In this episode of Medical Mariner Ink, host Paul Stewart interviews Kandee Griffith, the Director of Graduate and Professional Admissions at Nova Southeastern University. They discuss the admissions process for PA school, the qualities of an ideal candidate, and the unique offerings of NSU's PA program. Kandee shares insights on preparing for PA school, the challenges in American healthcare, and the importance of work experience for prospective students. The conversation emphasizes the need for research and self-awareness in the application process, as well as the critical thinking skills necessary for success in the medical field.

11:34 NSU has 4 PA programs, each needs an individual application. Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Meyers and Orlando

13:09 It is an important differentiator that the program schedules your rotations and arranges housing at remote sites. This is not done at all programs.

133:34 PANCE is the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, the initial "boards" exam all PAs must pass to become certified - "get that dash C". The exam is administered by NCCPA, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. https://www.nccpa.net.

13:49 PAEA is the Physician Assistant Education Association - https://paeaonline.org/. They work to help make the PA education process better.

14:39 H&P is history and physical, the core parts of any patient exam.

15:07 OSCE - Observed Structured Clinical Exam - a standardized exam process to evaluate a provider's ability to use history taking and physical exam skills to make a diagnosis

23:54 This parameter, often called in lay terms a statistic, is specific to NSU. With that rate of applicants to interviews means that only 4-7% of people who apply to the program move on to the interview phase.

26:55 for more on the topic of knowing why you are doing something, see the fourth episode of Medical Mariner Ink titled "Knowing Why" that released on 20 January 2025