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How much weight does the reputation of the PA school carry?


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This may reflect ignorance on my part; however, I really haven't found much information on the subject, perhaps because it doesn't actually matter?

 

Nevertheless, I'm curious as to if, like in undergraduate and to some extent graduate education, the reputation of the school has any further impact on a PA's career beyond the unique resources of that program (ex. job prospects, perceived competency, etc.)?

 

Either way, I've only asked 2 PA's so far, so I have quite a small sample size and am interested in getting more opinions.

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only thing that matters (well that is an overstatement) is passing PANCE

 

board pass rate is the ticket to get on the amazing ride of being a PA

 

other things are nice, but there is no way I would choose 150k debt over 50k debt 

 

 

go with the cheapest that will get you past the boards!

 

 

 

oh yeah BTW - almost every new PA-C I have spoken with has almost nothing nice to say about their program - this is likely because it is darn hard to take a layperson and make them into a provider in 2-3 years.....

What do they call the dr. who graduated with the lowest GPA? Go to the school with the least amount of loans to pay back. It could be what you do with your life after graduation that will reflect on where you went.

only thing that matters (well that is an overstatement) is passing PANCE

 

board pass rate is the ticket to get on the amazing ride of being a PA

 

other things are nice, but there is no way I would choose 150k debt over 50k debt 

 

 

go with the cheapest that will get you past the boards!

 

 

 

oh yeah BTW - almost every new PA-C I have spoken with has almost nothing nice to say about their program - this is likely because it is darn hard to take a layperson and make them into a provider in 2-3 years.....

 

 

Yep, I remember early in my PA education I realized that my #1 objective was to pass exams. Learning was secondary, and if it happened, great, but you cannot pass go unless you are passing exams. And you cannot practice unless you pass the boards.

 

In that sense it's really not an education, it's just a gauntlet to sort out people who arent proficient with huge volumes of rote memorization and cant pass standardized tests.

 

I also think there is a fundamental flaw in trying to make a provider out of someone in 2-3 years of academic bootcamp. Doctors are made in residency. A PA is made in the workforce....if they dont get eaten alive. 

Reputation of the PA school: from my experience, pretty much irrelevant.  However, their ability to have a good PANCE pass rate - very relevant.  Even more relevant, their network of clinical sites, which is very hard for a prospecitve student to evaluate.  The quality of the clinical sites is very important both for the quality of the education you'll receive and the connections you'll make that are extremely helpful in getting that very important first job.

  • 2 weeks later...

Cost and pass rate are important -- best bang for your buck. For me personally, so are reputation within the community and rotation/clinical sites. I ended up getting my job (that I'm still at and love) from connections I made during my rotations. Before school, I polled some local physicians who viewed my prospective program as "better" than neighboring schools and said the graduating PAs were of a higher caliber. Unfortunately, my program was on the higher end cost wise. Maybe those docs had some stake in my school or were trying to butter me up? Anyways, had I have chosen a cheaper one with a different rap, who knows where I'd be at, but wherever that would've been, it'd definitely be in less debt.

school reputation does matter, it reflects the caliber of person accepted and the quality of education. it is not the only factor that should be taken into account but potentially can be an important one. i was told on several interviews throughout the years that out of a pool of applicants, i was chosen do to the reputation of my program to graduate quality PAs.

"oh yeah BTW - almost every new PA-C I have spoken with has almost nothing nice to say about their program - this is likely because it is darn hard to take a layperson and make them into a provider in 2-3 years"

 

I had a reply and J hit it on the head.

 

It matters for:

 

1. The caliber of student. Not all schools have the same prerequisites; and not all produce well balanced graduates due to this.

 

2. Prestige of the program is important, if only to get an ear to perk up. I definitely got a few interviews out of school based soley on my University.

 

And as for the above quote, its easier to turn a 10 year paramedic/combat medic into an ER PA than it is to do the same with a 2 year pt sitter; oh, the good ol days...

I noticed that during an interview for a PA residency, it was noted that I went to a reputable program by the program director, and I had a sense that it counted in my favor.  I ultimately got accepted the that program.

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where you go to PA school may help you get your first job or residency, after that it matters less and less every year as your experience matters more and more. I know getting my first job was based partly on where I went(Hahnemann) and partly on my 10 prior years as an ER tech and paramedic. the doc who interviewed me commented favorably on both at my interview. my dad was a doc and he was impressed that I got into Hahnemann. he applied there for med school and didn't get in, but got into another reputable program.

Well, this next cycle at the stanford PA program sounds pretty unique and something to consider.

 

3 yr program. Sounds like total for 2 yrs in the medical school with md students. Not separated. Then 1 yr of clinicals. Not sure if it's possible to do that 4th yr for md then residency though. I think they are trying to pave the way for the future, possibly a bridge. Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong but that was my take reading the Web a few weeks ago.

 

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