What's the deal with PNWU?

[ThrowFarAway]

There seems to be very little information about PNWU out there from current/former students. How do you guys feel about the curriculum/faculty/etc? If you could decide over again, would you still go there?
I don't know whether to be comforted or not that there is virtually no information, good or bad, on the internet.

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[dfib slim]

I heard you might get a nurse as your surgery preceptor.

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[IslandStyle808]

Sylvanthus is gonna have a fun time with this thread...

 

[wizkidviz]

I got into the mams program (and decided to go with another one) mainly because of the cost, and all I can comment on is the actual look of the campus from the tour. It looks cool. The students seemed really chill. The students mentioned that the administration is great and listens to the students. They have rotations in cool places (like Anchorage).

 

[Catfish-Cupcake]

There seems to be very little information about PNWU out there from current/former students. How do you guys feel about the curriculum/faculty/etc? If you could decide over again, would you still go there?
I don't know whether to be comforted or not that there is virtually no information, good or bad, on the internet.

I'm just starting this fall at PNWU and I always thought the same thing. The only answer that makes any sense is that the school is just really chill. Faculty are super friendly, students are close knit and almost all come from the PNW and the local community is very supportive. The curriculum is systems based, but you can find all of that kind of info on their website.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

I'm just starting this fall at PNWU and I always thought the same thing. The only answer that makes any sense is that the school is just really chill. Faculty are super friendly, students are close knit and almost all come from the PNW and the local community is very supportive. The curriculum is systems based, but you can find all of that kind of info on their website.

I'm not sure how a school can both be "really chill" but then be anal enough to insist on mandatory attendance.

5 years ago the school seemed chill enough but their 3rd and 4th years seemed haphazardly placed and as mentioned I heard some rotations actually were with nurses.

All this with a $50k price tag led me elsewhere despite living 3 hours away and being accepted

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[ThrowFarAway]

I'm just starting this fall at PNWU and I always thought the same thing. The only answer that makes any sense is that the school is just really chill. Faculty are super friendly, students are close knit and almost all come from the PNW and the local community is very supportive. The curriculum is systems based, but you can find all of that kind of info on their website.

I'm starting in the fall as well. I threw this question out there because, in my boredom this summer, I thought that it would be wise to explore what I was getting myself into, but there is little to no info. I've dredged through like 5 years worth of boards that mention PNWU.

 

[ThrowFarAway]

I'm not sure how a school can both be "really chill" but then be anal enough to insist on mandatory attendance.

5 years ago the school seemed chill enough but their 3rd and 4th years seemed haphazardly placed and as mentioned I heard some rotations actually were with nurses.

All this with a $50k price tag led me elsewhere despite living 3 hours away and being accepted

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I heard about the nurse as a preceptor, but supposedly that was taken care of immediately. Starting this year, apparently attendance isn't mandatory, except for labs and some mandatory sessions. We will see if that actually holds true.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

I heard about the nurse as a preceptor, but supposedly that was taken care of immediately. Starting this year, apparently attendance isn't mandatory, except for labs and some mandatory sessions. We will see if that actually holds true.

Fair enough, this was 5 years ago. They actually openly mocked people stating "why would you pay tuition to not go to class".

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[ThrowFarAway]

Fair enough, this was 5 years ago. They actually openly mocked people stating "why would you pay tuition to not go to class".

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I went to visit the school before applying...I asked the campus guide (He was some type of admissions coordinator) about the attendance policy and he made the SAME comment. I was a little put-off by it lol.

 

[NurWollen]

Fair enough, this was 5 years ago. They actually openly mocked people stating "why would you pay tuition to not go to class".

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When I visited the school they also mocked people who took the USMLE.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

When I visited the school they also mocked people who took the USMLE.

Wow. Not good.

Not a fan of the 'why would you pay tuition to not go to class' reasoning either. Many self-starter types find lectures to be a total waste of time.

 

[songl4a]

.

 

[NurWollen]

Off topic, but what's the deal with airline food?

Man, it used to be free when you flew cross country. When I went to Conshohocken for the PE a few weeks ago, I didn't even get a stinkin' bag of potato chips.

 

[NurWollen]

Wow. Not good.

Not a fan of the 'why would you pay tuition to not go to class' reasoning either. Many self-starter types find lectures to be a total waste of time.

Yeah, I sure wasn't impressed by it, but I still applied to PNWU and would have gone if I didn't get in elsewhere. I'm sure plenty of their students still take the USMLE.

 

[Catfish-Cupcake]

Man, it used to be free when you flew cross country. When I went to Conshohocken for the PE a few weeks ago, I didn't even get a stinkin' bag of potato chips.

If you fly Alaska Airlines they give you free beer and wine! It's always 5 o'clock when you're in the air.

 

[IslandStyle808]

If you fly Alaska Airlines they give you free beer and wine! It's always 5 o'clock when you're in the air.

That is pretty sweet! If you fly Hawaiian Airlines, you will get a free meal and some complimentary rum punch. So some decent airliners still exist.

 

[acapnial]

If you fly Alaska Airlines they give you free beer and wine! It's always 5 o'clock when you're in the air.

Local beer too! I flew to seattle and got an outstanding IPA from washington

 

[deleted707454]

Any thoughts on nearby COMP NW? There is also little information on this school.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

She's a current student there and talks about her own experience via her vlog. Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtshF-jbiDgEKJrpV4GMRog

 

[FourniersGreenGang]

Local beer too! I flew to seattle and got an outstanding IPA from washington

Dang now I'm sad, I flew Alaska from Mexico and they didn't give me free beer . They did indeed have a nice selection though.

 

[acapnial]

Dang now I'm sad, I flew Alaska from Mexico and they didn't give me free beer . They did indeed have a nice selection though.

Maybe if you write them and ask them what the deal was you'll get a voucher or something

 

[hrbird]

I am really excited to be starting here in the fall. As for the attendance policy for the incoming class, the student handbook states that lecture attendance is recommended (not required). I'm one that learns from lecture, so I plan to attend. I attached that page of the student handbook for inquiring minds. Also, I recently ran into an attending physician at one of the rotation sites and he had nothing but praise for the school. Every school has to iron out the kinks in the beginning, which I'm sure there were many of them years back... but this school is proving itself as a great place to train in my opinion. I haven't even started here, but already have been the recipient of a lot of support from the staff. They have been easy and friendly to work with.

 

[CLR2303]

I'm finishing my third year at PNWU and I think it's a pretty good school (obviously I have nothing to compare it with though!) I think you will get a good feel for the attitude of the school during your interview and then you should decide if it's a good fit or not. After my interview I called my husband and told him if I got in, we were moving to Yakima. I felt like everyone there really wants you to succeed and tries to help you out. There are some growing pains, as it's still rather new, and so if you want an established school it's probably not a good buy for you. Personally I don't mind being able to sit down with people in administration and politely tell them what I think could be done better. Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don't, but a lot of that has to do with how you approach it. Some of my classmates became rather... uncivil... with the admin about some of their dissatisfaction, and they sort of clamped down on their willingness to listen when you do that. TLDR; If you're not a douchebag, it could be a good fit.

 

[NagisaStar]

Starting my third year here and I think this school is pretty good, especially if you are from the PNW. The school is tight with the community and there are many opportunities to serve. The professors are awesome (most of them) and I am glad for their knowledge and willingness to help. I have never been to a school were the teachers cared so much for their students. They really go above and beyond. Some of them will even stay super late into the night to answer questions before tests. The school is not perfect by any means, but I would make the same decision again. As for rotations, I went to a community I was from and was able to set up a lot of rotations with physicians I knew; however, they also had tons of preceptors at their disposal (disclaimer: the AREAS VARY!). Overall I would say that my pre-clinical years were as good as they could have been and cannot wait to start rotations! If you have any questions feel free to PM. Best of luck.

 

[dracosta]

Also starting my third year at PNWU and while I could be happier with some aspects of the school, I don't have anything to compare it to and I am going to be a doctor in 2 years which is the point of all of this so... Can't complain too hard. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to PM.

 

[sylvanthus]

For those interested in this school find out about the quality of the rotations 3rd and 4th year, they may have changed, but I had an RN as my preceptor on my surgery rotation. Not even a NP/DNP, an RN, and my core site was shut down after I graduated. I can't say for certain how good the rotation sites are now, but that was pretty bad. Spent two years building relationships in the community, trying to improve the core site, and it just got shut down. What a waste. Ah well.

 

[Roberie]

True. And through your own elbow grease and perseverance, you've made your own way.


The school wants to create down home country docs who want nothing more than to stay in Eastern Washington and treat migrant farm workers. This is not a complaint, but a fact. If your goals differ and you attend PNWU, be prepared to blaze your own trail. It's doable though. I'm sure they will continue to improve