Low Rankings

[TomPA]

Could anyone provide some insight into why this school (and California PA schools in general) have such low ratings? I really want to relocate to the West Coast for school and thought California would be the obvious state of choice, but am finding myself resigned to the Northwest because I do not want to attend a school that is judged so poorly by its peers.

[johnwaite81]

That is a very easy answer. The ranking system for PA schools is a completely biased system. US News is required to report the methodology for their rankings, and you'll notice that there is not a standard rubric for PA programs like there is for med schools and pharm schools. Essentially, what they do is ask random PA program directors which schools they think are tops. They do not look at PANCE pass rates, cost of education versus quality of education, quality of rotations, etc. It's pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Hope that helps!

[TomPA]

Hope that helps!

 

Thanks, it was helpful. Although I am still curious why the directors of others schools would rate them low, as they are asked to assess each school individually based on a set of criteria, rather than simply rank them ordinally, as you seem to suggest. Are you currently attending a school in California?

[Super Duper]

Thanks, it was helpful. Although I am still curious why the directors of others schools would rate them low, as they are asked to assess each school individually based on a set of criteria, rather than simply rank them ordinally, as you seem to suggest. Are you currently attending a school in California?

 

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the rankings too much. The pance pass rate, cost, how much you like the place, and the vibe given off by current students were way more important to me.

[SoCal_PA]

I am going to assume you are reffering to the rankings provided by U.S. News. The methodology they used is in no way scientific and should not be used to make your decision.

 

Here is how they came up with their list. "All the health rankings are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators, and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline. All schools surveyed in a discipline were sent the same number of surveys.Respondents rated the academic quality of programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). They were instructed to select "don't know" if they did not have enough knowledge to rate a program. Only fully accredited programs in good standing during the survey period are ranked. Those schools with the highest average scores appear in the rankings."

 

Good luck in your search.