Just Steve Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Yes, the second time pass rate is somewhere around 99%. But that doesn't really surprise me. 100,000 in debt and suddenly faced with the possibility of not being employable would motivate even the most sedentary student into stepping up and doing better. As for coming back to the classroom...We are doing monthly on line testing (timed, written in PANCE fashion, 60 minutes to complete 50 questions), plus a text called Classroom to Clinic, plus PA Easy, plus board review questions provided by one of our physicians, who also sits on the NCCPA board (Dr. Tim Evans). Coming back to the classroom to discuss material that we are already completing on line probably isn't the best use of time and resources. We come back to campus three times through the clinical year...Feb, May, and August, graduation in August. This continues to be a self study program. Our lectures during didactic year in Yakima were not given by faculty. They were local providers giving us pearls of wisdom for clinical practice that was in the field of the upcoming exams i.e.: cardiologist before the cardiology exam. Exams were not taken from lecture, they were instead formed from the assigned text. We were responsible to know the text objectives, regardless of what the lecturer said. The speaker may re enforce, or clarify parts of the text that you did not understand but the student was responsible to make sure the information given was accurate. I was under the impression that many schools scatter their PA students to the winds, I am not sure that MEDEX has a corner on the market of having widely disseminated student body. Am I incorrect in thinking this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sartort Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Thank you for your response. I'm glad to see that the second time pass rate is much higher, and shows that the issue is able to be resolved quickly. I'm sure there are a variety of factors that contribute to the lower scores, but I have a feeling the scores will be much higher this coming year with the extra emphasis on exam prep during clinical year. Current students also have an interest in seeing their numbers be high to protect the reputation of the program, which could add some motivation. A lot of programs scatter their students to a degree, but it seems that MEDEX has a larger area to work in and likely results in more distance for longer periods. I know some programs allow students to choose clinical areas far away, but some people in other programs have told me they have stayed within driving distance the entire clinical year at their program, making it easy to return to campus or get together in study groups. One of the most appealing aspects of MEDEX for me is the unique clinical rotations in a variety of places, and I wouldn't trade that for a higher PANCE pass rate. I figure that the self-directed studying is most efficient in making you a good clinician in the long run, even if there are some bumps along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted November 26, 2012 Moderator Share Posted November 26, 2012 I don't think coming back to the school during clinical year is really that important. at my program we came back for 1 day at the end of each rotation to take a 1-2 hr exam on campus and that was it really. and my program has a long hx of 99-100% 1st time pass rates on pance every yr. didactic knowledge at any program(pa or medschool) is basically up to the students. you hear it once in lecture and then are responsible for it. that's why doing all the reading, study groups, etc are so important. you can't just coast through school thinking that going to lecture alone is enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerten Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Very interesting discussion, thanks everyone for the insights. What I'm wondering.... how is the job outlook for PAs in Oregon and Washington? I got from EMEDPA that the politics in Oregon are not great for PAs, and that OHSU doesn't have many jobs to offer. But outside of OHSU, are there decent job opportunities in Portland? Or just in rural areas? And how is the job outlook for PAs in Washington? Decent in Seattle, or better in rural areas of the state? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiyoufire Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I just interviewed with MEDEX for the Yakima site on Dec 1st. I'm a Paramedic whos worked in rural EMS since 2006 and have spent the last 2 years working as an urgent care tech alongside a PA in a rural community health center while still taking shifts on the ambulance. About 17,800 or so hours HCE at time of application (april) When I asked about the pance pass rates at MEDEX in the interview it was explained to me that MEDEX allows a lot of students with atypical academic backgrounds into their program who they feel will make a good provider rather than cherry picking people based on GPA to keep their stats up. That says a lot to me. By the way, OP needs to follow up with his decision... now back to staring at my phone hoping it will ring... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Very interesting discussion, thanks everyone for the insights. What I'm wondering.... how is the job outlook for PAs in Oregon and Washington? I got from EMEDPA that the politics in Oregon are not great for PAs, and that OHSU doesn't have many jobs to offer. But outside of OHSU, are there decent job opportunities in Portland? Or just in rural areas? And how is the job outlook for PAs in Washington? Decent in Seattle, or better in rural areas of the state? http://www.oregonpa.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sartort Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 By the way, OP needs to follow up with his decision... He decided on MEDEX. What I'm wondering.... how is the job outlook for PAs in Oregon and Washington? I got from EMEDPA that the politics in Oregon are not great for PAs, and that OHSU doesn't have many jobs to offer. But outside of OHSU, are there decent job opportunities in Portland? Or just in rural areas? I don't know much about the job outlook specifically, although there are a lot more PAs working in Washington according to http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291071.htm . I talked to an ED physician who works in Salem and he said there are NPs but no PAs in the ED, which he doesn't think makes any sense, but that's what they have there. That definitely concerns me being interested in emergency medicine. The NP profession is definitely more popular here in Oregon. People are more familiar with NPs (I'm asked all the time from Oregonians, "Is that like a nurse practitioner?") which could make things harder in some ways in Oregon, but there's nothing wrong with helping grow the profession in a state either. Many job postings I've seen in Oregon are for either an NP or PA, so I think there are definitely jobs available, but I don't know if they are more likely to hire an NP if one applies instead of a PA. The mean salary in Portland is slightly higher than in Seattle (about 7,000), but state income taxes make take-home pay lower (about 4,000), then when you take into account Washington's sales tax and higher cost of living in certain areas, it becomes probably close to the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 5, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 5, 2012 pm me for more on or/wa job issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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