What am i doing wrong?

[helpforalberta233]

Hi,

I have a 3.72 which I know isnt the highest GPA, but I was wondering if other people had success getting into the PA program at Mac with a similar stat?

I applied to the program in 2018 as well and I got waitlisted for the interview, and it happened again this year as well. I have no idea what i'm doing wrong lol....I thought my kIra interview went well...

 

Any help would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks

 

[brobourne]

Don't get discouraged. Continue to work hard and it will pay off. Would recommend trying to find positions with direct patient care to enable an application to the UofT program. 

-current canadian pa

[MDLD]

From my understanding Mac weighs the supplementary application very heavy compared to GPA.  Just like their medical school. If you are getting waitlisted for an interview you must have decent interviewing skills but are not quite there yet.  

I would look into getting practice and perhaps coaching for the supplementary application and  the MMI. 

Also know that PA is very competitive statistic wise.  I think around 800 apply and only 75ish get interviews.  That is about 10% success rate. So be proud you came that far. 

[dr.roro]

Hi,

Any info if interviews for PA program at UofT were sent already?

 

Thanks!

[PAme1]

On 4/3/2020 at 4:25 PM, helpforalberta233 said:

Hi,

I have a 3.72 which I know isnt the highest GPA, but I was wondering if other people had success getting into the PA program at Mac with a similar stat?

I applied to the program in 2018 as well and I got waitlisted for the interview, and it happened again this year as well. I have no idea what i'm doing wrong lol....I thought my kIra interview went well...

 

Any help would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks

 

McMaster has probably one of the worst applicant evaluation methods of any of the PA schools in Canada. First - asking someone to answer a bizarre question on their webcam in 1 minute is a terrible way of assessing if someone could be a successful PA.  Next, I have heard through the grapevine, one year for their MMI 9 of their 10 interviewers were female practicing PAs. No interview panel/track should be so homogeneous, ever. It certainly has people questioning why their PA program is 90% female. 

I have heard a lot of talk from people who are displeased with the sense of arrogance and self-importance displayed by the McMaster PAs who post on a PA group on facebook. They seem very self important and try to police the conversation, and act as gatekeepers to the profession.

Finally, McMaster has openly stated in their information sessions that they are biased against applicants who express interest in attending medical school. This still blows my mind how they can discriminate against applicants who may be applying to numerous programs at the same time (MD, nursing, PA). It is not a crime to be considering/applying to multiple career paths as a young adult. 

Canadian PA's favourite line is "PA is not a stepping stone!". To build on this point, I also find it hilarious that U of T requires patient hours to be accepted into their program and many successful applicants are already practicing medical professionals  (nurses, paramedics, pharmacist, etc). So in their eyes, it is ok to use another medical profession for a stepping stone to become a PA, but they openly discourage you from EVEN THINKING about a possible career change after you become a PA.

 

 

 

[PA2021]

22 hours ago, PAme1 said:

McMaster has probably one of the worst applicant evaluation methods of any of the PA schools in Canada. First - asking someone to answer a bizarre question on their webcam in 1 minute is a terrible way of assessing if someone could be a successful PA.  Next, I have heard through the grapevine, one year for their MMI 9 of their 10 interviewers were female practicing PAs. No interview panel/track should be so homogeneous, ever. It certainly has people questioning why their PA program is 90% female. 

I have heard a lot of talk from people who are displeased with the sense of arrogance and self-importance displayed by the McMaster PAs who post on a PA group on facebook. They seem very self important and try to police the conversation, and act as gatekeepers to the profession.

Finally, McMaster has openly stated in their information sessions that they are biased against applicants who express interest in attending medical school. This still blows my mind how they can discriminate against applicants who may be applying to numerous programs at the same time (MD, nursing, PA). It is not a crime to be considering/applying to multiple career paths as a young adult. 

Canadian PA's favourite line is "PA is not a stepping stone!". To build on this point, I also find it hilarious that U of T requires patient hours to be accepted into their program and many successful applicants are already practicing medical professionals  (nurses, paramedics, pharmacist, etc). So in their eyes, it is ok to use another medical profession for a stepping stone to become a PA, but they openly discourage you from EVEN THINKING about a possible career change after you become a PA.

 

 

 

Mac tries to protect the profession since its growing and you can see it if you're a current student like me. Until the PA profession is secure like the US, people will use it as a stepping stone to med and dent. Personally, I know 3 PAs who went to MD either directly after graduating or within 2 years of graduating. Gives you a leg up in med school too since you know how clerkship runs, you re-learn didactic stuff and add onto your knowledge and have connections to the specialty fields that interest you. 

[Aratucci]

6 hours ago, PAme1 said:

McMaster has probably one of the worst applicant evaluation methods of any of the PA schools in Canada. First - asking someone to answer a bizarre question on their webcam in 1 minute is a terrible way of assessing if someone could be a successful PA.  Next, I have heard through the grapevine, one year for their MMI 9 of their 10 interviewers were female practicing PAs. No interview panel/track should be so homogeneous, ever. It certainly has people questioning why their PA program is 90% female. 

I have heard a lot of talk from people who are displeased with the sense of arrogance and self-importance displayed by the McMaster PAs who post on a PA group on facebook. They seem very self important and try to police the conversation, and act as gatekeepers to the profession.

Finally, McMaster has openly stated in their information sessions that they are biased against applicants who express interest in attending medical school. This still blows my mind how they can discriminate against applicants who may be applying to numerous programs at the same time (MD, nursing, PA). It is not a crime to be considering/applying to multiple career paths as a young adult. 

Canadian PA's favourite line is "PA is not a stepping stone!". To build on this point, I also find it hilarious that U of T requires patient hours to be accepted into their program and many successful applicants are already practicing medical professionals  (nurses, paramedics, pharmacist, etc). So in their eyes, it is ok to use another medical profession for a stepping stone to become a PA, but they openly discourage you from EVEN THINKING about a possible career change after you become a PA.

 

 

 

Hi! I am wondering why it is you perceive a class with a majority of females being suspect? The program has stated time and time again that their classes are representative of the applicant pool, which too, is majority female. Why this is? Don't know! Additionally, what would a possible motive for the program to accept primarily females? If they are trying to grow the profession and increase autonomy, why would they accept people who are more likely to be challenged by patients and second guessed by colleagues based on their gender? Furthermore, in 2019 Stats Canada share that about 82% of health care workers are female. Do you take issue with this as well?

As well, you are correct in saying it is not a crime to be applying to multiple career paths as a young adult. This being said, and as previously stated, Canadian PAs and Canadian PA schools are working tirelessly to grow the PA profession and teach both the public and other players in the healthcare system about the important role PAs play. As you likely know, there are only 3 PA schools in Canada, graduating less than 70 PAs per year. This is a very small number of individuals each year to be entering the workforce as PAs, not only helping patients who are without a primary care practitioner, experiencing long waits to get care, and reducing financial burden on the healthcare system, but also to be expanding the PA profession in Canada. By using PA as a "stepping stone", individuals are not only stunting the growth and acceptance of the profession, they are also taking away spots from individuals who are passionate about the profession and helping people, as well as limiting the availability of care to those patients who could have been helped by the graduating individual. To reiterate, making the choice to use PA as a gateway to medical school has consequences - it might be a "win-win" to you, but the implications for an understaffed healthcare system are larger than this.

Finally, patient hours don't have to come from a different discipline in the healthcare field - but, if someone in a different field chooses to pursue PA, their healthcare hours will be recognized and accepted. No where on the U of T PA website do they recommend pursuing another career in healthcare to get these hours, as again, taking spots away from other prospects for these positions has large implications on patient lives and the healthcare system. As stated on their website, healthcare hours can be obtained through paid, volunteer or educational placements.

If you have any other ignorant opinions to share, please feel free! I am sorry you didn't get into PA school, you really seem like a great fit!

[X Æ A-12]

Does this make BScN & RN is a stepping stone to NP...? Hmm...

[Aratucci]

11 minutes ago, swoman said:

Does this make BScN & RN is a stepping stone to NP...? Hmm...

BScN and RN are prerequisites to becoming a NP...

[AnneCCPA]

21 hours ago, PAme1 said:

Canadian PA's favourite line is "PA is not a stepping stone!". To build on this point, I also find it hilarious that U of T requires patient hours to be accepted into their program and many successful applicants are already practicing medical professionals  (nurses, paramedics, pharmacist, etc). So in their eyes, it is ok to use another medical profession for a stepping stone to become a PA, but they openly discourage you from EVEN THINKING about a possible career change after you become a PA.

Hi. I'm the one that wrote the post "PA is not a stepping stone" - sharing it as an opinion piece on my blog - And I've iterated over and over that this is a personal opinion and not one representative of ANY PA programs. So if there is beef you have with this opinion (my opinion), its best you take it up with me directly, rather than antagonizing the PA programs. 

As referenced by another individual who posted here - the sentiment I expressed comes from the small profession trying to establish itself in Canada. Of course we have colleagues that were once PAs and became MDs in Canada. Those MDs are often our biggest advocates too once they are practicing because they know the potential impact a PA can have on a practice and its patients.

Each individual journey is different, but telling admissions committee saying you hope to one day become an MD would not be helpful for your case. 

____________

To address the rest of your post - 

Sometimes I hesitate to even post in replies like these, but this warranted a response IMO for two reasons:

First, your post is not helpful in answering OP's original question. What you wrote was a rant against admissions methods, in a public anonymous forum that anyone looking to learn more about the PA profession can read. Instead of a helpful post, you used the opportunity to rant, where you spread gossip about the admissions process. You could have focused on suggestions that were constructive and helpful instead to OP's question but didn't. 

Second, your post is full of misinformation, and is not an accurate representation of what's happening with PA admissions or the PA programs. 

The reasoning behind admission criteria and their admissions process PA programs is confidential and not shared with the public. You can speculate and complain about a process you think is a joke, because you may not understanding the reason why admissions committees choose to use a certain format. 

Members who contribute in the group do so with the intention of helping, providing information,  while also respecting the confidentiality of the PA Admissions Process. 

____________

I'd be open to speaking to you and the individuals you've talked to expressing concerns further, whether DM on this forum or emailing me. 

[helpforalberta233]

Hi everyone, 

it's me again haha. 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I read through them diligently.

I just wanted to say, that I'm not sure how to approach this problem. I've applied again this round, and I shall let you guys know how it goes (just for future people haha)

I've only applied to Mac and I guess I'll have to try really hard to convince them that i'm not trying to use this as a stepping stone during Kira.

Those who will click my profile will notice that i was a medschool applicant however due to certain things PA is literally the best option for my life. 
My family obligations, timeline, interest etc etc seem to be all inline with this program. Just hoping that i can word it coherently enough to actually get an interview and then get in haha. 

Would it be okay if i pmed some of you to ask for help with the supp application?

Not sure why i posted this, guess it just felt right. 

Thanks again! 

 

[i_saw_things_i_imagined]

On 1/31/2021 at 10:38 PM, helpforalberta233 said:

Hi everyone, 

it's me again haha. 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I read through them diligently.

I just wanted to say, that I'm not sure how to approach this problem. I've applied again this round, and I shall let you guys know how it goes (just for future people haha)

I've only applied to Mac and I guess I'll have to try really hard to convince them that i'm not trying to use this as a stepping stone during Kira.

Those who will click my profile will notice that i was a medschool applicant however due to certain things PA is literally the best option for my life. 
My family obligations, timeline, interest etc etc seem to be all inline with this program. Just hoping that i can word it coherently enough to actually get an interview and then get in haha. 

Would it be okay if i pmed some of you to ask for help with the supp application?

Not sure why i posted this, guess it just felt right. 

Thanks again! 

 

current mac PA student. feel free to message me

[helpforalberta233]

On 2/2/2021 at 6:44 PM, i_saw_things_i_imagined said:

current mac PA student. feel free to message me

messaged, thanks =D

[middlechildsyndrome]

*deleted*

[shakeshake]

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