Scary thought...

[ventana]

Yeah this just clicked in my head.....

 

 

Med school 3 years

 

Assistant physician for a brief time

 

then TaDa you are a full fledged PCP

 

 

Cost - about $150,000

 

 

PA

2.5 years

 

always an assistant

 

NEVER e full fledged PCP

 

Cost - $125,000

 

 

 

 

So tell me where are we going??

[Guest Paula]

Ventana: You and I have proposed a CAQ in primary care and I believe that we need one to prove we provide Advanced primary care medical services, and once we pass the CAQ should be allowed to practice autonomously in PC.  PAs need to become the next APs if the AP designation catches on.  In reality the AP is a GP without their externship and will learn OTJ.  Just like we did after graduating PA school. 

 

The AP designation will be the PA downfall unless we can convince the powers that be that there is little difference between us and a 3 year medical school w/o the med school residency. Are we going Back to the Future?  

 

I wonder too where are we heading? 

[KMD16]

Interesting thoughts. 3 yrs med sch. AP for a while. Then full fledge. Only draw back is you can only practice in MO as a full fledge. Medicine sucks!

[True Anomaly]

I really feel sorry for anyone who paid $125,000 to attend PA school

[PACdan]

I really feel sorry for anyone who paid $125,000 to attend PA school

This is becoming/ is the reality. 2.5-3 years, no income, schools jacking up the rates, loan interest. Most of the schools I looked at were $60-70k for tuition/supplies. Not counting the rent/food/utilities...

 

APs could fizzle. Three year programs are limited at the moment.

 

I understand the sentiment Ventana, PAs need a game changer.

 

[whoRyou]

So tell me where are we going??

I was hoping you would tell us since you are a veteran around here (going on almost 10 years). 

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

I wonder if anyone else questions if we've already reached our peak and are coming down the back slope as opposed to continuing upward?

[True Anomaly]

This is becoming/ is the reality. 2.5-3 years, no income, schools jacking up the rates, loan interest. Most of the schools I looked at were $60-70k for tuition/supplies. Not counting the rent/food/utilities...

 

 

Then if it hits six figures for tuition and fees to attend PA school, I can't reasonably recommend actually attending PA school. The financial advantage of going to a PA program would almost be gone. I only graduated 5 years ago, and my entire program- tuition and fees- was $21,000. I'm sorry to see that this is on the low end of the bell curve.

[Z PA-C]

Tuition at my program is 80k total for the two years (not including cost of living). That seems to be pretty normal here in Cal.

As a comparison, the medical school tuition is 52k/yr (4 year MD). I have friends who finished med school with easily 350K in student loans so it's definitely more expensive for everyone nowadays

[wjm7]

Then if it hits six figures for tuition and fees to attend PA school, I can't reasonably recommend actually attending PA school. The financial advantage of going to a PA program would almost be gone. I only graduated 5 years ago, and my entire program- tuition and fees- was $21,000. I'm sorry to see that this is on the low end of the bell curve.

 

Wow.  Good for you.  (In all seriousness!)

[andersenpa]

I wonder if anyone else questions if we've already reached our peak and are coming down the back slope as opposed to continuing upward?

No, the profession is growing and will be for some years now.

[chris.shannon77]

When you have hundreds to thousands of people applying for a hand full of seats in each program the law of supply and demand will kick in.  I'm not surprised the cost is going up.

[EMEDPA]

Then if it hits six figures for tuition and fees to attend PA school, I can't reasonably recommend actually attending PA school. The financial advantage of going to a PA program would almost be gone. I only graduated 5 years ago, and my entire program- tuition and fees- was $21,000. I'm sorry to see that this is on the low end of the bell curve.

my program was 30K total at a private med school program almost 20 years ago.

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

I want to say mine was $20K total (starting '81). Lived at home first year after graduation and commuted to job. Debt was paid off after one year. If I were going to go into debt for a six-figure amount, it would be for either an MD or DO degree only. That is why I made the earlier comment about whether the profession has peaked. At this amount of debt I don't consider it cost-effective.

[PC2ED]

graduated this year (2014). PA school costs me ~40k. First year I dorm (BIG mistake), then rented a room closer to school for the remaining years.  All of this, in the middle of NYC!!

[FSUnoles]

I know a lot of people who are regretting it that are over 100k in debt.

[JohnnyM2]

I really feel sorry for anyone who paid $125,000 to attend PA school

According to PAEA, the average resident PA school tuition increased from $6,378 in 1965, to $63,098 in 2012. For non-residents the 2012 cost was about $10,000 more.

 

Note, however, that tuition for schools that had no break for residents, e.g. private schools like Baylor, was included in both sets of data. The average cost for schools that offer resident tuition breaks would have, otherwise, been less.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[JohnnyM2]

According to PAEA, the average resident PA school tuition increased from $6,378 in 1965, to $63,098 in 2012. For non-residents the 2012 cost was about $10,000 more.

 

Note, however, that tuition for schools that had no break for residents, e.g. private schools like Baylor, were included in both sets of data. The average cost for schools that offer resident tuition breaks would have, otherwise, been less.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2

That's just tuition. It doesn't include fees, books, and living expenses. At the University of North Texas, a very solid 32 month program, estimated total costs for residents is about $120,600 and for non residents $179,500.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Guest Paula]

For that cost the programs need to award doctorate degrees in clinical medicine. My tuition in 2001 was about 12,000 a year. I didn't have additional living expenses since we have a home and I didn't need to move. I was out of debt within 3 years of graduation.

[EMEDPA]

at 100k I would have only looked at med school. There are still plenty of quality programs under 80k not including living expenses.

[andersenpa]

Is there a source like PAEA that provides a table with all the PA programs and their total tution?

[radtech1028]

Is there a source like PAEA that provides a table with all the PA programs and their total tution?

 

Data from Feb 2013. http://www.thepalife.com/physician-assistant-program-tuition-and-costs-estimated/

[mrwhite]

Ya why are people saying they wouldn't attend if tuition was ~100k..?  You realize most programs are ~70-90k nowadays?  Include cost of living and you're over 100k easily.  That's just the reality, if you have any solutions I'm all ears.

[PACdan]

Also, let's widen our gaze. ALL higher education costs have gone up. Undergrad to doctorate, it's not unique to PA schools.

[True Anomaly]

That's just tuition. It doesn't include fees, books, and living expenses. At the University of North Texas, a very solid 32 month program, estimated total costs for residents is about $120,600 and for non residents $179,500.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2

 

UNT is the program I went to

 

"Estimated living expenses" can always vary- the only thing to really control for is tuition and fees.  Of course I ended up paying more than $21K for all of PA school, but it was such a bargain at that price for a master's program that gave me a good foundation.

 

Still doesn't change my opinion that > $100,000, and especially $125,000 for tuition and fees for PA school alone makes it near impossible to recommend PA over medical school