3rd-4th Year Clinicals

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mompremed

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Since I was waitlisted at my first choice medschool (UHS) I'm thinking of applying to some other schools as back-up. Since it will be a hardship for me to leave KC, I thought I would try and find out if other DO schools have clinical rotations in KC. I know UHS has clinical rotations in other cities, so I was hoping others might have rotations in KC, so at least I might have a chance to get back here after 2 years.

I looked at a few schools' websites, and some have info on where the 3rd/4th year clinicals are, and some don't, so I thought to save time I would pose the question to the board since obviously students going to the schools would know!

So where do your various schools have 3rd/4th year clinicals?

Thanks,
mompremed

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That is kinda a big request.. some schools have many many many affil's for rotations. You best bet is to check out the OPTI's available at each school (Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institutes) on the AOA website. The link is here.

-A
 
Thanks Amra!

That is just what I was looking for! I was trying to search the individual schools' websites and some of them have that info and others don't. It was turning out to be a daunting task at best. As always, it's nice to have this board and the great people in it as a resource! :) :)

mompremed
 
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I can tell you that KCOM does NOT have any rotations available in Kansas City.
 
Amra,

Upon studying the list, I realize there are some holes, for instance I know UHS has other rotations in other cities besides what is listed in OPTI. So I think I'll "narrow the search" and post it under a different subject using the school names I'm interested in.

Thanks though, at least it's a start! :)

mompremed
 
Unfortunately, you're going to have a hard time finding a school able to accommodate your situation. The reason UHS has other rotation sites is because there aren't enough spots in KC. Between UHS, KU and UM, the city is flooded with med students. The good news is that you may still get in at UHS. Since it's soooooo expensive, alot of people use it as a back up and end up going elsewhere.

However, because of the shortage of spots, even if you end up in KC you might not be able to stay there during your 3rd and 4th yrs. My friend considered herself a hardship case (she owned a home in KC and planned to stay there for residency and practice), but still had to move. Fortunately she was able to sell her house quickly but she was pretty upset about the whole situation.
 
Originally posted by Neurogirl:
•... because of the shortage of spots, even if you end up in KC you might not be able to stay there during your 3rd and 4th yrs.•

Yes, but at least I would have a really good chance of getting within "throwing distance" of KC...like Wichita or Joplin, which would be fine.

As for my chances of getting in to UHS, yes they are good, but some of the financial aid deadlines I'm interested in come up before they even start looking at the alternate list in late April, and you have to be accepted before you can apply for some of these. And I've worked too hard and sacrificed too much to be content to leave whether I'll get in next year to chance. I would just feel better if I had a back-up.

Thanks for your input though! I appreciate any help/advise, positive OR negative.

mompremed
 
(un)fortunately, schools change their affil's a lot. Most are there for a few years... gone for a few more.. then back again. For example, NOVA has a bunch more rotation facilities than listed on the OPTI. So does LECOM. It is kinda a dynamic state...

-A
 
I would NOT go to UHS with the hopes of staying in KC. SOOOOO many people were disappointed when I went there. But, if that is your greatest hope, it is better than none at all.
 
Thanks all,

I think I'll just apply to the schools I'm interested in (or as many as I can afford!) and just let the chips fall where they may....nothing in life is certain except that everything changes anyway, so I've come to a resolve today to just bite the bullet and keep applying. I don't know, I just had an epiphany or something at work this evening, and it just hit me whether to and which schools to apply to.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to use you all as a sounding board...no pun intended! ;)

Cheers,
mompremed
 
Mompremed,
Have you considered KCOM? I am assuming you have children and this is a great place for them. KCOM is very parent-friendly and there are quite a few students with children, including single moms. Now, my situation (same as yours, only with KCOM) was that my husband has a good job that we didn't want to leave. I don't know if that's your situation or not...Regardless, hang in there.

It's worth a try to check out KCOM. I have loved it so far (well, most if it!). I don't have kids...but there are plenty of people who make it work, and we are discussing when to have our first now. It's not that far from KC, as you probably know.

Just a suggestion.
 
Originally posted by double elle:
•Mompremed,
Have you considered KCOM? I am assuming you have children and this is a great place for them. ...Just a suggestion.•

double elle,

I have considered it, but my children are now grown and no matter where I go (except possibly Florida!) they will not want to come with me, which is of course to be expected. They are just starting out in life and not making much $$$ and I won't be able to help them much as a poor med student myself. (I'm divorced, and their dad doesn't have a lot either.) So my concern is to be able to get back to KC on breaks.

Now, I heard that KCOM has very short, almost non-existant breaks, but I'm thinking of applying anyway because if they're even a week long, like you say it's not that far to KC. Anyway it's not so far that I can't afford to take a chance to see if I can get an interview - I got one with UHS, so surely..... anyway I could surely afford to travel there and check it out if I get the opportunity.

I'm also thinking of applying to DMU (for the closeness) and Nova and AZCOM because my mom and sisters live in Florida and my dad and bunches of aunts, uncles & cousins live in Arizona. (I was born in Mesa.) The distant schools also have longer breaks so I could get back for longer visits, possibly.

Anyway, like Scarlet O'Hara I'm going to think about it "tomorrow" - or at least after this next round of midterms.

Thanks for the input.

mompremed
 
KCOM has rotation sites in Jeff City and Springfield which would keep you somewhat closer to KC.

As you probably know it is only 3 hours b/w KCI and Kirksville so a quick trip back over breaks is very doable. (We get one week off between quarters) I made the trip every break it isn't a biggy. I even sometimes went home for the weekend but that is hard because of the study time. It wasn't the travel time that killed me it was the inability to study once I got home.

Goodluck.
 
Thanks Carrie,

I think I'm going to go ahead and apply to KCOM for sure. Still deciding on which others. DMU and Nova for sure I think, possibly CCOM and AZCOM - how many depends on how much $$$ I can dredge up of course! ;)

mompremed
 
Oh I forgot I need to ask Carrie or double elle (or anyone else from KCOM) that knows.... Does KCOM give you extra points for an alumnus letter? UHS does and so my DO LOR is from an alum who is also adjunct faculty at UHS. Will that get me what I "need" at KCOM, or will it give me an extra boost to have an alum LOR. I can get one I think, but don't want to put anyone to the trouble if they don't give extra points for it.

Also, I think I saw somewhere that KCOM wants 3 LOR's from science profs - did I see/hear right? THAT one would be a tough one for me - I have a great letter from my organic prof that I have worked with doing educational research, but I don't even like any of the other science profs I ever had at UMKC, because all the rest just suck! Big time. :( Getting a BA in chemistry has NOT been a pleasant experience at my school! I do not know of one science major (or other majors who've had to taken sciences) who feel they have gotten their money's worth, either. And for that matter, I don't even know of one professor that doesn't just hate it either, which may have SOMEthing to do with the quality of education we're getting. We basically have to teach ourselves......sigh. (Good thing I'm a self-learner! ;) )

Thanks for your help

mompremed
 
Dear mompremend
Go to UHS. They will work with you. If you need to stay in KC they will do their best to arrange that. Beleive it or not a lot of students want to leave KC and travel to sites in FL and MI. I feel UHS is a very family oriented school. Why? I started with a 5 day old infant and the faculty was willing to go the extra mile to help me succeed. In addition there were about 5 others (MS1's)who had infants in my first year of school. By the second year almost every month we were welcoming a new addition to students families.

For my 3,4th year rotations I ended up unmatched (students at UHS draw 3 choices for rotations and are computer matched-trades are possible) but I applied for 3 sites to areas that had few spots. The school worked with me and now I am in Fort Myers FL, a place my husband could tranfer.
The daycare is great down here and the site at Gulf Coast Hospital is wonderful.

My only advice to you is to have a strong family support for your first year. My husband was mom and my daughter often called him mom-dad. She now knows who I am "thank god". But the first year was the roughest.

Good luck let me know if I can be of further assistance.

:) Diane

The nice part is when I look at my daughter I know how far I have come in school. It is truly amazing realizing how much you can learn in 3 years and how much a child can develop.
 
Originally posted by Diane Ev:
•....The school worked with me and now I am in Fort Myers FL, a place my husband could tranfer. The daycare is great down here and the site at Gulf Coast Hospital is wonderful....•

Diane,

I could "suffer" through having to go to Ft. Myers! My mom and 3 sisters live there and I try to get down there for a week every year if I can - off season of course! I love Ft. Myers beach! My sister is a realtor and we got a great deal on a beach house in May...it was wonderful! I have often said that if I don't make it into med school, I'm sure my second calling is to be a beach bum!

Anyway, I'm going to email you regarding the UHS interview, per your request, but I wanted to thank you here for posting, and for your concern and support.

I know the odds are very high that I will eventually be accepted at UHS because I am in the top third of the alternate list and they have taken 100% of their alternate list every year for several years. The problem with that is, since I know I want to do primary care in an underserved area, if I miss the PRIMO deadline in May, I forfeit $20K this first year. That's a lot of money!

I may not receive my acceptance until June or July and it just seems foolish to sit on my hands and lose so much money. Not to mention that there is always a slight chance I won't get in at all. So in thinking about it, it occurred to me that I should be proactive and not let ANY opportunity slip from my fingers if I can possibly help it, so I've decided to apply to other schools, including NOVA since I have family in Florida.

Who knows? Maybe it's not meant for me to go to UHS...as I look around at other schools, I may decide I like others better, assuming I gain acceptance. If I do get accepted elsewhere and I like the school, I will try for the NHSC scholarship which is a much better deal than PRIMO. Hey! I wouldn't mind going to work on an Indian reservation for a few years, or whatever....think how much I'd learn!

Anyway, as I've thought through this, it turns out that what I thought would be such a hardship (to leave Kansas City) may not be such a hardship afterall. I can sell my house - or rent it to my son who just got married, and I'm not afraid to fly. If I go someplace like Chicago or Florida - especially Florida - my oldest and youngest will most likely follow, eventually, and my middle child who is married (and has a good job!) will probably come visit, sometimes. (I'm divorced, so there's no husband to be concerned with.)

In fact at this point I'm really neutral about staying here. I mean, it would be o.k. if that's what develops, but I'm also starting to get excited about the prospect of leaving. And once I leave Missouri, I may never come back! (Except for visits of course!) ;)

Cheers,
mompremed
 
Originally posted by Diane Ev:
•....The nice part is when I look at my daughter I know how far I have come in school. It is truly amazing realizing how much you can learn in 3 years and how much a child can develop.•

Yes, they do grow SO-O-O-O fast. And when they do, we do too! In different ways of course! I was talking to my DO mentor about this and told him that most women worry about whether or if to become a mom in med school, but I'M worried about becoming a Grandma during med school!

He laughed and related to me that while going to med school, a close friend of his and his wife's DID become a grandma while in med school, so they started calling her "Granny Doc"!!!

So be forwarned, everybody, if I do become a grandma in med school, I'm changing my "handle" to Granny Doc!!! :D :D

(Course I'll probably have to change from mompremed, first! :) )

Cheers,
mompremed
 
I hate to be negative...but I would beware of the Ft. Meyers site. Heard some aweful things from 5 people...especially when they went places their 4th year and tried to keep up. Gotta look for quality mompremed. Hospital there is terribly small.
Devils Advocate here
 
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