AAKO3 Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Does anybody know if the name of the school you attend really matters? When choosing the school you are going to for the next 2-3 years... are most of you doing it based on where you felt was the right fit? Or ranking? Do employers care at all? Please help! Really liked a school but the ranking is a bit low. I am the first one in my family to go to grad school so I dont really know what to base my final decision on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panglossian Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 I have been thinking about your question a lot for myself. Fit means a lot to me and I want to attend a place where I feel comfortable and happy. The program's location is also a factor I have been weighing heavily as I want to be close enough to visit my boyfriend occasionally. It seems that ranking does not matter too much in terms of obtaining a job, however, I have found higher ranked programs seem to have graduates practicing all over the country versus in the regional area. I would look at employment statistics from your program to see where and in what fields their graduates are working. Do you see yourself doing what the largest portion of graduates are doing? Feel free to message me with more specifics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karebear12892 Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 At the end of the day, as long as the program is accredited, it really doesn't matter. Choose a program that makes you happy and minimizes your financial burden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boli Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 Short answer is - no (assuming it's ARC-PA accredited). Once you're a PA-C no one cares where you went or what "US News and World Reviews" claims the rank was. The only time it MAY matter is if you want to do a fellowship and you have the opportunity to go to the same program where the fellowship is offered. But that effect is probably minimal in the grand scheme of things. If you have the choice between programs when you've been accepted then other factors would help me with my decision: PANCE pass rate, tuition, availability of clinical rotations, geographic area, length of program, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 17, 2018 Administrator Share Posted October 17, 2018 While the above advice is sound, there are some benefits to a better program: * Alumni networking. You may not have gone through the same cohort, but I am regularly getting job ads through the school's email network. A brand new program won't have that. * Program reputation over time. If your PA program has been on and off probation, while mine hasn't, I might have a slight edge in a hiring situation if all other things are equal. Worse, if you're mid-career and your PA program folds, you're somewhat at a loss vs. those who graduated from ongoing, thriving programs. Cost, convenience, and fit are all still factors, but I don't want to make newbies think that there are NO advantages to going to established PA programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notfall Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Very well said! I agree with those points, there are some advantages but at the end of the day your clinical rotations help get you the first job if you stay local. If you want to travel and get into a specialty such as EM, possibly think of a residency. Once you’re 2-3 years into a field you can literally go anywhere, school doesn’t matter too much but everyone’s different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonewalljaxn Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 No. Employers don’t care about the school you went to. They are more interested in your experience. In choosing a school, it needs to be accredited or you won’t be able to sit for the PANCE after graduating. It would be a good idea to ask the programmer about their PANCE pass rate. Good schools will be quick to boast their “93% pass rate”, for example. Be wary of those that don’t freely offer that information. Ideally, I would look for a school that is in a relatively underserved area so you’re not competing with other Med or PA students for clinical rotation sites. In addition, you will tend to see and do a lot more in under served areas. I went to the University of South Alabama, class of 2001. Not a name that is well recognized but great education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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