mmdwyer Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Hi everyone, Of the PA programs I was accepted to, I've narrowed my choice down to two schools -- one is located in a large midwestern city and one is located in the New England area. I'll be 29 when I complete PA school and hope to come back to one of the major Midwestern cities when I finish school (most of my family is in this area). I liked both schools, but I had a particullarly good experience at the New England-area school. With that said, I'm having concerns that it may be difficult for me to find a good job in the midwest straight out of school when all of my rotations will have been in the northeast and New England area. As a side note, the schools are very similar in terms of length, cost ($10k difference), strength of relationships with clinical rotration sites, class size and established reputation (I wouldn't call either of them "top ten," but they're both located within D.O. schools and are 15+ year old programs with solid PANCE pass rates). For careers like law, I always hear "go to school in the area you want to practice!" But, since PAs take a national (not state-specific) exam, I'm not sure how much this matters for the PA profession. So, with all that said, I would love to hear from any recent PA graduates who tried to find their first job in a region other than where they graduated from PA school. I'd also love to hear thoughts and/or insights from any experienced PAs out there. Thank you in advance for any advice you can share! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treejay Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I fit the bill for what you are asking. I moved out of state to a PA program with a strong reputation and CHEAP tuition. But the whole time I knew I wanted to move back to the state I am from. Your #1 disadvantage will be that during your clinical year, you will make many solid contacts in the medical community where you do your rotations. You might even get some job offers or at least some solid leads. If you move back to where you were from, you start from square one. It will take longer to find a job. Although the job market is good and with some work, I have been able to get numerous offers. I arranged my 2 elective rotations at the end of my clinical year back in the town I was moving back to, which helped a little establishing contacts. That would be worthwhile if you indeed move out of state for school. hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted February 20, 2014 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2014 I graduated from hahnemann/drexel in august, moved across country immediately, and was working in L.A. 2 months later after turning down 2 job offers besides the one I took. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubo101 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 This topic interests me as well. I will be attending school in the Southwest and am crossing my fingers to be able to move up to the Northwest (Oregon/Washington) soon after graduation. Do employers expect you to have the state license already before applying or do they tend to give a grace period to get the paperwork in order?...assuming the applicant has passed the PANCE of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted February 20, 2014 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2014 oregon is glacially slow in processing paperwork. in can take 6 months to get a license. WA is much better with turn around times under 2 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HJK Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Would guess it depends on locations. I went to a school about 300 miles away, graduated and received multiple offers while in school without difficulties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyblu Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 At my school, they had clinical rotations available in all 48 contiguous states, and you could also set up your electives wherever you want. About half of my classmates moved out of state immediately upon graduation, some already had jobs lined up in other parts of the country. Totally doable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakingpatience Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 At my school, they had clinical rotations available in all 48 contiguous states, and you could also set up your electives wherever you want. About half of my classmates moved out of state immediately upon graduation, some already had jobs lined up in other parts of the country. Totally doable. Which school did you attend skyblu? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmdwyer Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and thoughts on this. Very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyblu Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Which school did you attend skyblu? Northeastern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WanderlustPA Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I'm from Indiana, in school in Tennessee, and planning to move to Texas upon graduation. Luckily I'll have a couple rotations in Houston, though I want to be in Dallas. I'm planning on doing some networking up in Dallas any chance I get while I'm in Houston. I think that's the key... find a way to establish some contacts early. I do have some friends and one family member in Dallas, but I'm not sure if that'll help me much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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