PA-MD

[peabo]

Anyone working as a PA or NP attending an on-line program. I think it's a great idea, but have my concerns, with getting licensed afterward. Any thoughts?

[peabo]

Education is what you make it!!!!!! Class size of 200 plus does not allow for interaction from a professor, they facilitate, you learn.

[azskeptic]

Dsfx, ok, let's talk further. Many chiropractors don't believe in the germ theory of medicine and believe in subluxations as the cause of all ill health. Where do they learn that? I assume in chiropractic school. If their basic science training was equivalent they wouldn't hold such off-beat ideas.

Medicine isn't studied easily parttime..if that was the case,US medical schools would have part time programs.

Do you want to be an MD or a chiropractor with MD training who still holds chiropractic beliefs...that you can adjust someone and their hearing will recover or that you can treat children's ear aches by adjustment or ear candling? I am serious in asking this. I have corresponded with alot of people who don't realize that if they become an MD they would have to use scientific based medicine or not be practicing within their scope of practice.

In no shape or form am I attacking you as a chiropractor because I don't know you or what you do obviously. But I do not agree that you are an advanced medical student because you are a chiropractor or a dentist or a podiatrist. Medical school is to train you to be a physician and experience will make you a better physician. If you read the UHSA board on their website you will see a bunch of folks 'high fiving' each other that they are advanced students when they do clinicals......amazing indeed to do that in public but some people think that they are 'smarter' than the average bear.

Bottom line: as a consumer I want my physician to have had good training in a medical school with the best professors available, not the hodge podge of online professors that have been cobbled together at the online schools. The average person on the street would not believe that some people think they can attend medical school from their computers and continue working full time in their day job. But the proof will be what the licensing boards do indeed.

[radboy710]

To azskeptic,

I just want to let you know there are two main streams in chiropractic. Some schools are more science based others are more philosophy based. The science based schools programs are equal in hours and material to a medschool program. The only difference is that there is little emphasis on Pharm/Tox, in its place chiropractic practice in inserted. The sci based chiro schools base their program on a evidence based program. Besides I don't think there is two versions of Moore's Clinical anatomy, one for DCs and the other for MDs, or two versions of Robbins. Let me know if you find them because I want to make sure I don't buy the wrong one...

Don't get me wrong I am not an advocate for the online learning program, but in some states they can be fully licensed. There was an article that came through one of these forums, indicating that a DC, who attended the UHSA, was doing his FP residency in IOWA ST. medical facility. Correct me if I am wrong but I have always considered IOWA ST med program to be a good one and well recognized, can't say the same for their football team though....

From my experience, and I know this will cause an uproar... DC's trained in a science based program have very good hx and Px training, to the point there are very good diagnosticians. Better then most of the MD counterparts.

Not every DC belives:
"that you can adjust someone and their hearing will recover or that you can treat children's ear aches by adjustment or ear candling?"

Just my .02

To dsfx,

azskeptic does have a point, majority of the states, or at least the big ones do not accredit online MD programs. NY, CA where approx 50% of the residencies positions are available. Residencies full over 90% of the time. At the same time how long has it been seen you did your basic sciences? That is the first thing people tend to forget in practice. So when you take USMLE's and maybe not do so well... therefore not getting into a residency... then you have just wasted money. So the extra year of basic science may help you prepare better, therefore allowing to score better..... allowing you to secure a residency or even an option of several.

If you want to maintain your practice... then maybe you should apply to a local medschool, and since you have covered all this material already it would be review and not so hard to grasp. Therefore allowing you to possibly maintain a part-time practice.

All I am saying dsfx is maybe you should keep your options open and do a little searching. I had a friend doing the IUHS program, who was very qualified, but decided if was full of @#$Q and she dropped it and is now applying to a more established school.

Good luck with your online studies, but don't be surprised if doors are shut when you are done. Look at the lower tier residencies and residencies in small towns.

[maraja]

Hi, I am an NP. I took a long look at on-line programs...was accepted to start at IUHS. I passed as I felt that too many states would not accept on-line education ( I called a number of states personally). I know that a number of US programs are trying some on-line education (Ohio is) and I figure its best to let US schools pave the way not Caribbean schools that already have to fight for recognition. I decided to get over the unfairness of not having my prior experience/classses count and get studying. I am spending 20 months on a caribbean island with my family doing just that. I don't regret it. Most of the basic sciences I had forgotten and I can see now that it would have been very difficult to pass the USMLE without a good brush-up! I am now in my forth semester looking forward to physical diagnosis, path, and pharm which will definately be easier for me than my counterpart who have no prior experience.

My time in school is going so fast that it is hard to believe I ever worried about putting this extra time into my future. I think I will be a great MD with my past experiences plus the new knowledge I have obtained in medical school. The depth of information is certainly more than I had as an NP (one of my PA counterparts agrees!).

Best of luck to you.

[teratos]

To my knowldege, NOBODY from the online programs anywhere have been licensed. States do not accept credits from chiro, NP, PA or other schools as counting toward your MD. While YOU may not think that people should have to re-take the classes for their MD, the states in this country do. You are wasting your money. You cannot get a license, so what good is it? G

[azskeptic]

Dr. Durst:

what keeps happening is people learn that some of the online grads have got into residencies and confuse that with licensing. With the states currently banning online students and the Federation of State Medical Boards making the states aware, think you will see a bunch of folks who have gone to residencies still unable to license. In no shape or form, are these schools a good safe bet. Like the PA said,you are better off going on and spending the time to get through the education so that you don't face disaster later.

[teratos]

That is too bad. Some people will do anything to make some money. It sounds like a good idea, but It obviously doesn't work. What a bummer to do a residency and not be able to get a license. G

[Flash]

How can you say it sounds like a good idea?

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[Flash]

And I hope they never do. I can hardly believe that this is even a reality. I was in the wireless business for a while and we found online training for sales people was greatly lacking. That was selling pagers, this is medicine! This type of training is half-assed, no two ways about it. Hey I go to church so does that mean I am half way to becoming a preacher. It use to be if you wanted something bad enough you went out and got it. Now it seems that is too hard, so people are trying to bending the rules or just make new ones to get what they want asap. Jes people we are talking about human beings and their care.