Hawkeye, here's a reply from an earlier post.
I graduated from UOMHS in '98. I'm also a hawkeye and did several years of clinical research at UIHC before going to medical school. UOMHS pales to U of IA as far as facilities go (i.e.: UIHC is the largest university hospital in the country), but the didactic education is right on par. Think of UOMHS as a private college (as it is): more personal attention and the entire University is geared towards teaching students (one of the advantages of professors who are only moderately involved in research).
UOMHS also has other health care programs, so there are more faculty and facilities available for teaching. The medical library is the largest in central Iowa and they have a great computer center. Also, medical students can take advantage of the dual degree program. After the first semester, you can apply to get a MHA or MPH in conjunction with your medical degree.
While the first two years are excellent, the last two years are entirely dependant on how much you put into them... Since students schedule their own rotations, the clinical years can be excellent or you can choose to slack-off. A couple students in my class scheduled a majority of 'cake' rotations and spent the more time snow skiing than learning medicine (they ended up getting busted by the Clincal Affairs Office). I guess the Clinical Affairs office has been cracking down on this, and they now require more close supervision from 'known' sites and keep in touch with on-line examinations and patient logs... An obvious advantage to having so much control over the schedule for the last two years is an opportunity to move to a location you prefer, and more importantly, training at great clinical sites, and getting exposure at programs that may interest you for residency.
As is true of any medical school, what you get out of UOMHS is entirely dependant on how much you put into it.
Good luck with your decision.
