Research - The Profession, Programs, and People

I can now post. I didn't realize that blogs had to be reviewed initially for content, but I guess this passed so now I can continue to post.
Research is perhaps the most important thing a person can do to gain a better understanding of the profession. I googled every way possible looking for information - Physician Assistant, PA, PA-C, and so many other ways. And I read everything I came across. Then I found the PA Forum, www.physicianassitantforum.com, and there I was stuck for an entire weekend. I began to signed up and began to explore every thread and every posts. There were thousands of them! So I began systematically to review the ones of immediate interest, the Pre-PA threads. What a wealth of information! I was reading for about a month before I made my first post. I still remember making that post less than a year ago in June of 2008. There was a newly accepted student who was finished with his GRE study guides and Rodican's "Getting into the Physician Assistant School of your Choice." I jumped on the post and grabbed the books for the cost of mailing as requested and as I told the "seller", a bit extra to at least get a six pack on me. I believe, as did he, in paying it forward so I did the same when I was finished with the books.
Researching the profession, I learned many things that previous discussions with Pas and MDs had not revealed. I learned the history of the program, a very important thing to know about, not only for interviewing purposes but for the knowledge of the profession that one hopes to pursue. Reviewing discussions on the forum among the very professional PA-Cs, PA students and those Pre-PAs like myself was so very enlightening. I was even more excited to move forward in my path to PA-C.
Reading about programs other than Nova gave me a good perspective of the differences among the 140+ programs across the country. I knew that I would not be applying to others but it is important to understand the wide variety of options out there and the variety of requirements for each. I believe I looked at just about every website for every program in existence. I was interested in reading the mission statements of these programs. One thing to keep in mind, know the mission statement backward and forward for any programs that you are interested in. There is nothing worse than applying to a program then afterward, realizing the school recruits strictly from the in state (or local) area with hopes that the new grads will remain in the area. Some programs mission statements look only to recruit those interested in the under-served, under-privileged areas. Very important things to know!
I talked to everyone I knew about my plans. I began to engage more on the forum. I sought out opportunities to talk to anyone in health care about my goals. Each time I volunteered at the local hospital, I made sure that everyone knew where I was heading. I had quite a bit of difficulty finding PAs to shadow. I just couldn't find those PAs that would be willing and/or able to allow me to observe mainly because of HIPAA laws. Shadowing is a requirement for most programs, but the benefit was so much more. I was looking for the opportunity to confirm that this was definitely what I wanted to do for my career for the rest of my remaining years. Luckily, I contacted several PAs that I found listed on the State Chapter of AAPA (FAPAonline.org)and was able to begin shadowing a few PAs. I also got the names of local PAs from many friends who all proclaimed they had the "best" PA which was encouraging to hear.
Just a word about HIPAA laws, inform yourself what it means!! Again, I researched and found a site that offered a training in powerpoint with a simple test at the end then offered to email a certificate of completion. I presented this to any PA I hoped to shadow. Just do a search on it!
Finally, I really had to take an in-depth look at myself. I was 42, single with no children (do elderly parents count?) and looking for a career change. I loved the travel and tourism industry. Having been a business owner, also consulting for some large travel companies along with being very involved in the community awareness of the industry, after reaching a certain pinnacle, I knew that the time had come to move on. I asked myself if this was really doable at this point in my life, and even so, was I willing to put in the time and effort and be able to handle the financial difficulties of returning to school full time. I had most of the required pre-req classes completed. I was on my way to finishing my BA degree in Management. I truly enjoyed the volunteering in the hospital and I had signed up for an EMT-B course at Valencia CC. After some deep soul searching and much advice from friends and family who were all very supportive, I knew this was definitely what I wanted to do and so I took the next step.
The CASPA Odyssey!!