MINORITY APPLICANTS
It’s no secret that the PA profession is primarily made up of white, non-hispanic providers. Diversity plays a huge role in patient care (as well as education). According to NCCPA’s (the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) most recent report, 86.7% of all practicing PAs consider themselves white. While last year’s data was somewhat higher (86.9%), it’d be nice to continue to tip the needle into more diverse territory. See the table below:
By-and-large, physician assistant programs aim to have diverse class cohorts because, by doing so, schools realize that a more diverse class benefits everybody. Even outside of race, by having classes made up of people from different backgrounds and beliefs, new perspectives offer different thought processes and problem-solving skills.
Some encouraging news regarding current PA students is that the first-year PA students from this previous year were more diverse than the current makeup of practicing PAs. We can hope that this trend continues to broaden the amount of diversity we see each year. Unfortunately, as the table points out from last year, there were more than 10 programs (over 5%) that noted that they had ZERO non-white students. See the table below from PAEA’s Annual Program Report:
So how can we, as a community of Pre-PAs, change the landscape? While there may not be a “quick fix”, the goal is to continue the trend of increasing diversity and encourage minority applicants who may be interested in the profession to become the best applicants they can.
What can myPAresource do? While we don’t have a lot of pull on Capitol Hill, we know a thing or two about helping people get into PA school and we want to help make things accessible to everyone, not just those with the benefit of being able to afford our services. We will select 20 applicants’ essays to review.
If you are a minority applicant AND are struggling financially, please submit the form below for a chance to have your essay edited. And not some quick, cheap edit. Your personal statement will be proofread/edited by one of our experts FREE OF CHARGE. Applicants who have used our services in the past WILL NOT be considered. This is solely for candidates who need our services and are otherwise unable to afford them. The goal of this small gesture is to help level the playing field for minority applicants, increase diversity within our profession, and improve the lives of the patients of future providers.
SUBMISSION WILL BE CLOSED ONCE APPLICANTS HAVE BEEN SELECTED
SELECTED APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY MONDAY, August 18, 2021
I encourage you, no matter your race, beliefs, or background, to encourage others to pursue their dreams of becoming a physician assistant.
Everyone has a story. We want to help you tell yours.
