Continue Your Journey
Now practise in realistic PA interview scenarios.
Start Practising5 min read
PA Interview PreparationThe Comprehensive PA Topics Guide for Physician Assistant Programs
The ethics, professional knowledge and current issues PA interviewers expect, with arguments on each side.
4
Main Parts
17
Key Topics
4
Quick Checks
How to Use This Guide
PA interviews test whether you understand the role and can reason through the situations PAs face: documentation, errors, teamwork and the profession's identity debates.
Key Insight
Know what a PA is, and isn't. Many applicants can't explain it clearly.
Part I
Ethical Foundations
The frameworks behind PA ethics.
AAPA's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct
The AAPA's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct for the PA Profession rest on four principles:
Autonomy
Respect patients' right to make decisions.
Beneficence
Act in patients' best interests.
Nonmaleficence
Avoid harm.
Justice
Fairness and equitable access.
They also address honesty (failing to disclose an error may be unethical) and gifts from industry (discouraged).
Quick Check
Test your understanding
Which set of principles underpins the AAPA's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct?
Ethics in Canada
The Canadian Association of Physician Assistants' code of ethics is adapted from the Canadian Medical Association's code. Where PAs are regulated, as in Ontario since April 1, 2025, the regulator's standards also apply.
Consent and Confidentiality
- Patients must understand who is treating them, including that you are a PA
- Informed consent: risks, benefits and alternatives, in plain language
- Confidentiality applies to everyone on the team
Part II
Understanding the Profession
What PAs do and how they're trained.
The PA Role
PAs take histories, examine, diagnose, order tests, prescribe and perform procedures, working in collaboration with physicians. Their generalist training lets them move between specialties: 52.7% of certified PAs have changed specialty at least once.
PA vs MD vs NP
PA
Generalist medical-model training; practises in collaboration with physicians.
Physician
Longer training and residency; ultimate clinical leadership.
Nurse Practitioner
Advanced nursing-model training, often with population focus.
Avoid
Comparing professions negatively. Explain why the PA model fits you.
PANCE and Certification
- The PANCE has 300 multiple-choice questions in five blocks of 60
- Certified PAs complete 100 CME hours every two years
- They recertify by the end of year 10 through the PANRE or PANRE-LA
Quick Check
Test your understanding
How many CME hours must certified PAs complete every two years?
The Admissions Landscape
- In 2024–25, CASPA had 34,625 applicants and 12,636 matriculants
- There are 335 ARC-PA accredited programs
- Duke and GWU require 1,000 hours of patient care experience
Part III
Current Issues
The debates most likely to come up.
The Title Change
In 2021 the AAPA voted to change the title to "physician associate". Oregon was the first state to adopt it in law (2024), followed by Maine and New Hampshire in 2025.
Supporters
"Assistant" undersells the role
Matches international usage
Matches international usage
Concerns
Patient confusion
Cost of changing laws and credentials
Some physicians object
Cost of changing laws and credentials
Some physicians object
Quick Check
Test your understanding
Which state was first to adopt the title "physician associate" in law?
Optimal Team Practice
Since 2017 the AAPA has supported optimal team practice: removing the legal requirement for a specific supervising physician, with collaboration decided at the practice level.
For
Improves access, especially rural
Reduces administrative barriers
Reduces administrative barriers
Against
Training differences
Patient safety concerns
Clarity of accountability
Patient safety concerns
Clarity of accountability
The PA Licensure Compact
The PA Licensure Compact lets PAs practise across member states, and has been enacted in 20 states.
Workforce, Burnout and Debt
- NCCPA counted 201,038 certified PAs at the end of 2025
- BLS projects 21% growth over a decade, with a median pay of $135,880
- About 34% of PAs report burnout
- From July 1, 2026, new federal graduate loans are capped at $20,500 a year and $100,000 total
PAs in Canada
Canada has seven PA programs, including McMaster, the U of T/NOSM/Michener Consortium, Manitoba, Dalhousie, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Western. Ontario's CPSO began regulating PAs on April 1, 2025.
Quick Check
Test your understanding
Since when has Ontario's CPSO regulated physician assistants?
Part IV
Professional Conduct
The scenarios behind most PA ethics stations.
Documentation Integrity
Records must reflect reality. If asked to document something you didn't observe, clarify, decline politely, offer an accurate alternative, and escalate if pressure continues.
Disclosing Errors
The AAPA guidelines note that failing to disclose an error may be unethical. Ensure safety, disclose, document and learn.
"I Want a Real Doctor"
Acknowledge the request calmly, explain your training and how you work with the physician, and respect the patient's choice if they still prefer the physician.
Disagreeing with a Physician
Raise concerns privately and with evidence, keep the patient's safety central, and escalate if a real risk remains.
Gifts and Industry
The AAPA guidelines discourage gifts from industry that could influence clinical decisions.
Final Section
Preparing for Interview Success
Bring it together.
Keys to PA Interview Success
Know the Role
Explain clearly what a PA is.
Team First
Collaboration and knowing your limits.
Honesty
Accurate records and disclosure.
Balance
Fair on profession debates.
Final Words
Show them the PA every team wants.
You're ready.
You're ready.