LSU Health PA Program Interview: Format, Questions & Guide

7. Collaboration and Teamwork: Tell us about a time a team you belonged to disagreed on how to handle a task.

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "At the inpatient rehabilitation unit where I worked as a certified nursing assistant, evening nurses and physical therapy aides repeatedly clashed over when patients were dressed and ready for afternoon therapy sessions. Instead of blaming either side, I asked one physical therapist and my charge nurse to review the unit schedule together with me for ten minutes after shift change. We saw that three high-assist patients were booked at the same afternoon hour on the same hallway with only one CNA on the floor. I proposed staggering those three therapy slots by thirty minutes and writing daily therapy times on each room's whiteboard during morning vitals, which resolved the tension and cut late therapy starts right away."

8. Collaboration and Teamwork (MMI): During a PA school group project, one of your four classmates stops replying two days before the presentation. The other two want to go straight to the course director. What do you do?

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "Going straight to faculty without checking on our peer skips a basic professional duty as a colleague. First, I would call our classmate directly to make sure they are safe and not dealing with a sudden family or medical emergency, while asking the other two students to split the remaining slides with me so our group presentation is protected regardless. If our classmate is safe but overwhelmed by the material, we can sit down together and help them finish a smaller, manageable piece before the deadline. If they refuse to contribute or do not respond at all by the next morning, I would let them know calmly that we need to update the course director honestly."

9. Communication Skills: Explain to a worried parent why their child with a viral sore throat and runny nose does not need an antibiotic.

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "I would start by validating how exhausting and stressful it is to watch a child struggle to swallow and sleep for several nights. After listening to the parent's concerns, I would explain in plain, everyday words that sore throats usually come from two different germs: bacteria, such as strep throat, or viruses, such as a common cold. Because her rapid strep test is negative today and she has a cough and runny nose, her illness is caused by a virus, and antibiotics only kill bacteria. Giving an antibiotic today will not help her throat heal any faster and can cause an upset stomach or allergic rash. Instead, let us go over exact weight-based dosing for pain relief, soothing fluids, and the specific red-flag signs to bring her right back."

10. Professionalism and Maturity: Tell us about a time you received constructive feedback that was hard to hear, and what you changed.

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "In my first month working as a medical assistant in a busy clinic, my clinic manager told me during a check-in that my rooming notes were too wordy and buried the patient's main complaint. I had been proud of writing detailed histories, so hearing that my charting actually slowed the PA down stung at first. Instead of defending my habit, I thanked my manager and asked the PA after clinic to show me three charts from that morning that worked well for her workflow. I saw right away that she needed a crisp two-line summary at the top, followed by medication updates and abnormal vitals. I rewrote my note template that afternoon, and by the following week my rooming times were faster and clearer."

11. Professionalism and Adversity: LSU Health Shreveport runs classes roughly 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and advises against working while enrolled. How have your past responsibilities prepared you?

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "During my junior and senior years of college, I took a full load of upper-level biology and chemistry courses while working part-time as a certified nursing assistant to help pay my rent and tuition. Managing both responsibilities taught me to treat my daytime hours like a full-time job, studying actively in the library during every break between lectures so my evenings stayed free for hospital shifts and sleep. For PA school, I have budgeted carefully and planned with financial aid so I will not work during the 27 months, allowing me to bring that same 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. focus and time management to the classroom and clinical rotations."

12. Louisiana Healthcare: Over 70% of LSU Health Shreveport graduates practice in Louisiana. What barrier to primary care have you seen in our state, and how does a PA help close it?

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "While volunteering at a community health fair in Caddo Parish, I spoke with several older patients recently discharged from the hospital after heart failure or COPD flare-ups who could not get a local primary care appointment for weeks and ended up back in the emergency department when their inhalers or diuretics ran out. Because PAs are educated in broad primary care and work closely on physician-led teams, adding a PA to a rural or parish clinic opens same-week hospital follow-up appointments, medication reconciliations, and chronic disease checks. That continuity keeps Louisiana patients stable at home and prevents avoidable hospital readmissions."

For the 2026-2027 cycle at LSU Health Shreveport, CASPA opens April 30, 2026, the verified CASPA deadline is August 1, 2026, and classes begin May 24, 2027. Applicants need a US bachelor's degree before classes start, a 3.0 minimum cumulative and science GPA for Louisiana residents or 3.5 for nonresidents (all repeated attempts included), official GRE scores from the last five years sent to DI code 0423 (no minimum, no super-scoring. Class of 2027 averaged 152 Quantitative, 152 Verbal, and 4.1 Writing), and 3 letters via CASPA by August 1. Required prerequisites (grade of C or better) are Anatomy with lab (4 hours), Physiology (3 hours, or 8 hours combined A&P I and II with labs), 200-level+ Microbiology with lab (4 hours), Chemistry with labs (8 hours), Statistics (3 hours), Medical Terminology (2 to 3 hours), and 300/400-level Biology electives (8 hours, biochemistry accepted, organic chemistry excluded). You also need 80 hours of Patient Care or Healthcare Experience (shadowing no longer counts toward patient care hours starting in 26-27). Tuition and fees at LSU Health Shreveport are $42,906.93 for residents and $72,869.04 for nonresidents, with total cost of attendance at $135,971.93 for residents and $165,934.04 for nonresidents (with cost of living and other expenses estimated at $93,065). Compare these in our guide to PA school requirements, or see our guides to LSU Dental School and LSU Vet School.

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "First, I would thank him for telling me directly instead of leaving the pharmacy empty-handed. I want to make sure he is stable today, so I would check his current blood pressure, blood glucose, and whether he is having any acute symptoms. Then I would look at his medication list to see if he is paying cash for brand-name or separate pills that we can consolidate. Rather than forcing him to choose between controlling his blood sugar and preventing a stroke, I would sit down with him and my supervising physician to redesign the regimen around four-dollar generic lists at local pharmacies, combination tablets that cut three copays down to one, or clinic samples to bridge him while our staff helps him apply for patient assistance. Before he leaves, we would agree on a realistic plan he can afford every month and schedule a quick nurse or phone blood pressure check in two weeks."

It connects directly to LSU Health Shreveport's program competency PPP 4 (providing patient-centered care while considering financial impact, safety, and cost-effective resource utilization) and its primary care mission in Louisiana. Instead of picking one drug and ignoring the root cause, the applicant checks safety first, collaborates with the supervising physician, and solves the cost barrier.