How I Became a Physician Assistant
Highschool & College
Starting in highschool, I landed my first job at a beauty supply store called “Planet Beauty.” I have always LOVED skincare and learning about different ingredients and how to optimize my skin health. I was that little kid making face masks in the kitchen out of egg white and corn starch to shrink my pores. Some call it vain, I call it curious lol.
Moving into college, I started out as a nursing major at SDSU. After getting straight A’s in all my pre-req’s and the recommended number of volunteer hours, I sadly did not get into the nursing program. I took the summer to figure out what I really wanted to do and found myself in a volunteer position at my local hospital in Mission Viejo. It was during this summer, I encountered several PA’s and realized what an amazing specialty & career it was. I quickly refocused my goal on getting into PA school. I mapped out all the requirements and was dead set on making that my path. It was 2012 at the time and I didn’t know very many people that were PA’s & I still felt like people were unsure of what exactly it was. I made it my mission to shadow/meet as many PAs as I could to get a full understanding of the profession.
I switched my major to Nutrition in order to satisfy all the required pre-req’s for PA school and enrolled in a CNA course on the weekends to become a certified nursing assistant. I knew PA school required clinical hours, so this was how I intended to achieve my 2,000 hours. I worked as a CNA in a skilled nursing facility my entire junior and senior year of college while still attending school full-time as well. My eye was on the prize & I would stop at nothing to achieve my dream. One thing about me is once I set my mind to something, there is no stopping me.
General Surgery Rotation at Kaiser. I loved this rotation so much and definitely got me hooked on procedures.
Post-Graduation
Upon graduation from SDSU, I started studying for the GRE with hopes of achieving a score over 300 and only taking it once. I ended up getting a 306 and was satisfied with that. Some of the programs I wanted to apply to required spanish, genetics and a few odds & ends courses so I took the year to complete any remaining pre-req’s at a local community college. I was still working as a CNA and got a job at Nordstrom to fulfill my love for shopping & customer service. The discount also didn’t hurt for a starving grad student ;)
I applied to 4 programs: Trevecca Nazarine, Elon, Western University of Health Sciences, and USC. I got into Trevecca, Elon & waitlisted at Western. Ultimately, I ended up getting into Western at the last minute and committed! I was thrilled to be able to get in the first round and stay in California.
PA school is as crazy as everyone says. It feels like a blur, but I felt like it was the first time school was my #1 priority and I didn’t have to work & do school. So as hard as it was, it was manageable. In my second clinical year I did all the standard rotations of: OB/GYN, peds, family med, internal medicine, general surgery, ER, urgent care & my two electives were dermatology & cardiac surgery.
I really lucked out and my dermatology rotation was one of my last and they just so happened to be looking for a PA & were willing to train a new grad. So long-story short I graduated PA school with a job lined up, which I felt super grateful for. Derm was one of my top speciality choices, so I was ecstatic to land a job in that as a new graduate. My best piece of advice for those currently in PA school that sounds obvious, but is so true is: NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. I cannot tell you how small the medical field is, especially once you’re in it. People I met on my surgery rotation ended up having connections to derm providers that helped me land my derm rotation. Also, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I sent my resume to anyone & everyone when I was trying to break into aesthetics. Exploring every avenue possible. The hustle pays off, trust me.
If you are interested in hearing how I became a full-time aesthetic provider, read the next post. Hope this was helpful for any pre-PA students or current PA students!
