Health and Human Development Mentoring Program: November 2008 Newsletter

Spotlight on: Christina Shawver ’05 KINES and Jessica Walter

Alumna Christina Shawver graduated from the Kinesiology program and is a physician assistant student at Lock Haven University. She was matched with Jessica, a Biobehavioral Health major who would like to become a physician assistant. Researching physician assistant (PA) schools and the application process was a major topic of discussion throughout their mentoring relationship.

Since Christina had been through the application process, she was able to offer valuable advice on selecting a school and maneuvering through the many requirements of the application process. Their discussions included the use of the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Since CASPA does not list each school’s requirements, Christina pointed out to Jessica how important it is to review each program’s specific requirements as part of the decision making process. In addition to meeting specific requirements for different PA programs, applicants must also satisfy requirements pertaining to hospital and patient care experience. Christina was able to help Jessica decide how to gain the most beneficial and time-efficient experiences for those requirements.

Other topics they discussed included time management and interviewing skills. Christina knows that a PA program requires a great deal of time both in and outside of the classroom. Studying can take up to six hours each night after a full day of classes and personal time will be sacrificed in order to keep up. Jessica was urged to manage her time effectively and to reserve some personal time each week. When interviewing with PA schools, Jessica was advised to stay calm, be professional, and above all, be honest.

Jessica said, “Christina was extremely helpful in preparing me for PA school.” Although the sacrifices may seem overwhelming, discussing and preparing for the application process and knowing the time commitment can help alleviate some of the anxiety.

Jessica encourages protégés to understand how valuable a mentor is and to take advantage of the advice they have to offer.

Topic of the Month

Career Preparation – Resume Writing and Interview Skills

Mentors: Does your protégé have a resume? How many interviews have you been involved in either as a candidate or as an interviewee? What qualities do you look for in a job candidate?

Protégés: Have you asked your mentor to review your resume? Have you asked to do a mock interview?

2009 Mentoring Events

Please plan to attend the 2009 mentoring kickoff events at The Nittany Lion Inn! Continuing mentors and protégés are encouraged to attend so you can share your experiences with the new class of mentors and protégés and work on your action plans.

Friday, February 6, 2009 (Dinner)

Saturday, February 7, 2009 (Lunch)

Saturday, February 7, 2009 (Dinner)

Saturday, March 28, 2009 (Brunch)

Upcoming Events at University Park

As the alumni office prepares for the fall semester, we would like to invite both alumni mentors and student protégés to arrange time to get together at one of the following alumni events. These are wonderful opportunities for mentors and protégés to meet with one another and work on their action plans. Dates, times and locations of all fall events are below.

Fall Break
November 24-28 (no classes)

Fall Semester Classes End
December 12

Fall Semester Final Exams
December 15-19

Fall Commencement Reception
December 20, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Findlay Commons (East Halls)

Fall Commencement Ceremony
12:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center

Helpful Links:

Daily Collegian: www.collegian.psu.edu

Penn State Newswires (subscribe): newswires.psu.edu

College of Health and Human Development Homepage: www.hhdev.psu.edu

Penn State Live (daily news from Penn State): live.psu.edu

Penn State Alumni Association Homepage: www.alumni.psu.edu

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