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Class of 2014 accepted students!!!!!


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Be warned that some of the PA Faculty are straight out of the Army and are oblivious of civilian niceties. The worst offender: Maryann K who has obviously risen from the slums (as her diction will prove) and who will openly say things like "I'll sling you by the butt" , “I’ll grab you by the balls” etc., The there's Pearl F who’s teaching is a stream of Umms and Sighs and whose Power Point slides have remained resolutely unreadable except after much tweaking. She hangs on unmoved because she is the Dean’s wife. Then there was Brian T, who told all the students that he had organized everybody’s rotations, then high-tailed out of the Dept. for greener pastures. When he was gone, students started turning up at their appointed rotations only to be given blank stares by their would-be preceptors who hadn’t the slightest idea of what was going on: it was all a hoax.

The big disadvantage is that there is no attached hospital for rotations; the PA Faculty have to come to agreements with local practitioners who are often unwilling to let students touch the patients. So how does one become a clinician without touching patients?

In short: be warned. good luck

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I have heard about some of the shortcomings that are posted above and still thrilled to entering Touro next July. I've spoken to a handful of current students who have expressed varying levels of frustration with Pearl F's teachings, rotations being confusing, etc. but this program is still a newer program and, as such, will have some growing pains. However, all schools will have issues of varying degrees. One current student put it to me this way- if you take responsibility for yourself and don't rely on things being fed to you, you will do fine. This is no disrespect to Carlasantana, as we all have different styles and needs. We all walk different paths.

 

As a side note, the lack of an associated facility also concerned me, but due to my current job, I know a lot of the local practitioners. Many (not all) have noted to me that the students didn't seem prepared for their rotations. That impression could possibly be why they don't let students touch the patients- I've personally seen the same practitioner behave very differently with different students. Again, no disrespect, but providing another perspective.

 

Nothing worth having is easy. Look forward to meeting everyone in July!

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Well, I'm a student in PA12 and I whole-heartedly concur with Charliebear's comment above. Different practitioners react differently to students depending on their and the students' personalities. I have no regrets, and I'm on my way out with above-average grades. The key is to remain focused on the GOAL, i.e., to get a PA-C from an accredited university. I must also comment that my year (PA13) seems to have been the worst ht of all the years ever. My junior year (PA13) seems to be enjoying the ride.

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I must confess that I have had a lot of experience handling patients before I joined. I'm on my way out with above-average grades. The key is to remain low-key and focused on the GOAL, i.e., to get a PA-C from an accredited university. I must also comment that my year (PA12) seems to have been the worst hit of all the years ever. My junior year (PA13) seems to be enjoying the ride. Its best to come prepared with up-to-date knowledge: I'd advise you to take refresher courses in Anatomy, Biochemistry & Pharmacology; 3 subjects that rattle students the most every year. All PA programs expect their students to come somewhat prepared. And new extremely knowledgeable Faculty ARE being inducted; you'll find Brian S a walking encyclopedia ..

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The curriculum is standard. After all, it is geared to make you a good clinician and a good PA. If you can overlook the faults and foibles of the PA Faculty (i.e., the PAs who are also Faculty), you'll do well. Before classes begin, you will be assigned student mentors, i.e., students from PA13 who will give you all the notes etc. Make sure to utilize them. Also, make sure you ask for tutors in the subjects that you aren't doing well in. And above all, come prepared with the Basics, i.e., Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry & Pharmacology. The rotations are your luck. The majority of people get good rotations. The unlucky few cannot get along well with the preceptors. Don't let negative remarks deter you; most programs are the same. And the 1st generation of Army PAs are gradually retiring to be replaced by civilian PA Faculty. Yes, it does seem that the PA12s were the most hard hit; the PA11s have done exceedingly well: I've heard that 14% (7 people) in PA11 scored 100% in PANCE; pass rate was 92%, i.e. 47 people out of 51 passed.

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Please keep in mind that no matter where you go, there is going to be good and bad. No program is perfect. Touro has a lot of good sides to it. You are going to have rough professors no matter what school you attend. I have lots of friends that have gone to medical school / PA school all over the US and they all say that they have hard professors and easy ones.

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Just got accepted into the class of 2014 and I am very excited! Congrats to all that have made it. I was wondering what are everyone's backgrounds? Whether you are current students, past, or in my class. I'm 25 years old from THE Ohio State University. My undergrad was in Biology and Medical Technology. I am currently a Medical Technologist in Las Vegas. I am VERY excited to get out of the lab and into the fray!!! I am about the join the Facebook group so I can start putting faces to you all, and I suggest everyone else does too. As for prep work, yeah, I haven't started yet:smile:...but I will! Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Bio Chem is what I hear will really make us grab our ankles. BRING IT ON! Plus, I have heard a lot of bad rap about a bunch of other PA programs out there, and out of all that I have seen, I am confident that this one (although not the best) is GREAT!!! At the end of the day, whatever program you get through to sit for the PANCE, we are all still taking the same test and still getting our freakin' MASTAS!!! (that's master's for those who are really medically acronym happy).:=-0:

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"Re: Class of 2014 accepted students!!!!!

Be warned that some of the PA Faculty are straight out of the Army and are oblivious of civilian niceties. The worst offender: Maryann K who has obviously risen from the slums (as her diction will prove) and who will "

 

Please take this posting with a grain of salt. It has been my experience in life that when a person is all about the negatives they are generally an unhappy person. I have personally been with this program for the last 6 months, and can say that I see how hard the faculty work for the students. They are all truly good hearted people who actually care about each student as an individual. I can honestly say that none of the faculty would ever post hurtful things about any of the students no matter what the situation, because they are generally happy people and professionals. It concerns me as a faculty member that a student would think that blogging in such a deliberate and hateful way would be accetable. Its not.

 

We all have hurdles in life and things we think are not fair, but its how we handle them that makes us who we are. Who would you rather call a peer and a friend as a PA? The person spewing venom and complaining about everything? Or the people who work hard, are well balanced and kind hearted? I'll take the later, both as a friend and a peer.

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One other quick comment about the program. For a program that is made to sound so bad, the last class who just graduated had 7 perfecr scores on the PANCE with several other students having close to perfect scores. That's more than 20% of the class! Also excellent overall pass rates! The proof is in the pudding!

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I'm a student at Touro University, now in my clinical rotations (PA class of 2012) and I can assert that I have absolutely no regrets having chosen Touro as my Alma Mater. The going hasn't been easy, and the studies have been tough, but we should remember that patients' lives will be in our hands, and Touro does just what it should do: i.e., prepare us for a life as a medical provider. The first year is tough, and the toughest subjects can be Anat Biochem and Pharm, but we're all supposed to have some prior medical exposure and have the prerequisites under our belt, and it doesn't harm anyone to come prepared. The staff are extraordinarily caring, and at the beginning of then year, the Program Director will meet the spouses of the new students to tell them exactly why their husbands or wives will spend so much time studying. The Faculty go out of their way to help. The senior students are extremely helpful. There are Tutors provided to you if you fall back in any subject and don't ever hesitate to ask for one. And the proff of the pudding is finally in the eating: more than 95% of 2011 passed PANCE and some were offered jobs even during their rotations. The external rotations actually give us opportunities to strut our stuff to many different preceptors who want to employ PAs. So don't let anything dissuade you from joining a wonderful school and forging ahead in a wonderful career. Just come prepared to study and learn!

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I'm a student at Touro University, now in my clinical rotations (PA class of 2012) and I can assert that I have absolutely no regrets having chosen Touro as my Alma Mater. The going hasn't been easy, and the studies have been tough, but we should remember that patients' lives will be in our hands, and Touro does just what it should do: i.e., prepare us for a life as a medical provider. The first year is tough, and the toughest subjects can be Anat Biochem and Pharm, but we're all supposed to have some prior medical exposure and have the prerequisites under our belt, and it doesn't harm anyone to come prepared. The staff are extraordinarily caring, and at the beginning of then year, the Program Director will meet the spouses of the new students to tell them exactly why their husbands or wives will spend so much time studying. The Faculty go out of their way to help. The senior students are extremely helpful. There are Tutors provided to you if you fall back in any subject and don't ever hesitate to ask for one. And the proff of the pudding is finally in the eating: more than 95% of 2011 passed PANCE and some were offered jobs even during their rotations. The external rotations actually give us opportunities to strut our stuff to many different preceptors who want to employ PAs. So don't let anything dissuade you from joining a wonderful school and forging ahead in a wonderful career. Just come prepared to study and learn!

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