Lake Erie Bradenton or Touro Mare Island? Please help!

Dr_Drew · Apr 22, 2005

Hi everybody,

I have conflicts of interest choosing between the two schools. I love the PBL curriculum and the professionalism of LECOM-Bradenton, but the location of Touro-Mare Island is hard to let go. My dream has been to relocate and live in CA, but is that enough of a reason to choose Touro over LECOM? Please help! Pros and Cons?

Dr_Drew

(nicedream) · Apr 22, 2005

If you want to do your residency in California, going to TUCOM would make things easier. You would be doing more rotations there, thereby getting you known at the programs and making an acceptance easier.
Having said that, you could certainly do a residency elsewhere and then relocate to California once residency is over - and of course getting a Cali residency is very possible out of LECOM-FL or anywhere else. But, as I said, easier out of TUCOM.

Robz · Apr 23, 2005

if your dream is to be in CA stick with TUCOM. You'll know more physicians and be familiar with the CA system. Both are newer schools TUCOM (1997) and Bradenton (2004) and TUCOM has been around a little longer.

MHC · Apr 23, 2005

I was faced with this very choice- sort of. I'm originally from the Bay Area and there is no question about what a great place it is. I toured the campus at Touro and found the students to be happy and very hardworking. And of course Dr. Haight is wonderful. I was accepted at Flecom at the same time I got an interview for Tucom. I chose to decline the interview and go to Florida because of 1) PBL 2) the staff/faculty is really nice and very impressive 3) the facilities are great 4) the students are all very happy 5) and this is a big one- I will save about $40,000 by going to Florida (20,000 in tuition and 20,000 in rent/bills etc). Having lived in N. Cali I know that the cost of living is very very high.

I too want to return to the bay area, and will. It's true that your chances of getting a California residency are very much higher if you go to Tucom and much less if you go to Florida. So good luck on your choice. Hope to see you at FLECOM in August and if not enjoy my beloved Bay Area!

(also, be happy that you have a choice!!!)

jgl1980 · Apr 28, 2005

MHC said:
I was faced with this very choice- sort of. I'm originally from the Bay Area and there is no question about what a great place it is. I toured the campus at Touro and found the students to be happy and very hardworking. And of course Dr. Haight is wonderful. I was accepted at Flecom at the same time I got an interview for Tucom. I chose to decline the interview and go to Florida because of 1) PBL 2) the staff/faculty is really nice and very impressive 3) the facilities are great 4) the students are all very happy 5) and this is a big one- I will save about $40,000 by going to Florida (20,000 in tuition and 20,000 in rent/bills etc). Having lived in N. Cali I know that the cost of living is very very high.

I too want to return to the bay area, and will. It's true that your chances of getting a California residency are very much higher if you go to Tucom and much less if you go to Florida. So good luck on your choice. Hope to see you at FLECOM in August and if not enjoy my beloved Bay Area!

(also, be happy that you have a choice!!!)

If you are in love with CA (don't blame ya) then you need to go to CA. Both the schools are good but you need to think about what your ultimate goal is. It is better to study in CA if you want to work in CA. Go for it!

kota315 · Apr 28, 2005

As others have said, go where you want to go, if you truly are up in the air about which place to go, then make the traditional pro's / con's list and weigh your options....in the end you will be happier knowing that you chose according to your own personal pro's / con's vs. what we are trying to sell you. I chose LECOM-FL because of the location, the facility, the staff, and most importantly the PBL format. I am a nurse and the clinical aspect is reinforced through PBL and therefore geared to my current position in life. You too have to decide what format works best for you....good luck with your decision, most importantly though...have fun, it is the journey that makes the trip worth while, not just the destination!

endAIDScom · Apr 28, 2005

I was also accepted at TUCOM CA and decided against it, as there are very few CA rotations, instead most of their rotations are actualy in Michigan and Nevada. It's kind of like a Caribbean school in that sense.

Doctor Peloncito · May 1, 2005

endAIDScom said:
I was also accepted at TUCOM CA and decided against it, as there are very few CA rotations, instead most of their rotations are actualy in Michigan and Nevada. It's kind of like a Caribbean school in that sense.

By no means is TUCOM "kind of like a Caribbean school" in any sense. I'm sure there a lot of folks who would be offended by such comments.

Many schools these days do not have their own hospitals. As such, they must ship their students to other locations around the country. TUCOM is a good school that has been graduating DOs for several years now. They have a pretty proven track record. I have not heard many good comments about the original LECOM. So I would recommend going to the school that has proven itself already and is totally accredited. If you are a risk taker, and like to be in the leading wave of a new school, then LECOM-fl is probably your better choice.

heech · May 2, 2005

endAIDScom said:
I was also accepted at TUCOM CA and decided against it, as there are very few CA rotations, instead most of their rotations are actualy in Michigan and Nevada. It's kind of like a Caribbean school in that sense.

The TUCOM-MI director of clinical education told me that not only do they have rotation spots in California... they haven't even been filling all of the spots located in the Bay Area! There are also new affiliations with major teaching hospitals in So Cal, as well as closer cooperation with UCSF-Fresno. They're also unveiling new residencies (and certainly clinical rotations) in Fairfield next year; I'd assume with Sutter.

Granted, some of the vacancies in the Bay Area might be due to the quality of the rotation spot (local preceptors versus larger teaching hospital further away). But it's certainly not true "there are very few CA rotations". For someone who's career goals are to stay in CA, the advantages of TUCOM are obvious.

Lake Erie Bradenton or Touro Mare Island? Please help!

Dr_Drew

New Member

(nicedream)

Fitter Happier

Robz

La Vie Boheme

MHC

Member

jgl1980

Senior Member

kota315

drive fast, take chances!

endAIDScom

endaids

Doctor Peloncito

Family Physician

heech

Senior Member

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