Duke Physician Assistant Program News & Blogs

As we enter this new year, we have some suggestions of attainable resolutions that will further you along your path to becoming a PA and prepare you for your time in PA school.    

Growing up, I always heard about the challenges and adversities my family had gone through in order to immigrate to the United States and create a better life for my brother and me. It was not until we began visiting India regularly that I began feeling so fortunate for my life here in the States. In late 2016, I had gone on what I believed to be another family vacation to India alongside my family.

Over the past several months, we have discussed how you can plan a path to PA school that works for you. Once you have decided whether or not to take a gap year, and plotted out the course work needed at various schools, you should be cognizant of the fact that ultimately, admissions committees want to learn who you are.

“Pockets” was one of the first patients I treated as a street-based EMT. Our friendship started off on the right foot – literally - when I treated his right foot for a fungal infection. For patients with diabetes like Pockets, a simple fungus can easily become a critical infection, like MRSA, and a life-or-death matter.

You’re scrolling through ads and political fundraising emails when you see a letter from your top choice for PA school. Maybe you go get a glass of water and calm your nerves before checking, or perhaps you open it quickly before the anxiety can set in; either way, you find yourself staring at the dreaded rejection letter. The first thing to do is give yourself grace — nationally, only 37% of applicants are accepted to any PA school in any given cycle. A rejection letter is only a snapshot in time and does not reflect you as a person or your future success as a PA. Take some time to practice self-care.

Earlier this month, Duke PA Program faculty and alumni traveled to San Diego for the 2022 Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) forum.  

According to the PAEA website, “For over 25 years, the PAEA Education Forum has been the premier event in PA education, bringing together faculty and staff to learn and connect.” 

Last week faculty and staff of the Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program gathered to wish a fond farewell and happy retirement to two long-serving faculty members, Pat Dieter, MPA, PA-C, and Peggy Robinson, MS, MHS, PA-C.

Our applicants find their passion for the PA profession at a variety of life stages. Some know they want to be a PA or a health care professional as children. Others come to the profession after a decade in different careers. Many potential applicants learn about the profession while working on their undergraduate degrees. Last month, we discussed the possible advantages of taking a gap year after college to shore up your application. But what can you do while you’re still spending most of your time in class?

Second-year student Lily McWilliams, RDN, recently presented at the “Spotlight on Stomach Cancer Symposium” hosted by No Stomach for Cancer, an organization providing support to stomach cancer patients and their families.