Where do you see your career as a Physician Assistant taking you?
Physician assistant programs train PAs that take many different career paths in medicine. Programs love to say they have successfully trained graduates who have gone into a wide array of medical specialties. To get a feel for where you want your career path to take you and to hear your ideal training path with their program, your interviewer wants to hear about the medical specialties that interest you the most.
If you aren't certain where you want your career to go following graduation from PA school, that is okay. You can make your interviewer aware that you plan to consider all of your experiences as you train with their program and make a career decision from there. Talking about the type of practice you want to one day be in rather than the specialty is also a great strategy to use when answering this question if you are unsure of your exact career path.
Speak openly about your career goals as a physician assistant. In addition to the medical specialty that you see yourself practicing in, you also have the time to elaborate on the type of practice you wish to be a part of. This can include a large group practice, a non-profit organization, a private for-profit practice, or government-funded practice. Be sure to talk about any desires you have for research and education in the field.
"Right now, my goal is to go into family practice and women's health near my hometown, where I can provide care to patients of all ages. My hometown has given me so much in my lifetime, and I want to give back to the health and well-being of those that helped raise me. As a student in your program, I would love to focus my clinical rotations on emergency medicine, family medicine, urgent care, OB/GYN, and sports medicine to become a well-rounded family practitioner. I would love to hear more about your graduates who have found success in family practice. Can you elaborate on that?"
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