PA Interview Prep- Samuel Merritt
University C/O 2026 exm with complete
solutions
Tell us about yourself. - ANSWER-- Name
- Grew up in SSF, knew I wanted to move out of my parents house after college so now
residing in Belmont and providing for myself
- Where graduated from, what I studied, what I participated in
- Currently working as an MA in three different clinics- podiatry, UC and free medical UC
clinic- I have gained invaluable skills such as taking vitals, perfoming EKGs a
- When not working the weekends, I spend time in LA with my partner or she comes up
here
- I have a cat named anakin, i adopted him from the shelter over a little a year ago;
name b/c obsessed with Star Wars
- I own a TON of plants - love the look of them and understanding their nature
- Workout --> did ballet for a big part of my life,
Why do you want to be a PA ? - ANSWER--No career quite stood out to me the way the
PA profession has
- Walk through point A to point B, emphasize I did a lot of research and in- depth
reflecting of whether or not the PA profession was right for me
- Shadowed oncology PA, who became a mentor for me. She showed so much
compassion, expert care and guidance to all her patients , through our conversations
she encouraged me to keep going and to not give up.
- It meant a lot hearing this from an oncology PA as it hit very close to home for me
because at this time, my mom was also going through chemotreatment and I had to
jump in to be her sole provider.
, - Working with her healthcare team and having guidance from this oncology PA is what
led me to continue to learn about the profession
-
Becoming a PA will help me become a bigger advocate to underrepresented
populations.
- Daughter of immigrants, spent time in doctor's office helping my parents understand
bigger technical words
- Representation is so important
- I have dedication to my community and want to give back
-Becoming a PA is advantegous as I would be well-versed in many different fields and
serve wherever I'm needed and wherever my heart desires
- I thrive in team -based settings and have the ability to adapt
- Lots of research of the profession --> talk about how you got there!!
Why would you be a great fit for this program? - ANSWER-1) Fulfill mission of showing
commitment to the community. I joined - my hometown's volunteer corp and distributed
groceries to the disadvantaged during the pandemic, served over 750+ families
-became an outreach coordinator for a non-profit org called the Headband Project
- Mentorship through The Crisis Text Line and through my Filipino-American Student
org in the academic sector
- I also tutored an elementary student from my hometowns' school district
- Spent time in soup kitchens
2) I exemplify your core values
1. Patient/ interaction and exposure - I've encountered a wide range of patients with
many diverse backgrounds and wide demographic, I've learned how to approach them
with the utomost compassion.
2. Technical skills: wound/ lesion debridement, venipunctures, EKGs, administer meds,
utilizing laser therapies, diagnositc tests such as ABI/TBIs and nerve function
3. Responsibility: created training system, train externs and new MAs, run morning
huddles
- Hope to share my diverse clinical skills, my compassion adn attention to detail with my
cohort and continue to enhance these skills as a PA student
Why do you want to attend this program specifically? - ANSWER-- Community
Opportunities through the Ethnic Health Institute and its future collaboration in programs
around transgender medicine
University C/O 2026 exm with complete
solutions
Tell us about yourself. - ANSWER-- Name
- Grew up in SSF, knew I wanted to move out of my parents house after college so now
residing in Belmont and providing for myself
- Where graduated from, what I studied, what I participated in
- Currently working as an MA in three different clinics- podiatry, UC and free medical UC
clinic- I have gained invaluable skills such as taking vitals, perfoming EKGs a
- When not working the weekends, I spend time in LA with my partner or she comes up
here
- I have a cat named anakin, i adopted him from the shelter over a little a year ago;
name b/c obsessed with Star Wars
- I own a TON of plants - love the look of them and understanding their nature
- Workout --> did ballet for a big part of my life,
Why do you want to be a PA ? - ANSWER--No career quite stood out to me the way the
PA profession has
- Walk through point A to point B, emphasize I did a lot of research and in- depth
reflecting of whether or not the PA profession was right for me
- Shadowed oncology PA, who became a mentor for me. She showed so much
compassion, expert care and guidance to all her patients , through our conversations
she encouraged me to keep going and to not give up.
- It meant a lot hearing this from an oncology PA as it hit very close to home for me
because at this time, my mom was also going through chemotreatment and I had to
jump in to be her sole provider.
, - Working with her healthcare team and having guidance from this oncology PA is what
led me to continue to learn about the profession
-
Becoming a PA will help me become a bigger advocate to underrepresented
populations.
- Daughter of immigrants, spent time in doctor's office helping my parents understand
bigger technical words
- Representation is so important
- I have dedication to my community and want to give back
-Becoming a PA is advantegous as I would be well-versed in many different fields and
serve wherever I'm needed and wherever my heart desires
- I thrive in team -based settings and have the ability to adapt
- Lots of research of the profession --> talk about how you got there!!
Why would you be a great fit for this program? - ANSWER-1) Fulfill mission of showing
commitment to the community. I joined - my hometown's volunteer corp and distributed
groceries to the disadvantaged during the pandemic, served over 750+ families
-became an outreach coordinator for a non-profit org called the Headband Project
- Mentorship through The Crisis Text Line and through my Filipino-American Student
org in the academic sector
- I also tutored an elementary student from my hometowns' school district
- Spent time in soup kitchens
2) I exemplify your core values
1. Patient/ interaction and exposure - I've encountered a wide range of patients with
many diverse backgrounds and wide demographic, I've learned how to approach them
with the utomost compassion.
2. Technical skills: wound/ lesion debridement, venipunctures, EKGs, administer meds,
utilizing laser therapies, diagnositc tests such as ABI/TBIs and nerve function
3. Responsibility: created training system, train externs and new MAs, run morning
huddles
- Hope to share my diverse clinical skills, my compassion adn attention to detail with my
cohort and continue to enhance these skills as a PA student
Why do you want to attend this program specifically? - ANSWER-- Community
Opportunities through the Ethnic Health Institute and its future collaboration in programs
around transgender medicine
