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Baylor College of Medicine PA Interview Questions

Advice & Insight From PA Application Specialists

General Interview Information

The course has a 3.27% acceptance rate, making admission to the program very, very competitive – more so than most medical programs! Each entering class will be selected from 1200 applicants, of whom 150 are invited for an interview, and 40 are offered a seat in the class. Baylor College reviewed the demographic and academic information of its applicants who were successful in entering the PA program and found that the typical student was female, was 24 years old, and had a bachelor’s degree. The mean grade point average (GPA) was 3.7 (from a range 3.2 to 4.0). You must have a GPA of at least 3.2 overall, and 3.2 in science, on a scale where A equals 4.0, to be considered in the admissions process at Baylor.

Interview Format for Physician Assistant Studies at Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor provides the following information on its interview: you should expect an orientation component first, which will likely begin just after lunch time on your first day of the interview process. This will introduce you to Baylor itself, the physician assistant course, and the different learning opportunities that you will be able to experience. You will then have one interview with at least one member of the faculty. Your interview will last 30 minutes. The interview will be on the day after the orientation session. Interviews will last all day and you may be scheduled at any point during the day.

Key Dates

If you are selected to interview at Baylor for its Master of Science Physician Assistant Program, you will likely have this interview in Mid-November – the 2020 interviews, for example, took place from the 11th to the 13th of November.

Sample & Recent Interview Questions

Given that this is a half hour interview with a faculty member, you should expect a range of general questions, questions focusing on the PA degree and career, and questions probing your interpersonal and soft skills. The latter part is especially reinforced by the following from Baylor: ‘there are occasions when persons invited for interviews experience difficulty in communicating information in response to questions raised by interviewers. Because communication and interpersonal skills are competencies expected of all physician assistants, they are a very important part of the interview process.’ Therefore ensure that you are confident in communicating information surely and effectively.

​Motivation and Insight into Physician Assistant Studies and Career

  • How does the role and scope of practice of a physician assistant differ to that of a doctor?
  • When did you first become interested in being a physician assistant? How have you nurtured that interest over time?
  • Why are you interested in studying at this school in particular? Where else have you applied and why did you apply to the schools that you did?
  • Have you applied for Medicine in the past or considered doing so?
  • What experiences have you had in the past that have particularly informed your desire to become a PA?
  • How does a physician associate’s role differ from a nurse practitioner’s?
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Communication Stations​

  • Why is empathy considered so important to physician assistants, and to healthcare workers in general?
  • How would you go about breaking bad news (e.g. a diagnosis of a chronic condition) to a patient who had very little idea that they were severely ill?
  • How would you approach a situation in which a patient flirted with you and asked for your phone number?
  • Please explain the difference between empathy and sympathy.

Teamwork Tasks

  • Do you work well in a team in general? Can you give us an example of a team that you have worked or learned in?
  • Tell us about an experience of team working that stands out in your mind. Why does it do so?
  • How can you show that you will be ready to work alongside doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals?

General / Personal Statements

  • How will you adapt to the pressure of studying to become a PA?
  • How do you relax? Please talk to us about one activity in particular that you find allows you to take your mind off your work.
  • Please tell us about your experience of diversity.
  • What are you looking for in a college city? Does our location fulfil these goals?
  • Imagine that three of your friends are here, and each has to describe you in one word. What three words would they use?

Baylor College of Medicine PA Interview Questions

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