Figuring out which PA schools to apply to can be challenging. As you explore the available options, one consideration that may come up is geographic location – more specifically, East Coast or West Coast. Both are home to a diverse array of PA programs, each with its own unique characteristics and advantages.
Here, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between East Coast and West Coast PA programs so you can determine the best fit for you. The areas I’ll be covering are: historical background, application requirements, program curriculums, and career prospects. Let’s jump into it! 😀
Table of Contents
Historical Background
First and foremost, you need to know that the PA profession originated on the East Coast. The first PA program
was established at Duke University in 1965 by Dr. Eugene A. Stead Jr. His goal was to address the increasing demand for medical care by transitioning military-trained medics and corpsmen into civilian healthcare roles.
On the other hand, the first West Coast PA program – and second oldest PA program in the U.S. – was MEDEX, which was established by Dr. Richard A. Smith at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1969. This program had similar objectives to its East Coast counterpart, with a particular emphasis on primary care in medically underserved and rural areas.
Fun Fact: Dr. Richard A. Smith coined the term “MEDEX,” which actually stands for “medical extension
Application Requirements
While the majority of PA programs share common application requirements, schools will oftentimes have a few additional requirements that align with their mission and goals in order to better identify students who share similar values. As a result, you might find that you are a better fit for certain schools compared to others.
To help you get a better idea of what you can expect, we’ll go through each component of the PA school application one-by-one. This way, you’ll be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses and strategically highlight aspects to strengthen your candidacy for the programs in the locations you want.
1. Prerequisite Courses
The majority of PA schools require similar coursework to be completed prior to matriculation. These classes typically include a mix of mainly foundational science courses and select liberal arts courses. For the purposes of this article, however, I’m going to focus on highlighting the differences in coursework requirements between East and West Coast PA programs.
Bonus information: If you want to find out more about required prerequisite coursework, then be sure to check out my article “The 5 Best Majors to Get Accepted into PA School
To start off, medical terminology is a more common requirement of East Coast PA programs. Depending on the program, some schools will accept medical terminology as a non-credit or certificate course, while others will require a for-credit course.
In general, medical terminology is considered to be a relatively short and easy course. However, it’s a course that usually isn’t available as part of the regular curriculum at most schools, which means that you’ll probably have to take it separately.
On the other hand, West Coast PA programs are more likely to have a language requirement – usually one year of Spanish. The purpose of having a language requirement is to find applicants who intend to work in primary care settings and/or underserved communities. USC and CSUMB are two PA programs with a language requirement.
A drawback of a language requirement is that it’s more of a commitment, both in terms of time and effort, as learning a new language can be challenging. The upside is that most colleges provide foreign language classes, which means you’ll be able to complete this requirement at your school as part of your undergrad coursework instead of having to take it separately.
Bonus Information: In my personal experience, East Coast programs are more flexible in terms of accepting prerequisites that were taken in a hybrid or online format. During my application cycle, I noticed that many West Coast programs had stricter time frames in which hybrid and online courses were accepted.
2. GPA Requirements
Most PA programs require a GPA of a 3.0 or higher.
3. Standardized Testing
When it comes to applying to PA school, the GRE General Test is the most commonly required standardized test. In general, there is a fairly even distribution of PA programs for which the GRE is required, optional, and not accepted, irrespective of geographical location within the country.
Bonus Information: In May 2020, a new standardized exam called the PA-CAT
Simply put, the PA-CAT is more tailored for PA school. (It’s basically the MCAT of PA school.)
During my application cycle, I only came across one East Coast PA program that required the PA-CAT. Since the PA-CAT only became available recently, we may see an increase in the number of programs that require this standardized test in the future. However, it’s difficult to say, as it’s still early. Furthermore, there has been a strong push to move away from standardized testing in general.
4. CASPer Test
CASPer is an online situational judgment test (SJT) required by a few PA programs for admission. During the test, you’re given scenarios in written and video format to which you have to respond by either typing or recording a short video. The purpose of CASPer is to evaluate your ability to navigate complex situations both within and outside of the academic-professional realm.
Overall, only a small number of PA schools require the CASPer. These programs tend to be associated with more established schools that are seeking to incorporate a more progressive element into their admissions process.
When it comes to PA programs that require CASPer, there isn’t a significant difference between East versus West Coast. Just so you have an idea, a few PA programs that require CASPer are Stanford University, University of Utah, Boston University, and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS).
5. Personal Statement & Supplemental Essays
The vast majority of PA programs use the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), which means that you’ll send the same personal statement to each school. Your personal statement should focus on why you want to become a PA, your past relevant experiences, as well as your future goals and career plans.
Many schools will require supplemental essays that are tailored to each individual program. These essays give applicants the opportunity to showcase their understanding of each program’s values and articulate why they’d be a good fit. Supplemental essay questions tend to revolve around similar themes. Some West Coast PA programs may specifically inquire about your interest in primary care and in working in underserved areas.
6. Healthcare Experience (HCE) & Patient Care Experience (PCE)
HCE and PCE requirements can vary greatly between schools – even ones in the same state, let alone on opposite sides of the country. The most important thing to know is that, as a general rule of thumb, having around 1,000 hours of PCE is usually required for consideration. However, 2,000 hours of PCE is recommended to be competitive.
Bonus Information: If you’re not sure about the differences between HCE and PCE, then make sure to take a look at my article “PCE vs. HCE: What Counts as Direct Patient Care Experience for PA School?
For the purposes of this article, I’m going to focus on types of PCE, specifically primary care versus specialty. Based on my experience applying to PA programs and what I’ve learned from speaking with PAs who are currently working, East Coast PA programs usually have less of a preference, whereas West Coast PA programs often place a strong emphasis on primary care-focused PCE.
This preference ties back to what we discussed earlier – that the PA profession was more or less founded on the principles of primary care and emphasizes a generalist approach. However, as the PA profession has been more prolific on the East Coast over the past several decades with PAs branching out to virtually every specialty, there is less of an expectation for PAs on the East Coast to go into primary care.
This is NOT to say that you won’t be able to work in a specialty if you attend a PA program on the West Coast. Once you graduate and become certified, you’ll be able to practice in any specialty, regardless of whether the school that you attended is located on the East or West Coast. The preference of West Coast programs for primary care PCE mainly affects admissions.
7. Shadowing Hours
Shadowing hour requirements are roughly the same for East and West Coast PA programs. I noticed back when I was applying that a few East Coast programs had minimum required shadowing hours, but the amounts were usually very low. In general, there’s no set amount of required shadowing hours that you need in order to apply to PA school – just the recommendation that you do shadow at some point.
Bear in mind that shadowing requirements underwent significant changes due to COVID-19, as there were limited opportunities due to the pandemic. Most PA programs recognized this challenge and subsequently lowered or eliminated mandatory shadowing hours.
8. Letters of Recommendation
The requirements regarding letters of recommendation for PA programs are essentially the same across the board. For almost every school, you’ll need three recommendation letters – one academic and two professional. In many cases, schools will accept up to five recommendation letters.
Pro Tip: Even though many programs will accept up to five, it’s better to have three, high-quality letters of recommendation. This is definitely one of those instances where quality is more important than quantity so make sure to choose recommenders that know you well, and don’t forget to ask them early!
9. Interviews
The format may differ slightly, but all PA programs require an interview.
Program Curriculums
1. Mission & Goals
PA programs promote values like collaboration, evidence-based practice, and lifelong learning. While there’s considerable overlap, there are certain distinctions in the missions and goals of different PA programs that can often be attributed to program location.
PA programs on the East Coast tend to emphasize research and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) values, whereas those on the West Coast like to focus on service and reducing health disparities. Again, these distinctions reflect the East Coast’s dedication to advancing the profession and the West Coast’s commitment to improving primary care and helping underserved communities.
2. Program Size
Program sizes can vary greatly between PA programs, and there’s no significant difference between smaller or larger class sizes being on the East Coast versus West Coast. In general, PA program class sizes range between 25 and 90 students.
3. Didactic Year
The curricula at different PA schools generally consist of similar courses in order to meet standardized educational requirements. Something important to note is that schools located in certain regions may tailor their curriculum slightly to address the unique healthcare needs of their surrounding communities.
This might look something like having an introduction to rural medicine class or a medical Spanish elective. Overall, however, the variations in didactic year between PA programs on the East and West Coasts should be minimal.
4. Clinical Year
A major reason as to why applicants pick certain programs over others is because of the clinical rotations offered. Clinical rotations give students hands-on experience in a variety of medical specialties and settings to help bridge the gap between classroom education and clinical practice. Depending on the types of clinical rotations that a program offers, you may want to apply to more programs on a particular coast.
While core clinical rotations are similar between programs to cover the foundations, East Coast PA programs tend to have a greater variety of specialty and surgery offerings. Most PA programs will allow students to choose a few electives of interest to further explore, so if you’d like more specialty and surgical experience, then you may want to consider applying to more East Coast schools.
On the other hand, West Coast PA programs often have more primary care and community medicine rotations. If you’re interested in working with underserved populations or unique patient demographics, then you might want to focus on applying to PA programs on the West Coast.
Food for Thought: Something else to keep in mind is the geographical settings of the schools that you’re applying to – urban, suburban, or rural. Depending on the type of area, the clinical rotations available to you might be different.
This consideration isn’t inherently tied to either coast. However, it’s worth noting that the East Coast is generally characterized by a higher prevalence of large medical centers, whereas the West Coast offers a more diverse mix of clinical settings.
Career Prospects
The final factor to weigh in your decision-making process is future career prospects. Reflect on where you envision yourself ultimately working and settling and let that guide your application choices.
It doesn’t need to be said that networking is important, and building connections during your clinical rotations can potentially open doors for you. If a preceptor whom you encounter during rotations forms a positive opinion of you, then it could really enhance your chances of having a job lined up after you graduate!
However, I wouldn’t necessarily say that career prospects is the most important factor, given that you can practice in any state regardless of your alma mater. It’s simply one aspect that could potentially ease the job search process later on.
Food for Thought: Having spoken with some PAs, I’ve noticed that there may be a certain respect that comes with being “East-Coast-trained.” This might be due to the fact that the PA profession is relatively more established and has a stronger presence on the East Coast. That being said, in the broader context, having East Coast training isn’t likely to have any significant influence when it comes to the job search.
Conclusion
As you can see, a lot of the differences between PA schools reflect the history and unique development of the PA profession on each respective Coast. After reading this article, you may have come to the conclusion that your application is a better fit for one coast versus the other.
At the very least, you can use this information to get an idea of what you’ll need to change or add to your application in order to make you a more attractive candidate for where you want to end up. 🙂
Even though I wanted to remain on the West Coast, my application was a much better match for East Coast programs, as my experience was heavily focused on working in specialties and doing research. Consequently, about 85% of the programs that I applied to were East Coast schools.
Awesome job on making it to the end of this article! For more tips on applying to PA school, be sure to check out my “Doctor vs. Physician Assistant: The Pros and Cons of Each Career Path” article. With it, you’ll gain a better understanding of what distinguishes the PA profession and subsequently create a more attractive application for PA school. That’s all for now! As always, stay healthy and keep learning.