What do all of you think about going to a PA school that does not use cadavers? Does that cheapen your education?

I just want to know if you would be less prepared to do your job, if you were to be trained in this way?

thanks,
Mark

Let me know what you think.

I think I would be less prepared, so no, I wouldnt want to attend any program that did not have a cadaver based a&p. With that said, from what I have seen, the ones that do not have that type of course, require that you have had that type of a&p as a pre-req.....

I was wondering which programs do not use cadavers?

Hey Barbara,

I went to an interview at Nova Southeastern in Orlando. They do not use cadavers, instead they use a virtual disceting software, that I hear is quite helpful. It is not a human body of course, but it can be used as a reference. As opposed to a cadaver, which is thrown away. This software is made so that it can be kept for years.
I thouhgt they were the only one that did this, but I was wrong. Because Ihave ran into PA's from other schools that did not use cadavers while in PA school.
So its not completely uncommon. But I dont know of what school dont off-hand

Mark W

Mark,
Thanks so much for responding. I'm currently in the midst of my pre-reqs and deciding which schools I may apply to. I really like the ida of using the simulation software...I'm not particularly squeamish, but it sounds like you can gain a similar knowledge base by using a simulator. (It removes the "gross" from anatomy!) I also like the fact that you can keep the software as a reference for years afterward -- how helpful that would be.

If anyone knows of other programs that use this type of learning tool, I'd be very interested. Thanks again, Mark, for the info!

Well that is one school that I will not be applying to......I would like to go into surgery so I would like to have more of a "hands on" opportunity

I just interviewed at Nova Southeastern University - Southwest (Naples)and here is what I was told about the cadaver situation:
The Ft. Lauderdale program has access to cadavers but AFTER the med students are done with them. The educational center programs such as Naples and Orlando use the computerized version mentioned above. Apparently the individual in the computerized version was a death row inmate who donated his body to science. There are obvious pros and cons to both. The plus side of working with a real cadaver is obvious and probably a good idea if you are going into the surgical field. However, the down side is that you only have access to an already dissected cadaver (it is already decomposing0 during specific times. The computerized version is available online at any time and from what I hear, is quite impressive.
This is the way it was explained to us by the admissions counselor so please note that this info is not from my first hand experience. Hope it helps!

yeah I went to an interview at NSU in Orlando and asked about the pros and cons. They told me the same thing. I had been shadowing a PA and he mentioned that he had bought a computerized anatomy program, and bragged on how helpful it was. I imagine that it is very similar. They also mentioned that we were able to keep the software for as long as we want. And as mentioned before, the cadaver gets thrown away. Thats definetely a benefit

I cannot imagine not using a computer program instead of a cadaver. Yes, it is a "gross" but doing the dissections really helps with understanding how the body is put together. Looking at a computer screen just wouldn't be the same.