You’re a physician assistant looking for a new position. Whether you’re already employed or starting from scratch, it’s a daunting proposition. One of the most intimidating aspects? The interview.
But with the right preparation you’ll be able to exude confidence and show off your skills to a potential employer, whether face to face or over the phone. And the PA Career Coach is here to help! Check out our Ultimate PA Job Interview Guide below, and you’ll be negotiating your new PA contract in no time.
Top 3 PA School Interview Questions – Most Common + You Need to Know!
One Interview Tip I Would Give to All PAs
Career and Leadership Expert Andrea Lowe Shares Insights
By Andrea Lowe, MHA, PA-C
I’ve hired a lot of PAs during my career. I’ve interviewed even more. There is one simple tip I would give to all PAs who are interviewing – regardless of career stage or specialty, or the specific position they’re going after – do your homework.
Healthcare is a competitive field – you should anticipate that there will be competition for any job you’re interviewing for. Small distinctions can make a big difference. Be sure to research the organization on Google and LinkedIn, including the decisionmakers in your hiring process. Ask who will be in the interview. It may be individuals on a panel. Be familiar with the organization’s initiatives, recent achievements and make sure you are aligned with its culture. Your ability to talk about these elements will stand out during an interview.
You shouldn’t consider doing your homework a small thing. Consider it critical to success. In today’s hiring environment, there’s really no excuse not to prepare.
Think about what’s important to your practice and be prepared to ask your questions when the opportunity presents itself. Part of your preparation should also include choosing appropriate interview attire, arriving early, putting your cell phone away immediately and on silent. Be engaged and present and make eye contact with everyone in the room. After the interview, it helps to send a thank you note. Either email or a handwritten note is appropriate and appreciated.
Candidates that stand out to me are those who perform due diligence in researching the organization, ask good and sometimes hard questions, are engaged in the interview, and send a thank you note afterwards. This preparation doesn’t take a lot of time, but I guarantee it will help you stand out from the crowd and hopefully get the job!
Andrea Lowe, MHA, PA-C, is director of employer strategies for CHLM and AAPA. Contact her at [email protected].
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PA School Interview Questions: What is a PA?
Hopefully, it goes without saying that you should have a firm understanding of the role and scope of practice of a PA long before getting to the interview stage. Briefly, in practical terms, a PA works in a supporting role, under the supervision and delegation of an MD, participating directly in patient care, treatment, and education. There are some limitations to what a PA can do – for example, PAs cannot perform surgery (though they can assist), and their ability to prescribe medications varies considerably depending on location (including what they are allowed to prescribe if prescription of medications is permitted – e.g., narcotics and other controlled substances). Review our blog for a more thorough look into the differences and similarities between a PA vs MD.
More philosophically, and as noted briefly above, the purpose of a PA is to enhance patient care and access to primary care practitioners. PAs act under delegation from an MD, taking on a wide variety of illnesses and injuries that are more commonly treatable, allowing MDs to devote their time to complex and acute cases (though PAs may assist on these) and to research or other scholarly activities. As time constraints and workload continually increase the pressure on MDs, limiting the amount of time they have to devote to each patient, and geographical limitations result in gaps in patients’ access to care, PAs play a critical role in facilitating patient treatment, developing strong patient-practitioner relationships, ensuring thorough patient education, and working with the patient as part of a multifaceted healthcare team.
Looking for a new job?
You’re a physician assistant looking for a new position. Whether you’re already employed or starting from scratch, it’s a daunting proposition. One of the most intimidating aspects? The interview.
But with the right preparation you’ll be able to exude confidence and show off your skills to a potential employer, whether face to face or over the phone. And the PA Career Coach is here to help! Check out our Ultimate PA Job Interview Guide below, and you’ll be negotiating your new PA contract in no time.
FAQ
What is the best way to prepare for a PA interview?
- Get Your Resume in Gear… Including Your E-Mail Address.
- Dress to Impress.
- Anticipate the Questions Your Interviewer Will Ask.
- Address Your Application Weaknesses.
- Ask Your Own Questions.
- Don’t Accept an Offer On the Spot.
- Be Confident… or at least Fake It.
How do I ace a PA interview?
- Describe the most stressful work or academic situation you have been in.
- How do we know you will finish the program if we accept you?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Do you prefer to work with others or by yourself?
What questions do they ask in PA school interviews?
- 1) Laugh at yourself. Find a way to laugh at yourself; pretty much anything self-deprecating will do. …
- 2) Empathize with your interviewers. …
- 3) Impress them with the Thoroughness of your Research. …
- 4) Have a greater vision. …
- 5) Bring a Few Good Questions for them.
How do I stand out in PA school interview?
- 1) Laugh at yourself. Find a way to laugh at yourself; pretty much anything self-deprecating will do. …
- 2) Empathize with your interviewers. …
- 3) Impress them with the Thoroughness of your Research. …
- 4) Have a greater vision. …
- 5) Bring a Few Good Questions for them.
