The best questions to ask a PA while shadowing are about the parts of the job you cannot see from the hallway: how the PA works with physicians, how much they decide on their own, why they chose their specialty, whether they have switched specialties and how they keep their certification. Ask between patients, never in front of one.
Shadowing a physician assistant is different from shadowing a doctor, and your questions should reflect that. PAs train in general medicine, work on teams with physicians and can move between specialties during a career. If you plan to shadow both, our list of questions to ask while shadowing a doctor covers the physician side, so you can compare the two careers with real answers.
Why PA Shadowing Needs Its Own Questions
The questions that work with a surgeon or a family physician do not always tell you much about the PA role. What you most need to learn is how the profession actually operates day to day, and much of that is invisible unless you ask.
According to the American Academy of Physician Associates, PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. AAPA reports more than 200,000 PAs in the United States, more than 315 accredited programs, programs that run about 27 months and more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations. AAPA also notes that a PA’s specific duties depend on the setting, their experience, their specialty and state law, and that most state laws still require a PA to have an agreement with a specific physician to practice.
Every one of those facts is a conversation starter. The PA you shadow knows how they apply in their own clinic or hospital, and that local detail is what you cannot get from a website.
Questions to Ask Before the Day Starts
A few minutes at the start sets the tone. Keep these short and practical:
- Where would you like me to stand during visits, and when should I step out?
- Is there anything patients here are likely to be sensitive about?
- When is a good time for questions today?
- Is there a type of visit you think I should pay special attention to?
These show that you respect the patients and the PA’s time. They also give the PA a chance to set expectations, which makes the rest of the day easier for both of you.
Questions About the PA Role and Physician Collaboration
This is the heart of PA shadowing. Ask at a quiet moment, such as charting time or the end of the day.
How Do You Work With the Physicians Here?
Ask how often the PA talks with a physician during a typical day, which decisions they make on their own and which ones they bring to the team. Ask whether their state requires a collaboration or supervision agreement and what it looks like in practice. The answer varies by state and by employer, so the PA’s description of their own arrangement is more useful than any general rule.
What Does Your Day Look Like Compared With a Physician’s?
Ask how their patient load, schedule and responsibilities compare with the physicians they work with. In some settings PAs see their own panel of patients; in others they share care closely with a surgeon or hospitalist. Hearing the difference in their own words helps you decide whether the PA model fits how you want to practice.
What Do Patients Understand About Your Role?
Ask how patients react when they learn they are seeing a PA and how the PA explains their role. This tells you about communication, trust and the parts of the job that never appear in a job description.
Questions About Specialties and Career Path
PAs train as generalists, and AAPA notes that they practice in every specialty. Many PAs change specialties during their careers, which is one of the profession’s most distinctive features. Ask about it directly:
- Have you worked in more than one specialty? What was the switch like?
- How long did it take to feel confident after changing specialties?
- What made you choose this specialty, and would you choose it again?
- Which specialties do new PAs in your area tend to start in?
The NCCPA, which certifies PAs, publishes specialty workforce data showing that hiring activity differs a lot from one specialty to another. Use that data to ask better questions, such as whether the PA’s own specialty is hiring and what new graduates find hardest in their first year. For more on how workforce data relates to career exploration, see our guide to PA Week and career exploration.
Questions About PA School, Certification and Staying Current
The PA you shadow went through the same application process you are about to start. Ask about it:
- What experience did you have before PA school, and what helped most?
- What surprised you about the didactic year and clinical rotations?
- How did you prepare for the certification exam?
- How do you keep your certification and stay current in your specialty?
After PA school, graduates take the PANCE, the national certifying exam run by the NCCPA, and every state requires PAs to be licensed. Certified PAs also complete continuing medical education and recertify on a schedule the NCCPA sets. Asking a PA how they handle that ongoing learning tells you a lot about what the career demands over decades, not just in school.
Questions to Avoid or Save for Later
Some questions are fine in private but awkward in public, and some are better left alone:
- Never ask about a patient’s diagnosis or history where the patient or others can hear.
- Avoid questions that sound like you are comparing the PA unfavorably with physicians or nurse practitioners.
- Hold questions about pay until you know the PA well and the setting is private. Career path and daily work questions teach you more.
- Do not ask the PA to diagnose your own symptoms or those of a friend.
If you are unsure whether a question is appropriate, write it down and ask the PA later whether it is a fair question to raise.
How to Record What You Learn
Take notes between patients, never during a visit, and keep out names, dates of birth and any detail that could identify a patient. A simple template works well:
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Date and setting | Clinic type, specialty and city, no patient names |
| Hours | Start and end time for the day |
| A case in general terms | For example, “adult with chest pain worked up in the emergency department” |
| Question asked | Your exact question |
| PA’s answer | A short summary in your own words |
| What surprised you | One or two lines |
Those notes become the raw material for your application. CASPA, the application service most PA programs use, has a Shadowing experience type defined as time spent following and observing a health care professional at work, preferably a PA. For each entry you give a description, the date range, your average weekly hours and a supervisor programs can contact to verify it. CASPA also says you cannot count the same hours in more than one experience type, so split hours by duty when one role covers several. Our guide to international clinical hours for PA school explains how programs read hours from abroad.
Shadowing PAs Abroad
On IMA’s pre-PA internships, students work alongside licensed clinicians in hospitals abroad. Under their supervision and within their training level, interns take part in direct patient care: they take vital signs, help with patient intake and triage, conduct basic patient interviews and assist with noninvasive tasks, alongside ward rounds, rotations and community outreach. They do not diagnose, prescribe or perform invasive procedures.
Because the role includes both following clinicians and supervised patient contact, you will need to decide how to describe those hours in CASPA. That choice is yours, and each PA program decides how it counts what you enter. Our guide to direct patient care hours for PA school walks through the categories. If you are still building hours at home, see how to get patient care hours for PA school without a certification.
The same questions in this guide work abroad, with one addition: ask how the local team divides work between doctors, clinical officers, nurses and students. Comparing that with what you saw at home is one of the most useful things you can bring back. For an overview of the PA path and placements, see what a physician assistant internship is and how to get one.
Follow Up After the Day
Send a short thank-you note within a day or two. Mention one specific thing you learned from an answer the PA gave. If you hope to ask for a letter of recommendation later, keep in touch with brief updates on your progress, and ask whether you may shadow again as your application comes together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Question to Ask a PA While Shadowing?
Ask how they work with the physicians on their team and which decisions they make on their own. The answer explains more about the PA role than almost any other question.
How Many Questions Should I Ask During a PA Shadowing Day?
Four to six thoughtful questions are usually enough. Ask fewer when the schedule is full, and save longer conversations for the end of the day.
Is It Okay to Ask a PA Why They Did Not Go to Medical School?
Phrase it as a question about their choice, such as what drew them to the PA profession. Most PAs are happy to explain, but avoid wording that suggests the PA path is second best.
How Do I Enter PA Shadowing Hours in CASPA?
CASPA has a Shadowing experience type for time spent following and observing a health care professional, preferably a PA. You enter a description, the date range, average weekly hours and a supervisor who can verify the experience.
Should I Shadow More Than One PA?
Yes, if you can. Shadowing PAs in different specialties shows you how much the role changes between settings, which helps you answer why you chose the PA profession.
Can I Ask a PA About Switching Specialties?
Yes. Many PAs have worked in more than one specialty, and their experience of changing fields is one of the most useful things you can learn while shadowing.
