The Nontraditional Physician Assistant (PA) Podcast

If you are applying this cycle and are curious what happens after you are accepted, or if you are in the fortunate position of having been accepted to a PA program and are wondering what's to come, in this episode I give you a glimpse into my PA school orientation and onboarding process. Full disclosure: I attended two different program orientations, with the program that I ultimately decided to attend holding their orientation in late March in preparation for our cohort beginning the program in early May. Having been through two orientations, I can tell you a bit about what to expect during and following orientation. Once you've been accepted to a PA program, you'll likely find that there is a lot of waiting with a few moments of craziness, when you're expected to get something taken care of very quickly. If you want to have a smooth transition from pre-PA to PA student (PA-S), listen in to hear more about the onboarding process and my suggestions on how you can better prepare for it! I am more than happy to help and advise pre-PAs, whether that means reading over essays/personal statements, reviewing parts of your application, or answering any questions you might have! If you would like to get in touch with me, you can follow me @the.nontraditional.pa_s or feel free to send me an email at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com. Please like, subscribe, and leave a note on what you found helpful or what you want to hear in the future. And if you like what you've been hearing, please take a moment to review the podcast so more people can find it! =) Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-kamaha/support

This episode is all about the oh so pivotal, yet oh so daunting personal statement that is required as part of your PA school application on CASPA. A poor personal statement can definitely lower your chances of getting invited for an interview while an amazing personal statement can make all the difference in landing an interview for someone who might not otherwise make the cut. I submitted 2 different personal statements and based on my experience, I have a lot of tips and tricks that will hopefully help make the writing process go more smoothly for you! Whether you're applying this cycle or plan to apply in an upcoming cycle, I believe this episode can give you a lot of insight into what the personal statement is, what PA schools want to see in the personal statement, and how you can present your best self through it! So have a listen and let me know what you think! I am more than happy to help and advise pre-PAs, whether that means reading over essays/personal statements, reviewing parts of your application, or answering any questions you might have! If you would like to get in touch with me, you can follow me @the.nontraditional.pa_s Please like, subscribe, and leave a note on what you found helpful or what you want to hear in the future. And if you like what you've been hearing, please take a moment to review the podcast so more people can find it! Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-kamaha/support

If you've been listening to the podcast recently, you probably know that I've been hinting about having a guest on the podcast. If you were excited about that, then this episode will definitely make your day! Ariel Campa, recent PA school graduate, mom, and creator of the Becoming a PA podcast, agreed to join me on the podcast to share about her PA journey and pass on some wisdom she's gained along the way. Tune in to hear how she balanced PA school, family, and life in general as well as her advice for those navigating a similar path. You can follow Ariel on Instagram @pa_leira or check out her podcast @becomingapathepodcast I am more than happy to help and advise pre-PAs, whether that means reading over essays/personal statements, reviewing parts of your application, or answering any questions you might have! If you would like to get in touch with me, you can follow me @the.nontraditional.pa_s Please like, subscribe, and leave a note on what you found helpful or what you want to hear in the future! And if you like what you've been hearing, please take a moment to review the podcast so more people can find it! Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-kamaha/support

If you're gearing up to apply to PA schools this cycle, this episode covers a lot of useful information! In this episode of the Nontraditional PA Podcast, I go over what you can be working on now to ensure early submission of your best PA school application, and I offer an in-depth look at how to craft strong descriptions in the experiences section of CASPA. The experiences section is a pivotal part of your PA school application. Through it, schools get to learn a lot more about you, your personality, and what's important to you, so you definitely want to spend some quality time on your descriptions and make your experiences stand out when admissions committees review them. On a personal note, it took me a ton of time to get all my information together and to write my descriptions, so the earlier you get started on them, the earlier you will have your application complete and ready to submit. And if you are applying to schools with rolling admissions, applying early is key! If this episode truly motivates you, know that you can even get started with making your CASPA account and typing your descriptions in now before the next cycle opens, and they will still be there for the upcoming cycle! **Helpful hint: Always save everything you write in another document though, just in case!! ** Good luck to all of you who are getting ready to apply!! =) I am more than happy to help and advise pre-PAs, whether that means reading over essays/personal statements, reviewing parts of your application, or answering any questions you might have! If you would like to get in touch with me, you can email me at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or follow me on Insta @the.nontraditional.pa_s. Please like, subscribe, and leave a note on what you found helpful or what you want to hear! If you like what you've been hearing, please take a moment to review the podcast so more people can find it! Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-kamaha/support

If you have worked a difficult PCE job or in a toxic healthcare environment, you may be asking yourself how much longer you can hold out and if it will "look bad" to PA schools if you leave the job early on. Or maybe you're in the position of recently starting one job and shortly thereafter were offered another job that you were more interested in. If you're wondering whether PA schools will view your leaving a PCE job relatively soon after being hired as a red flag to PA school admissions teams, you're not alone, and this episode is for you! Tune in to hear my insights on this common pre-PA issue. I am more than happy to help advise, read over essays/personal statements, review any parts of your application, or answer any questions you might have! If you would like to get in touch with me, you can email me at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or follow me on Insta @the.nontraditional.pa_s. Please like, subscribe, and leave a note on what you found helpful or what you want to hear! If you like what you've been hearing, please review the podcast so more people can find the podcast! Support the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/kirsten-kamaha/support Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-kamaha/support

Maybe you've decided that physician assistant/associate (PA) is the career for you, and you've already begun planning out your steps to making that dream a reality. Maybe you're still considering whether this career is a good match for your lifestyle and your family obligations. Hopefully this episode will prove helpful wherever you're at in the process. In this episode, I highlight not only what's involved in applying to PA school but the associated financial costs so that you can make a plan of action and be successful, even if you're on a tight budget or have limited income. Throughout the episode, I provide some ways you can potentially save money and reduce the financial burden while gaining admission to PA schools. I hope that this episode encourages you to figure out what your best options are and that it also inspires you to reach out and utilize your fellow pre-PAs, PA students, and practicing PAs as resources during the process. As I mentioned during the episode, I am more than happy to help advise, read over essays/personal statements, review any parts of your application, or answer any questions you might have! If you would like to get in touch with me, you can email me at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or follow me on Insta @the.nontraditional.pa_s. Like, subscribe, and leave a note on what you found helpful or what you want to hear! Support the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/kirsten-kamaha/support Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-kamaha/support

If you're bummed out that you didn't get into a PA program this last cycle or were *SO CLOSE* but didn't quite get a spot at your top program, this episode is for you. In it, I detail my reapplication experience with my top choice program and how I improved my application the second time around, and l also provide some tips for reapplicants based on the feedback I was given and what I've learned through this process. Leave a comment, like, and subscribe if you find this helpful. Also, I'd love to get your feedback on the podcast, if there are any topics you'd like me to cover, what you like so far, and what I can do to make the podcast an even better resource for my listeners. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with me, you can email me at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or follow me on Insta @the.nontraditional.pa_s. I'm also happy to provide feedback on personal statements, pre-PA advising, application review/editing, whatever you need! Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kirsten-kamaha/support

In this episode, I cover some important things to know about PA program interviews, based on my own experiences with traditional interview formats. I include some tips for how to prepare as well as what you should expect on interview day, and I provide some insight into how you can evaluate the program during the interview to see if it's truly a place you will thrive as a future PA student. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with me, my email address is kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or follow me on Insta @the.nontraditional.pa_s Resources mentioned in this episode: Amazon link to buy Savanna Perry's Physician Assistant School Interview Guide: https://www.amazon.com/Physician-Assistant-School-Interview-Guide/dp/1732076006/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XJQ0BYJE3L1K&keywords=savanna+perry&qid=1669911673&sprefix=savanna+perr%2Caps%2C360&sr=8-1 Amazon link to buy Andrew J. Rodican's How to Ace the Physician Assistant School Interview https://www.amazon.com/How-Physician-Assistant-School-Interview/dp/1724839853/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_3_6/135-4339665-2944633?pd_rd_w=0KYjt&content-id=amzn1.sym.38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_p=38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_r=KDZ68CASHDX0BM220WSY&pd_rd_wg=dqw96&pd_rd_r=a0122b98-cd95-45da-b1eb-ce0933b42c50&pd_rd_i=1724839853&psc=1 Music Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm

In this episode I cover another requirement for PA school admissions, standardized testing. Whether you are a strong standardized test taker or you refuse to even say the words "standardized test," in order to get into PA school you will likely need to complete one if not more of the big three, which includes the GRE General Exam, the CASPer Test, and the PA-CAT. Listen in to learn more about the purpose of these exams, what you can expect when you take these tests, and what might help prepare you for test day. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, feel free to send me an email at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or find me on Instagram @the.nontraditional.pre_pa Credits: Podcast Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm

In episode 2 of the Nontraditional Physician Assistant/Physician Associate (PA) Podcast, I dive more into what a PA is and the history of the profession. Decided that you are interested in becoming a PA? I lay out some crucial first steps and things to be aware of as you begin your pre-PA journey. Tune in, like, subscribe, and leave a review if you find this to be helpful. I would love to hear your feedback and if you have any topics or things you want me to discuss or cover in future episodes, feel free to let me know that too! I can be reached at kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com or on Instagram @ the.nontraditional.pre_pa Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay. All other incidental music provided by anchor.fm

Welcome to the Nontraditional Physician Assistant/Physician Associate (PA) Podcast. Feel free to follow along on my unconventional journey from pre-PA to PA student to practicing PA! I hope to provide some useful insight and information for others looking into the profession and to encourage and help other nontraditional/unconventional pre-PAs find your unique strengths and what you bring to the table as an applicant. Feel free to follow or reach out to me on Instagram @ the.nontraditional.pre_pa

Welcome to the Nontraditional Physician Assistant/Physician Associate (PA) Podcast! Listen in to hear all about why I decided to start this podcast, my goals for this podcast, and for the details of my rather unconventional journey leading me to this goal of becoming a PA. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with me, my email address is kamaha.kirsten@gmail.com. Credits: Intro Music by FASSounds from Pixabay Other incidental music provided by Anchor.fm