Duke Physician Assistant Program News & Blogs

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. 

When Katherine Bullock, Helen Gaynes, and Emily McEnerey from the class of 2023 founded the student-led Point-of-Care Ultrasound Society (POCUS) in 2022, their mission was to provide teaching skills for second-year Duke PA Program students and early exposure to POCUS skills to the first-year students.

You’ve finished (or are finishing) your prerequisites. You have the required number of patient care hours. You have written your own mission statement and figured out where you want to apply. And the moment you have waited for is here!

Navigating Challenges and Embracing Growth: Reflections on Completing PA School As I approach the final leg of my PA school journey, with just three rotations remaining, I find myself reflecting deeply on the challenges and triumphs that have defined this transformative period of my life. Imposter syndrome has been a constant companion of mine.

It’s that time of year again; the CASPA application opens at the end of this month! Last week was the annual North Carolina Health Professions Fair Week. We visited seven schools across the state, from Wilmington to Boone, and many places in between. One thing we heard from quite a few students was how helpful our school comparison spreadsheet is in their planning. Every PA program has slightly different requirements, as well as different costs, locations, and amenities. It’s hard to keep up!

"What is grief?" During a Grand Rounds lecture called Grief 101, Dr. G posed this question to a silent room. Not a single word popped into my mind to describe this feeling, though I had known it for the past two years.

Second-year PA student Adriana DaCosta will have two pieces of art on display at the Brown Gallery Student Art Exhibition, hosted by Duke University Union's VisArts, in the Bryan Center from March 4th through April 8th. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, March 7, from 6:30-8:30 pm.

In this two-part series, first-year students Polly Hurlburt and Kris Miller sat down to discuss Kris's groundbreaking role as the first Black president of the Duke PA Program's student society, the Stead Society.   Part Two: Looking Forward Read part one here!