MEDEX in WA vs. University of Texas - Dallas

[rstracy]

Hello. I am a surgical RN living in Idaho. I will finish my BSN in April 2013. I have been working in surgery for five years, 3 as a certified surgical technologist (CST) and 2 as circulator RN. My long term goal is to assist in surgeries such as ortho or neurosurgery as a PA.

 

In my research and talking to friends, I have narrowed my search to PA schools to MEDEX in Washington state or University of Texas in Dallas. I have a friend who I met when I was a CST student who went through MEDEX and is now working in Idaho with two orthopedic surgeons. I have a cousin who is a trauma nurse in Plano, Texas who says the pay is good there for RNs and plenty of career and educational opportunities there.

 

I would appreciate it if anybody who has experiences with either or both of these PA programs if you could give me some insight so I can make an informed decision. I feel like it would be good to move to TX and work there for a year to gain residency status, but that would mean selling our home in Idaho and a leap of faith to rent once again after 8 years of homeownership. I want to do the best for my family and for my career.

 

Thank you for your advice and good luck in your education and career to each of you!

[lumina]

Not saying you should depend only on these rankings, but aren't they both ranked the same according to US News meaning they are both well known programs?

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/physician-assistant-rankings

 

With that said I have no clue how these programs rate on surgery.

[rstracy]

Yes, I do see they are both ranked 3.9 on this list. Thank you both for your input so far. Any other advice or knowledge from firsthand students or PAs would be very helpful. Thank you!

[stuj]

Being from Texas had to think about where you meant. Best to refer to it as UT Southwestern. There are three UT schools in the state, and this one is definitely top ten, and very competitive to get in to. I'm partial to Baylor though.

 

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[sartort]

Apply to both, plus some. If you get in to both, you will decide based on your interview experience or some other detail (cost, location, etc.). I wouldn't move now since Idaho is part of MEDEX's WWAMI region and you don't want to sell your house. It would be silly to sell your house, move your family to Texas, and not get in to that program unless you had some other reason to move there.

[sartort]

One other thing: If you know you might want to do surgery, maybe focus on programs that have a full dissection lab. MEDEX doesn't do a cadaver lab at all, and focuses on primary care in underserved areas. Students at Yale said the full cadaver lab helped them during the surgery rotations, but I thought spending that much time dissecting wasn't the best use of time for someone like me who wants to do primary care or emergency med. You could still do whatever, but they may not give you what you want in school if they focus on PC. Some schools have residency-type programs for surgery, and they may be a good option for you. Some others probably have ortho residency programs, and may be good to look at also.

[EMEDPA]

medex requires a+p as a prereq. a lot of folks do the version with dissection in undergrad. I did an undergrad course with dissection and then did it again in pa school. easier the 2nd time around.