Any news on PNUHS?

[Punchap]

I'm intrigued by the location, does anyone have updates about the school? Are they accepting apps this cycle? Thanks in advance for any info.

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[Taus]

you sure you aren't just intrigued by the name?....think about it...jk

sorry... I don't have anything helpful to offer...

 

[Punchap]

you sure you aren't just intrigued by the name?....think about it...jk

sorry... I don't have anything helpful to offer...

Oh definitely...I want a "PNUHS" t-shirt regardless of where I matriculate. Who wouldn't want one?

 

[JonnyG]

you sure you aren't just intrigued by the name?....think about it...jk

sorry... I don't have anything helpful to offer...

sorry taus they changed the name. Apparently they are about giving you a good education and not just selling a bunch of hats and tshirts......................................I am kinda disappointed by that

 

[doinmybest5840]

I definitely did NOT pick up on that at first! Hilarious.

you sure you aren't just intrigued by the name?....think about it...jk

sorry... I don't have anything helpful to offer...

 

[blaze1306]

I think this is the new web site


www.pnwu.com

The web site still says they are waiting for pre-accredidation so no new news.

 

[MaximusD]

they didn't change the name they just chose to have pacific northwest university of the health sciences (PNWU) instead of pacific northwest university of the health sciences (PNUHS)

 

[DeLaughterDO]

Wow, while oregon is beautiful and all, from their mission and the other propaganda on the web site, sounds almost like they are going to require all applicants sign a contract to enter primary care.

caveat emptor...

 

[OLYWA]

They got their initial pre-accreditation at the last meeting in Chicago...you can find this on the osteopathic.org site.

Broke ground on their new building recently.

What I've been told is that they can't actually talk to prospective students or accept apps until they get their formal pre-accreditation which is due to happen at the August meeting. After that happens...they will be made available through AACOMAS...and able to take apps. In the fall 2008 cycle...just late in the game.

Their site does have a bit of local/primary care propaganda...that's for sure. Have a strong suspicion they're gonna give strong preference to local/regional applicants...seein as that is their whole 'basis' for startin up the school.

I'm local...and tryin very hard to make it there...just like you...waitin...

They've been pretty user friendly every time I've called with ?'s...you might give that a try.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

they didn't change the name they just chose to have pacific northwest university of the health sciences (PNWU) instead of pacific northwest university of the health sciences (PNUHS)

I wish they hadn't left us dangling....I mean I know the credentialing process for a new school is a long, hard one, but that's no reason to shaft those of us who are throbbing with anticipation.....

 

[StaryMagic]

I may be interested in this school as well, if I don't get in to DMU this year off the waitlist. Does anyone know anything about the clinical rotations and such for this school? Have they set anything up yet, or know if they will be in state, or what? I grew up in Yakima, so I know that the town would probably not be able to support all of the rotations needed, since it has a population of like, 70,000. Although, there probably is need for free clinics and such due to the large migrant farmworker population residing in the area(as well as an overall sense of economic depression). Also, the UW(where I now attend) has a lot of rotation sites in rural areas of Washington, and whether there would be enough spots leftover I guess is what I'm wondering. Currently, there is a shortage of doctors in the PNW because UW is the only med school for the WWAMI region(Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho). So, it totally makes sense that we desperately need a new med school in the area. Also, UW Med School highly recruits students who are interested in primary care as well, and this is due to the shortage of primary care docs in the area, so I have no doubts that the new school in Yakima would probably do the same. If anyone has any questions about Yakima or the surrounding area, I'd be happy to answer.

 

[jp104]

I wish they hadn't left us dangling....I mean I know the credentialing process for a new school is a long, hard one, but that's no reason to shaft those of us who are throbbing with anticipation.....

LOL This is a prickly subject to be sure!

 

[droberge]

I am from Idaho and am going to be applying to this school as soon as they begin to accept aplications. I agree with the the previous poster that this school is going to favor students from their five state target region. I found on the website that they were planning to offer "more reasonable" tuition rates. The new school in Colorado is obviously charging as much as they can for a new school. I was wondering if anybody heard about the potential tuition rates for PNWU.

 

[DeLaughterDO]

I may be interested in this school as well, if I don't get in to DMU this year off the waitlist. Does anyone know anything about the clinical rotations and such for this school? Have they set anything up yet, or know if they will be in state, or what? I grew up in Yakima, so I know that the town would probably not be able to support all of the rotations needed, since it has a population of like, 70,000. Although, there probably is need for free clinics and such due to the large migrant farmworker population residing in the area(as well as an overall sense of economic depression). Also, the UW(where I now attend) has a lot of rotation sites in rural areas of Washington, and whether there would be enough spots leftover I guess is what I'm wondering. Currently, there is a shortage of doctors in the PNW because UW is the only med school for the WWAMI region(Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho). So, it totally makes sense that we desperately need a new med school in the area. Also, UW Med School highly recruits students who are interested in primary care as well, and this is due to the shortage of primary care docs in the area, so I have no doubts that the new school in Yakima would probably do the same. If anyone has any questions about Yakima or the surrounding area, I'd be happy to answer.

If you look on their web site, it says:

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences will focus on training a new generation of primary care physicians who live and work in the rural communities they serve…new doctors who care for and treat their neighbors with an emphasis on preventative health care.

a noble goal, indeed.

The Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) will train 70 new primary care physicians per year beginning in 2008.

... is devoted to training new generations of doctors who will serve the needs of those who live in the non-urban communities and rural areas of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

sounds like they have the ball a-rollin' already. Hope they finish the building in time

PNWU is dedicated to offering more affordable tuition rates and developing community-based scholarship programs for students.

again, a very noble goal indeed. Wonder if there's a catch.

PNWU will utilize rural and small community hospitals for student rotation and residency programs as part of its comprehensive campus-based educational curricula, training students in the very environments in which they will ultimately practice.

Here's the answer to your question about clinical rotations. From what I found, it doesn't look like they have specific rotation sites worked out yet, but they're planning on finding small hospitals and clinics for the students to work in.

They, in all actuality, have about 3 years to solidify their plans for the clinical years since no students will be rotating until that time. I would hope they didn't wait that long, but they theoretically could, I guess.

... will be a private non-profit university located in Yakima, Washington.

Hey, at least it's not FOR-PROFIT...

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

they didn't change the name they just chose to have pacific northwest university of the health sciences (PNWU) instead of pacific northwest university of the health sciences (PNUHS)

So now it's just "the school formerly known as PNUHS"

And the shirts read "I went to the school formerly known as PNUHS ... wanna do it?"

 

[FizbanZymogen]

You guys and girls do NOT want to live in Yakima. I live 45 mins away and it is a very slummy, crime filled town. There are a few nice areas but everytime I go down their I feel like I am going to get mugged or something. Every night on the local news they always mention who got shot or stabbed x10 in that town. I can't wait till they start interviewing and people start posting on these boards how they like the school but could never live in Yakima. Trust me, that town is literally the butt crack of Washington.

 

[DrMidlife]

Wow, while oregon is beautiful and all, from their mission and the other propaganda on the web site, sounds almost like they are going to require all applicants sign a contract to enter primary care.

caveat emptor...

It's in Washington state, not Oregon. I know we all look alike up here but that's like calling Mississippi Georgia.

 

[Taus]

You guys and girls do NOT want to live in Yakima. I live 45 mins away and it is a very slummy, crime filled town. There are a few nice areas but everytime I go down their I feel like I am going to get mugged or something. Every night on the local news they always mention who got shot or stabbed x10 in that town. I can't wait till they start interviewing and people start posting on these boards how they like the school but could never live in Yakima. Trust me, that town is literally the butt crack of Washington.

sounds like Philly...

 

[bioteach]

You guys and girls do NOT want to live in Yakima. I live 45 mins away and it is a very slummy, crime filled town. There are a few nice areas but everytime I go down their I feel like I am going to get mugged or something. Every night on the local news they always mention who got shot or stabbed x10 in that town. I can't wait till they start interviewing and people start posting on these boards how they like the school but could never live in Yakima. Trust me, that town is literally the butt crack of Washington.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. Yakima is no different than many other smallish/medium sized cities. My husband grew up in Yakima and all of his family is still there. We visit there several times a year. While its true that there is a substantial migrant worker population that contributes to overall crime, I have never felt as if I would get "mugged" in Yakima. Its a heck of alot safer than any big city.

The only drawback to Yakima is its lack of culture. You have to drive to Seattle to get good restaurants, museums, things like that.

 

[DeLaughterDO]

It's in Washington state, not Oregon. I know we all look alike up here but that's like calling Mississippi Georgia.

I knew that.. don't know where oregon came from.

my bad..

 

[acrunchyfrog]

I've been thru there many many times, (usually on my way to E-burg or Seattle) and while it's not too great, I dunno if it's the butt-crack or not. One would hope that with the recent pushes for colleges and the like in that town, the quality of the town would improve over time.

Aside from that, I told my doctor ( a DO who will gladly let me shadow) about the name thing. He said that he wished his school had such a cool name. (think he went to CCOM)

 

[OLYWA]

As far as a preference towards accepting 'regional' applicants...I just stumbled across this in a press release.

"We will have a preferential admission policy with first choice given to the highly qualified students from our five-state region." Dr. William Betz, DO, vice-president, CEO, and dean.

 

[StaryMagic]

You guys and girls do NOT want to live in Yakima. I live 45 mins away and it is a very slummy, crime filled town. There are a few nice areas but everytime I go down their I feel like I am going to get mugged or something. Every night on the local news they always mention who got shot or stabbed x10 in that town. I can't wait till they start interviewing and people start posting on these boards how they like the school but could never live in Yakima. Trust me, that town is literally the butt crack of Washington.

Well, with a screename that has the word "Zymogen" in it, I'm assuming you're either from Seattle, or spent significant time there, working in a biotech company.... So, if you're from somewhere like, say, Bellevue, that upper class standard is going to be tough to beat anywhere, and if you compare Yakima to that, I can see your point.

I currenty go to the UW in Seattle, and let me tell you, it's much scarier to me to walk around the U-district or Downtown with all the bums and drug dealers than to be in Yakima. And you can't tell me that there are no shootings or stabbings in Seattle. Someone got shot a couple of months ago here on campus. Let alone the much higher crime in places like South Seattle or Tacoma.

Here's my 2 cents on Yakima: Basically, it's got a problem with poverty, and there's a large latino farmworker population. These things do contirbute to crime in particular parts of the city. However, most people who want to escape that live in the west side of town, or outside of town, and in those areas, Yakima is very nice, and I would wholeheartedly say, in my opinion, that it is very safe. The campus of the med school will be located in Terrace Heights, outside of town on the east side, about 5 minutes from where I grew up. I can vouche for the location and say that it's a nice part of the Yakima area, and I'd feel safer there any day than in the U-district in Seattle where I live now. So, I really think it depends on where you compare Yakima to. If you're from Mabton, or Mattawa or something, Yakima would be a great place to live! But, it certainly is no Bellevue.

Here's my list of pros:
1. Cheap rent/real estate and living expenses
2. Free parking everywhere and no hassle finding parking
3. Less worry about crime, given that you don't go down to the ghetto...
4. Lots of sun! 300 days of sunshine a year(although many of those are cold, there are nice, warm, DRY summers)
5. Lots of cheap fresh fruit in spring, summer and fall
6. Skiing and winter sports nearby
7. Almost everything is way cheaper in Yakima... My parents bought a car there for $8000 less than prices listed in Seattle
8. Nice golf courses and places to go fishing in the summer

Cons:
1. There's not a ton to do, but it isn't terrible
2. There are some sketchy areas of town
3. General sense of economic weakness

Feel free add to my comments!

 

[bioteach]

Another PRO for Yakima: WINE! They have some excellent vineyards and the city has worked hard to up the tourism in the area by advertising the awesome wineries.

I would love to go to school in Terrace Heights since my in-laws live there. I could just about walk to the new school from their house. I think you'd stand a greater risk getting hit by a golf ball from the Yakima Country Club than getting mugged, just based on location of the new campus.