Selecting a P.A. School
You finally decided to become a Physician Associate, but you may need help figuring out where to start.
There are a least 5 things you need to consider when selecting a P.A. School:
- Accreditation
- School Mission Statement
- PANCE Pass Rate
- Cost
- Location
Accreditation
According to the U.S. Department of Education, an accredited Physician Associate Program is certified by ARC-PA to grant degrees to students. An accredited school is determined to have maintained all educational standards. You want to enroll in an accredited program because there is no way for employers or organizations to determine if a degree is legitimate.
Accreditation does not indicate how good the program is but if it meets the educational standards set by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Associate (ARC-PA). The longer the accreditation, the better. However, if you decide to apply to a program with a pending accreditation, you should ask the following questions:
- How long until the program is accredited?
- What is the accreditation status?
- Does accreditation approval depend on the incoming or current class? What are the students required to do to ensure accreditation is approved?
You can only take the Physician Assistant Nation Certification Exam (PANCE) if the school is accredited. If you cannot take the PANCE Exam, you will not be certified, which means you cannot work or pay back your loans. Therefore, you wasted your time and money. Guess what??? Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!
Check with ARC-PA for a list of accredited P.A. Programs!
School Mission Statement
When selecting a P.A. Program, you should read the mission statement for the school because it gives you insight into what the school finds essential and if they are focused on diversity, serving the community, and closing the health disparities among people of color. Keep in mind that many schools may say they are about diversity and cultural awareness, but you must look at the class cohort, staffing, and surrounding community surrounding the school.
Here are a few minority and HBCU-based programs, and I am honored to be a part of one of them (CUNY):
- CUNY School of Medicine in New York, New York
- SUNY Downstate Health Science University in Brooklyn, New York
- Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Willowbrook, California
- Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee
- Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland
- The Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, Louisiana
PANCE Pass Rate
The PANCE pass rate indicates if the P.A. Program prepares its students to pass the state exam known as the Physician Assistant Nation Certification Exam (PANCE). The NCCPA analyzes all P.A. Program PANCE Pass Rates to determine the average passing rate for all schools. This score allows enrolling students to determine how likely they are to pass the PANCE or The Physician Assistant Nation Re-Certification Exam (PANRE). Here is an example of the information provided by the NYIT PA Program:
Unfortunately, this information is not publicly available by the NCCPA, so it is up to the school to disclose it on its website. Also, you can ask about the pass rate once granted an interview. You can go to www.thepalife.com to get a summary of each school, but keep in mind some numbers may be off based on the 5-year analysis.
Cost
P.A. School can be very EXPENSIVE🤑💵💵 , ranging from $50,000 to $90,000 depending on if you are in or out of state or applying to a private or public program. Many people enrolling in P.A. Schools may have undergraduate student loans. If you have student loans, don’t let that deter you from pursuing your dream of becoming a P.A.
When I enrolled in P.A. School, I had $11,000 in student loans that I paid down from $14,000. However, when I graduated, I was $90,000 in debt, and when I saw that number, I thought, what in the world😳💀 ! But I would not change my mind or take it back.
I know $90k sounds ridiculous, but you must pay to play. You will have to take out loans for school, whether it be federal or private loans. I took out both. If you want to know more about my process of applying for loans, stay tuned!
Check out AAPA or thepalife.com for the tuition cost per program!
Location
You can apply to programs close to your family and your support system. Your school location will determine your cost, but you must know if you will feel comfortable going to schools out of state. Suppose you function better with family nearby to help you in tough times. In that case, you should apply to schools within driving distance, but if you can handle your situations more independently, being nearby or far will not matter.
Just remember, having a support team nearby during and after the program makes things slightly more manageable.
I know many people will apply to P.A. programs everywhere in any state because they want to increase their chances of getting into a program. Still, PLEASE BE STRATEGIC AND REALISTIC about where you are applying. Programs will know if you are applying to a specific location or if you did the research and want to go to that program.
Honestly, when you get into the schools you applied to, location and cost won’t matter because you will be happy to get into school after all the sacrifices you made to get there. No one will pass judgment, especially me. Just do what is right for you!
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