Jump to content

Lecom APAP


Recommended Posts

I'm surprised there isn't more noise about this program. I guess the 12 PAs per year that are attending this program aren't visiting the forums. Had a few questions about it like how competitive it is to get a seat (especially looking at those 6 undeclared spots), if someone could pick up a few shifts on weekends to keep money flow (or if that would be total suicide), and how realistic it is to go into a non primary care residency from this program (gas,rads,em,etc. for example). At about 30k per year raw tuition a person could potentially go thru for around 100k. That seems pretty reasonable. Any experience in this program or opinions are appreciated. 

 

-JamesC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 53
  • Created
  • Last Reply

most are not as excited as you are. I would rather PAs further themselves professionally, and those who want to go to medical school do that instead of PA. I do not want see the PA profession become a stepping stone to MD. This type of program sends us back 30 years. I am not in favor of expansion of these types of programs. They are not necessary and do not answer the so called "doctor shortage". Which is essentially a shortage of healthcare workers in certain regions especially inner city primary care. PA's can fill many of those positions today. But people do not want to work in that situation. Does not matter how many PA or MD or combo programs you create people would rather work in a different setting.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

one of the issues is that many pas want to work in a rural primary care environment but can't find a doc in small town xyz to supervise them or their doc dies/retires/moves/etc. so a few options:

small town hires an NP

PAs get independent practice rights

PA becomes an md/do and moves back to small town and opens practice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it is a very, very, very rare person that is going to stop mid career and return MD school with probably loans and then return to the rural post making 120k a year. Most will write that in the admissions letter but will wind up in a higher paying position. 

 

When people on wall street playing with numbers are living the high life you better believe when I put in 50 hours a week providing healthcare for a very complex patient panel I want to be reimbursed properly. That is not greed. It is common sense. And people who can get into PA and MD school have a lot of it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

fp docs in rural areas are making a lot more than 120k. more like 180-220k due to the broad scope of practice. many do low risk ob, scopes, vasectomies, treadmills, derm procedures, etc. as there are fewer specialists around.

If I went back to med school (very unlikely at this point- I would for 2 years, no mcat) I would want to do full scope fp and do clinic + ER + OB + inpts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry my mailbox is full. I rarely sign on to a desktop and haven't figured out how to clear my inbox in tapatalk. I get about 3 inquiries a week about APAP and I can't keep up lol.

Look, it's not for everyone. 3 years instead of 4 was an improvement and it did save me about $50k but I'm still another $180k in debt with the atrocious student loan interest rates. To me it's worth it and I am happier. Poorer, very humble and happier. Also facing another divorce but that was likely to happen regardless of whether I went back to med school.

I don't expect to settle for anything less than $150k in FM right out of residency--and that's on the low end. FM truly is the hot commodity and as long as you have a niche (mine is geriatrics) the demand is there. I have ZERO interest in OB after residency but I wanted full-spectrum training so that I would be prepared for anything and I got it. About half of my residency's graduates go into hospital medicine, the other half primary care. The variety is appealing and the sky's the limit.

Folks in my class got the residency they wanted--rads, anesthesia, IM/CC, FM, EM, IM. We didn't settle. It will be interesting to see where this next class matches with the limitation for AOA residencies (we didn't have that for the inaugural class and it will soon be a non-issue with the ACGME merger) but I have high hopes for them as well.

Our board scores have been categorically well above the mean and we have shown how smart PAs are. We all know that already but sadly many physicians and even worse ivory tower medical education folks don't know. Ha!

I was one of the few who worked during med school. I had to financially as I was still supporting a household back in SC and student loans only go so far. Also I have needs like getting my hair done and pedicures :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

one of the issues is that many pas want to work in a rural primary care environment but can't find a doc in small town xyz to supervise them or their doc dies/retires/moves/etc. so a few options:

small town hires an NP

PAs get independent practice rights

PA becomes an md/do and moves back to small town and opens practice

 

Meh, I don't think it is as many as you think it is.

 

New Mexico gave 100% independence to NPs years ago, and yet despite that full independence there are only 3 rural clinics in the entire state run by NPs, meanwhile MDs still run the vast majority of them.

 

NPs and PAs like the big cities just as much as the docs do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It will be interesting to see where this next class matches with the limitation for AOA residencies (we didn't have that for the inaugural class and it will soon be a non-issue with the ACGME merger) but I have high hopes for them as well.

 

 

Hi Primadonna,

 The AOA limitation has been removed. Once again free to apply to ACGME and AOA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
To anyone in APAP that can PM me:

I noticed a post of a former APAP student on SDN (their mailbox is full) that they kept their privileges at a hospital in another state to work a few shifts on holidays during med school. My current gig has talked to me about doing the same.  Is this feasible?  are there enough off-days that I could potentially fly back and work a few shifts?  It doesn't sound like there are many days off during APAP as there are no summer breaks.  

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry my inbox is very full and I haven't managed to sign on to a desktop to empty it.

You cannot realistically plan on any cluster of days off with any regularity.

I tended to pick up shifts that other folks wanted to give up when I was home or scheduled them during holiday breaks (not many of those either).

It can be done if your gig is very, very flexible but if they want you for a weekend every month no guarantees that you could do this nor want to as there will ALWAYS and invariably be another exam that needs attention looming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Yes I have spoken to Professor/Doctor Kauffman the reason for the lack of true excitement is mainly due to one 6 of the twelve spots being reserved for individuals who are going into primary care and secondly because many individuals who just finished a PA degree will not want to go back to school especially medschool which is reduced (3.5 instead of 4) years plus residency.  Due to this the program has had a limited following especially with many people concluding that the high costs coupled with PA debt and being pushed into primary care might be part of the reason. 

 

In my humble opinion. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's actually 2.8 years (2 years, 10 months). The bad thing, in my opinion, is that you don't get summer off (which is similar to PA school). Good thing is that it's didactic mixed with clinicals, which will probably be a nice change.

 

As for the money, their estimate is 180k for entire COA, which is pretty good. I know people that are paying double than that easily. For me, personally, the GI Bill will knock it down to about 70k total. Good deal.

 

Then you have the specialties vs. primary care tract. Primary case included family medicine, IM (which can be used to branch into subspecialties), OBGYN, and peds). Personally, it makes sense to me to add psych to this since psych is definitely primary case-ish these days. But oh well. I digress.

 

Then you have the pathway option, either tradition, PBL, or DSP. Traditional is all classroom. Not my style personally. PBL is meeting up a few times a week in groups to discuss a case and learn that way. Read on your own. Sounds similar to what I've been doing since PA school, which definitely works much better for me. I don't really know what DSP is.

 

In any event, I think it's worth it. But it will be 6+ more years of school, which is a long time. I'll be 29 and, presumably, single once I have to begin seriously thinking about this. Not sure I want to waste my 30s chasing the doctor dream.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More