The rising costs of medical education can be an intense financial burden for students. ORACLE GRAPHIC/CAROLINA MOLERO ROCA
Pursuing a career as a physician assistant is a meaningful, demanding choice — and one of the realities that cannot be overlooked is the financial weight students carry from the moment they accept their offer to attend PA school.
When accounting for housing, food, transportation and personal expenses for the full 24-month program, Florida residents face a total cost of attendance nearing $141,000. For out-of-state students, this can reach nearly $207,000, according to USF Health’s cost of attendance figures.
For both categories of students, those figures are before accounting for the debt students carried over from their undergraduate studies.
That financial pressure is amplified by the reality that not all PA roles pay equally.
Inspira Advantage, a national medical school admissions consulting firm, states the highest PA salaries are concentrated in specialties such as cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, dermatology and critical care medicine — fields that many new graduates do not enter immediately.
For students already pushing through one of the most demanding curricula in healthcare education, the added weight of growing debt is not a minor inconvenience. It wears people down.
USF trains students to care for patients, and the institution has opportunities to further support students entering the field.
That means financial education, proactive support and access to resources that reach students before the pressure turns into something harder to manage.
Related: USF approves second out-of-state tuition hike in under six months
To USF’s credit, pieces of this infrastructure already exist. The USF Health Financial Literacy Program offers one-on-one coaching sessions, workshops and student debt letters aimed at helping graduate and professional students make informed financial decisions.
However, as a former PA student completing an intensive 24-month program, it can be challenging to find the time to seek out these resources during the curriculum.
USF provides education on financial aid and support before, during and throughout admission, according to USF Student Financial Wellness.
Additionally, financial advisors’ exit counseling discusses not only federal loan management and repayment options, but also offers students resources on overall budgeting and financial management, according to the Federal Student Aid website.
This also connects students with financial advisors they may choose to work with after graduation for a more robust financial management approach.
These resources were incredibly valuable. Having access to similar resources earlier in the program and even before matriculation would have provided students with greater awareness of additional financial tools available to support them during their enrollment.
An additional resource USF could offer more proactively is requiring each incoming PA student to complete an online financial orientation before the program begins — one that goes beyond the surface of student loans and into deeper budgeting.
Incoming PA students would benefit from a structured session on the two-year cost of attendance broken down by specific factors.
This can include residency, how loan interest accrues throughout enrollment and what monthly repayment realistically looks like on a starting PA salary in Florida with government loans, private loans and refinanced loans.
This orientation could also cover topics such as basic budgeting to help students manage finances throughout their enrollment.
Most students enter PA programs with a general understanding of their debt, but not a clear sense of how that will impact them in practice. Greater guidance at an early stage of enrollment can help students make more informed financial decisions throughout their training.
Related: USF graduate assistants share financial struggles as union seeks higher pay
Clarity does not eliminate the debt, but it makes it something students can plan around rather than dread.
There is also a strong case for USF to build fundraising programs with proceeds directed to students who need financial relief.
Larry Collins, the associate director of the USF physician assistant program, said that while USF encourages students to seek out scholarships to help cover the cost of education, it does not currently offer scholarships of its own.
By implementing fundraising programs, USF could accrue funds to then offer back to students in the form of scholarships.
USF could also actively connect students with available grants and scholarships before matriculation, while they have more availability to seek out and apply for scholarships.
While USF cannot make PA school affordable overnight, it can take additional meaningful steps to provide additional financial support for students.
Expanding scholarships, developing stronger fundraising efforts for students and providing in-depth financial orientation before matriculation into the program would make a significant difference.
The students in this program will go on to care for communities across Florida and beyond. The support they receive from USF during their time in the program will equip them to become more efficient providers and promote their overall well-being.
Savannah Souders is a USF Class of 2024 PA graduate and an admissions consulting expert at Inspira Advantage, a leading medical school admissions consulting firm.