Abbie Simister is a senior at SVU (2026) who just got accepted into P.A school and is planning to matriculate this fall. She has some fantastic advice about how she got into P.A school
P.A. Schools only have the G.R.E for their standardized test just like most grad schools, so P.A. Schools rely heavily on how many clinical hours you have. You need to have an average of 1,000-2,000 hours (minimum 2 years) of clinical experience to be a competitive applicant. Another important factor is the number of shadowing hours you have with a P.A.
She worked in an assisted living home in Lexington called the Mayflower on Main. They are almost always hiring even if it is a part time position. If you do not have a DCA certification yet, they will help you get certified on the job. If you stay in for a long time you can get an RMA and get a certain number of shadowing hours with a physician.
She also shadowed a P.A. Named Sean Gannutz who works at Rockbridge area health center in Lexington. They require you to plan to shadow at least 20 hours with them if you would like to do that. If you are interested in shadowing with this doctor, E-mail this person jslagle@rockahc.org and let them know you are interested in shadowing.
Abbie recommends taking the Health Professions class with Dr. Barbara Vankuiken at SVU in the semester that you apply to grad and professional schools in the health professions. This class gives you practice interviews, they help you write your personal statement, and much more!
Another gem that SVU offers is the opportunity to join Remote Area Clinics which are highly valued for admissions teams. Your work in these clinics doubles as volunteer and patient hours. It also shows your willingness to work in rural areas which is also an attention grabber. She specifically got a point up in her application becuase she lives in Buena Vista, a rural area.
In her interviews they asked a lot about:
- Describe a cross cultural experiences she had
- A medical ethics question or current news about medicine
- What she looks for when choosing a medical provider
- How she learns best
Hopefully this information helps! She is open to connecting with SVU students anytime.
