gap year, but personally I was able to gain a lot of experience from that"
Typical weekday: 8-5pm
- 15-20 min visits in the clinic from students
  - Approx. 3 students an hour

Tips for anyone considering VCU as med school: "It is amazing, the nicest thing is we have the health system so in a lot of our residents and the attending they also went to VCU. It is a teaching environment."
- "Residents rotate every 2 weeks, one of their rotations is student health so they come to us"
- Website: https://cme.vcuhealth.org

Undergraduate Career

Tracy attended JMU in Harrisonburg VA and earned her bachelors of science and nursing
- Then worked for a year, VCU health system in neuroscience intensive care unit
- After that, she wanted to go back to school VCU to become a nurse practitioner
  - 21 when I finished nursing school"I was so scared!I just had a feeling that I wanted to do something different. I knew I wanted to go back to school, and that I had a calling to be nurse practitioner even though I did not know what that meant - clueless!!
  - "Try to get as many experiences as you can - the year in the ICU as a nurse helped learn so much, I also did some outpatient work, learned the ins and outs of how an office works"

Work/Life Balance

“Pre-Covid, I felt like I had a very good work balance and also my job was nice enough to let me go down to 4 days a week, Mon-Friday isn't good for every person”

Where do you see your career going?

"I think that I will always stay in student health, I am a state employee so we have state benefits. I have good vacations, Christmas breaks, not many healthcare jobs can provide that. I am more than likely going to stay in student health at VCU unless things totally change."
"I never thought I would be able to work from home, the tele-health aspect really interests me"

Advice

For people who know they want to go into healthcare, but are not sure whether doctor/PA is for them, what specific things about nurse practitioner would you recommend for them to consider?
- "So, what I hear from the physicians you know theyre training is much longer than NP/PA, they also have more student loans”
- “At my college (VCU) NP/PA’s do the exact same thing we just have different degrees, so maybe if I had a different degree that wasn't in nursing and I knew I wanted to be a PA (it may be a shorter route because again at my office the NP/PA’s we do the same thing)"

Club Speakers

The speakers at our club meetings (which are currently being held on zoom in light of the current pandemic) are kind enough to take time out of their day to help students ask questions and better understand different aspects of being a pre-med student and how to successfully reach the goals each individual has.

Working with Covid-19

The past 6 months (with the current pandemic) have been very different from the last 9 years she has worked
- "With covid everyone has had to re-adjust, especially with college students. It is starting to work much better than it was, typically i don’t feel like I bring my work home... but of course there is going to be days that you do"
- “I never thought I would be able to work from home, I do mostly phone calls over zoom, but we are also seeing people in clinic"
- "VCU has a very transparent dashboard for Covid, posting numbers, positive cases on campus, those numbers are only if the student/employee actually alerts school but right now we are only around 40 positive"

Favorite part about job

“I enjoy it a lot, especially with college students (18-25 yo). I feel like I can connect and make an impact with them, really just making an impact on peoples lives at that age is important. I feel like with my job I can help people more in my own way, I knew it was my calling and did not know why”

Downsides

If you could change one thing about being a nurse practitioner, what would it be?: “I think I am really lucky where I work, have supportive coworkers, nurses, PA’s and physicians which is why I have been there for so long”
- “One of my clinical placements was at VCU, good clinical placements are really good. Be BOLD and speak up if you want to work there”
What are some difficulties/Downsides to the job?: "You see hard things so I think that yes, I mean when I was in the ICU there were some emotionally stressful/difficult times, and that can happen in college but most days not for me."
- "You are going to have those days where people aren't happy and you do not feel like you have helped"

Andrew S. Koch 24th September 2020

Professor of Chemistry at St. Mary's College

Personal Statement Meeting

Introduction

"When it comes down to it, EVERYONE is trying to get good grades, do well etc. When you are applying to med-school you are going to be in categorized into a group (grades a certain range, MCAT scores a certain range. What can boot you out of the group is experience, these are things you are working on right now. You need to show that you have experience in the field, wont make up for low grades or MCAT you need all three. It is brutally difficult."

Stand out

"My father left an industry job to teach organic chemistry at a college in 1965. When he got there he had 2 students that were juniors in which he did research with. He talked one of those students out of doing pre-med. The other he couldn’t convince as he was committed to medicine. This was the funniest person I have ever met. Fast forward to now, I'm at St. Mary's College. My dad needed an Aorta Bypass, he called up that particular student. The student scrubbed with the man that developed that specific procedure. After his recovery, he went to his students house, (research students are like your kids). My dad asked him “did you ever feel like you'd lose your sense of humor throughout your life?” (head of trauma at Penn). And his student said “when I was at Med school” That is how brutal medical school was for even the top of the top"
- "He was committed to medicine and YOU should be committed if that's what you want. Stick it out and make the sacrifices needed. Nowadays medical school is so competitive. They will not take a risk on you if it does not seem like you are in the long haul. Experience is one way to get in, but not enough. What will convince them is your personal statement and how well you can tell a story."

What to be careful of

"Never EVER talk bad about the health profession (know your audience) these are doctors that are reading your statements so do not step on any toes. You are applying to be a physician not an advocate so don't make that your focus. Convince you are in it for the medicine because you should be."

Contact: askoch@smcm.edu

Link to School biography:

https://inside.smcm.edu/directory/andrew-s-koch

Personal Statement Advice

"There are admission committees that publish personal statements that are really good. People do not know where to start. Try not to look at other people’s personal statements because it is theirs not YOURS."
"A really good one is put together by telling a series of stories, these stories are the same stories/philosophy that makes for a successful interview"
"Four or so things that you really want the people interviewing you to know about you and you want to say those things in meaningful stories about yourself that people will remember after a week or so has gone by"
“Interview you completely control is your Personal statement”
"Stay within the limit and you do not want to be too under the limit (shoot within a couple of words) but do not go over"
Think about: "Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Physicians are people who constantly reflect, you are going to make poor decisions (everyone makes poor decisions)

Alexander Hafey October 1st 2020

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UVA Medical student

SMCM Alumni

Second year medical student University of Virginia, graduate of SMCM (2018) Biochem major and was the Premed club president when he spent his time at St.Mary's
Scribed and worked nights at the ER at hospital - big factor into wanting to be a doctor

Do you mind sharing some of your undergrad stats?

Cumulative GPA approx 3.89
99% percentile MCAT score
Based off of GPA I dropped the ball on some of the required core classes

How many med schools did you apply to?

Submitted around 9 schools, but you should apply to at least double that amount no matter how good your scores are
Applied to university of maryland, columbia, penn state ,UNC, pittsburg, UVA and others I don’t remember
I sent a lot more primaries than secondaries
It is very difficult to get financial aid
As far as interviews, I had 3 invites but only did one. Interviewed at UVA in february quite late. Application cycle if it gets to feb and you have no interviews then you start to freak out but ultimately I had that (declined dartmouth and columbia)

Experience as an undergrad, when did you know you wanted to be a doctor and how did that transform?

Well...my sister went to SMCM
Stemmed from when i used to be in boxing and nutrition, using science to apply principles in a practical and individualized way to help them achieve their goals. Something I really enjoy and pretty much name of the game when it comes to being a physician
Had a lot of misconceptions about living and being a doctor, that is why ER work was super helpful. You realize it is NOTHING like it is in movies/greys anatomy
By the time i had applied to med school 3-4 nights in ER a week
One misconception I hear a lot from premeds is that people who get into med school, that undergrad was a joke for them. I dont know anyone who had that kind of experience in undergrad, i felt challenged and stressed out by my classes
Orgo is hard, and the classes are hard

How did you prepare for the MCAT?

524/525 approx score
You want to understand the MCAT is nothing like undergraduate tests (college exams) very specific to each class. The mcat is more application (understatement) you need to know a lot of facts but by far the most important thing is reading questions and reading them quickly, then figure out what they are asking.
Application based
Practice questions are by far the most important thing you want to do to prepare
Most people who do well ^ (everyone i know)
To be specific i cannot endorse but I use MCAT q bank, fairly accurate
Advice: can be detrimental so listen! Study the things you already know, doing the questions even if you feel like you're not ready
- Take a practice test after you've seen the material
- Spend time on those questions, start early and review. Make sure you don't get them wrong more then once.
When i studied physics for the MCAT, I did so many questions and i didnt know anything on then MCAT with physics
Its uncomfortable to get questions wrong, get used to it and adapt
If you dont want to spend the money for a course, you absolutely do not have to. Do not be misled that taking the course will just result in a good score.

Did you find that because you had a feel for it, did you go in and freak out? Mental prep for actual test day

I definitely freaked out
I think you practice as much as you can and in the moment it will be hard and stressful, might literally be the worst experience of my life. I rescheduled my mcat 30 min after i took it
I would've been screwed if I didn't do the practice questions, that should be the primary focus

How many times can you take the MCAT?

I think it is 3 in one year and 7 in a lifetime
If you can take it ONE time
Having a high mcat score will not necessarily get you into med school
I don't know anyone in my med school, that has taken the test twice (unless it expired) a big part of med school is being self motivated
Do well the FIRST time

When did you start shadowing/scribing for doctors? 

Really early on: freshman year shadowing
- I was working full time
I was a surgical tech at walter reed - don't recommend it is like a real job
Was a scribe - most important. Started scribing freshman year, was chief scribe senior year and gave the position up because it was taking time and we were understaffed and i had to apply to med school

What is the scariest thing from going to undergraduate to medical school?

Classmates (not in an offensive way) you will realize quickly. Everyone is smart but on top of everything. Like the one overbearing group member (not a bad thing) that is like every single person in med school. That was nerve racking for me, it is competitive but nobody is talking about that because they are so focused on what they are doing.
Nobody submits assignments late, never happens
Natural ability gets you virtually nowhere in medical school
There are people that do nothing but study, need a balance
Lectures in med school come with learning objective

What are your actual classes like? I know there's clinicals but are there lectures still? How different are they compared to traditional college courses?

This varies depending on the med school you go to
Any top 30 med school or 50, almost all use systems base curriculum (we do fat track 14 month didactic so more clinical time)
- Traditional 2 yrs didactic and 2 yrs of clinical
Systems - start with FOM (foundations of medicine) like everything in biochem in a week, move to immunology, microbiology and then you go into systems (pulmonary, renal, cardiovascular, etc) P/F no grading or ranking. Pass each system, you dont pick courses or have credits. You just have to curriculum.
If you don't pass (need a 70 overall) just repeat it until you pass

When did you start studying for the MCAT and how long did you study for?

I took it Jan 17th I took a month off of work and studied for about 12 hours a day during that time
I did every full length exam i could get my hands on
1 month dedicated studying, roughly a year before i took the mcat
Khan academy questions START NOW
Test banks online from various universities

Extra: Mentioned jack western, daily CARS passages

CARS- critical analysis and reading skills -> trips a lot of people up it is very difficult

U-world: very very good, you should do that. Q bank. Originally designed to help med students prep for the boards. Do Q banks have good diagrams?

He does 40 questions a day to study for boards. EVERYONE does it.

Is your memory good? (In regards to test taking)

"Without arrogance, I think I'm pretty good at test taking"
99% of the time doing poorly on a test comes down to bad anxiety or lack of preparation
The test is exhausting (all day thing)
In med school we do Q banks every day, dont get stuck in the mindset
All the questions are very pattern based

What specialization are you looking to become?

I am very interested in orthopedic surgery, want to go into pediatrics. Hard question. Perhaps one of my biggest gripes for the system and the advancement is if you want to go into orthopedic surgery. Do amazing on med boards (90% percentile). You get to fix things, mostly interested in emergency medicine
Piece of advice: " there is a tendency for med school to consume you. You will spend the vast majority of your time working. Down time, you will be guilty you are not working"
Worked in ER and have great mentors and a lot of fun
Med school cant be everything, it is not a fun life when you let it consume you. You will wish you spent more time with friends and family when ur in med school
Live to work? Or Work to live?

How many hours of sleep? Not a lot, again the issue in med school you can do as much as you want. I do a lot.

Rely on coffee? I rely extremely heavily on coffee

How do undergraduate grades play in getting into med school? Like what would you say to someone who didn’t do so well their freshman year, going forward?

Ultimately what matters with grades is an upward trend, if you have bad grades freshman year but do better in the later years you will be okay. Personal growth and adaptability is a desirable trait.
I had a friend with a PHD from MIT and i don't think it did me a solid having a higher gpa but it didn't hurt him either

Other:

When it comes to applying to med schools REALLY important
- Med school apps are a numbers game, but it is really important to get all of the small things right. When you have to write 40 essays, get it DONE. and every little thing that can help you should be done to maximum. Submit everything immediately. Prewritten. Make sure people writing your letters for you know you.
Equally important. Build your narrative
- Interviews at med school. You want your one liner to be compelling, consistent, true. DO NOT LIE
- Focus on creating an image of who you are and why you are applying to med school
- when your creating your narrative. Find what makes you special
  - My thing is im interested in working in rural underserved areas. People die in the ER at smcm, from things like femur fractures. Children die of asthma which is tragic.
Narrative was consistent which is hugely important. To be blunt, there are a lot of angles you cant take with that story. You may not want to portray yourself as a big research buff, because the research buffs will be in your classes

Katie Robey October 8th 2020

Introduction:

Graduated smcm 2019
Majored in biochem, minored in neuro
During gap year - walter reed trauma room
First year
- Med school: 3 months
Military base school (Bethesda) (USUS)
GPA - 3.95
MCAT - 510
Why did you chose biochem/neuro minor?
- “I started out as a psych major because i took AP psych in highschool and really enjoyed it but knew i wanted to go premed so i was still taking the prereq, I didn't like anything but neuro parts of psych so i figured id be a bio major.”

What did you consider before choosing military medical school?

Applied to 10 schools total (recommended more) I was starting my job as app season so i was overwhelmed
Applying is expensive and there are so many essays due
Magic number 15-20 schools
"Applied to the school because it was close to where I grew up, my dad is a doctor and worked in area and suggested it so I applied, wasn't super serious at first because I had no military experience"
- "Then I interviewed and fell in love with the school, the doctors there are down to earth and chilled, and interested and fulfilled"
"I clicked with the military doctors and thats why I went that route"

When you started hearing back from the schools how many interviews?

I went on a couple interviews and some were out of state and I didn't know what i wanted to do
I got into USUS early (Oct) but hadnt heard back from other schools so I went back and forth for a while

As a military doctor do you travel a lot? Or will you get to?

One thing that's really cool about USUS, 3rd and 4th rotations you can do rotations anywhere in US and abroad in military hospital
“My sponsor is doing 6 months of her surgery rotation in hawaii”
HPSP program (any med school and still go through the program) and you owe years back (7) to the military
Yes you can travel, you have a say in it when it comes to med school

Can you talk a little bit about your decision to take a gap year?

Something I am really passionate about
When i was a junior i was dead set on going straight through, and it would be easier
BUT I was not on top of anything enough to do that so I took a gap year, ended up loving it and 10/10 to take a year or two
Med schools are kind of looking for older/more experienced doctors right now

What is the difference in process like medical school and residency for the military ?

In terms of medical school, not much of a difference, we do everything/learn everything and take same exams
For residency there are military residencies but the whole process is the same as usual
There are some specialities the military doesn't have
E.g. cardiac surgery and only a few neurosurgery

Did you do anything during your gap year?

Walter Reed hospital (Bethesda) & silver spring walter reed research center
- Did pre clinical traumatic brain injury work with rats
- Learned a lot about research, thought i knew a lot but experience at st marys helped

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Do you think theres still limitations or no?

Every year the residency spots change
"The way I understand it, it depends on the speciality, some are easier/harder to match"
"E.g. if you want to do cardio they might say do general surgery first and then do a cardiac fellowship etc"

Do you feel like the rigor and course load that St. Mary’s gave prepared you for medical school course load/lectures?

Long story short: yes
Biostat overprepared me for biostat at smcm
Depth is similar but we go into a bit more detail
Biggest difference is the AMOUNT of material

Sports/school:

Be as efficient with your time as possible
- Away trips: study on bus, sit on the floor of bus and put all my stuff on the seats and used it as a desk
Be open and honest with your coach with how much you value your schoolwork
Even though coaches might not like it they will respect it, at the end of the day if you don't do your work you won't be eligible and that's no help to anyone

How do you prepare for MCAT? Tips?

Took it twice, first time was january of junior year and I was not ready I didn't really study, the closer we got to the time i was like why am i taking this now
MCAT is a test that A. need to know material and B. knowing the test and how to take it
7 ½ long test
Half of the battle is prepping and getting used to taking it/the timing
A. Don't take the test if you didnt study
B. you probably won't feel 100% prepared
Try and get hands on practice tests

How do you feel about committing 7 years to the military after school?

At the end of the day, you will commit rest of your life to medicine regardless anyway, if you go civilian you have debt so i would rather pay back my time to my country than to some bank

How was Covid impacted your experience as a medical student? Do you think there will be changes to the system due to the pandemic?

I go to school most days because library is open (reserve spot) 6ft apart
Social part has been difficult, had to sign something saying we would socially distance, no parties w/o masks etc
A lot of our stuff has been translate to online zoom/pre recorded lectures
Have had labs in person
Given the circumstances it isn't horrible

How did you deal with the social pressures (the team over everything else idea) that come with being an athlete while also having lots of academic responsibilities

I think that comes down to just having people you can talk to
- Team mates, family members etc
Let yourself feel emotions and share them
Rant and fix what you can fix, accept what you cant and pick your battles

How many hours of your day do you spend studying?

Ooof… like an average day with no lab, wake up 7:30-8/8:30 eat breakfast, do all my lectures 3-4 a day and range from 45 min to 1:20 each. Get done around lunch, study for a few hours, go to gym for an hour or two, shower, and then do school again until 1 in the morning
- Tuesday and thursdays are lab
Not necessarily how many hours your studying, its more how well do I know the content

Because you attend a military med school, do you also have to complete basic military training? do you become an officer after you've graduated from med school? 

No, well yes. We are fully commissioned officers so we get payed a stipend as an O1 military officer so i went navy and USUS has army, navy, air force and public health services
We did an officer training school ODS (officer development school) five weeks, i went middle june and came back middle july
In terms of basic training/boot camp it isn't as hard as normal ones
I was scared of this aspect and i didnt need to be

Do you know what specialty?

Pretty early for that, top 5:
- OBGYN
- ENT surgery
- Ortho
- Anesthesiology
- Or interventional radiology

I know you talked about your research experience but can you talk a little about your clinical experience you had prior to applying? 

Honestly i just did a lot of shadowing, not a ton of hands on stuff which i regret
Ask your primary care physician about doctors your interested in

# 1 piece of advice for us going forward

Forget to look around and enjoy the college experience, the world is still in need of you, so don't forget to take a step back and enjoy college

What made you choose Navy over Air Force? I've heard the Air Force facilities are way nicer:)

2 Reasons:
- 1 : family history
  - Grandfather did whole career in navy, other grandfather
- 2: location preference of school

Kayla King October 15th 2020

Genetics Counselor: MS, LCGC

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The Career of Genetic Counseling: Kayla King, MS, LCGC

Licensed Certified Genetic Counselor
Virginia Commonwealth University/VCU Medical Center
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics

Introduction to the field

According to The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC):
- “Genetic Counseling is the process of advising individuals and families affected by or at risk of genetic disorders to help understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease”

Big takeaway from this

"Genetic counseling, we are clinically trained and in a clinical field but there is a strong psychology and social components of the disease and how to portray that in an empathetic and understanding way with patients. Focus on the person or family when providing information".

Background

"A little over 5,000 GC in the U.S. still a small field, started to grow in the late 80’s early 90’s with advancement of genetic testing capabilities, looking at chromosomal material. Huge need and demand to order genetic tests, but not enough providers to do that. Challenge early on before field grew was to do a residency as a medical geneticist, there was a push to create a profession just as capable or specialized but out and practicing within two years".

What is genetic counseling?

Primary specialties: prenatal, cancer, peds/”general”
Clinical vs. non clinical
Lots of newer specialties: pediatric cancer, ophthalmology, cardiac, chromosomal disorders/cytogenetics, laratory, renal, metabolic, neurology, newborn screening, research and the list continues
Typical locations of work: hospitals, specialty clinics, laboratories, non profit orgs, policy/government, remote work

What does a genetics counselor do?

Very dependent on specialty/area of work
Clinical GC: assessing patients clinical history, family history, developmental history, determine most appropriate genetic test/labratory to use, insurance coverage, interpreting genetic testing results, relaying results to family/patient, management and follow up recommendations, family member testing/recurrence risk, documentation/summary letter and providing resources,
Non clinical GC: reviewing, approving genetic testing reports, triaging questions from clinicians, educational talks, research and writing papers, writing patient resource pages.

A little about me

Current practice: pediatric/general genetics and prenatal genetic counselor at VCU health
6 + years of clinical practice
Student supervision, LEND academic advisor

A week in my life

1 day parental, 1 day pets/general, 1 day on call, other days filled with patient phone calls, "behind the scenes work", reviewing records, ordering testing, talking with other medical providers, student meetings, clinical conference, student research....
No two days are EVER the same
Appointment slots for pre natal approx 45 min each

Prenatal Genetic Counseling

Indications: AMA, fam hx genetic condition, baronial carrier screening/anuepoloidy screening, ultrasound findings, prenatal exposures, previous pregnancy with genetic condition
Sometimes giving happy/good news to couples/patients sometimes giving challenging and very sad news
Working with patients to find best option for themselves

Challenges being a GC

Difficult cases, countertransference
Public misconceptions
- Ex. people thing we make fake babies or tell women to terminate, people aren't aware of what we actually do they just stereotype
Respect with the medical community
Credentialing
Insurance
Genetic uncertainty
Patient load and clinical demands

Applying to genetic counseling programs

Bachelors degree, certain. pre reqs
GPA requirement
Advocacy
Shadowing
Research
Unique personal statement

Genetic Counseling programs:

49 9n US and 4 in Canada, 3 in development
- https://www.gceducation.org/program-directory/
All requirements will be listed on each programs website

"General" Genetic Counseling

Pediatric indications: so many things! Autism, development, seizures, atypical physical features, birth defects, hearing loss, abnormal prenatal testing, positive family hx, growth concerns, hypoglycemia, the list goes on...
Adults indications: cardiac, throbophilia, neurodegenerative ataxias, connective tissue...

Benefits of being a GC:

Very specialized
Rewarding interactions
Job security/growing field
Constant learning/developing field
Continued follow up with patients
Being a genetics detective
Working with other GC and medical providers
Room for professional growth

Leslie Malik October 22nd 2020

Physicians Assistant

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"I am currently a second year student at University of Maryland Annurundel program, both the MD programs are partnered with local community colleges

It is nice because it cuts tuition

My masters will be with university of maryland

MD did just fully take over my program this year so it doesn't affect much for my cohort or the one after us, if you were to come this cycle it would affect your cohort. Essentially tuition is going up"

Undergrad steps:

I graduated as a bio major, but i was a biochem major i just didnt take pchem

I think my gpa was a 3.3
- It doesnt matter as much as you think it does
- Do ur pre reqs
- Good academic standing
- They try to take students they will be successful
Bio at SMCM is rigorous
They know your coming from a strong background
I applied to a lot of different places
I know most people in my class applied to around 7 but really depends on where you wanna be
The further away u apply, you have to travel so take the cost into account
I only applied three places only interviewed at Maryland
- Interview day is stressful
  - They usually do it all in one day, in regular non-covid times when you are at interview day your there with entire pool of applicants and from what ive spoken to my classmates its pretty much the same
- Kind of like med school
Less like med school in the current students have no say whether or not you get it
Individual interview with panel (faculty and alumni) and group interview where they pull in about 10 people from applicant pool and they give you questions and as a group you have to answer the question and talk it out
- To make sure you can interact with other people in a regular way
- You have to get along with others, sharing school with them for years
Don't try to dominate the table
But have an opinion
Similar to med school, little about what you know more about critical thinking and thinking on your feet and what kind of reactions you have to difficult situations
“Why are you applying to PA school not med school?”
Want to know your driven for right reasons
Biggest thing: have a good answer as to why this is what you want to do?

I know the UMD/AACC program requires you to have your degree before you apply. Did you end up taking a gap year/ what did you do during that year(s)?

I took two years between from grad SMCM and starting PA school
Worked as medical assistant sumemr breaks
Continued to work at that office and ER as medical sciribe and in patient psychiatary as med scribe, i dont recommend doing three low paying jobs

Which clinical experience was the most valuable to you?

Working as an MA
Comfortable talking to strangers abotu medical conditions
It isnt as simple as it sounds

Anywhere between 10-20 patients each

The physicians^

Being in your second year, have you thought of what you may want to specialize in?

I really liked working in the ER and i think i would like to go back

As a PA you arent tied to one specialty

When did you take GRE?

Spring i applied
Different programs have different application timings so thats something to look into they pretty much all use CASPR