Sometimes, you have to hunker down in a single area to get things done.īut we’re not talking about those efforts. Your efforts consume so much time that you have a tangible, genuine reason for not doing the thing you might be subconsciously avoiding.ĭon’t get me wrong. You get to feel that you’re working your tail off to accomplish your goals (because you are). When you feel pressured to ramp things up, signing up for 60-hour work weeks in a job you understand is much easier than starting something new or unfamiliar.Īnd decisions like these satisfy two major problems: Though these examples may be more simplistic than your circumstances, we all are prone to dig into areas that are familiar because, even when they involve tremendous amounts of work, they are comfortable. And each time, it’s an already strong area that doesn’t require continued, singular concentration. For the coming application cycle, she would not have any additional courses or activities different than the last cycle but would be able to add an extra 1500 hours from her scribe experience.Īs an outsider, can you detect the shortcomings of these plans? Even without knowing the entirety of their application details, can you sense a pattern?Įach of these aspiring PAs is clearly willing to work hard, but their approach is somewhat narrowed, focused primarily on a single area. She had no plans to gain extra patient care or healthcare experience as she would not have the time with her course load.Ī two-time PA school applicant who gained healthcare experience as a medical scribe, having 2500 hours on her prior application after applying late in the previous cycle. She anticipated applying to PA school in about a year and planned to complete an additional 12 credits (rather than six) in case she decided to apply to seven PA programs rather than five. He considered pushing off applying to PA school until the next cycle as a result.Ī non-traditional student, parent of three, who had worked to complete most of her prerequisite courses with about six credits to go and about 50 hours of PCE. He gave up on applying to one of his target programs because the deadline was too tight, and he was crunched for time on another less than two weeks away with multiple drafts of an incomplete essay that he didn’t have time to focus on because of his work schedule. He began working 60+ hour weeks as a CNA to boost his PCE hours in the final month before applying. They spend a ton of time working on their pre-PA plan, often sacrificing other interests and pursuits for their ultimate goal.īut that willingness to work hard can mask a flawed approach.Ī few real-life examples are demonstrated in:Ī candidate taking a gap year who had well above-average grades in prerequisites and plenty of patient care experience hours. Most self-sabotaging future PAs have trouble identifying as such because their activities and efforts mirror those of their peers.įurthermore, they are incredibly hard-working, and they know it. So, to start, let’s explore how they’ve shown up for other future PAs so that you might spot them for yourself. These self-sabotaging choices might be driven by uncertainty, a knowledge gap, or a lack of confidence.īut whatever their root cause, these behaviors can be tricky to identify when they’re your own. However, subtle, unrecognized behaviors that impair a future PA’s progress are far more common. Few aspiring PAs submit half-hearted applications or fail to prepare adequately for an interview. It can feel behind schedule from the start, with each new hurdle growing the pressure to be ready by application time.Īnd it’s in these times of increased tension a future PA may be prone to, unwittingly, undermining their future goals.įrom working with many future PAs over the years, I can attest that outright self-sabotage is rare. Though preparing for PA school can take months or years, it rarely feels like a period of calm, measured progress toward your goal.
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