Is it possible to Transfer PA schools? Do any Accept Credits?

[BeachBum753]

Is it possible to transfer from one PA school to another? I completed the didactic portion (1 year) but my grades are really suffering from their disorganization and putting my academic status in jeopardy.  Will any credits transfer or would I have to start from scratch? Please provide suggestions for well-organized, well-structured PA programs, especially ones that will accept transfers

Reasons for leaving:

-In my program there are too many changes and restructuring going on within the program. The program director and 7 instructors resigned within weeks of each other. (I heard the school is having money issues but we haven't been given a real reason. Everyone has been politically correct with their reasons for leaving.) 

- Several classes had multiple teachers cover one class to pick up the slack from the teachers who left. The lectures were super disorganized.  No one bothered to take responsibility and review exams before giving it to us. More than 10 times exams were given without being reviewed- (Material was (1) not covered and supposed to be on a future exam, (2) test questions from the old professor but the material was not covered by our current professor (3) poorly written questions.  The class as a whole did so bad on one exam, that we had 18 points given back!  Another example,  the proctor gave us an incorrect test- we waited 45 mins before they told us they couldn't get it straightened out and the correct test was given a week later. Another test not enough time was allotted. We had 20 mins to answer 16 questions using an algorithm where we had to enter information into a website. It was impossible to enter the data that fast. So many students did poorly that we were offered extra credit (which never happens). The extra credit was super lengthy and only allowed for 3 points back.  (I would have earned a 100 on the first exam if the proper time was allotted, but ended up with a 75 after getting partial extra credit. (Apparently the same thing happened the previous year and they didn't bother to correct the time issue)

-They tried implementing an IBL (independent based learning) but did not plan the cases through. We also had to do many modules to supplement our knowledge. We were told that the post-test would be based on the modules but the post-test exam had nothing to do with them!  It was a complete mess and hurt our grades. Many students complained enough to the point were they removed it completely (we had 6 IBL's left).  IBL's were a week long and only counted for 2% of our grade.  Why were we spending so much time on something that was not worth much of our grade? My class expressed that it was not preparing us for the PANCE and did not want to be guinea pigs for this project. 

-The program is being moved from the Podiatry school to the nursing school because the podiatry school might be having issues with accreditation. I am not sure how this affects anything but it seems to be a big deal. 

-In our didactic manual, it says the program offers tutors. The first semester I got a tutor but 2-3 exams had passed before I could get help. It took them a while to get someone set up.  The second semester they said we shouldn't need tutors and did not get one. The 3rd semester, I asked for a tutor for 2 classes only for my final exams and was told no tutors were in place. 

PA school is expected to be hard but this kind of disorganization doesn't make it any easier.  It doesn't feel like they are preparing for the PANCE exam. Worst of all it is putting my academic status in the program in jeopardy and there is really no place to turn for help. I feel like I would thrive in another program that is better organized. 

I appreciate any suggestions or advice that is offered. 

 

 

[UGoLong]

I personally have never heard of someone transferring. Programs differ quite a bit and doing it -- especially getting credit for past studies -- would be quite the longshot. With so many new applicants, it's hard to see a PA program taking a chance. But who knows for sure?

 

You've had a tough time and I suspect many of us feel for you. Your class reminds me of the platoon in the movie "Stripes" that went through basic training without a sergeant. You guys may have to do it on your own and help whoever is still there on your faculty pull the place together at least long enough for you to get through.

 

 

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[MT2PA]

I have never heard of a PA program that accepts transfers.  While all programs must meet ARC standards, they do not all follow the same calendar or schedule and thus, among other reasons, it would be far too difficult to incorporate a student any time other than the start of a program.  They also don't assign credits or classes in a universal way.

While it may seem like transferring to do your clinical year somewhere else could avoid that problem look at it this way: a new program would have no idea of your academic abilities, they won't know you as a person, and you're asking them to give you valuable clinical spots that their current students are already vying for.  Students on rotations are representing the program and they've had a year or more to ensure that the students they send out are academically prepared for the rigor of clinical year.  I can't speak for all programs, but ours had our entire clinical year rotations loosely set up nearly 6 months in advance due to all the schedule juggling it takes.  It's not as easy as just showing up for clinical year and going on rotations.

Bottom line - unfortunately transferring is likely a dead end for you.  Even if a program were to accept transfer credits, most graduate programs have a cap on how many credits they would accept anyway (and it's usually a fairly low number).

There are 2 ways to look at this:

1. If you really think you are not academically prepared to go to clinical year, you need to talk to your program.  Let's forget about passing PANCE at this point; you can study for that.  You need to be prepared to actually take care of patients.  No one is ready to pass PANCE at the end of didactic - that's part of why we have a clinical year!

2. Clinical year is largely about learning the clinical ropes and applying what you've learned.  Yes, there are EORs but aside from your program finding/assigning you rotation sites, clinical year is mostly you learning form your experiences and studying on your own.  You won't have class, you will have far fewer exams, and you are largely responsible for your own learning this year.  Which is good news for you!  Go to your rotations, use review books, learn how you need to learn without distractions from your program.

It's unfortunate that you had a bad experience but at this point your options are: go to clinical year and figure out what gaps in knowledge you might have and fill them yourself, or completely start over by reapplying and go somewhere else.  I highly recommend the former.

[marktheshark89]

The only time i have seen transfers accepted were if a school lost accreditation or if a student had a compelling reason for why they needed to move somewhere (to take care of a dying parent, etc) and had already completed didactic year at a minimum. Even then, both sides need to agree, there needs to be an open spot, and it can be quite difficult. 

[TheLastStone]

First off, this sounds like a complete nightmare! I'm sorry you're having to go through that. Would you mind PMing me the name of the school? I'm intrigued to do research on it. I have not yet been in PA school, but being in the healthcare field, and being on this forum for quite some time and been an active contributor and reader, I would have to agree with those above that have said that you may have to to address this with your program heads, and stick it out. When you see on PA programs FAQ page, there is usually a question on all of (atleast, all of the programs I've looked at) them that ask "Do you accept transfer PA students?" and the answer has everytime been a very firm "No." No explanation, just no. It makes sense when you think about it, because how can they gauge where you are academically, and give you rotations that one of their students should be having?

I hate to say it, but if I were in your shoes.. I'd grin and bear it. You've already committed and come this far.. You're not the only one going through it.. I'm sure that becoming close with the faculty that is still there that cares, as well as keeping strong study habits and connecting with your classmates to work together to get through this and be prepared to take care of patients is your best bet. If you don't feel prepared then it's worth taking longer to feel better about going out there and confidently know what you're doing. 

I wish you the very best.

[CorptoPA]

What program is this?


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[GoodVibes1313]

Wow. For a moment there, I thought it was MY PA program you were talking about...until you mentioned switching from school of podiatry to nursing. My program also switched to the school nursing and my cohort had to bear the changes during the transition. It was a mess, but we made it and most of us passed our PANCE on the first try. 

My recommendation is to stay and get through it. It gets better with rotations. And PANCE review courses were definitely beneficial for me. Good luck.

[newton9686]

Yeah sorry, you just need to power through and find a way. We had some turn over during my didactic year. It sucked, but you just have to find a way to succeed. The school is not responsible for your education, you are. And there are not review sessions in real life. You just have to prepare and do the best you can. Remember you are not studying for a grade, you are studying so you can be a competent provider one day. Sorry if this isn't the popular answer,

[TheLastStone]

22 minutes ago, newton9686 said:

Yeah sorry, you just need to power through and find a way. We had some turn over during my didactic year. It sucked, but you just have to find a way to succeed. The school is not responsible for your education, you are. And there are not review sessions in real life. You just have to prepare and do the best you can. Remember you are not studying for a grade, you are studying so you can be a competent provider one day. Sorry if this isn't the popular answer,

It is, no worries. There's famous quote that goes "The thing your fear the most is what you usually need to do." I feel like that pretty much speaks for itself in this instance. Good luck to the guy! I hope that doesn't happen to me. Grind like hell, man! 

[MedicinePower]

3 hours ago, newton9686 said:

The school is not responsible for your education, you are.

The school is responsible for providing quality educators and meeting ARC-PA standards. If the OP's description is correct then I imagine the ARC-PA would be very interested in investigating. The entire purpose of accreditation is to ensure a student is receiving a well-supported, quality education.

[MCHAD]

My program had lots of issues as well... you keep saying your grades are suffering...don't worry about what grade you get as long as it is passing for the programs standards.  Nobody cares if your GPA was 2.5 vs 4.0 when it comes to hiring you and as long as you pass your program you can sit for the PANCE.  

you're almost out of didactic.  Keep your head down, dont put a target on your back by complaining.  people in my class did and it didn't change anything and all they did was make the faculty mad at them. 

[mmchick]

I am going to tend to agree with everyone else's advice to just keep your head down and grind through it since you've come so far. I'd also venture to suggest that you take matters into your own hands and work much harder yourself to pick up where the school is slacking, it seems that you blame a lot of your academic status on others' mistakes (no review sessions, tutor unavailability, vague tests, etc.). As a student in a professional graduate program, you would think you would know how to get on with your education without these otherwise academic luxuries. 

Someone mentioned that the school is not responsible for your education, and this is partially true when it comes to you actually getting yourself to learn something. If there aren't tutors, find other students to work with and learn from. If there aren't review sessions, make sure you know as much of the material as possible. When you're working with a patient with an unknown illness and easy-to-miss symptoms, no one's going to be sitting on a bar stool off in the background with a powerpoint going over signs and symptoms of some unlikely-to-be disease you forgot to think of. Real world is knowing your stuff and being self-sufficient to get yourself there.

And quite frankly, the above evaluation of you as a student is even apparent in this thread. You could always research schools yourself that might accept transfers, or even call them to explain your situation instead of asking us. But I tend to be a little more harsh than others sometimes.

Best.

[UGoLong]

I notice that the OP has not returned in quite some time and has two posts total. Maybe we should let this one go...

[mmchick]

Ah to be honest I had not looked at dates, it was just one of the top threads in the forum (lol considering it is indeed a few weeks old).

[SRUPAprogramisgarbage]

This story was about Slippery Rock university, the worst PA program in the US. The school is horrific. It definitely is violating many ARC standards and student/teacher relations. 

[JD2012]

13 hours ago, SRUPAprogramisgarbage said:

This story was about Slippery Rock university, the worst PA program in the US. The school is horrific. It definitely is violating many ARC standards and student/teacher relations. 

What a fitting name, Slippery rock!