CASPA

1. CASPA BPPAS 10/21/15 meeting JJ Gossett

2. What is CASPA? • CASPA is the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants • It allows students to submit one application to multiple schools • Most PA schools in the United States require that students apply through CASPA • Admission requirements, CASPA information, and materials specific to the 2016-2017 admission cycle will be available by March 2015 • CASPA will open at the end of April 2016 for the 2016-2017 cycle

3. A Few Things… • Be sure that you are applying for the correct cycle before you begin your application • Look at all of your schools’ application deadlines and date • Each school has separate requirements for when they want CASPA submitted, verified, etc. • Before beginning the application process: • Try to have your Letters of Reference in order • They cannot submit it to CASPA, but TELL them about applying and ask them if they will write one for you • Try to write your personal statement before beginning the application process • Have each college or university you have attended send you a copy of an official transcript • This will help you fill out the coursework section of the application correctly • Try to get everything in as soon as possible!

4. Recommended Timeline • At least 3 months prior to the deadline • Research program deadlines, reference requirements, prerequisites and other info required, and inform your references of the process • 10-12 weeks prior to the deadline • Create the application and have the institutions attended and references section completed, request transcripts to be sent to CASPA, confirm that reference have received the request, have requested additional copies of transcript for personal use • 6-8 weeks prior to the deadline • Filling out the application, finishing coursework and narrative sections, and monitor for receipt of transcripts and letters of reference • 4-6 weeks prior to the deadline • Submit application, transcripts, payments and at least 2 letters of reference then monitor application till mailing process is complete

5. Creating Your CASPA Be sure to write your username, password, and ID# down in a safe place If you are re-applying you DO NOT need to create a new account and your information can be transferred over – more information on what is transferred on the website Familiarize yourself with the different application statuses Always look at the instructions page of a section or FAQ if you are unsure of what to do

6. CASPA Sections

7. CASPA Sections • Personal Information (6 sections) • Academic History (4 sections) • Supporting Information (6 sections) • Program Materials (# of sections depends on how many schools you apply to)

8. Personal Information Section

9. Personal Information • Biographic Information • Contact Information • Citizenship Information • Race/Ethnicity • Other Information • Family Information

10. Biographic Information • Name • Alternate Name • Important for maiden name, middle name, nickname! • This is a VERY important section if you have any documents under another name • Gender • Birth Information • Know what county you were born in

11. Contact Information • Personal info and ways to contact you • Current Address • With that be sure to list your preferred mailing address as one you will have access to over the entirety of the application process • Phone • Email • Be sure to give them an email address that you will be sure to check and have access to over the entirety of the application process and that you feel comfortable using

12. Citizenship Information • Citizenship Status • Residency Information • Visa Information

13. Race/Ethnicity Information • Ethnicity • Race

14. Other Information • Language Proficiency • List only the ones you feel comfortable conversing in • Military Status/Experience • Criminal Background • Misdemeanor/Felony Conviction • License Infraction • Have you ever had any certification, registration, license or clinical privileges revoked, suspended or in any way restricted by an institution, state or locality? • Academic Infraction • Have you ever been disciplined by any college, university, or professional school for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violations? • Economic/Educational Disadvantages

15. Family Information • Name of parent • Their occupation • Highest education level • Living

16. Academic History Section

17. Academic History • High Schools Attended • Colleges Attended • Transcript Entry • Standardized Tests

18. High Schools Attended • School Name • Location • Graduation Date

19. Colleges Attended • Name • Location • Attendance Dates • Graduation Date • Majors • Minors • Report all institutions you have received college-level credit from • Even if they are listed as transfer coursework to Baylor or were taken as a dual-credit course in high school • Make sure to report a degree status for each school • If courses taken at a school were for summer school or dual-credit then list as No Degree Planned • If you have received AP credit for a course, report the college that awarded you credit for the course (DO NOT report your high school) • MAKE SURE to send transcripts to CASPA from ALL of the listed schools

20. Transcript Entry • In this section, you will enter: • Course Codes • Course Titles • Subject Name • Drop-down menu with options • Credits • Grade • (All by semester/year completed)

21. Transcript Entry • Enter every class you have taken from each institution • Be sure to enter every class and not just the pre-requisites for PA programs • Be sure to enter courses that were transferred under the correct institution! • Coursework must be listed exactly as it appears on an official transcript • This is where the copies of transcripts come in handy • Make sure to list transfer coursework as it is listed from the institution that gave you credit for it, not how Baylor lists it • DO NOT rely on computer print-outs • It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you report any courses that you are currently taking during the application process or plan on taking in the near future • CASPA does not require this information but some PA programs do • Once you have completed this coursework, send an updated transcript directly to the PA programs that you have applied to, as their course grade cannot be updated officially through CASPA after submission of the application with exception to the new academic update section • This section is very tedious and time-consuming but extremely important! Any mistakes here can result in a delay of your application being sent • CASPA will verify all coursework- this is what takes so long for verification! You can pay a fee for them to enter this in for you

22. CASPA has very specific requirements for course subject Be sure to check the requirements for your cycle and make sure you are placing each course in the correct category so that your GPA is computed properly. If you fail to list it in the correct spot, CASPA will change it for you.

23. Standardized Tests • This section is for self-reporting scores for the tests you have taken or reporting the dates of the tests that you plan on taking • GRE, MCAT or TOEFL • You will enter test taken, date, scores, and percentiles for each section of the exam • Not a required section by CASPA but some school DO require that applicants self-report their scores • Check the specific requirements of each program • If required, failure to self-report can lead to an automatic rejection from the program • Some schools require GRE scores to be mailed directly to CASPA and some prefer that you mail directly to the specific program • Check specific requirements for each program • GRE scores can be mailed to CASPA at any point during the cycle, even after submitting the application, but be sure to check specific program deadlines for scores

24. Supporting Information Section

25. Supporting Information • Evaluations • Experiences • Achievements • Certifications • Essay • Release Statement

26. Evaluations • Now, you can have a maximum of FIVE evaluations • Include the evaluator’s: • Name • Title • Organization • E-mail address • All references will receive an email confirmation and a link to fill out the reference portion of your application electronically • Once a reference is completed it CANNOT be removed or replaced • Be sure to research what your programs require for reference specifics • References will submit: • Their information profile, a ratings portion, and an open letter of recommendation • Be sure research programs specifics on waiving rights

27. Experiences • Employment • Healthcare Experience • Patient Care Experience • Shadowing • Volunteering • Research

28. Experiences • Include: • Position title • Organization name • Organization address • Dates of experience (still current?) • Number of weeks, Hours/week, and Total hours (CASPA calculates for you) • Name/E-mail of supervisor • Description of duties

29. Experiences Patient Care experience • Other health care experience • Working in the heath or health-related field but are not directly responsible for a patient’s care • Ex: filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patient rooms, working as a hospital volunteer, etc. • Information required: • Position title, employer, telephone number, supervisor, time period, frequency, hours/week, total hours, if it is current, if it is paid, and duties performed • Experiences in which you are directly responsible for the patient’s care • Ex: prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, working on patients as an active EMT, etc. • Information required: • Position title, employer (agency), city, state, telephone number, supervisor, time period, frequency, hours/week, number of hours, if it is current, if it is paid, and duties performed

30. Experiences Health care shadowing • research • Research projects done in addition to classroom work • SHOULD NOT appear as a credit on a school transcript • Information required: • N/A • Time spent officially following and observing a health care professional at work • Information required: • Position title, organization, supervisor, time period, frequency, number of hours, still current, and duties

31. Experiences Community service • Other work experience • Paid work done outside of the health care field • Ex: a retail or restaurant job • Information Required: • Position title, employer, city, state, supervisor, time period, frequency, total hours, still current, duties performed • Volunteer work done OUTSIDE of the health care field • Ex: working for Habitat For Humanity, tutoring children, participating in or working for a fundraiser walk or blood drive, etc. • Information required: • Volunteer title, organization, supervisor, time period, frequency, total hours, still current, and duties

32. Achievements • Name • Presenting Organization • Issued Date

33. Achievements Awards, honors, and Leadership • Some helpful tips • You cannot repeat hours between sections • If a job encompasses duties that fall into 2 different categories, then divide the hours/duties accordingly and list them in the proper section • Health-related volunteering should not be listed in the Community Service category • Even if it is not paid it will have an appropriate health-related category to list it in • You cannot list experiences that have not already happened • If you believe that it would beneficial to postpone submitting your CASPA to input an activity then do so • There is not a separate section for Extra-Curricular Activities but you can find places to put them in • Relevant awards earned or leadership positions held as a college student or post-college • DO NOT include high school honors • Information required: • Name of award/honor/leadership position/merit-based scholarship, organization, dates received or awarded

34. Certifications • Name • Issuing organization • Issued Date • Valid Until Date • DO NOT list any old certifications • If you have taken the First Aid HP course at Baylor, that will go in the coursework section but list your certification in this section as well

35. Essay • This section is for your personal statement • Instructions are: Please describe why you are interested in being a PA • 5000 character limit – which includes spaces (approx. 625 words) • CASPA recommends using notepad when creating your personal statement to receive an accurate character count, Word also works fine as well but it may not be as exact • DO NOT make your essays specific to a program even if you are only applying to one school • Formatting does not show up in this section, so in order to delineate between paragraphs you need to double-space between each paragraph • Look over and proof-read as many times as you possibly can- SO IMPORTANT • You can get other people to proof-read it and make suggestions as well

36. Release Statement • CASPA Release • Advisor Release • Professional Code of Conduct

37. Program Materials Section

38. Program Materials • This is where you will enter in all of your: • Prerequisite coursework • Additional Questions the school wants you to answer • These are specific materials that the school wants you to complete through CASPA in addition to everything else

39. Manage My Programs Tab

40. Manage My Programs • Full Programs List • This is where you will find all of the programs/choose which programs you want to apply to • My Program Selections • Designate the programs you wish your applications to be sent to • The price of your application will vary depending on the number of schools you choose • You will not be charged for your application until to you begin the submission process • Program Status • Received —> Materials Received (Complete)—> Verified • Each school is different on if they want “Complete” or “Verified” status by their deadline

41. DISCLAIMER THIS information may be subject to change in the upcoming cycles. THIS WAS MY CASPA EXPERIENCE AND STEPS I TOOK WHEN SUBMITTING MY APPLICATION. Please check the instructions and Faq section of your application cycle when completing an application in the future ☺