Pima Medical Institute
Reviews and Complaints

I had completed the medical assisting program in November of 2022, they stated that graduation wouldn’t be until March 2023, I was already moved away from the area at the time and could not attend. However they stated they could send my completion papers to my address on file. They ended up sending my completion papers to my old address even though I had corrected the address online through PIMA alumni. They also argued with me at the front desk when asking to receive my transcript papers, which I didn’t receive until a week later after contacting the main campus in Arizona. Overall, I never received my certificate paper they now state I have go to the campus to pay a fee even though it was there mistake sending to the wrong address ( I have all of this on email record as proof) the industry is very unprofessional and unorganized and would not recommend to a friend and I regret not going to a regular community college instead.

[protected] Radiologic Technologist program. Signed a contract and paid full amount to have in person learning and utilize the school lab. Pandemic send home gave us classes via zoom and cut down clinical hours to keep upcoming classes on schedule. We paid for the full 2 year experience of in person and full clinicals that unforseen circumstances prevented us from, but should be compensated by the program. I also personally experienced physical abuse and sexual harassment at a clinical site, reported it and school remained sending students to that site.

I know this is a few years old, but one of my friends told me to file a complaint on here.

I attended the Renton, WA Pima in 2014 for the veterinary assistant program. I was going to move up to tech, but after being told that they do not take financial assistance or scholarships, I had no choice. It was the only “college” that was a reasonable distance that provided vet courses.

At first I second guessed myself because of the cost. Then due to the pressure I was put under, I caved. The lady who was helping me brought up things like, “You said that you really wanted to do this program and even said it yourself that there is no where nearby that offers this program.”

I was also told that they provide job assistance. What they don’t tell you is that job assistance is only your externship. When I was at the Halfway point for my externship deadline for hours I asked the clinic manager about it. Her exact words were, “We don’t hire from Pima.” I asked why and she stated that it was nothing against me, but they don’t teach enough hands on and the only reason that allowed externs was because it was free help. I was nothing more than a kennel cleaner for my six week externship.

I contacted the school about this and was only apologized to. They stated that they had no idea as no one else had ever told them about this.

This is incredibly poor practice, and I have yet to even be able to find employment at any vet clinic due to the poor training that I reluctantly paid almost $30,000 for and nothing but a piece of paper to show for it.

Went to Pima Medical Institute around May of this year for Vet program. Admission Mindy Montgomery. She informed everything is included in tuitions except shoes. I had one week cancellation period without charging fees which I dropped within two days. Two months ago emails received from Tuition service that I have to pay for books that I have returned.

Hello - I applied for admissions to PIMA Denver in 06/2014. I went in with a plan to apply to the Rad Tech Program. The admissions representative did everything in her power to change my mind to Respiratory Therapy (I am assuming due to low enrollment because our class had around 7 students). I eventually was pressured to agree. The next steps were to take my assessments and obtain 3 letters of recommendation. I failed the math assessment and was only able to produce one letter of recommendation. They turned a blind eye and allowed me in the program anyways. Even though I was not a fit for the program. After some time I dropped the program because I absolutely hated the work I was doing in clinicals. It scared me, I was not good at bedside care. I knew in my heart that I should have pushed against the lady in admissions for my application to the Rad Tech program. She told me the Rad tech was boring and for people who don't like people. Well, we all get into healthcare because we want to help people, so in the end we all like people. At this point in my life, I am crippled with debt from PIMA and mostly from the Admissions department who all but forced me into the Respiratory therapy program against my will. I will never be able to pay this debt back, buy a house, a decent car all because of that day in the admissions office. Someone should have turned me away from the program. If not the woman in admissions, then the folks in the testing center.I have no doubt that if the school followed their own policies, I would have been rightfully denied admissions and made other decisions with my life. Please consider my request of a refund of the tuition that I paid to PIMA. PIMA failed me as a student. I will now spend my life trying to pay off a loan. PIMA should have to pay for this, not me.

This online program that PIMA offers is over priced. Having a school tell me that my 73-74 % is a failing grade. Where I come from that is a C - C minus. Nope! PIMA Terminated me cause they say 77% or below is a (F) ailing grade. I completed every class that was in that program, and moved out of state into a Quality Inn hotel for 2 months for my externship which I passed that as well with an A+ and PIMA still wouldn’t give me my degree that I clearly earned. Everything that people say about this school in a negative way is true. I should have known this program and instructors was a terrible idea when after giving them Thousands and thousands of dollars I would have to view my books on a tablet that you could get at Walmart for 40 bucks! a piece of crap that never worked right. I have so much more to say about Pima but I don’t have enough space to type all of it. sorry for my run on sentences.

Rebecca Dethman is the PN Strategies for success teacher at Pima Medical Institute Aurora. She has a God complex and loves to try and make herself seem better than what she is. She cannot accept the fact that she is a horrible teacher and her student's failing is a reflection on her. Maybe if she got off of her pedestal and learned how to teach on a level her students could understand this program would be great. The other teachers are amazing because they actually care. Every other teacher in the LPN program is absolutely amazing. None of my peers ever complain about them, Rebecca is the problem and we need a new instructor.

When I was looking into going to school at PIMA they had made it seem as though their Dental Assistant program was a certificate program. Almost at the end of the program an instructor informed the class that in the state of Colorado a certificate was NOT required to be a dental assistant. She had stated what we were gaining was "experience in the field, for our resumes". Not only that but as a requirement you had to have a GED or diploma. I had, what I thought at the time, a high school diploma from an online school. Come to find out years after I left PIMA wasnt from an accredited school so I obtained my GED. Another issue I had was, I had known before being placed in my extern site that PIMA placed students at offices near their homes. I had done a shadow day at the dental office down the street from my house and hated it! I went to PIMA's office and specifically asked to not be placed there as they were not friendly, and completely unorganized. PIMA still placed me at that office. Halfway through my externship I went to PIMA in tears asking to be places somewhere else because I wasnt learning anything at the office, the staff were rude and I was only cleaning rooms between patients. They told me I needed to stick it out. Needless to say I didnt finish my externship and it ruined any want to be a dental assistant so I never used my "experience" either and now I owe an outrageous amount in student debt because of these issues. Had I been told before enrolling that I wasnt recieving a certificate from the program I would have NEVER enrolled. I'm surprised this place is still open as I'm sure I wasnt the only person to go through this.

I am in the first nursing class at Pima. This school must be known for poor instructors in every department. I have a very close friend who was harassed in another department and I have been harassed and talked to like a child the first day of school. I'm not a child. I pay this school good money to receive an education, not get emotionally abused. Second, this is not a public school, we are paying the teachers salaries, so pipe down with playing god. Worst decision I ever made was enroll in this controlling school who treat you like small children. The instructors have favorites, bully, they are not for the students, they seem like they are pushing/provoking you to fail. Instead of being uplifting and encouraging all we hear is negatively and are bullied. Get new instructors who are not on a power trip before this entire program is doomed. Stay away from this school. They are teaching to advanced material and are in for a reality check when they have no students at the end of the program because they were setting us up for failure. Worst mistake ever coming here!

I signed up for the Bachelor's of Radiology degree. My first class was not what I expected and I was already unsure I could afford the program. I took the class failure as a sign that I should not continue. I emailed the teacher and my advisor that I wanted to withdraw from the class and the program. I was contacted by someone in the financial department stating that I owed for the entire semester which came to apox. $5000. I was shocked. I can't afford that, that's part of the reason I was leaving. I decided that night that if I was going to have to pay for these classes regardless than I might as well take the classes. Within 24 hours I emailed my advisor stating that I wished to continue in the program. They stated that it was too late and I needed to pay them. I'm trying to fight this excessive financial expectation.

This school screwed me the whole time I was in school. My teacher cussed me out in front of the class (8 students) & no one wanted 2 stick up 4 me cuz they thought that they would get in trouble. So, I ended up having 2 do an anger management class. I completed the course. When it came to externship, the first place called me & asked me if I spoke Spanish. I said no. They said they wanted someone who did. The 2nd place signed a piece of paper saying they could offer me 40 hours a week externship, yet they were only open 32 hours a week. I complained 2 my advisor, she kept putting me off. I told her I wanted 2 go 2 a different place. Stall, stall, stall. Then she got fired. Another advisor took over. She refused 2 transfer me. The doctor I was working 4 had another intern, a MA, not a MAA. She wasn't interested in doing anything, she was inept in the job cuz it wasn't what she was trained 4. The doctor had her re- alphabetize her files. She did a horrible job. The doctor had me go over her work & I had 2 redo it ALL. Everything she did, I had 2 go back over it. Her receptionist wasn't trained on anything. Her & her husband owned the skate shop next door. I taught her things she didn't know. I taught the doctor a few things, 2. I found out she was opening another office in my neighborhood. I expressed desire 2 run said office. I was vacuuming & bumped a table with an expensive piece of equipment on it. It slid off the table, but I caught it. It never hit the floor & wasn't damaged. She got so upset, she called the school & told them she didn't want me working there anymore. My advisor made me look 4 another externship. They did not help me at all. I could not find one in the time they allotted me. They terminated me. I found out through the other intern that the doctor offered her a job!

Racist bigotry. Ada violations

They don't celebrate veterans day. None of their instructors are certified teachers. They kicked a handicapped student out of a handicapped parking spot saying it's for visitors. They kicked a disabled student out of the curriculum for having a service dog. They are being sued by two persons that i'm sure of. One is sexual harassment. She's gathering notarized witness statements as we speak. Federal agencies have them under investigation now for different violations. This will be on the news shortly. They are federally funded yet for profit. All that matters is that seats are fillled. Dont believe me? Google their admissions rate. It's one hundred percent! I can go on for days. I graduated. I got no help and no job. They inflate their numbers and all but force graduates to yelp and facebook. If you don't kiss # don't go there. Period

This is Gailen Capen and I am having trouble with a professor of Introduction to Public Health and no matter what I have done I just feel like she is not really meet me half way. I got 3 0's on three assignments and I am failing this course. I told my advisor that I need to drop and he said that I can't drop and I emailed him a couple times including tonight telling him that I have to drop this class because it is causing my other two classes to slip a little bit. I don't want to drop my other two classes anymore and bring them back up. So I just want you guys to know that this professor and advisor I appreciate them and no hard feelings to them. I just need to do what is right for me and I think it would be best if I dropped Intro to Public Health. Thanks for you time.

Sincerely,

Gailen Capen

When researching the online programs for a Bachelor's in Science, PIMA stated that they were accredited through COARC.
I never knew that there were other accreditations that PIMA did not have that would effect my future. I began the 18 month program to gain the Bachelor's in Science degree. The student finance officer was so absent-minded. She would send notifications and documents that needed to be signed through emails. At the end of my program, I found out that she had been sending me documents concerning my student * and Pell grants to a different email. Come to find out I missed out on $1700+ on Pell grants because she could not remember which account she had sent the paperwork to. I ended up owing another $450+ to PIMA. The only thing I can say good is that the debt was forgiven after I presented the information and evidence of her neglectfulness.
Now I am in search for a new job... no one that I have interviewed with will accept my degree as being more than a piece of paper. I have even tried to return to school. No college in my area will accept my currently earned credits from PIMA. I am stuck here with no new job, no pay raise, no avenues to take and $16, 000 dollar student debt... and that's after the college absorbed the $450.
Complete waist of time, effort and money. I am so ashamed of myself for allowing PIMA to take advantage of me - I am embarrassed to say that I even participated in the online program. My co-workers and family watched me for 18 months, writing papers, researching information, creating templates, PowerPoint presentations, struggling with a full time job and going to school full time, and being a single mom of 3 and still achieved a 4.0. I was proud at first. Now... just sad, and pathetic.

Pima is very good at selling themselves and that is where they drop the ball. They are good at taking your money. Students can pass the courses with flying colors and get no help when it comes to finding a job. I was told to network to find a job. Of the small group of students that were in me senior class only 2 had a job in medical facilities and one of them would not recommend fellow students. The school I attended had contact with 30 medical facilities at the most, so Pima's job placement was of no help. Some medical assistant students got externships in chiropractic offices and the back office skills they learned are not used in that environment.
They should also help prepare students to pass the state certifications as part of their curriculum.
I would not recommend Pima if you want to get a job.

I've been going to pmi for years. I got my certificate there and my Associates degree there. They continued to try to get me to get my bachelor's after I've said no. I was talked into by them saying the program was set up for people who are in the field already, the work load is less, the instructor work with you. Well it's all lies. I had an instructor tell me won't help me. Another instructor/ director completely disrespect me and more recent one instructor said I was failing and didn't turn in my work when I had everything turned in on time and when I said something to that instructor I was told i was inappropriate. All along while I was failing another class because the instructor refused to grade my assignments so he marked it as I never turned them in saying he was communicating with me when he never once said or did anything. When I emailed the administrative about this I get told she can't see anything but the instructor was right, after she said the instructors are supposed to communicate with us about our grades and when I said he never did she then changed what she was saying saying they don't have to say anything about our grades at all. When I said I wanted to speak to someone above her because I'm done with disrespectful people contradicting themselves the next day she now is saying I'm on probation and she's not going to deal with me anymore. I believe this school is trying to get every penny from people and purposely fail them to keep them in the school longer to get more money. They don't grade properly or even check what they are doing. They gave no respect for anyone and should be shut down for good.