University of St. Francis PA Program: Student Spotlight

The University of St. Francis PA program is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and runs 27 months. The student in this spotlight was in her fourth rotation, general surgery, with four six week rotations left, and reported a class size of 40 students.

What makes it unique is that the New Mexico campus is dedicated entirely to the PA program and sits in a commercial office complex. There is a main campus in Illinois with other degrees, but in New Mexico, USF is PA only. She liked that all of the school's efforts and resources go toward PA education rather than being split across many programs.

She is originally from a small town in rural New Mexico, so she mostly applied to schools close to home. USF was both her first interview and her first acceptance. She was offered a few other interviews but turned them down, choosing to accept her first offer because she was eager to get started and loved the location.

That decision reflects something we see often: location and readiness to begin can carry real weight in a final choice. For a student rooted in New Mexico, staying close to home while attending a focused, PA only campus made a lot of sense.

For studying, she mostly used her professors' slides and Quizlets she and her classmates made, and she had just bought PANCE Prep Pearls to use for PANCE studying.

On the hardest part, she says didactic year as a whole is brutal, describing it as drinking water from a fire hydrant, with so much information and so many exams in so little time. Her advice is to study early and often: she did a quick review of the slides after every lecture and went over them at least two more times before buckling down for a test, because repetition is key. She also says do not be afraid to ask questions or ask for help if you are struggling. One more tip: do not be afraid to have a pet during PA school. Her corgi, Melo, was a wonderful source of stress relief and kept her active. You can find her at @_erinleanne on Instagram, and Melo at @corgmelo.

Hearing directly from a current student gives you a feel for a program that no website can. Use spotlights like this to shape your questions and find a program that fits your life and study style. If you are preparing to apply or interview, our free resources and coaching are here to help.