PreHealth Spotlight: Rebecca Levin

Class year: 2017
Major: Biology 

My advice is to submit and prepare all of your application materials as early as you can. A majority of the programs are on a rolling admission basis, so sending in your application early is very important.

Vitals

• Accepted to Northeastern University Physician Assistant Studies MS Program
• Certified CNA with over 1000 hours of work experience
• Worked as a CNA in a nursing home and a hospital setting
• Active in several RSOs here at UMass Amherst
• Applied to 15 schools and received interviews from 3

As a biology major, I was able to tackle the courses needed to fulfill the academic requirements for most Physician Assistant programs. While I was in school, I obtained my CNA license and worked at an assisted living facility. With that experience, I was able to then work at a local hospital in my home town. This was important to do to obtain patient care hours, as some programs require as many as 2,000 hours! I also was pretty active on campus and was involved in a couple of RSOs – UMass Dance Company and the UMass Club Tennis Tournament Team. I believe it is important to show that you are a well-rounded person involved in activities – whether it be volunteering, a sport, or any activity that you are passionate about. My activities were other ways to show who I am to the admissions committee.

The application cycle was long and tedious – just when you think you've sent in most of your application materials, there are more secondary applications to send out! My advice is to submit and prepare all of your application materials as early as you can. A majority of the programs are on a rolling admission basis, so sending in your application early is very important. I learned how patient you need to be to start hearing back from programs. I applied to about 15 programs, and was asked to interview at 3. However, I only accepted an interview at Northeastern (due to being accepted on the earlier side and committing to their program). I asked for reference letters well in advance, made sure my transcripts were sent, and that my GRE scores were solid to make sure I could complete my application early. The hardest part about the application process for me (besides the waiting), was writing my personal statement. Though answering the question, "Why do you want to become a physician assistant?" seemed very easy and straightforward to me, I went through drafts after draft to what I thought captured who I was as an applicant. I also talked to multiple PA students about their experience with CASPA (the PA Application Portal System), interviewing, etc., so don't hesitate to ask those who experienced what you will be going through. So, my advice is to start early and always ask questions!

The majority of my clinical experience was spent working as a Patient Care Assistant at UMass Memorial Medical Center. I worked on a Medical/Surgery Unit, specifically for orthopedic and neurosurgery patients. Here, I assisted with point of care testing, daily activities, and communicated readily between all members of the patient's medical team. From my time spent there, I've learned that any and all effort you contribute to a patient's overall well-being is important and goes a long way. Being able to make interpersonal relationships and see the progress a patient makes over their time spent at the hospital is special, and is an important factor as to why I decided to choose PA as my career path. 

Though I’ve enjoyed my experiences working as a patient care assistant in a hospital and an assisted living facility, I became frustrated at times due to how limited my scope of practice was. Through the interactions with the PAs on the floor where I worked and shadowed, I’ve learned that this was the career for me. On a daily basis, I saw PAs connect and spend time with each of their patients to make sure they were aware of all that was happening and that all their questions were answered. Furthermore, being an effective team member is a critical part of this profession and I know through my experiences how to be just that. A PA can maintain their independence and autonomy over their patients while still being able to collaborate with other medical professionals and their supervising physician. I also value the flexibility of the profession. Having the ability to change specialties would allow me to grow as a medical provider and delve into areas of treatment that I have always found interesting.

I also had the chance to shadow different PAs in different specialties. This led me to have a better understanding of what the role of physician assistant has in an office setting and in a hospital.  I believe it is imperative to shadow PAs during the process of applying to programs – otherwise how will you know you really want to delve into this career? Talking to MDs, NPs, and RNs, is important to answering that question.  Lastly, I studied and prepared to take the GRE exam – some, but not all, programs require this test. I prepared for a few months. I also did a senior thesis through the Honors College, titled “The Health Disadvantage of the United States versus Canada: the Role of Health and Other Social Policies.”

Published September 2018