FloresPA Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 I am having a difficult time deciding between two schools any current help will be greatly appreciated UC Davis 65 students tuition about 140k 27 months well known and established program Western 90+ students tuition 90k A strong alumni network 2 years long I am having a difficult time deciding where to go, I want to get the best education possible and after look into a loan forgiveness position. thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiovolffemtp Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 As long as PANCE 1st time pass rates are similar and percentage of grads getting jobs within 6 months of graduation are similar, I recommend going with the lower cost program. The extra $50K and 3 months of not working will be a significant burden to repay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doppio_Espresso Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 But doesn't UCD also give you an NP degree after you finish? If it's a dual PA/NP degree, I would go there in a heartbeat since that may open up more opportunities down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiovolffemtp Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Based on UC Davis's web site, the dual PA/NP program is no longer available: https://health.ucdavis.edu/nursing/academics/education_nppa_dualtrack_program.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloresPA Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 Hi, thank you all for replying to my post. I am leaning towards attending UCD, my only concern will be the debt but wouldn't a loan forgiveness program help with the repayment of the loan? also, although the program no longer participates in a dual credit, the school itself has a good name, could that possibly provide me with better opportunities in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeTheBabe Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I don't see a reason to spend an extra 50K, they are both well established programs and have been around for decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine616 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 On 2/9/2021 at 7:00 AM, FloresPA said: Hi, thank you all for replying to my post. I am leaning towards attending UCD, my only concern will be the debt but wouldn't a loan forgiveness program help with the repayment of the loan? also, although the program no longer participates in a dual credit, the school itself has a good name, could that possibly provide me with better opportunities in the future? I have yet to research this but according to some financial savvy PA-Cs who have paid out all their loans a loan forgiveness program is not the best way to go. As a Californian native who has worked in a healthcare corporation as a medical assistant I have yet to see UC Davis making more of a name for yourself than Western University. I usually take the the US News PA school ranking with a grain of salt but the fact that they are both #74 just proves my point. Also most establish PA-Cs will tell you that where you go to school does not affect your ability to get jobs. I originally wrote a longer post but I thought it would be too much an eyesore so to summarized Western (I won't do won't for UC Davis because their cons are Westerns pros and vice versa) Pros: 50K cheaper PANCE rate although I have seen better is 5% higher on average than UC Davis and they have done better than UC Davis every year apart from 2018 (UC Davis has yet to published their 2020 Pass rate) Cons Shorter program Didactic 13 months vs 15 months in UC Davis Clinical 11 months vs 12 months in UC Davis Larger cohort which isn't necessarily a con for most people it's just something to factor into . Personally for me I would choose Western just because UC Davis does not seem worth the extra 50K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloresPA Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 Great, thank you for your advise! I will make a decision shortly and will keep everything in mind. thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo1 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 On 2/8/2021 at 10:38 PM, Doppio_Espresso said: But doesn't UCD also give you an NP degree after you finish? If it's a dual PA/NP degree, I would go there in a heartbeat since that may open up more opportunities down the road. I know this is off-topic from OP's post, but I believe the dual PA/NP degree was given to NP students only (which kinda comes across as an end-around). Per their website: "Due to accreditation-limited enrollment and the need to ensure all physician assistant (P.A.) seats are filled by P.A. students, the dual-track option is no longer offered. Nurses exploring future career options..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MediMike Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 Oof. That extra $50k is pretty significant. The smaller class sizes are nice though, easy to get lost in a larger cohort. Shorter programs aren't necessarily better. While PANCE pass rates are important the vast majority of programs out there are 27 months (unless things have changed), and I'm curious how they cut out 3 months of instruction without losing important didactic and clinical time. Passing the PANCE isn't everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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