These are the questions I was actually asked at interviews, along with my thoughts on how to make the most of them. I also recommend practicing the questions provided in The Ultimate Guide to Getting into PA School.
- "Why do you want to be a PA?" You may be so steeped in the application process that you've forgotten to dream about what happens after school. Do you want to eradicate malaria in Africa? Rush to natural disaster areas after a tsunami? Work with teen moms at Planned Parenthood? I urge you to daydream and do some research. You are not required to follow through with these dreams, but you need to have a vision, and you need to share it with your interviewers.
- "Why do you want to be a PA instead of a doctor/nurse/NP?" Nurses and doctors work overseas and influence teen moms too. One of my interviewers kept pressing me saying, "yes, but why specifically a PA? Why not go to medical school?"
- "Explain the role of a PA." Obviously we all "know" what PAs do, but being able to concisely explain the scope of responsibilities, amount of autonomy and dependence, etc, is hard without practicing. I suggest looking up definitions and practicing saying them in your own words.
- "Tell me about your health care experience." I was never asked a more specific question than this, and I left my first interview wondering why they didn't give me the opportunity to brag about my experiences. I was waiting for them to ask about details, but they never did. I didn't make that mistake twice, and at the next interview I was prepared to tell my stories from their vaguest prompts.This is a question that you must practice answering in order to do yourself justice. What are you most proud of? Are there any short stories you want to share that show your passion/personality/talents? If so, you will have to take responsibility for fitting it in somewhere.
- "Is there anything else you want us to know about you?" They're asking if you come with a cherry on top. On my first interview I probably would have said, "um, I don't think so." But by my third interview (when I was actually asked this question), I had so much regret about what I left out of my previous interviews that I was prepared. My cherry on top was that I have a background in law, so I talked about my desire to serve as an expert witness and get into lobbying.
- "Name a situation in which you faced a conflict and explain how you handled it." I was asked this question twice, but I never answered it because I didn't have a good story about conflict. Instead, I re-routed the conversation and told a story about a patient who burst into tears while I was trying to distract her from an uncomfortable procedure. I asked the patient about her kids, not knowing that her only son had recently passed away. It was a situation in which I had done nothing wrong and responded compassionately. Telling a slightly off-topic story is better than telling a bad story or not having one at all.
- Have you held any leadership positions (school/work)?
- What was your workload like (did you work through school, have you experienced the stress you’re about to face in PA school)?
- Why did you decide to change career goals? (I have a legal background)
- Have you had other interviews?
- Have you been accepted at another school?
- What costume would you wear every day for the rest of your life? (to see how I bombed this silly question, check out my Real Interview Experiences)
- What would your friends say they admire most about you? (I bombed this one too)
- Why do you want to go to school here?
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