Kettering College

Date: Jul 31 2006
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I was a student in the physician assistant program. I had previously attended a traditional 4-year public university and obtained a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine prior to attending KCMA. Therefore, some of my comments may be skewed because I can't help but compare the two schools. The school where I obtained my bachelor's degree was fantastic, which makes KCMA pale even more in comparison. Most of my comments are negative, and I don't want to come off as one of those whiner students that aren't happy with anything (you know the ones). Honestly, I am a pretty open-minded, laid-back person who isn't that hard to please. Many of my classmates had made similar comments to the ones I will make, as well. I just feel that my PA education at KCMA overall was a negative experience.

The teaching staff for the physician assistant program was mixed. Some of the professors were fantastic, and some were simply abysmal. Overall, I would give it a mediocre rating. Thankfully, the medicine and H&P courses were good, so at least a good foundation was laid. Pharmacology was taught poorly with much erroneous, outdated information given. Many of the subspecialty courses were similar. The cost for the PA program when I entered it was $464 per credit hour. I guess I just expected a better education for the price I was paying.

I, and several of my classmates, found the administrative staff (for the college, not the PA school itself) to be incompetent and lazy. I lost $5,000 of financial aid money my first year due to incorrect information given to me from the financial aid staff, and due to the staff missing deadlines for me. Most of my classmates have similar stories, whether it be for financial aid, the bursar, or with registration. You just really have to be on the ball to know what should be happening and when, and hound the staff (or else things won't go right for you). I would caution students entering the college without previous college experience, because many students do not already know the ins and outs of financial aid and other administrative subjects coming into college.

When I entered the PA program, I was told by staff that KCMA's PA program had a wonderful reputation. However, my experience contradicted that. My classmates and I wondered why with 7 major hospitals, several smaller clinics, and many doctor's offices in the area we all had to drive long (sometimes very long) commutes to reach our clinical sites. Commutes ranged from 5 min to 2 hours. I would say on average, most people had to drive about a half hour to an hour. Then, a close friend of mine (who is a doctor) told me that several doctors he knew had started refusing to take KCMA PA students anymore because they were no longer prepared enough. That is heresay, so, I can't be positive of the truth in that. But, if KCMA's PA program had a good reputation at one time, I wonder at where it is now and where it is headed. Other than the negativity associated with graduating from a very expensive school that has a failing reputation, there is also negativity involved at having such long commutes (especially when you're attending clinicals 4-5 days per week).

The student activities in the school are largely religious-based. This isn't a problem if you are interested in those kind of activities, but if you are not a religious person I would keep that in mind. Another thing to keep in mind (that they don't really tell you in admissions) is that all students are required to attend a "spiritual emphasis" ceremony (i.e. mix between a church service and a youth group meeting) one morning a month, or else pay a fine. There is also a required "convocation ceremony" at the beginning of each year, with the penalty of a fine for non-attendance. I will give the school kudos, though, in that they seem to make strides to include many walks of Christianity in the ceremonies and activities (instead of focusing only on Seventh Day Adventist beliefs).

There are some good things about the program, however. The class sizes are small, and there is ample opportunity for personal attention. As I said before, some of the PA professors are wonderful. Even the not-so-wonderful ones are willing to make great strides to help you when you need help. The medicine and H&P classes were taught well, and I learned much from them. Sometimes, medical doctors in the area would come in and teach on the subjects of their specialty, allowing for the most up-to-date and knowledgeable lectures. The PA administration staff is knowledgeable and helpful.

Although some aspects of the PA education there is great, it does not outweigh the problems with the program. I would not recommend this school to another aspiring PA student, unless the school makes some improvements. I myself regret my choice to attend KCMA for my PA education.