From relevant coursework to stellar test scores, there’s a ton that factors into your PA school application. Of course as a patient-facing career, perhaps one of the most beneficial experiences for a pre-PA student is hands-on patient care. Throughout a physician assistant’s career, primary care will always be an integral focus. Being comfortable around patients and confident when under pressure will get you more familiar with day-to-day work as a full-fledged PA.

Hard work now pays off later!

While you can gather this experience after college through patient-facing jobs working as an EMT or nursing assistant, for example, starting before or during your undergraduate studies will give you an early boost. Summer clinical internships for undergraduates in medicine are one way to get those shadowing hours in a structured, educational environment. 

Here’s why you should consider physician assistant internships for college students and exactly where to find them!

Why find summer physician assistant internships for college students?

While you should be pursuing healthcare extracurriculars and shadowing opportunities all throughout your studies, summers provide the perfect window to dive into a more involved experience that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to have while taking classes.

You may reach out to your own primary care office to ask about physician assistant shadowing duties or if you’re feeling really fancy, why not look abroad? But more on that in a bit...

If you are looking to gain experience overseas, you definitely won’t be left high and dry to figure all the logistics out all on your own! You’ll find tons of vetted, safe organizations abroad, such as International Medical Aid, that facilitate summer clinical internships for undergraduates interested in medicine, medical students, and licensed professionals at high-need hospitals abroad. 

No matter where you choose to complete shadowing hours, hands-on clinical experience introduces a host of benefits beyond just the hours themselves.

• Get mentorship from experienced PAs to gain first-hand insight on the career
• Improve your application, personal statement, and interview ability with real scenario-based information
• Forge relationships with relevant contacts for letters of recommendation
• See if patient care is really for you
• Get a taste of different specialties to give direction to your studies

What are physician assistant shadowing duties like?

It’s important to see the day in the life of a PA.

Shadowing medical professionals lets interested pre-medical students gain experiential exposure to the specialty or field of their choice. 

Because of the strictly regulated nature of healthcare, your duties while shadowing as an undergraduate student are typically limited to observation with the opportunity to ask your mentor physician assistant questions when it doesn’t interfere with patient care. Students are strongly encouraged to bring along a journal to keep records of what they see and learn throughout their time in clinic. 

Unique stories and cases can serve as that extra special sprinkle for a strong personal statement or interview down the road!

Pre-PA internships abroad are similar to ones in the US in that participants can’t do anything abroad that they would not be permitted to do back home. PA shadowing programs from International Medical Aid, for example, allow you to shadow at hospitals in East Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Perhaps the biggest difference of being a medical intern or volunteer abroad is seeing how PAs and doctors operate in much different conditions, often with lack of supplies or equipment. 

How to find pre-physician assistant summer internships

Oftentimes, shadowing experience and PA internships are more informal set-ups between a healthcare practitioner and student directly. However, if you prefer a bit more structure, there are programs that leverage existing networks, such as ones abroad.

This means there are a vast number of options for students to choose from in order to get observational experience in the field.

Here are just a few creative ways that students can round up that experience!

1. Ask your own primary care physicians’ office 

You don’t have to be super hooked up for this simple connection that everyone has. Whether you’re a known regular around your primary care provider’s office or more of a “once a year” kind of patient, you have direct access to MDs and PAs alike.

There’s no guarantee these healthcare professionals will have the time to mentor you through physician assistant shadowing duties, but as a fairly low-effort, low-risk option, it’s worth the shot to email, call, or ask while getting your check-up. If it doesn’t work out, you can always try to get a referral to someone your PCP thinks can help.

2. Ask around your network to connect you

Do you know someone who can connect you to an internship?

You might not personally know a doctor or PA to set up a pre-physician assistant summer internship with, but it doesn’t mean that others don’t! Ask around your family, extended family, friends, and classmates to see if they can put you in contact with a physician assistant they may know.

Additionally, someone in your network can also point to another student who has had shadowing experiences in the past to give you some tips. You’d be surprised to find that a second or third degree connection is much more eager to help than a complete stranger!

3. Cold call and email clinics near you

Good communication is a basic tool in any PA’s toolbox. As such, remember to be personal and empathetic in your outreach to each individual, especially ones you haven’t met before. PAs or any medical professional take time out of their already packed day to patiently give shadowing students a view into their profession.

Chances are you are not the first or last motivated student to reach out to nearby clinics for shadowing hours, so put a little bit more care in your communication to show you also respect their time.

4. Leverage your professors or university’s career support

Just as universities care about getting students employed, they also definitely care about alumni pursuing further education for professional career tracks. It’s in a university’s best interest that students gain acceptance into medical programs, for example, because it helps their own prestige and attracts new students. 

As such, chances are that your school already has tons of resources available for pre-med and pre-PA students to get connected with internship or shadowing experiences. Additionally, your professors and faculty will have a pretty good idea of what kind of internship or observational shadowing program suits your background and career aspirations.

5. Join orgs near you and online

Searching for pre PA internships through online communities can be effective.

Look for pre-PA and pre-med organizations at your school or in your community. If you can’t find one in-person, you’ll have tons of success connecting with others in the same boat online through forums and organizations.

Community-based websites like Reddit, Physician Assistant Forum, Quora, and Facebook groups provide a wealth of information on how other students interested in a physician assistant career go through the application process. By learning about others’ journeys, you can find out what other shadowing and internship options are available.

6. Broaden your search to pre-PA internships abroad

Of course, healthcare experience for aspiring physician assistants come in all shapes and sizes, including global internships. While you still won’t be allowed to engage in medical practices that you aren’t trained and licensed to do back home, pre-PA internships abroad offer the perk of not being bound to HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

This legality causes more liability for hospitals, making it harder for unrelated parties to find internships in US hospitals and observe private procedures.

Shadowing abroad lets pre-PA students observe a wider array of procedures and care of complex diseases not found in the US, as well as different healthcare systems. You can find a number of organized internships abroad through program providers with structured itineraries and solid relationships with clinics and hospitals overseas.

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Ready to find pre-PA internships abroad and at home?

You’ll gain a ton of essential experience from your internship!

Not all PA schools strictly require physician assistant shadowing duties. However, students find that having that experience either informally or from summer clinical internships for undergraduates interested in medicine gives much more experience to talk about in interviews and in applications. Of course, first-hand experience observing any professional “in action” will also help you make better informed decisions of whether it’s a career path for you.

Soak up as much of the PA life as you can before committing and explore pre-physician assistant summer internships that fit your interests!

Explore ALL medical internships abroad on GoAbroad.com

This article was written with help from International Medical Aid, who also provided all photos seen above. IMA is a not-for-profit organization that offers medical programs for students in places like East Africa, South America, and the Caribbean through an ethics-based approach to care. They offer summer, fall, and winter programs.