Kansas City University (KCU-COM) Discussion Thread 2015 - 2016

[Snoozer33]

I realize this is the thread for the incoming class this fall, but I just finished up second year at KCU and am willing to do a little AMA here if people have any questions about the pre-clinical curriculum as a whole or just whatever. Feel free to PM me as well if you want to ask something privately.

Congrats to everyone coming here in the fall!

Ok, here is another. Have you taken your boards yet? How well did the new curriculum prepare you for it?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Relevant to everyone:

Sites are determined via a lottery system. We do a mock vote/lottery around October so people know how many people are interested in each site as their first and second choice. That way we can get an idea as to which sites will likely be competitive for rotations. Then first and second choices have to be submitted sometime around the end of November. You find out whether you matched to one of your choices around early December (about a week after submissions are due). If you don't match to one of your choices, then you get to pick which site you go to out of whatever is left over based on your GPA. So the initial lottery is random, but the second one is based on how well you do in classes. Most people match to one of their choices. I think my class had about 10 of ~260 not match. A previous year had everyone match, and a few years earlier had a ton of people not match (I think around 25-30). It really just depends what your class wants. Also, after everyone knows where they are going, they can trade with another person until a certain time (not sure when).


Relevant to some:

Between the mock lottery and the actual lottery, people can write either statements of intent to site directors or appeals to go to a certain location to a student committee. Site directors have the right to fill half of their rotation spots based on statements of intent. For example, there's a rotation at Fort Myers, FL that has 10 spots and the director fills 5 of those with students who can speak Spanish well every year. The other half are filled through the lottery. The appeals are read by a group of 3 students and they decide who will be given permission to be guaranteed a spot at that location. Typically, that isn't granted unless there is a medical reason for being somewhere or some kind of family emergency (ie, being near a dying parent or sibling). A lot of people try to appeal so they can be closer to family or because they bought a house, but apparently those usually get shot down. There's no way to find out if you were chosen for one of these 2 reasons, the only time you know the result is if you don't match to the site you appealed/wrote a letter of intent to.

If you're interested in one of the fellowships (anatomy or OMM), you can rotate anywhere, but you will be in KC during the year of the anatomy fellowship and either Kansas City or Joplin for OMM. The OMM will probably change back to KC only once Joplin has a few classes make it though.

Additionally, there are a certain number of spots in KC set aside for people in the MBA. In the past, MBA students were required to stay in KC, so that took up some of the rotation spots. Now people can go to other sites and watch the classes for MBA online. Idk if this means spots will not be guaranteed in the future, but they were for my classmates. Also, bioethics students weren't previously guaranteed a spot in KC, but maybe they are now? Not sure about that one. I've talked to people about the bioethics masters less than the MBA.

Tracks: If you want to do one of the specialty tracks (surgery, ob/gyn, peds, etc.) you MUST match to KC. The match happens first, and if you match to KC you can apply for one of the tracks if your GPA is good enough. If you want to do a track but don't match KC, then you can try and trade with someone, otherwise you're out of luck.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Hopefully that helps!

I think they are getting rid of the straw poll because of the mess it creates.

In the mock voting you would get a site with tons of interest and then places that have no interest at all. People would readjust their votes and it throws everything out the window. As an example in the mock poll tons of people wanted Colorado but barely anyone wanted Joplin.

Joplin ended up being relatively popular in the real thing and no spots were left. Anyone who had a really popular #1 and was counting on Joplin being their backup was SOL. Colorado ended up having spots open.

The number of people who didn't match was probably closer to 25.

 

[Medschoolornah]

what does didn't match exactly mean? just didn't get their first choice or ?

 

[AlteredScale]

what does didn't match exactly mean? just didn't get their first choice or ?

It means of the sites you ranked, you didn't get any of them. The system is made so that that doesn't happen to the majority but there will still be some that unfortunately get the short end of the stick.

 

[AlteredScale]

Some random questions for you @Stagg737

-did you go to lecture? if not, how did you study instead?
-did you do board prep (First Aid, Pathoma, Firecracker, etc) along with normal material?
-how are students that want to do research tackling that issue with the short first summer?
-how common is it for students to study "together" or get together before an exam? is that even a thing?
-any big picture tips on succeeding in this curriculum?
-are any of the campus student orgs worth it?

Sorry I'm gunna answer a few of these:

Lectures: I used to go the lecture, but once I learned how to study I dipped out.

Research: don't expect to do any sort of research fellowship (HHMI, NSF, CCFA are all 8 weeks minimum). You can contact researchers around the area at UMKC, KUMedCenter, MRIGlobal and Stowers Medical Research Institute and ask if there are research opps that you can do. The issue is balance. Doing bench work while holding this curriculum is very very hard. I'm trying to do it right now and am royally failing (I don't even know if my PI knows me anymore haha). My lab mate and class mate is doing it but he's a genius with many years of bench research experience at UChicago and Duke.

Study together: @Higherprimate and @SynapticDoctah are essentially my go to study bruhs before and exam. Every exam we meet 2-3 days out before the exam and review everything together and do a TON of practice questions, explaining to each other how we worked through those questions.

Big Picture Tips: Time is not on your side. Use it wisely. You shouldn't be burning an hour getting bogged down on one detail, you should be spending 10 minutes asking someone else to explain it to you so you can move on. Always, ALWAYS check you schedule for competencies and labs so that you stay on top of preparing for those. I've seen a few students completely forget and the amount of stress they are in is not healthy.

Campus orgs: The best org is the one with the most meetings = the most free food.

Ok, here is another. Have you taken your boards yet? How well did the new curriculum prepare you for it?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I believe all the second years will be taking their boards in the next month or so. But @Stagg737 , @chizledfrmstone , and @justkeepswimming may provide some great feedback in terms of how well prepared they feel since they just finished preclinicals!

 

[Stagg737]

Some random questions for you @Stagg737

-did you go to lecture? if not, how did you study instead?
-did you do board prep (First Aid, Pathoma, Firecracker, etc) along with normal material?
-how are students that want to do research tackling that issue with the short first summer?
-how common is it for students to study "together" or get together before an exam? is that even a thing?
-any big picture tips on succeeding in this curriculum?
-are any of the campus student orgs worth it?

I did first year. The vast majority of material came straight off of lecture slides, so it was beneficial for me to get a coherent story to go along with the slides. Second year I skipped most lectures but attended CIS sessions which are more interactive Q&A sessions. Some sections in second year (especially path) won't have decent lecture slides to study off of, so it's a lot of reading and independent learning. I also watched lectures at 2x speed second year to make sure I didn't miss anything.

I didn't use much prep material during the year. I did Qbank questions that were relevant to whatever section we were on and used Pathoma to preview whatever path section we were on. Other than that I didn't use anything like First Aid during the year.

It's possible, but I recommend taking the summer off. The curriculum can be pretty brutal at times, especially the last few sections before summer and the first 2 when you get back for 2nd year (Neuro 2 and Renal 2). I know a lot of people that do research during the year though, and the faculty has recommended that if you really want to do some solid research to use an elective rotation during clinical years as a research rotation. If it's a big priority, you can also apply for one of the fellowships.

Study groups are pretty common. They were especially common first year, but second year there's a lot more material and people start preparing for boards, so I think they start to dissolve then. I did review weekends with people first year but didn't have time second year.

Do what works for you. If going to lecture works, then make sure to go. If reading the texts work, then do that. Everyone will have different advice, just make sure you are organized, that you figure out how you study best, and do NOT let yourself get too far behind. You're going to feel behind no matter what, but don't let yourself actually get more than a day or 2 behind. The sections are short, so getting too far behind can really screw you over.

I'd pick 1 or 2 that you're interested in and join. There is little to no commitment to actually joining them, and there are a few that offer things exclusive to students in that club.

Ok, here is another. Have you taken your boards yet? How well did the new curriculum prepare you for it?

Currently studying for boards now, so not sure I can really give a solid answer to this one yet. All I can say is that I'm not worried about failing at all and that judging by my percentages on Qbank questions right now, I think I'll hit at least around average.

I think they are getting rid of the straw poll because of the mess it creates.

The number of people who didn't match was probably closer to 25.

Interesting, I didn't realize they were looking at getting rid of it. I know a few people that got screwed because of it, 25 though? I know about 8-10 people and I talk to a lot of people in our class. I think the loss of the one site in Ohio and addition of a knew site in a rural area played into it some too though.

 

[Mavs88]

Thank you for answering my questions!! @AlteredScale and @Stagg737

 

[cafeverona]

Relevant to everyone:

Sites are determined via a lottery system. We do a mock vote/lottery around October so people know how many people are interested in each site as their first and second choice. That way we can get an idea as to which sites will likely be competitive for rotations. Then first and second choices have to be submitted sometime around the end of November. You find out whether you matched to one of your choices around early December (about a week after submissions are due). If you don't match to one of your choices, then you get to pick which site you go to out of whatever is left over based on your GPA. So the initial lottery is random, but the second one is based on how well you do in classes. Most people match to one of their choices. I think my class had about 10 of ~260 not match. A previous year had everyone match, and a few years earlier had a ton of people not match (I think around 25-30). It really just depends what your class wants. Also, after everyone knows where they are going, they can trade with another person until a certain time (not sure when).


Relevant to some:

Between the mock lottery and the actual lottery, people can write either statements of intent to site directors or appeals to go to a certain location to a student committee. Site directors have the right to fill half of their rotation spots based on statements of intent. For example, there's a rotation at Fort Myers, FL that has 10 spots and the director fills 5 of those with students who can speak Spanish well every year. The other half are filled through the lottery. The appeals are read by a group of 3 students and they decide who will be given permission to be guaranteed a spot at that location. Typically, that isn't granted unless there is a medical reason for being somewhere or some kind of family emergency (ie, being near a dying parent or sibling). A lot of people try to appeal so they can be closer to family or because they bought a house, but apparently those usually get shot down. There's no way to find out if you were chosen for one of these 2 reasons, the only time you know the result is if you don't match to the site you appealed/wrote a letter of intent to.

If you're interested in one of the fellowships (anatomy or OMM), you can rotate anywhere, but you will be in KC during the year of the anatomy fellowship and either Kansas City or Joplin for OMM. The OMM will probably change back to KC only once Joplin has a few classes make it though.

Additionally, there are a certain number of spots in KC set aside for people in the MBA. In the past, MBA students were required to stay in KC, so that took up some of the rotation spots. Now people can go to other sites and watch the classes for MBA online. Idk if this means spots will not be guaranteed in the future, but they were for my classmates. Also, bioethics students weren't previously guaranteed a spot in KC, but maybe they are now? Not sure about that one. I've talked to people about the bioethics masters less than the MBA.

Tracks: If you want to do one of the specialty tracks (surgery, ob/gyn, peds, etc.) you MUST match to KC. The match happens first, and if you match to KC you can apply for one of the tracks if your GPA is good enough. If you want to do a track but don't match KC, then you can try and trade with someone, otherwise you're out of luck.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Hopefully that helps!

How popular is the KC site? I imagine it's pretty popular since people move their families/start new ones there, but I'm jw. It seems really tough to get a specialty track if it's based on a random match at first and then GPA--I feel like it should be the other way around.

For the fellowships, do you also have to go through the random match even though the year of your fellowship will be in KC/Joplin depending on Anatomy/OMM fellowship?

As for the appeals, do you know of people that have written a statement of intent, gotten rejected from that choice, tried to trade without success, and then tried an appeal with no success as well? That's seems awful :/

 

[Medschoolornah]

Anyone receive fin aid letters yet

 

[reunic]

Received mine last week. I had called them because others were receiving theirs and I hadn't received one yet. I had everything submitted, but there was a system glitch that prevented the letter from emailing to me. If you have all paperwork in, entrance counseling, and MPNs I would suggest calling them in case your account is also affected. The person I spoke with indicated there were multiple accounts having issues.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Buck Winters]

So what's the story with the medical kits? Where is it mentioned that they are required? Should I be jumping on the offers in the Facebook group or wait for some reason?

 

[Higherprimate]

I would jump on the offers on FB but I wouldn't pay more than $550 for them IMO. Buying them new will cost $ 900-1000 and I bought mine for $500 and it works like a charm. They are required, you need them in order to do physician skills competencies among other things. You don't have to have them on day one but I think you need them 3-4 weeks in.

 

[More_Medz]

Will we receive more information regarding the kits, come closer to orientation? Or, is there a list of materials required somewhere?

I know Opthalmoscope, Stethoscope, and Fundoscope would be obvious. Do we need a BP cuff and reflex hammer?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Stagg737]

How popular is the KC site? I imagine it's pretty popular since people move their families/start new ones there, but I'm jw. It seems really tough to get a specialty track if it's based on a random match at first and then GPA--I feel like it should be the other way around.

For the fellowships, do you also have to go through the random match even though the year of your fellowship will be in KC/Joplin depending on Anatomy/OMM fellowship?

As for the appeals, do you know of people that have written a statement of intent, gotten rejected from that choice, tried to trade without success, and then tried an appeal with no success as well? That's seems awful :/

Depends on the year. This year it was pretty popular, and I know quite a few people that wanted to stay that ended up getting their second choice or not matching. The class above us Denver was really popular, and for the class that just graduated everyone wanted to go to Florida. It can be tough to get into a track, but there aren't many spots for each track, so it's pretty competitive anyway. Also, there are around 100 rotation spots in KC and a lot of people don't want to stay, so most people that want to stay get to.

The lottery does not affect the fellowships. Anatomy fellowship is between 2nd and 3rd year, so that has some nuances. If you get the anatomy fellowship you can either do the fellowship then go rotate wherever you got in the lottery, or if you don't match where you want you can give that spot up and re-enter the lottery with the next year's class. For the OMM fellowship, they go do 3rd year rotations, then do the fellowship, then do their 4th year and it doesn't affect the lottery. So either way, you can rotate anywhere, like Florida, Michigan, or Denver and still do the fellowship.

The appeals happen before the lottery, so if you need to be somewhere (usually for medical purposes) you'll automatically get that site location and won't go through the lottery. The reason they're so strict about the appeals is because there is a certain amount of spots for each location. So if a person has their appeal granted, there's less spots for everyone else in the lottery. Once people match in the lottery there are no appeals, just the opportunity to trade.

I would jump on the offers on FB but I wouldn't pay more than $550 for them IMO. Buying them new will cost $ 900-1000 and I bought mine for $500 and it works like a charm. They are required, you need them in order to do physician skills competencies among other things. You don't have to have them on day one but I think you need them 3-4 weeks in.

Agree with this. Adding to it, people will sell the entire kit minus the stethoscope (since we'll need them for the rest of our careers), so buying from people on fb + the steth will end up costing you from 650-750 total. You can get a steth at either the book store or online from a site like Allheart.com.

Will we receive more information regarding the kits, come closer to orientation? Or, is there a list of materials required somewhere?

I know Opthalmoscope, Stethoscope, and Fundoscope would be obvious. Do we need a BP cuff and reflex hammer?

Kit includes: Steth, ophthalmoscope (fundoscopic attachment included), BP cuff (adult and peds), reflex hammer, vision chart, penlight, some little protractor thing that I never used, and maybe one other small thing I'm forgetting. The first there, especially the ophthalmoscope, is where 85-90% of the expense comes from. I'd also recommend NOT cheaping out on the steth unless you've got some significant experience with them already. I liked having a good one to make arrhythmias and murmurs easier to hear initially.

 

[cafeverona]

Depends on the year. This year it was pretty popular, and I know quite a few people that wanted to stay that ended up getting their second choice or not matching. The class above us Denver was really popular, and for the class that just graduated everyone wanted to go to Florida. It can be tough to get into a track, but there aren't many spots for each track, so it's pretty competitive anyway. Also, there are around 100 rotation spots in KC and a lot of people don't want to stay, so most people that want to stay get to.

The lottery does not affect the fellowships. Anatomy fellowship is between 2nd and 3rd year, so that has some nuances. If you get the anatomy fellowship you can either do the fellowship then go rotate wherever you got in the lottery, or if you don't match where you want you can give that spot up and re-enter the lottery with the next year's class. For the OMM fellowship, they go do 3rd year rotations, then do the fellowship, then do their 4th year and it doesn't affect the lottery. So either way, you can rotate anywhere, like Florida, Michigan, or Denver and still do the fellowship.

The appeals happen before the lottery, so if you need to be somewhere (usually for medical purposes) you'll automatically get that site location and won't go through the lottery. The reason they're so strict about the appeals is because there is a certain amount of spots for each location. So if a person has their appeal granted, there's less spots for everyone else in the lottery. Once people match in the lottery there are no appeals, just the opportunity to trade.



Agree with this. Adding to it, people will sell the entire kit minus the stethoscope (since we'll need them for the rest of our careers), so buying from people on fb + the steth will end up costing you from 650-750 total. You can get a steth at either the book store or online from a site like Allheart.com.



Kit includes: Steth, ophthalmoscope (fundoscopic attachment included), BP cuff (adult and peds), reflex hammer, vision chart, penlight, some little protractor thing that I never used, and maybe one other small thing I'm forgetting. The first there, especially the ophthalmoscope, is where 85-90% of the expense comes from. I'd also recommend NOT cheaping out on the steth unless you've got some significant experience with them already. I liked having a good one to make arrhythmias and murmurs easier to hear initially.

Thanks for all the information! What stethoscope do you recommend?

 

[Stagg737]

Thanks for all the information! What stethoscope do you recommend?

The kit would comes with a Littmann Cardiology III which is what I (and most of our class) has. It's a solid scope, the biggest complaints I've heard/seen about it is that it's not the most durable. If you take care of it though it should last just as long as pretty much any other brand and makes heart sounds far more audible than most other than maybe electronic steths, which I don't recommend. You can get them for around $150 which isn't bad for a good one.

 

[More_Medz]

Much appreciated for the info @Stagg737!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[cafeverona]

The kit would comes with a Littmann Cardiology III which is what I (and most of our class) has. It's a solid scope, the biggest complaints I've heard/seen about it is that it's not the most durable. If you take care of it though it should last just as long as pretty much any other brand and makes heart sounds far more audible than most other than maybe electronic steths, which I don't recommend. You can get them for around $150 which isn't bad for a good one.

do most people get the 27" or 22" or some other size?

 

[Stagg737]

do most people get the 27" or 22" or some other size?

Not sure, I don't really think it matters that much.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

For Sale: Robbins Pathology (I'll include all the highlighted correct answers for free)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[justkeepswimming]

Some random questions for you @Stagg737

-did you go to lecture? if not, how did you study instead?
-did you do board prep (First Aid, Pathoma, Firecracker, etc) along with normal material?
-how are students that want to do research tackling that issue with the short first summer?
-how common is it for students to study "together" or get together before an exam? is that even a thing?
-any big picture tips on succeeding in this curriculum?
-are any of the campus student orgs worth it?

I'll add a couple of thoughts here:

1. Board prep- all of first year and first half of second year, your prep for boards is doing really well in your classes. Essentially what you think of as "board prep" is just reviewing everything you've learned over the past two years, and you really don't know enough until mid-second year (since a large portion of it is pathology) for any sort of prep/review to be useful yet. You shouldn't be learning anything new come boards time. Second semester second year, I tried to do a first pass of FA + first run through of Pathoma + 100-200 questions a week before dedicated study time, but classes were always my first priority and a lot of times I fell behind on my boards plan, which was OK. KCU really teaches to the boards well, if you know what's going on in classes you will be more than prepared to do well come time for Step 1. A lot of things that I know now (and that come up on practice questions!) are things I remember from class or from some random professor's story. Personally I kind of hate First Aid because it's not comprehensive, it's just a skeleton that gets you the bare minimum to pass. You need to know above and beyond what's in it to actually do well.
2. Student orgs- join them! Or at least participate in them. They do pretty much nothing for your CV haha but they are everything for your sanity. Student orgs help you remember that you're a human who will be treating humans, not a textbook-memorizing robot.
3. Big picture- do NOT cram and dump. I would type that a billion times if I could. If you take the time to learn every day and then really retain the information, board prep is a breeze. Plus, people are actually going to depend on you knowing this stuff so that you can treat them- don't forget that! Also, make sure you find time to do things that you like and to make friends- school gets exhausting so you need an outlet besides having complaining sessions with your labmates. Eat well, exercise, knit, skydive, take your wife/husband/bf/gf/Tinder friend out on dates, whatever you do that is fun. Med school doesn't change your priorities, it just highlights which ones are actually important to you. Make time for the important stuff.

 

[Halcyon45]

Random, but does anyone know what "Loan Fees $1,226.00" are and whether this number is accurate? Or does this depend on how much loans you take out..? Are these "loan fees" origination fees that I read about? Just figuring out budget stuff for loans.

Lastly, were there any "unexpected" expenses (OTHER THAN COFFEE made sure I had a category for that) that maybe jumped out at you when you were going through your first year?

 

[run...]

Random, but does anyone know what "Loan Fees $1,226.00" are and whether this number is accurate? Or does this depend on how much loans you take out..? Are these "loan fees" origination fees that I read about? Just figuring out budget stuff for loans.

Lastly, were there any "unexpected" expenses (OTHER THAN COFFEE made sure I had a category for that) that maybe jumped out at you when you were going through your first year?

Yes that includes loan origination fees as well as the interest accrued throughout the year


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Snoozer33]

Yes that includes loan origination fees as well as the interest accrued throughout the year


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

The fees do not include interest accrual. The fees are based only on origination fees for both unsubsidized and grad plus loans


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[YCSD]

Do our acceptance and matriculation deposits count towards our first year tuition? I remember reading somewhere it was applied to our tuition but I don't see anything about it on NetPartner. Trying to figure out if I need to factor in that $2,000 when considering how much in loans to accept. Thanks in advance!

 

[AlteredScale]

Do our acceptance and matriculation deposits count towards our first year tuition? I remember reading somewhere it was applied to our tuition but I don't see anything about it on NetPartner. Trying to figure out if I need to factor in that $2,000 when considering how much in loans to accept. Thanks in advance!

Yep!


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile app

 

[justpedsthings]

Random, but does anyone know what "Loan Fees $1,226.00" are and whether this number is accurate? Or does this depend on how much loans you take out..? Are these "loan fees" origination fees that I read about? Just figuring out budget stuff for loans.

Lastly, were there any "unexpected" expenses (OTHER THAN COFFEE made sure I had a category for that) that maybe jumped out at you when you were going through your first year?

Depends how much you're bringing with you to KC. My biggest expenses came from getting things for my apartment (I only came with what could fit in my car) and winter clothes (LOL, #floridaproblems). It was also surprising how easy it was to spend a lot of money getting food out when busy studying instead of making meals. I've since adjusted for those, but my bills last semester were a little high haha.

Also, idk about everyone else, but for me, retail therapy is real and I'm totally one of those people who goes to the store after exams and buys myself a small present for getting through another exam haha.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[kingston77]

A couple of questions I hope someone here can answer:

1)How do course electives work? I remember seeing something about "space medicine" when I was reviewing the possible electives one can take. Would these just be "extra" courses you would take as part of your degree or are there a certain number of electives that required to be taken as part of your pre-clinical years?

2) What are the most popular rotation spot (i.e. which ones usually are requested the most frequently)? I am interested in the Michigan spots, but not sure if those are "competitive"/hard to get or not. Also, does the KCU curriculum have a mix of ward and preceptor based rotations, or is there one that dominates most of the core clinical rotations? Or maybe is this dependent on which rotation location the student attends?

Thanks.

 

[Mavs88]

A couple of questions I hope someone here can answer:

1)How do course electives work? I remember seeing something about "space medicine" when I was reviewing the possible electives one can take. Would these just be "extra" courses you would take as part of your degree or are there a certain number of electives that required to be taken as part of your pre-clinical years?

2) What are the most popular rotation spot (i.e. which ones usually are requested the most frequently)? I am interested in the Michigan spots, but not sure if those are "competitive"/hard to get or not. Also, does the KCU curriculum have a mix of ward and preceptor based rotations, or is there one that dominates most of the core clinical rotations? Or maybe is this dependent on which rotation location the student attends?

Thanks.

Also an incoming M1 here...I have not seen anything on the curriculum about electives, but that class sounds cool.

As far as the popular spots go, I've asked that to a lot of current students and most say that it depends entirely on the class and the year. However, one student told me that the Michigan ones are amongst the better rotations and are mostly ward-based.

 

[Stagg737]

A couple of questions I hope someone here can answer:

1)How do course electives work? I remember seeing something about "space medicine" when I was reviewing the possible electives one can take. Would these just be "extra" courses you would take as part of your degree or are there a certain number of electives that required to be taken as part of your pre-clinical years?

2) What are the most popular rotation spot (i.e. which ones usually are requested the most frequently)? I am interested in the Michigan spots, but not sure if those are "competitive"/hard to get or not. Also, does the KCU curriculum have a mix of ward and preceptor based rotations, or is there one that dominates most of the core clinical rotations? Or maybe is this dependent on which rotation location the student attends?

Thanks.

Electives are a thing of the past, we some of them our first year, but I don't think there are any electives anymore. Even if there were, there's no time for them during second year.

As Mavs said, it varies from class to class, but I believe Michigan is usually pretty popular. It also has more DO residency programs than any other state. So there were more positions in the competitive specialties available there, meaning some people were probably trying to get their foot in the door there. Idk if it's mostly wards-based, but from what I understand a good number of the sites have at least some rotations where you'll rotate with residents.

 

[kingston77]

Electives are a thing of the past, we some of them our first year, but I don't think there are any electives anymore. Even if there were, there's no time for them during second year.

As Mavs said, it varies from class to class, but I believe Michigan is usually pretty popular. It also has more DO residency programs than any other state. So there were more positions in the competitive specialties available there, meaning some people were probably trying to get their foot in the door there. Idk if it's mostly wards-based, but from what I understand a good number of the sites have at least some rotations where you'll rotate with residents.

Thanks. On the KCUCOM clinical rotation page the only site that I see specifically stating "preceptor based" is the one in Denver, CO (https://www.kcumb.edu/academics/col...e/clerkships/clerkship-sites/denver/)...Could you let us know which sites are only preceptor Vs. ward-based? Originally, I thought all clinical years at KCU were spent within the wards, but it appears that I lacked knowledge in this area. I assume that ward-based clinicals are 'better' than preceptor based given that you might gain more experience within a hospital and have better chance of making connections for residency? I might be wrong, but if someone could shed some light into this then that would be great.

Also, can someone explain how elective years work in 4th year ? People usually term this as the time to "audition"? Are electives outside of the core clinical affiliations, and do people independently apply for electives in areas they hope to do their residency? Does KCU still provide support to students to secure a elective position, or are they on their own?

Thank you. I appreciate any insight that can be provided.

 

[justkeepswimming]

Thanks. On the KCUCOM clinical rotation page the only site that I see specifically stating "preceptor based" is the one in Denver, CO (https://www.kcumb.edu/academics/col...e/clerkships/clerkship-sites/denver/)...Could you let us know which sites are only preceptor Vs. ward-based? Originally, I thought all clinical years at KCU were spent within the wards, but it appears that I lacked knowledge in this area. I assume that ward-based clinicals are 'better' than preceptor based given that you might gain more experience within a hospital and have better chance of making connections for residency? I might be wrong, but if someone could shed some light into this then that would be great.

Also, can someone explain how elective years work in 4th year ? People usually term this as the time to "audition"? Are electives outside of the core clinical affiliations, and do people independently apply for electives in areas they hope to do their residency? Does KCU still provide support to students to secure a elective position, or are they on their own?

Thank you. I appreciate any insight that can be provided.

None of the sites are exclusively preceptor/ward based- they're all a mix of both. Some specialties are better suited to preceptor-based setups, like family med, while other such as internal med and peds can usually be better done on the wards. Also just to be clear, "preceptor" doesn't mean "outpatient" or non-hospital based, it just means youre assigned to a specific doc for the month. For example, I'm assigned to a specific surgeon for one of my rotations, but he practices in a hospital setting. It's good to experience both, and I don't think that one is inherently better than the other. Wards give you exposure to residents and interns (if you're in a teaching hospital), but preceptors give you direct access to your attending, which could be better for getting good letters of rec.

Fourth year electives can be done at your core rotation site, or at pretty much any other site you want. There's a list of sites that KCU currently has affiliation contracts set with here: http://kcumb.edu/uploadedFiles/Content/Academics/_Assets/CCE_Assets/KCUMB_AffiliatedSites.pdf
And I'd only imagine that three years from now when you're picking out rotation sites, it will likely be even longer. If you don't see a site you want on there, you can apply through VSAS, which is an electronic system used to set up away rotations. "Audition rotations" are typically done July/August of fourth year up until December, but the number of them you choose to do varies by specialty. Want to do surgery? Be prepared to do a bunch. Want to do IM? Probably only need them for your top programs. But don't worry about that too much now, you have plenty of time in the future to stress about setting up rotations...just survive the first two years first

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Yeah, you guys just need to get through Robbins first.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile app

 

[Stagg737]

Thanks. On the KCUCOM clinical rotation page the only site that I see specifically stating "preceptor based" is the one in Denver, CO (https://www.kcumb.edu/academics/col...e/clerkships/clerkship-sites/denver/)...Could you let us know which sites are only preceptor Vs. ward-based? Originally, I thought all clinical years at KCU were spent within the wards, but it appears that I lacked knowledge in this area. I assume that ward-based clinicals are 'better' than preceptor based given that you might gain more experience within a hospital and have better chance of making connections for residency? I might be wrong, but if someone could shed some light into this then that would be great.

Also, can someone explain how elective years work in 4th year ? People usually term this as the time to "audition"? Are electives outside of the core clinical affiliations, and do people independently apply for electives in areas they hope to do their residency? Does KCU still provide support to students to secure a elective position, or are they on their own?

Thank you. I appreciate any insight that can be provided.

@justkeepswimming is pretty spot on with their post (as usual), but I'll add one or two things I've heard from residents.

Generally speaking, I've heard rotating with a team of residents is better than rotating with a preceptor. The argument is that if you only rotate with a preceptor you won't understand the clerical aspects of medicine and how to actually run a floor when you inevitably start residency. At that point in your career, you want to hit the ground running so you can fit into a functioning team well and not be a burden to your team or attending. I've heard some mixed things about it though, as some say they were able to learn that stuff in a few weeks and it didn't make a difference. The other thing I've heard is that even though being first assist on surgery as a third year or picking up on clinical pearls is great, it's not nearly as useful as actually doing those procedures or giving treatments as a resident, so that 'extra' experience you get from being with a preceptor becomes overshadowed pretty quickly. There are also advantages to being with a preceptor though. Other than potentially getting a better letter, some of the preceptors at KCU will specifically pimp you on questions that will help you for shelves on not just on random minutiae, which can be huge considering clinical grades here are 100% dependent on your shelf score.

I also agree that some fields you could benefit more from a preceptor while I think some it is essential to get experience working with residents. You'll definitely want to try and rotate with residents for IM. You'll learn the system, both administrative/clerically and politically, better this way than just interacting with 1 physician. It also depends on what you want to do for your career. Personally, I don't plan on setting foot in a hospital after residency if I can help it, so I don't mind getting a lot of rotations with preceptors. This would obviously be different for someone who wants to be a hospitalist or go into academic medicine. The best summary I can give (keep in mind this is a gross generalization) is that rotating with residents will probably be more beneficial for learning how residency works, while rotating with a preceptor will give you a better idea of what the rest of your career would be like (assuming you don't want to spend the rest of your career at an academic hospital).

 

[madpin21]

.

 

[bcline01]

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Higherprimate]

Shouldn't this be directed at the KCU class 2019 page instead of the incoming MS1 page? The incoming MS1's are going to read this and think something is going on at KCU. For all of you incoming MS1's ignore the above post, do not let one person sabotage your preconceived notions of what medical school will be like. Reading this might make you think that medical school at KCU is full of "backstabbers" and "selfishness" which is not the case in my experience. KCU has been a wonderful experience and I have not come across anything that would make me second guess the intent of my classmates. Medical school is hard enough without having to think about your classmates as being backstabbers and selfish. Everyone has moments when their decision making is in error, unfortunately those that chose not to attend the ceremony are not allowed the same error in judgement as the above poster is.

 

[justpedsthings]

Shouldn't this be directed at the KCU class 2019 page instead of the incoming MS1 page? The incoming MS1's are going to read this and think something is going on at KCU. For all of you incoming MS1's ignore the above post, do not let one person sabotage your preconceived notions of what medical school will be like. Reading this might make you think that medical school at KCU is full of "backstabbers" and "selfishness" which is not the case in my experience. KCU has been a wonderful experience and I have not come across anything that would make me second guess the intent of my classmates. Medical school is hard enough without having to think about your classmates as being backstabbers and selfish. Everyone has moments when their decision making is in error, unfortunately those that chose not to attend the ceremony are not allowed the same error in judgement as the above poster is.

Seriously? Your way of responding to that post exactly illustrates the environment in our class. One person says what maybe only a few people think but if you don't agree with it, they're automatically wrong. The class of 2020 should absolute NOT ignore that post. They should strive to be better no matter what. And whatever error in judgement you may have had, you're to blame, not anyone else. That post doesn't have several likes for no reason. If you had gone to the ceremony, maybe you'd understand.

I'll be completely honest here because people on sdn and everywhere need to know. Med school is not a walk in the park. There's good days and bad days. I have struggled with a lot of things here and maybe it's not all KCU's fault or my classmates, but not everyone's experience is the same and no one has the right to say otherwise.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Mavs88]

obvious question that I'm 99% sure of the answer for: does financial aid let you select how much of your available loan award you want? or do they just give you all of it?

 

[justpedsthings]

obvious question that I'm 99% sure of the answer for: does financial aid let you select how much of your available loan award you want? or do they just give you all of it?

Yes, you can choose how much you want to accept! No need to take out the full amount if you don't think you'll need it.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[madpin21]

obvious question that I'm 99% sure of the answer for: does financial aid let you select how much of your available loan award you want? or do they just give you all of it?

Definitely decrease the amount of your GradPlus loan first! The interest rate is higher.

 

[madpin21]

.

 

[AlteredScale]

I wasn't able to make the ceremony. Obviously I wanted to attend but my wife's schedule didn't fit with the time and had to go pick her up to drop her off to her next shift since we only have one vehicle. Despite my absence, I greatly appreciate what the donors and their respected families did for our education throughout the course of gross anatomy. The fact that they were mothers, sisters, aunts, brothers, sons, fathers who willingly donated themselves for us has not left my mind at all and it never will. These are your first patients and it many ways it's a foundational cornerstone of why you are in medical school in the first place: to heal and prevent death. I do believe the emotional and spiritual intimacy that you have between you and the donor cadavers will quickly wear thin and you will perceive that in your lab groups as they move from somber and reserved prior to zipping open the cadaver bag to nonchalant and casual.

Incoming class: best way I can summarize what we are trying to get across is to take each of our opinions with a grain of salt. Everyone is going to perceive a classmate's actions differently and respond to it in many exciting and surprising ways as well. Be prepared to bump heads, it's okay. With a class of 270 you should expect a multitude of dynamics within the class and you'll find your niche but when someone "outside" of your study group asks for help, help them! In terms of the memorial service: if you can go you should definitely go.

 

[jevindoes]

Looking to buy a new laptop soon and was wondering if any current students could chime in. I understand that KCU implements a tablet-based curriculum and that we get an iPad in the beginning of the year, but for laptops, is there an advantage of going PC vs. Mac with the curriculum? Or does it not matter? Thanks!

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Looking to buy a new laptop soon and was wondering if any current students could chime in. I understand that KCU implements a tablet-based curriculum and that we get an iPad in the beginning of the year, but for laptops, is there an advantage of going PC vs. Mac with the curriculum? Or does it not matter? Thanks!

I'd go Mac. Your iPad is Apple. Macs are Apple. Apples go with Apples.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Mavs88]

I'd go Mac. Your iPad is Apple. Macs are Apple. Apples go with Apples.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Yeah for sure, that compatibility will save you a lot of headaches. Also, if you're not a huge computer person (like me), then the dependability of a Mac is a big plus. Haven't heard of a virus in like 4 years. However the cost is certainly something to think about.

 

[just_SAIYAN]

Looking to buy a new laptop soon and was wondering if any current students could chime in. I understand that KCU implements a tablet-based curriculum and that we get an iPad in the beginning of the year, but for laptops, is there an advantage of going PC vs. Mac with the curriculum? Or does it not matter? Thanks!

I'd go Mac unless your a die hard PC guy/girl.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Stagg737]

Yeah for sure, that compatibility will save you a lot of headaches. Also, if you're not a huge computer person (like me), then the dependability of a Mac is a big plus. Haven't heard of a virus in like 4 years. However the cost is certainly something to think about.

Mine actually got a virus at one point and I was freaking out. Turns out it was super minor and only took someone that knew what they were doing about 15 minutes to fix it. That being said, Macs are far easier to use on campus in terms of both compatibility and reliability. Download Chrome and it's been ideal for me (this is coming from someone who does not like Apple...).

As for the price, look to get one in June or July. There are usually back to school/educational discounts that Apple will run and can save you a lot. I got $100 off along with a $100 gift card to Apple when I got my Air. It was still over $1,000, but the convenience and reliability have been worth it. Trust me, the last thing you want to deal with is technology issues, especially when you've got a midterm or final every 2-3 weeks.

 

[bcline01]

Mine actually got a virus at one point and I was freaking out. Turns out it was super minor and only took someone that knew what they were doing about 15 minutes to fix it. That being said, Macs are far easier to use on campus in terms of both compatibility and reliability. Download Chrome and it's been ideal for me (this is coming from someone who does not like Apple...).

As for the price, look to get one in June or July. There are usually back to school/educational discounts that Apple will run and can save you a lot. I got $100 off along with a $100 gift card to Apple when I got my Air. It was still over $1,000, but the convenience and reliability have been worth it. Trust me, the last thing you want to deal with is technology issues, especially when you've got a midterm or final every 2-3 weeks.

A couple of other money saving ideas for buying Macs are 1) wait until tax free weekend if you can. In Missouri, I think the first weekend in August you don't have to pay state tax on educational purchases, also 2) if you buy it from BestBuy you can register your .edu email and get coupons. I got an extra $100 off for that! I ended up paying like $800 for my Air last year, but it's been a great investment!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[jevindoes]

I've always been a Mac guy so this is all good news to me. Thank you all for the advice!