Enhancing your application to PA programs extends beyond just showcasing your academic and technical proficiency. While a strong GPA and substantial healthcare experience are undeniably valuable, admissions committees are increasingly recognizing the importance of soft skills.
You can frequently highlight them in your application through the essays or by demonstrating them with your choices of patient care work, volunteering, or extracurriculars.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are intangible qualities such as empathy, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. These non-technical traits not only strengthen your application but are also integral to your time as a student and enrich both your personal and professional life.
So, think about examples of these soft skills in your life, and consider actively working to gain adeptness at the ones that don’t come as naturally.
Examples of soft skills
Empathy and compassion
Vital for health care professionals who need to understand the needs of their patients at a deeper level.
Communication
Includes written, verbal, nonverbal, and active listening.
Teamwork
Many schools incorporate team-based interviews, underscoring the importance of collaboration in health care settings.
Problem-solving
Not everything you encounter in school or the clinical setting is going to come verbatim from a textbook. You’ll need to apply lots of critical thinking skills to tackle both.
Leadership
You want to show that you can take initiative and guide others when necessary or desired.
Humility
Recognizing your limitations and being open to learning from others is imperative as a student and as a clinician. Cultural humility involves continuous self-reflection in the face of our implicit biases.
Flexibility
Whether that is a needed change in study habits, a sudden switch of class time, or a new medical study that turns what you thought you knew upside down, adaptability is crucial in the ever-changing landscape of health care.
Soft skills and professionalism
These soft skills are the unseen foundation of your educational and professional journey. As a graduate student and then as a provider, you will be held to a high standard of professional conduct. These skills are intertwined with professionalism and necessary for practicing patient-centered care. Consider your strengths and look for opportunities of growth in these critical areas. By honing these qualities, you will enhance your application and lay the groundwork for ethical, empathetic, and effective practice.
The Duke Physician Assistant Program Admissions Blog presents information based on the experiences of Duke PA Program staff and faculty. While the information provided is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication, requirements can change. Please visit the Duke PA Program website for the most up-to-date information.