What makes Stanford's program better?

[eastwest]

Hi all,

 

After being accepted to two top 10 schools, I recieved an interview/validation appointment back home in California.

 

What about the program would make me think that is is superb to others?

 

Sounds like you have to find your own roations, aren't an actual Stanford student, get a MS from an online university??

 

It seems like a short program and is quite cheap, other than that, what does the program really offer?

What percentage of graduating students get first choice job picks? What is the school's reputation in CA?

 

Thanks!

[EMEDPA]

the stanford name looks good on a diploma. their students typically are better than those at the direct entry pa programs.

what 2 other programs were you accepted to?

[jdenning]

Better? Better than what?

 

If you need your hand held, then Stanford is not the program for you. You will be expected to be an adult learner and therefore take on the responsibility of learning on your own. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what type of student you are.

 

Yes, you often need to find your own rotations, but it isn't impossible, and besides, learning how to hustle a rotation is pretty good practice for finding a job.

 

No, you're not "officially" a Stanford student, but you'll be quite thankful you're not paying Stanford tuition either.

 

You can do a MPH through San Jose State if you want, otherwise you can do an online Master's through Saint Francis. Again, way cheaper than other schools, and quite doable. I didn't do either and I'm doing just fine thanks.

 

Oh yeah, and passed the PANCE the first time....

[LESH]

Better? Better than what?

LOL I was thinking the same thing.

If you need your hand held, then Stanford is not the program for you. You will be expected to be an adult learner and therefore take on the responsibility of learning on your own. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what type of student you are.

They are true to their mission IMHO. Stanford is very "Old School" jdenning is right on. Sometimes that can be a bad thing for students that need something else. The program has been a part of the SOM since the 70s I think. The faculty and leadership are some of the most respected PA educators in the state. Every Stanford grad I know is working, a few leaders in the profession, a lot of them are running rural clinics or working in rural/urban HPSAs. I think that is superb. Most of data on the California PA workforce came out of Stanford.

Yes, you often need to find your own rotations, but it isn't impossible, and besides, learning how to hustle a rotation is pretty good practice for finding a job.

It took me a while to understand the way that they do things, but they can train some PAs LOL. If students take part in the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development "SEARCH" program, certain primary care rotations can be arranged and students even get a stipend.

No, you're not "officially" a Stanford student, but you'll be quite thankful you're not paying Stanford tuition either.

I remember hearing from the Stanford PD that was one of the reasons for the collaboration with Foothill. As far as the workforce in California, the grads are Stanford SOM Primary Care Associates. Depending on where one wants to practice in California, as EMED said, the name will open the door.

You can do a MPH through San Jose State if you want, otherwise you can do an online Master's through Saint Francis. Again, way cheaper than other schools, and quite doable. I didn't do either and I'm doing just fine thanks.

I know several Stanford Certificate PAs making six figures in PC and ER. I know my perspective of what is surperb is very different from the OP's. With acceptances to top ten schools, why not decline the invitation from Stanford? Open up an opportunity for someone that wants to go there. Good luck, sounds you have some tough decisions ahead.

Lesh

[Contrarian]

Doesn't sound like a good fit for YOU...!!!

Decline the interview... don't waste their time...take longer, pay more... go elsewhere.

 

Contrarian

btw... The folks that really matter (people who hire PAs)... know that the typical Stanford PCAP grad spends 99.9% of their didactic education on or around the Stanford campus and has likely NEVER set foot in Los Gatos on the Foothill Campus. The diplomas say "Stanford University Medical Center" and is signed by the dean of the School of Medicine.

[Huaorani]

I am still waiting to hear from Stanford, if you want to scratch off your name an send it my way I will happily accept.... This is coming from a Berkeley undergrad...and we know how much Stanford and Cal love each other so you can imagine how painful it is for me to say Stanford is my number 1 choice. You must be something special to receive an interview so think long and hard about your decision. Good Luck

[si7ver5un]

Hi all,

 

After being accepted to two top 10 schools, I recieved an interview/validation appointment back home in California.

 

What about the program would make me think that is is superb to others?

 

Sounds like you have to find your own roations, aren't an actual Stanford student, get a MS from an online university??

 

It seems like a short program and is quite cheap, other than that, what does the program really offer?

What percentage of graduating students get first choice job picks? What is the school's reputation in CA?

 

Thanks!

 

1) what makes you think it's superb to the others?

well think about that question for a moment.... why aren't you questioning the same about the other schools you've gotten accepted or an interview for? probably just because of the name STANFORD right? well they didn't become a great name over night for kicks. They've earned the respect and pride to their name, which is why whenever someone hears STANFORD, everyone thinks... oh wow... at least at first haha. so what is it?..... the reputation, which is why it make you question it in the first place.

 

2)Find your own rotations - no you don't have it. it's only if you want to, if you've been working with doctors that you want to train under, then you have the option of finding your own rotations. i lived in la for the past 8 years so i didn't know any docs here... they found one for me for my rotation and he's been AMAZING~!!!!

 

3) not being a stanford student - there are pros and cons for this. yes you're technically not, but you feel like one haha, being on campus, getting lectures from TOP TOP stanford doctors/researchers. the good thing is you don't pay tuition like one :)

 

4) % students of 1st choice? - cant really answer that question. what i can say is, when i was first shadowing the doc, he told me not to take it personally when pts don't let me come in to observe while he doesn his thing. After he tells them i'm from stanford, not 1 has turned me down. having the name STANFORD on your certificate will open doors for you... that name holds a huuuuge weight, more than you realize. it also puts a great pressure on you to hold up that reputation though. with great power comes great responsibility

 

5)as far as i know, the rep is just as great as the school.

 

6) wat do they offer? - world wide speakers come to stanford, and give you lectures. sometimes i sit in class being so amazed that these great researchers, doctors, health practitioners come and give us lectures. you learn so much of the "real world medicine" and not just the didactics. we're talking chief of neuro surgery, cardio thoracic, ortho, i mean you name it, it's blown me away, and definitely humbled me. they have grand rounds that you're allowed to sit in. that's where, they invite the latest, greatest research, technology, whatever it is, to come and speak... almost like a medical seminar. you sit in, they give their presentation, people ask questions, then they give you a mini breakfast afterwords :)

 

7) PANCE % : 94%, i believe it's the highest rate, 1st time taking the test

 

obviously i'm biased because i'm a current stanford student, and i really don't know wat the other programs are like from the inside, but i luv it~! not to mention the area ^_^

[Nakasoner]

For me, Stanford was perfect. My rotations were great and I got several job offers and inquiries as to what my plans were post-grad. You will likely get a job offer where your rotations are, unless the local market is already saturated. So try to get rotations where you will want to work in the future. If you are arranging your own rotations, this is an advantage. It was for me. The Stanford name opens doors and gets calls returned. It's up to me though, to prove that I belong there. But it sure is nice to have the doors open. The flexibility of the Stanford Program is unique and was just the ticket for me. It wasn't easy and no, they won't hold your hand, as previous posters have mentioned. It is a stimulating environment without a doubt. Their football team kicks @ss and we got into many games for free with our ID's (but not for the sellout games--SUC, Cal, Notre Dame). The campus is absolutely beautiful. I just graduated in January and took the PANCE last week for the first time. Got my score this morning and did just fine. 2 of my classmates scored 800 out of 800. I was in the 700's (95th percentile). So there you go. I'm sure there are other very good programs out there, but if you can't figure out why Stanford is for you, then it probably isn't. For me, it was clearly the only program for me. Good luck in the other programs. Sounds like you have good choices.

[PAforlife2012]

Wow! Good for you. What other school were you accepted to? Where state are you from?

[wjacobsmeyer]

I am in the same boat - trying to decide between programs! I am a little concerned that only my PA certificate comes from Stanford and that my Masters would be coming from Saint Francis Univ. Is it even guaranteed that you will be accepted into the Masters program?! I don't want to start my certificate and not get my Masters. Any Stanford students that obtained their Masters - how did it work for you?

[wjacobsmeyer]

I am in the same boat - trying to decide between programs! I am a little concerned that only my PA certificate comes from Stanford and that my Masters would be coming from Saint Francis Univ. Is it even guaranteed that you will be accepted into the Masters program?! I don't want to start my certificate and not get my Masters. Any Stanford students that obtained their Masters - how did it work for you?

[lzypanda]

if you do well in the program, have a bachelors, then you can qualify to earn the masters concurrently or after graduation. Its kind of up to you - if you fail then you won't finish the cert or the masters. I was part of the 16 month program - after the first quarter, my grades were fine so I was allowed to do the masters, so i did it during 2nd-5th quarters. it was nicer that way so when you graduate, you get both and don't have to go back and do the masters. However, sometimes all the busy work of the masters program can get to you.. so you could do it after graduating.

[lzypanda]

Hi all,

 

After being accepted to two top 10 schools, I recieved an interview/validation appointment back home in California.

good for you, wonderful news

 

What about the program would make me think that is is superb to others?

you could be more specific by defining what your definition of "superb" is

 

Sounds like you have to find your own roations, aren't an actual Stanford student, get a MS from an online university??

i found my primary preceptors and that worked out great for me. the other rotations were found by the program for me and ended up translating to many job offers. The MS is from Saint Francis University which is not an online university - try googling it. We were not Stanford students, which means the tuition which meant we didn't pay 10x's as much as Stanford students pay for tuition. It also meant that we didn't get to use their gym.

 

It seems like a short program and is quite cheap, other than that, what does the program really offer?

The program is like about 40k now, with a master degree of another 8k ... don't think u gonna find a deal like this elsewhere. Program offers probably less support than other programs. We don't do hand-holding, so if you're kind of weak academically or in other departments, I wouldn't recommend it for you. The name of the school works to our advantage usually when applying for jobs in california.

What percentage of graduating students get first choice job picks? What is the school's reputation in CA?

it has the reputation of Stanford, what can i say - I have only experienced positive reflections from its name. dont' know what percentage of ppl get their first job choice, but I did.

 

good luck

[Cideous]

1)

 

7) PANCE % : 94%, i believe it's the highest rate, 1st time taking the test

 

obviously i'm biased because i'm a current stanford student, and i really don't know wat the other programs are like from the inside, but i luv it~! not to mention the area ^_^

 

 

The highest rate compared to what, other Cert programs?

 

My old program has had a 100% PANCE pass rate every year.....for 5 years straight. As to what else is out there, programs like UT Southwestern and the other top 10 PA schools in the country have a LOT to offer. Be prepared to work your arse off though. I lost count of the number of 36 hour shifts I pulled with no sleep. I'm a little annoyed that UT Southwestern has slipped to #8 in the country. We are usually in the top 5. :p

 

http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/school-of-health-professions/programs/masters-programs/physician-assistant-studies/index.html

[bike mike]

The highest rate compared to what, other Cert programs?

Yep. Sounds like you are looking down on one of the oldest proven programs around b/c it is a cert program.

 

As to what else is out there, programs like UT Southwestern and the other top 10 PA schools in the country have a LOT to offer.

 

Maybe, but when you are going for your first job out of school do more people recognize the name Stanford or Southwestern?

[Cideous]

Yep. Sounds like you are looking down on one of the oldest proven programs around b/c it is a cert program.

 

 

 

Maybe, but when you are going for your first job out of school do more people recognize the name Stanford or Southwestern?

 

 

 

Actually neither, they look at whether you have a Masters, Bachelors or Cert. That's where the sorting begins. Most jobs now require a Masters.

[Joelseff]

Actually neither, they look at whether you have a Masters, Bachelors or Cert. That's where the sorting begins. Most jobs now require a Masters.

 

Actually, no one ever looked down at my measley cert and AS from Stanford and Foothill. That is the 3 or 4 job offers I got after grad. Nor did it ever come up in interviews. The hiring docs and managers did bring up Stanford. In fact my SP is a Stanford Alum. I don't think that's why he hired me, we shared a common mentor in HIV medicine which was prob the reason.

 

I am getting my MSPAS though-graduate next June- just to get one but I think the degree creep is silly..

 

I guess its too bad I only got a cert huh?

 

PCAP has been cranking out cert PAs since 1971 and according to the last school survey we are pretty much all employed. The places arounnd the area especially Stanford Hospital loves hiring PCAPers. So for a lowly cert school, we arent doing too bad..

 

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[Cideous]

I am getting my MSPAS though-graduate next June- just to get one but I think the degree creep is silly.

 

 

I absolutely agree. It's silly.

 

My point was not to demean the Cert program but to make the point that the majority of positions out there now seem to be requiring an MPAS or equivalent. I could of expressed that more clearly and ra ra'ed UT Southwestern a little less so I do apologize. I'm somewhat frustrated at the direction our field is going in regards to "continuing education". Career long CME with every 6 year Re-Cert is one thing, but turning us into "degree hunting monkeys" just so we can keep up with NP's is getting to be ridiculous.

[Joelseff]

I absolutely agree. It's silly.

 

My point was not to demean the Cert program but to make the point that the majority of positions out there now seem to be requiring an MPAS or equivalent. I could of expressed that more clearly and ra ra'ed UT Southwestern a little less so I do apologize. I'm somewhat frustrated at the direction our field is going in regards to "continuing education". Career long CME with every 6 year Re-Cert is one thing, but turning us into "degree hunting monkeys" just so we can keep up with NP's is getting to be ridiculous.

 

 

No need to apologize, I suppose we all have our Alum pride.

 

LOL totally agree love that "degree hunting monkeys" line I'm stealing that!

 

My SP and I were talking about this yesterday. He asked me what my MS is going to give me besides my PA training and all I can add was "uhhh I dunno, parity?"

What a dumb answer...

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[Contrarian]

... [brevity edit]... the majority of positions out there now seem to be requiring an MPAS or equivalent... [brevity edit]...

 

 

Entirely TOOO many things wrong with the construction of this notion... but rather than get bogged down, I'll just say the above assertion is patently false...!!!

[TEXMED]

Yep. Sounds like you are looking down on one of the oldest proven programs around b/c it is a cert program.

 

 

 

Maybe, but when you are going for your first job out of school do more people recognize the name Stanford or Southwestern?

Eh, I wouldn't get in to the "which program is better" argument between these two schools. Both are good schools.

As far as which has the greater recognition, I'd say that depends on where you are applying for jobs. In Texas, Southwestern is highly regarded and a graduate would have no shortage of offers for jobs or residency opportunities.

Out of state, Stanford might get the nod, but again I think it depends on where you are applying.

The bottom line is I don't know any PA's struggling to find work regardless of which school they attended. Residency programs seem to be a bit harder to come by though and that may be where a name might get you in. But in Texas, I'd say Southwestern would have more pull than Stanford, especially if your MS would actually have St. Francis on it.

Again, I'm not downing either program as both were at the top of my list when applying.

[Farfan]

Hello all,

 

dont know if this is proper place for this questions, but seeing as its mentioned here.....If you have the opportunity to find your own rotations at Stanford, can you choose SoCal, or are you required to stay in and around the Palo Alto area?

 

Thanks!

 

AF-

[Joelseff]

You can setup out of the area rotations but have to have the program approve it. They also have coordinators in San Diego, LA etc that can help you find preceptors in those areas.

 

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[Farfan]

Thanks so much Joselseff!!!

[Nakasoner]

I just finished clinic on Friday afternoon. Assisted in 2 rotator cuff repairs this morning. Looking on my office wall, my Stanford University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Diploma sure looks great! No patient has ever said it's only a Cert. In fact, ortho patients will often ask what program I attended and not one has been disappointed to learn that it was Stanford/Foothill. Job offers are not a problem. It's hard to choose the right one though, but that's a good problem to have. The campus is 2nd to none and I even got into a few football games for free using my Student ID. It's true what lzypanda wrote--we can't use the gym or the Medical School Lounge. If you are selected to be a student, I hope you represent the program well in your rotations by kicking butt!!!