Pima Medical Institute - Renton

This "school" is a complete scam, and will not prepare you in anyway for whatever degree your pursuing. They are PROVISIONALLY ACCREDITED for Vet Tech, meaning they are in a probationary period, while the AVMA decides if they will be accepted as a FULLY ACCREDITED "VOCATIONAL SCHOOL" Vet Tech School... This is not a College, nor is it a well rounded school (as the only positive reviewer wrote, probably one of staff). The staff are made up of former vet tech workers that have absolutely no professional or higher education status necessary to teach. Mrs. Tami's class is 4 hours of PowerPoint lectures, all day long. Mrs. Tavenners class is chaos, lining up in single file to perform a "check off" such as anal squeezing or SQ injections after little to no instruction on how to do so. Before everything is finished, you're rushed onto the next "check off." They rush you in, and rush you out.. why? It's simple really, they are in the business of making money! And at 11k per student and a 6-9 month turn around they are certainly making out quite well! Point is this, I assure you this school is a waste of your time, I can promise you this.. they will not prepare you for a license by Washington state, their staff is just not capable of education. Ever hear the phrase, "blind leading the blind" if you value an education, do what I've done and go somewhere else.. do your research, call vet offices and ask what they think of PIMA.. ask around about this place, its all true, horrible college with awful teachers. more

I am currently attending the PIMA Medical Institute in Renton as a Respiratory Therapy student. In the beginning I couldn't understand why PIMA had such a bad reputation. The general studies instructor is an excellent teacher who truly cares to see her students succeed. After we were done with general studies and began to be taught by other instructors things changed dramatically. None of the other instructors have anywhere near the teaching ability of the general studies instructor, but at least two of them display professionalism and caring for the students. One instructor is completely uncaring and a horrible teacher. It is quite obvious that he just recycles Powerpoints and doesn't know what is or isn't important for us to know. He doesn't even know what he is going to test us on until the day before a test. Most the time he has not focused any of his lectures on the materials we are tested on and then he gets angry with the students when we point this out. If you ask questions or try to explain your reasoning to him he gets extremely upset. Going to class is a waste of time. Although you are paying a good amount of money to be taught respiratory therapy you end up having to teach yourself. I have attended college and understand the importance of studying. An instructor needs to provide much more guidance and direction than this instructor does. You will feel completely on your own. The most unfortunate part is that he teaches the most difficult and important courses. I want to make it clear that I don't think he is a bad teacher because the courses are hard. He is a bad teacher because he does not even teach. Please, if I can stop just one person from attending this school I will feel that I have done some good. The main reason I chose this school was because I would be finished faster than if I went to Seattle Central Community College. I have never regretted a decision so much in my life. Do not go to this school. You will be disappointed. more

I am still a current student at pima, actually about to go out onto externship... I feel that the staff is rude and inconsiderate. Most of all of them don't know how to do their jobs, and when they do it wrong they blame you. Financial aid is a joke, all the reps could careless about your problems or needs. Student services sucks, they are rude and degrading. The career prep teacher was great, although he wasn't really interested. Now the regular teachers psshh you might as well miss a month come back and its still the same. Check out other colleges first. I paid 11 thousand on an education I am sure is going to lead me nowhere. more

Good: when i first started at pmi, i was very excited. i did wonderful in my career prep class, the teacher was great. when i got to vet asst. all the teacher ms.tami does is powerpoints for three hours, going over the same stuff multipule times and everytime is it a different answer or info about the same thing. none of the teachers seem to know basic things, a perfect example would be spelling penis like penus...thats the education you will recieve for $11,000. Bad: Nothing in this school is even close to being organized. i know now why all the people i have worked with that went to pima in renton and said DO NOT GO THERE. i chose pima because it was going to be quicker than pierce community college, HUGE mistake on my part for not just going to pierce. i would deffintly not reccomend this school.. Improvements: how this school could be improved is get some new teacher that actully know what they are teaching and not have an attitude when people that have never done things in the veterinary field dont get it correct the first time. this school needs MUCH MUCH more orgainization and people that care about the QUALITY of the EDUCATION they give to people paying over $11,000 and not just try and get as many people in and out of the school, whether they learned a lot or nothing... they want QUANITY NOT QUALITY.. Other: DONT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS PLACE, GO TO A REAL SCHOOL AND RECIVE AN EDUCATION THAT WILL ACTULLY TEACH YOU AND MAKE YOU HIRABLE.. more

1 Previous Review: Hide » 11/18/2010 I went to PIMA and attended the Dental Assisting program. I was very excited when I started attending this school. I also wanted to further my future as a dental hygienist one day.(after the dental assisting course was over) Job esablished, life, ect. The biggest mistake I ever made was going to this school. Most af the teachers are NOT real accredited teachers but rather people whom worked in the related trade they are trying to teach. The worst part about going to PIMA was finding out after a few months that the Dental Assistant Program was NOT accredited professionally in any way, after completing the "sequineces" and an "externship of 260 hours" I graduted with a wonderful piece of paper from PIMA... All I ended up with was a "PIMA Certificate" I could not sit for my CDA (certified dental assistant) accreditation for 2,500 more hours. And DANB "dental assisting national board" solidified this issue. If I would have been more resourceful, patient and done more research - I would've NEVER gone to PIMA in Renton - or any other PIMA school. If you live in the Renton/Seattle area please take my advise and look at other options -even if there is a waiting list. If I would've went to Renton Tech, Pierce Community College or Lake Washington Tech - I would still be a dental assistant on my way to becoming a hygienist-and I would've gotten the proper accreditation . - And I still have to pay back a loan for a bogus trade school. I cannot speak on any of the other programs PIMA offers as far as accreditation goes but PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE EVEN CONSIDERING THIS TRADE SCHOO.L There are better trade, tech schools available. BEWARE more

Major REGRET! Wasted $11,000-- all down the drain. Their teachers are a bunch of lunatics. In addition, they sent out incorrect tuition statements and upon asking several times, they just snapped that the "corporate office" will send out corrected statements. It has been over 2 months now and no sign of that corrected statement. Trust me, DO NOT waste your precious time and money on this stupid place! more

I attended this school and absolutely regret it. My core class instructor had no idea what he was doing, and during the basic computer portion of our class, I had to correct him frequently. I've worked for computer companies, I know about computers, he obviously did not. I worked my butt off to graduate with a 4.0 in the Medical Administrative Assistant program and it was a waste of time. My training there, and certificate, have turned out to be worthless, when it comes to trying to find a job. Their "job placement" is a joke. They are not helpful in anyway, and I've run into other students who felt the same way. So, a year after graduation, I'm still unemployed, and unable to get a job in the field I worked to so hard to get into, despite my grades, and my impressive resume. It was a waste of time and money, that I didn't have to waste. more

Pima Medical Institute (PMI) has offered specialized, quality healthcare training that is quick and affordable for more than 35 years. PMI is one of the premier medical career colleges in the western United States and is dedicated to providing students with a well-rounded education that offers theoretical classroom studies coupled with real world training on-site at medical facilities. PMI has been serving the Renton, WA community since 2004. In Renton, PMI offers certificate programs for future dental assistants, medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomy technicians and veterinary assistants. They also offer associate degree programs for future occupational therapy assistants, respiratory therapists and veterinary technicians. PMI provides life-altering opportunities that turn students into competent medical professionals who can meet the expectations of 21st century employers. more