KCUMB class of 2011!!!!

[Packamylase]

I'm with spice on this one. I didn't get that sheet either. Could that be the voluntary questionnaire that they asked us to fill out after our interview (our impression of the school, how the interview went, were the questions thoughtful, what did you like best...etc.)?

I don't know what form that is. Maybe Harvey is right.

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[HarveyCushing]

OK. Thanks for answering the question!

I thought the $2000 I already paid was being taken out of the first year's tuition and I wasn't going to have to see that $2000 again. You're saying that I will still take out a loan for that same $2000! I guess if that is the case, then I will pay the $2000 toward the credit card that I used for the payment.

I will call the Admissions Office soon and ask about the 2nd form.

Right. Let's see if I can make it a little more clear using some numbers. Tuition for this year is $37,920. Since you paid $2,000 for your deposit, you will only be responsible for $35,920. However when you take out your loans, you will still be able to (if you want to) take out $37,920 towards your tuition. That is what I will be doing since I had to pay my deposity myself. I will just use the extra $2,000 left over after paying the tuition to pay my credit card statement with the deposit on it.

 

[spicedmanna]

That's odd. I did not have such a form in my packet, nor did I realize there was supposed to be one present. There was no mention of it in the list of items needing to be returned, nor was it mentioned elsewhere. What is that form pertaining to?

Pack, was this the form that was related to disclosing any disabilities and reasonable accomodations that need to be made for them? If so, I got that really early on. I think it came with my permission to check credit form. I turned both in at the same time, I think. If it's something that the admissions office states that you are missing, I'd give the office a call and hash it out with them.

 

[HarveyCushing]

Pack, was this the form that was related to disclosing any disabilities and reasonable accomodations that need to be made for them? If so, I got that really early on. I think it came with my permission to check credit form. I turned both in at the same time, I think. If it's something that the admissions office states that you are missing, I'd give them a call and hash it out them.

+1. Now that spice mentions it I believe I sent in mine the same time spice did. Give them a call this week and see what they want. Maybe you can fax them a copy?

 

[Packamylase]

Pack, was this the form that was related to disclosing any disabilities and reasonable accomodations that need to be made for them? If so, I got that really early on. I think it came with my permission to check credit form. I turned both in at the same time, I think. If it's something that the admissions office states that you are missing, I'd give the office a call and hash it out them.

Thanks, spiced. I'll give the office a call tomorrow!

 

[BradenDO]

This is a service provided by students who will be responsible for the notes. I think you pay a set amount at the beginning of the year and then you get a copy of each days notes. I wonder how useful it is. After the power points, lecture mp3's, textbooks, board review books, your own notes...etc. would you really need another source? Would one have the time to make use of them? I just wonder if it is really worth it.

My brother described them as being condensed notes or something like that. If you do join, you have to take turns typing up notes and I don't think I want to take the time to do that. I think we'll have enough sources of information!

 

[HarveyCushing]

My brother described them as being condensed notes or something like that. If you do join, you have to take turns typing up notes and I don't think I want to take the time to do that. I think we'll have enough sources of information!

I totally agree. Especially since the lectures are recorded. If you feel like you missed something or have inadequate notes, just listen to that section of the lecture.

 

[BScheu18]

I agree. Also, there is value in actually taking notes. I am very kinesthetically-oriented, so actually writing stuff down can help me retain the information.

Yes, I agree as well. I guess I was more interested in understanding...

Hopefully we all make enough friends that we don't have to pay to get notes if we want to get more resources

 

[HarveyCushing]

Yes, I agree as well. I guess I was more interested in understanding...

Hopefully we all make enough friends that we don't have to pay to get notes if we want to get more resources

I heard that a lot of students will email tables or notes that they typed up for a section. I think that is great.

 

[drbordercollie]

so, i forwarded the now infamous bitter 3rd year post to my "big brother," and this is his response. All names kept secret of course:

"I'm not sure what to say about this. The 3rd years were the first class to have so many fail. We are a school that boasts of 98% passing rate. There are unverifiable rumors as to the reason for the failures, but I don't think it appropriate to spread those rumors. We did lose our residency programs because the hospital we were at closed down. I don't know of any DO schools that have connected residency programs. You go out in your fourth year and find your own. I don't see the big deal unless you want to go into family med, or OB. If you do, you can rotate your third and fourth year in one of the other MANY hospitals around and find one you like. They all will take students from our school. In fact, most like us better because of the well rounded education we get, not just book learning.

We did get some new lecturers the last few years. Again, what is the problem with getting fresh people into the school? That means younger people who can somewhat relate to you and your concerns. It also means that they might be more prone to follow the RECENT changes and teach them. We have had lecturers that appologized because he found out that morning that there was new information on the topic of that lecture. He told us the new info and we wrote it in our notes. Of course we have less than excellent teachers. There are ALWAYS teachers that you like and hate. We have a couple of teachers that I don't like, but we have some AMAZING teachers (you will hear of ERF). They are so dedicated to us and our learning.

It is a large class and sometimes I wish it were smaller, but I have heard no complaint of 6 to a cadaver. My group is awesome. When I want to do some dissecting, I tell them and it is my turn. When someone else wants to, they do it. It is really no big deal.

Yes, we are graded on a curve. It is not true that you can only miss one to get an 'A'. My friends get 'A''s every test and they miss the correct amount. It is based on a mean with a standard deviation. If you get above the standard deviation, you get an 'A', if you get below, you get a 'C'. With my experience, I am glad it is this way because I could have failed some exams if it weren't for the mean + SD.

We do have pretty new buildings. Once again, it sounds like this guy is ranting about something he needs to work through ALONE. I have MANY 3rd year friends and I have never heard this much negativity toward our school. I talk to about 15 3rd year students on a regular basis. They all face the same challenges, and work through them. They understand the residency difficulties in our nation, and they are working on the ones they want to be at. Fourth year friends of mine just got accepted to their first choices of residency. They also had none of this negativity toward our school.

Don't worry about this guy. I met one at a different school and she was very bitter about her school. There must be one at every school. This is a nationally accredited Medical school. No med school could get away with what this guy is ranting about. You will learn so much that you never thought you had the room for it. You will watch medical shows on TV and laugh at how incorrect they are. You will laugh at how they use the lingo incorrectly. You will also become a House fan if you are not now, because it seems that every episode we just previously learned about the wierd ailment the patient has that nearly kills them. It is a riot.

My advice is, delete the message from the bitter 3rd year and look forward to coming to a great place to learn and become a great doc!"

Sweeeeeet response, eh?

 

[spicedmanna]

Thanks, drbordercollie, for sharing the reply. I was planning on a similar course of action, but it looks like you beat me to it. Your big brother's view is much more balanced. I appreciate that he took the time to address our concerns.

It seems that it is true that MCI closed down, as I suspected, and we have lost the residencies associated with that center. I wonder how this will impact our third and fourth year rotations, if any? Hopefully there won't be any significant impact on us at all. If there is, I guess we'll have to find a way to work around that, with the school's assistance. I have no idea what this work-around entails, but I suppose by the time it will matter, we will have figured it out. In any case, I'm not sweating it too much. It's just good to know; as it is often said, "fortune favors the prepared mind."

As to scoring well on and passing the boards, well, that's totally on us, regardless of what our environment is like. I'm ready to put in my optimal effort.

I'm very much excited and ready to begin medical school at KCUMB!

 

[Khia18]

Okay, here's some answers and unasked for advice I have based on reading your posts.

1) Orientation Week- It sucks. Its ridiculously hot that time of year and you must be dressed professionally. Not quite interview attire, but no jeans. You will take ID pictures the first day. Also on the first day you listen to TONS of speakers, meet people, and pick up your bone boxes for anatomy lab. If I remember correctly, the first day is the longest and its over by Thursday. One of the days you spend doing stupid crap like scavenger hunts and what not. Thursday morning you'll have the rehearsal for White Coating.
2) Disorientation Week- as we like to call it. Trust me on this one. Go out and "bond" with your classmates as much as possible early on while you still can. This was my favorite week because I met so many people. You'll go out every night and sit through orientation hung over, but it will be worth it. Reach out, meet people, be social. I found that a majority of the friends I made that week were the ones I stayed close with all year.
3) Medical Terminology Book- don't buy it. HUGE waste of time. I never bought it or read it and neither did a lot of people. If you can't pick up on the terminology as we go along, you have bigger problems.
4) Disgruntled 3rd year- ignore him. The KCUMB residencies = not a big deal. Yeah there's some profs that I would strongly advise never going to their lectures, but you'll figure that out on your own. Ignore the bitter panties 3rd year.
5) Books- don't buy them up front! Wait and figure out your individual needs. Do not buy the giant green FOM book! I never unwrapped it. I recommend: anything BRS, Mosby and Hoppenfeld OMT books, Dubin for cardio rhythms, Goljan Path, Mohr-Dahli Anatomy book and that's pretty much the only books I used.
6) Equipment- just get the basics, you do not need the special hearing steth. It looks ridiculous
7) White Coating- big question for us last year. Ladies black dresses or pants. Dress should be knee-tea length and you have to wear close-toed shoes. Guys you'll be wearing shirt and tie, no jacket. The post-ceremony reception is fantastic. Food, free wine and beer. Everyone gets hammered. Good stuff.
8) When can you wear scrubs? We were told after the first 2 weeks of classes, but most of us started after the first week.
9) Financial Aid- do the Grad Plus. After you get your Stafford award letter then you go online to whatever lending company you chose and set up the rest. You get your money once a semester.
10) Fun- I know a lot of my fellow 2nd years will be back in KC by mid July for some last hurrahs before school starts again. I will try to keep you posted on where/when we go out if anyone wants to meet up.

Hope that was somewhat helpful. Any other questions, etc PM me. Anyone from the Chicago area?

 

[Talula21]

Okay, here's some answers and unasked for advice I have based on reading your posts.

1) Orientation Week- It sucks. Its ridiculously hot that time of year and you must be dressed professionally. Not quite interview attire, but no jeans. You will take ID pictures the first day. Also on the first day you listen to TONS of speakers, meet people, and pick up your bone boxes for anatomy lab. If I remember correctly, the first day is the longest and its over by Thursday. One of the days you spend doing stupid crap like scavenger hunts and what not. Thursday morning you'll have the rehearsal for White Coating.
2) Disorientation Week- as we like to call it. Trust me on this one. Go out and "bond" with your classmates as much as possible early on while you still can. This was my favorite week because I met so many people. You'll go out every night and sit through orientation hung over, but it will be worth it. Reach out, meet people, be social. I found that a majority of the friends I made that week were the ones I stayed close with all year.
3) Medical Terminology Book- don't buy it. HUGE waste of time. I never bought it or read it and neither did a lot of people. If you can't pick up on the terminology as we go along, you have bigger problems.
4) Disgruntled 3rd year- ignore him. The KCUMB residencies = not a big deal. Yeah there's some profs that I would strongly advise never going to their lectures, but you'll figure that out on your own. Ignore the bitter panties 3rd year.
5) Books- don't buy them up front! Wait and figure out your individual needs. Do not buy the giant green FOM book! I never unwrapped it. I recommend: anything BRS, Mosby and Hoppenfeld OMT books, Dubin for cardio rhythms, Goljan Path, Mohr-Dahli Anatomy book and that's pretty much the only books I used.
6) Equipment- just get the basics, you do not need the special hearing steth. It looks ridiculous
7) White Coating- big question for us last year. Ladies black dresses or pants. Dress should be knee-tea length and you have to wear close-toed shoes. Guys you'll be wearing shirt and tie, no jacket. The post-ceremony reception is fantastic. Food, free wine and beer. Everyone gets hammered. Good stuff.
8) When can you wear scrubs? We were told after the first 2 weeks of classes, but most of us started after the first week.
9) Financial Aid- do the Grad Plus. After you get your Stafford award letter then you go online to whatever lending company you chose and set up the rest. You get your money once a semester.
10) Fun- I know a lot of my fellow 2nd years will be back in KC by mid July for some last hurrahs before school starts again. I will try to keep you posted on where/when we go out if anyone wants to meet up.

Hope that was somewhat helpful. Any other questions, etc PM me. Anyone from the Chicago area?

Thank you so much Khia! This answered many questions I had. Sounds like we have a lot of great things to look forward to!

 

[Khia18]

I heard that a lot of students will email tables or notes that they typed up for a section. I think that is great.

You'll basically have lecture every day except Tuesday from 8-12, sometimes one or two lectures after lunch. (Those days suck). They give you hand outs, but sometimes you'll find you don't have everything and you have to print some yourself. There are a few guest profs who never give lecture notes. There is Notepool, where students who join are assigned lectures to scribe. Those who pay for the service can then access these notes at the yahoo group site. Its not always reliable, but helpful when you're stuck. And yes, your fellow students will be helpful. We all sent each other any tables, websites, outlines, review stuff we came across.

 

[absykeen]

Was there a booklist included in the matriculation packet??

 

[spicedmanna]

Was there a booklist included in the matriculation packet??

No, not to my knowledge.

 

[Packamylase]

No, not to my knowledge.

I don't remember one tampoco.

 

[MichelOwe21]

You'll basically have lecture every day except Tuesday from 8-12, sometimes one or two lectures after lunch. (Those days suck). They give you hand outs, but sometimes you'll find you don't have everything and you have to print some yourself. There are a few guest profs who never give lecture notes. There is Notepool, where students who join are assigned lectures to scribe. Those who pay for the service can then access these notes at the yahoo group site. Its not always reliable, but helpful when you're stuck. And yes, your fellow students will be helpful. We all sent each other any tables, websites, outlines, review stuff we came across.

What happens Tuesday mornings?

 

[pappy846]

What happens Tuesday mornings?

Mandatory OMM labs in which you crack the backs of MDs for under-the-table monetary compensation.

Kidding, isn't it a lab day?

-Pat

 

[MichelOwe21]

Mandatory OMM labs in which you crack the backs of MDs for under-the-table monetary compensation.

Kidding, isn't it a lab day?

-Pat

 

[AmyO]

Hi. I just got on this website after remembering how excited I was last year to be starting and how many questions I had. Tuesday morning is usually OMM lab for 1st years. You'll either have it 9-12 or 1-4pm and there is usually an OMM lecture in the morning from 8-9a but I don't know if they're changing the schedule for next year or not. You will be using your medical equipment a lot, so I would recommend sucking it up and buying one of the packaged deals from the school (I wouldn't buy the electronic stethoscope unless you truly have hearing problems, but I did buy the lithium battery and appreciate the extra battery time). You use your equipment in lab a lot and we have those human patient simulator labs that you'll need your equipment for plus if you volunteer with Sports Medicine Club or some of the other clubs that do physical exams, etc. Second year, you'll be doing Score 1 and doing physical exams on local elementary school kids and will definitely need the equipment. That's all that I can think of for now. Oh yeah, they are opening a new hospital due to MCI closing...I'm sure the school will be pursuing clerkship opportunities w/ them.

 

[AmyO]

I'm finishing my 3rd year rotation at KCUMB & must honestly say that if I had known better I would NEVER have gone there. Normally, when I see people write these sort of posts- I think that its just the individual having an issue & that it shouldn't involve me. Believe me, I'm not some disgruntled student that would do anything to "get back at my school", & I'm NOT the only student that feels this way. Don't get me wrong, KCUMB was my 1st choice & they really won me over in my interview. In fact, our first year of med school was worthwhile & overall I can say that that year I received a good education. But, that's where it ended! Due to administrative politics, before the start of 2nd year, we lost 5 seasoned professors in the areas of physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, anatomy, & micro/immuno. These were high quality instructors, some of which actually wrote questions for the COMLEX exams. They were either replaced w/ adjunct professors who had never taught in a med school before, or just not replaced at all before it was time for the school year to begin. What we ended up with was the faculty scrambling to figure out who would teach the vacant lectures & who would head up our sections. This gap in our education took its toll when 10% of our class failed the COMLEX on their 1st try! Even if the school has hired some new faculty- its bad planning in other areas WILL affect you! You see, the school keeps upping the class size every year, but continues to divide the classes into only 4 "lab groups". What this means is that there are now 6 people assigned to 1 cadaver! Maybe it could be justified if less cadaver time meant less tuition spent? Also, unlike other DO schools, KCUMB still uses an archaic method of grading that pits student against student and incorrectly reflects student aptitude. For example, if the class average is 88% for a quiz, that is no longer a B+, instead it becomes a B- at best & to actually receive an A you can only miss 1 question at most. So, instead of rewarding students for their hard work & good performance, their GPAs & transcripts are skewed.

The downward spiral continues... within the past year KCUMB lost BOTH of its surgeon lecturers along with the entire surgery residency, so other clinicians gave the lectures. TRUST ME, you want REAL surgeons to teach you their craft. You'll appreciate it once you get into your rotations! As if that wasn't enough, KCUMB recently lost ALL its residency programs & is NOT interested in reinitiating them. What does this mean to you? It means that you are the odd-man-out when you are in clinicals standing next to someone from another school that actually has residencies. Especially when our school has been around for 90 years, we're expected to have a post-grad med. ed. program. (It isn't quite the same for students from the newest DO schools- the Docs know that these programs will be there soon.) For $37K/yr what are you really getting? There are too many other truly GREAT osteopathic schools around. At these places, your tuition money goes to your education FIRST. Instead, KCUMB seems to have a fascination with building pretty buildings that mainly house researchers. Until, KCUMB steps up to the plate and puts its educational quality first, there's NO WAY it can compete w/ other schools!

All in all, for $52,000/year, you'll be getting a pass into a school with MAJOR academic administrative issues whose primary concern is to springboard its President/CEO into the Missouri Governor's mansion. President Pletz is the cornerstone of KCUMB's growth & mission. I can't even bring myself to to think of what will happen when she is gone too!

BUYERS PLEASE BEWARE!!!!!!!

I didn't know what post you guys were talking about but I found it. I just finished my first year, so I can't say much about what the 3rd years think but I have had a wonderful experience at KCUMB. I think for the most part we have great professors. Every school will have professors that are not great, but overall I have been satisfied with my education at KCUMB. And as far as professors writing COMLEX ?s, 2 more professors recently were invited to write ?s for the COMLEX (1 in pharm & 1 in micro). I had 5 people in my anatomy lab group (5 people to a cadaver) and this was not a big deal at all. We each took turns cutting if we all weren't able to work on the same thing but there is more than enough work to go around. The stuff this person says about the curve are completely not true at least in regards to my class. The curve has NEVER hurt my grade, it actually helps. I appreciate the curve because it protects you against poorly written questions or an extremely difficult exam in relation to others. There is a committee that goes over the questions before we take each quiz or test and questions that are found to be unclear, incorrect, or poorly written are thrown out. If these are not caught before we take the quiz, they are thrown out afterward. We are allowed to review each test and quiz to ensure against mistakes. Overall, I think this school does a great job of trying to make the exams fair. Oh and I make As and certainly miss a lot more than 1 question (that's just ridiculous). I don't think the curve is ever an 88% (the quiz/exam would be way too easy). The curve is usually around an 80% or so for my class. In response to the surgeon lectures, our class had an excellent surgeon (I can't remember his name) lecture us 2-3 times along with the chief urology resident at KU for a lecture on bladder and kidney cancer (he was awesome). Those are the major things I can think of. I don't understand why the student says you guys are at a disadvantage (even assuming he is correct and the school has no interest in pursuing residency options at Centrepoint - the new hospital that was built to replace MCI and 1 other smaller hospital) in regards to other students in the area. We've had several alumni come in (2 of which were program directors at residency programs) and it seems that one of the most important factors in getting a residency at the place you desire is if you have rotated there and impressed their staff (they want someone they like to work with) along w/ the obvious....board scores, etc. I do want to say that I do not know what this particular 3rd year's experience was like and feel bad that they had a bad experience, but I wanted to let you know that this has NOT been my experience. I love KCUMB and can't imagine going anywhere else! Feel free to e-mail me if you have ?s @ [email protected]

 

[Khia18]

What happens Tuesday mornings?

Tuesday is OMT lab for MSI. You'll rotate mornings and afternoons.

 

[raidermedic]

Just a little more input from another third year.

1) I have no idea why our fail rate was so high. From the classmates I've talked to we all scored (and passed) where we expected to based on class performance. Personally I did well on both USMLE and COMLEX. Felt very prepared for both of them. My advice is to concentrate on the big picture rather than trying to hunt down possible test topics in your notes. It pays off big time when boards role around.

2) On quality of lecturers. It has always been my opinion that lectures were a learning resource and not the center of education. I believe that most learning is done outside of the class room on ones own time. With that in mind I can not complain about certain professors leaving. If the new lecturer is not good then don't go. Stay home and study. There will always be profs that are not good lecturers thats true for our school, true for UMKC, true for KU, true for Hopkins etc etc. If thats the case you adapt to it and learn the material on you're own.

3) On the faculty I would pit our neuro professor against anyone in the country. You will never find a better neuro professor, for that matter I would imagine it would be hard to find any professor that can really stack up to him. Our Path professor is also top notch. Being at the end of third year I wish I could go back in time and attend more of his lectures. It's challenging but if you master his lectures you will be an absolute superstar during third year. Seriously you can be a lazy, physically inept, and borderline psychotic doesn't matter. If you can ramble off some of the stuff you will learn from path residents and attendings will think you walk on water. IMO these two were the pillars of KCUMB in the first two years. If either of them leave I would be concerned.

4) On being at a disadvantage due to lack of residency programs (I didn't even know we had residency programs ) pretty much every program director has told me that for DO applicants the two critieria they use are 1) if they rotated through the service what kind of impression they made and 2) what their USMLE scores are.

Hope that helps. Really the key to doing well at KCUMB or any medical school for that matter is just to keep focused on your ultimate goal and not bogged down in the unimportant things. If you guys have any questions just PM me.

 

[HarveyCushing]

Just a little more input from another third year.

1) I have no idea why our fail rate was so high. From the classmates I've talked to we all scored (and passed) where we expected to based on class performance. Personally I did well on both USMLE and COMLEX. Felt very prepared for both of them. My advice is to concentrate on the big picture rather than trying to hunt down possible test topics in your notes. It pays off big time when boards role around.

2) On quality of lecturers. It has always been my opinion that lectures were a learning resource and not the center of education. I believe that most learning is done outside of the class room on ones own time. With that in mind I can not complain about certain professors leaving. If the new lecturer is not good then don't go. Stay home and study. There will always be profs that are not good lecturers thats true for our school, true for UMKC, true for KU, true for Hopkins etc etc. If thats the case you adapt to it and learn the material on you're own.

3) On the faculty I would pit our neuro professor against anyone in the country. You will never find a better neuro professor, for that matter I would imagine it would be hard to find any professor that can really stack up to him. Our Path professor is also top notch. Being at the end of third year I wish I could go back in time and attend more of his lectures. It's challenging but if you master his lectures you will be an absolute superstar during third year. Seriously you can be a lazy, physically inept, and borderline psychotic doesn't matter. If you can ramble off some of the stuff you will learn from path residents and attendings will think you walk on water. IMO these two were the pillars of KCUMB in the first two years. If either of them leave I would be concerned.

4) On being at a disadvantage due to lack of residency programs (I didn't even know we had residency programs ) pretty much every program director has told me that for DO applicants the two critieria they use are 1) if they rotated through the service what kind of impression they made and 2) what their USMLE scores are.

Hope that helps. Really the key to doing well at KCUMB or any medical school for that matter is just to keep focused on your ultimate goal and not bogged down in the unimportant things. If you guys have any questions just PM me.

Raider, thanks for the great advice. From the little that I have learned from talking to 4th years who matched and current residents, doing sub-i's and busting your butt off to make a good impression, and rocking your boards are the two biggest things to help you land your residency spot.

 

[MichelOwe21]

For those of you who currently do not have health insurance, and therefore must purchase it before school starts, who are you planning on going with? Has anyone looked into BCBS any further or found any other health insurance providers?

I am trying to figure out who to go with. I spoke with Diana in Financial Aid and she said they will only "cover" (aka add to our FA) up to $125 per month of the academic school year (so we are on our own for the summer) for health insurance (not including dental insurance).

I am trying to figure out who to go with so I can submit the required documentation to the FA office to be considered in my FA award.

Please let me know if anyone has any wisdom to shed on this subject. Thanks!!!

 

[usfvette]

For those of you who currently do not have health insurance, and therefore must purchase it before school starts, who are you planning on going with? Has anyone looked into BCBS any further or found any other health insurance providers?

I am trying to figure out who to go with. I spoke with Diana in Financial Aid and she said they will only "cover" (aka add to our FA) up to $125 per month of the academic school year (so we are on our own for the summer) for health insurance (not including dental insurance).

I am trying to figure out who to go with so I can submit the required documentation to the FA office to be considered in my FA award.

Please let me know if anyone has any wisdom to shed on this subject. Thanks!!!

The only insurances that I have looked at are the two that came in the packet (BCBS and the one through state farm). I'll probably be going with BCBS as my family has been with them for many years.

 

[Yes_I_DO]

The only insurances that I have looked at are the two that came in the packet (BCBS and the one through state farm). I'll probably be going with BCBS as my family has been with them for many years.

State Farm was looking decent, until I saw the list of things the policy *doesnt * cover. Its almost ANYTHING other than a regular barebones Drs visit! And they both seem pretty pricey to me And why am I being penalized for being female Statitically, guys are the ones that are more accident and ill-health prone.

 

[HarveyCushing]

I have been very happy with my Humana plan. It might be worth to check it out. I was able to get a very good deal on a health/dental/life insurance package. It is right around the same price that BCBS was advertising in the pamphlet we got for just health insurance. I think my policy is about $430-440 quarterly.

 

[spicedmanna]

I have been very happy with my Humana plan. It might be worth to check it out. I was able to get a very good deal on a health/dental/life insurance package. It is right around the same price that BCBS was advertising in the pamphlet we got for just health insurance. I think my policy is about $430-440 quarterly.

That's a pretty good deal. I have a medical-only plan with Golden Rule Health Insurance, which is associated with United Healthcare. I pay around $309 quarterly, and I have a $2500 deductible, discounts within the network, and a $25 office co-pay.

 

[HarveyCushing]

That's a pretty good deal. I have a medical-only plan with Golden Rule Health Insurance, which is associated with United Healthcare. I pay around $309 quarterly, and I have a $2500 deductible, discounts within the network, and a $25 office co-pay.

I don't remember what my deductible is off the top of my head. But I believe I have the same co-pay of $25 and I think Rx are around the same as well as ER visits. Is Golden Rule a PPO or HMO?

 

[Khia18]

Worth mentioning... for basic complaints the KCUMB docs see you for free. You go up to the family med office on the 3rd floor of Ricci and make an appt. They usually see you that day or the next. I've gone for an eye infection and an ankle problem. The write Rx's and whatnot too for you. Its a nice safety net. You can also make appts to have regular OMT done.

 

[HarveyCushing]

Worth mentioning... for basic complaints the KCUMB docs see you for free. You go up to the family med office on the 3rd floor of Ricci and make an appt. They usually see you that day or the next. I've gone for an eye infection and an ankle problem. The write Rx's and whatnot too for you. Its a nice safety net. You can also make appts to have regular OMT done.

That is great to know.

 

[spicedmanna]

I don't remember what my deductible is off the top of my head. But I believe I have the same co-pay of $25 and I think Rx are around the same as well as ER visits. Is Golden Rule a PPO or HMO?

My plan is a PPO. I can go out of the network, but it costs me more, and I have a higher deductible ($5000) for out-of-network stuff.

 

[DC Jayhawk]

Just a little more input from another third year.

1) I have no idea why our fail rate was so high. From the classmates I've talked to we all scored (and passed) where we expected to based on class performance. Personally I did well on both USMLE and COMLEX. Felt very prepared for both of them. My advice is to concentrate on the big picture rather than trying to hunt down possible test topics in your notes. It pays off big time when boards role around.

2) On quality of lecturers. It has always been my opinion that lectures were a learning resource and not the center of education. I believe that most learning is done outside of the class room on ones own time. With that in mind I can not complain about certain professors leaving. If the new lecturer is not good then don't go. Stay home and study. There will always be profs that are not good lecturers thats true for our school, true for UMKC, true for KU, true for Hopkins etc etc. If thats the case you adapt to it and learn the material on you're own.

3) On the faculty I would pit our neuro professor against anyone in the country. You will never find a better neuro professor, for that matter I would imagine it would be hard to find any professor that can really stack up to him. Our Path professor is also top notch. Being at the end of third year I wish I could go back in time and attend more of his lectures. It's challenging but if you master his lectures you will be an absolute superstar during third year. Seriously you can be a lazy, physically inept, and borderline psychotic doesn't matter. If you can ramble off some of the stuff you will learn from path residents and attendings will think you walk on water. IMO these two were the pillars of KCUMB in the first two years. If either of them leave I would be concerned.

4) On being at a disadvantage due to lack of residency programs (I didn't even know we had residency programs ) pretty much every program director has told me that for DO applicants the two critieria they use are 1) if they rotated through the service what kind of impression they made and 2) what their USMLE scores are.

Hope that helps. Really the key to doing well at KCUMB or any medical school for that matter is just to keep focused on your ultimate goal and not bogged down in the unimportant things. If you guys have any questions just PM me.

Thanks. This your perspective was very helpful to me. Much obliged...

 

[mbihlmaier]

anybody else realize that we have to take our 1st Final in med school in less than five months, how crazy is that? See you all in august.

matt b

 

[BradenDO]

anybody else realize that we have to take our 1st Final in med school in less than five months, how crazy is that? See you all in august.

matt b

Ahh! I feel like I should start cramming now!

 

[spicedmanna]

anybody else realize that we have to take our 1st Final in med school in less than five months, how crazy is that? See you all in august.

matt b

Hahaha...there's time enough to be concerned about that. For me, there are more immediate concerns, like, for example, when am I going to get my financial aid award letter? Another concern on my mind is securing a place to live. Taking a deep breath and getting into a space of even deeper presence and nowness: getting some dinner.

 

[HarveyCushing]

Hahaha...there's time enough to be concerned about that. For me, there are more immediate concerns, like, for example, when am I going to get my financial aid award letter? Another concern on my mind is securing a place to live. Taking a deep breath and getting into a space of even deeper presence and nowness: getting some dinner.

So I'm not the only one anxiously waiting for the FA award letter? I wonder if KCUMB is liberal in giving aid to its students? Probably not huh? Crazy how things are quickly wrapping up for school to start. Does anyone know what our offical class size will be? Were they planning on increasing the size this year?

 

[EM2BE]

I just finished my first year, so I decided I would stop in and answer some questions you all had. As a warning, this will be really random, but that's just me and the way I think, so bear with me. About the FA checks, they will probably come in late August-early September (I would count on the Sept time frame). I don't know when you should expect your award letter (I haven't even seen mine yet for this coming year...then again, it may not have been forwarded to my current location). As for class size, I would not expect more than 250 because my class takes the bigger classroom that seated 268, and I'm pretty sure the other classroom only holds 250, give or take a few. As for OMT, for those that were concerned, there will be TAs available to help you during the labs. However, if the lab is in the morning (switches every other week), the 2nd years will have class until 11 most days, so no TAs will be available until then. As for anyone who says anything bad about rotations and classes, they aren't really that bad from people I have heard from. Keep in mind that you will not have to stay in KC for those years. The only people that are required to stay in KC are those that take part in the DO/MBA program. From some 3rd and 4th years (just finishing those years), many feel the MBA isn't worth doing, but you will find the one or two that feel like it helped them or will help them in the future. IMO I didn't have the 'spare' time to worry about the extra classes/exams on top of what we already were doing. I also enjoy my free time as much as I can and like to see the light of day. And to help you all feel better, FOM is a mix of anything they think you may need to have before starting the rest of the sections. It includes many of the basic sciences. Therefore, some of you will be bored because it is something you have already mastered a few times and some of you may feel the struggle. For the good news, it is the only section I felt had the random info. Most people who hated that section felt much better about the other sections, so keep your head up and just keep up with the studying (don't fall behind, trust me from my mistakes, it is not a good idea to take 2 nights off in a row). I just glanced through this last page, so if there are more questions that haven't been answered, feel free to PM me (to let me know you have a question, even if you post it). I may not check this thread as often as I am on here (I usually float in a different forum). Oh and my best advice: don't try to pre-study this summer. Take the time off and enjoy yourself because you will need it. Plus, any pre-studying you may imagine will probably be no benefit to you.

 

[HarveyCushing]

Maybe now is the appropriate time to post these lyrics?:


I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

I'll be standing on the corner
On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine
I'm gonna be standing on the corner
On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine
With my Kansas City baby
And a bottle of Kansas City wine.

Well I might take a train
I might take a plane, but if I have to walk
I'm gonna get there just the same
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

I'm gonna pack my clothes
Leave at the break of dawn
I'm gonna pack my clothes
Everybody will be sleeping
Nobody will know where I've gone
Cause if I stay in town
I know I'm gonna die.
Gotta find a friendly city
And that's the reason why,
I'm going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

 

[spicedmanna]

Maybe now is the appropriate time to post these lyrics?:

Right on, Harvey. Good timing. And for those of you who prefer an aural accompaniment:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vb9X-XiTT4&mode=related&search=[/YOUTUBE]

 

[HarveyCushing]

Right on, Harvey. Good timing. And for those of you who prefer an aural accompaniment:

Good stuff. Just made my Sunday that much better.

 

[pappy846]

I saw one school start a thread of Class of 2011 biographies. I think that's a great idea. I'll start....

My name is Patrick, born on March 26, 1984...makes me 23 years old. I'm 100% Filipino, born and raised in Seattle, Wa and I can only speak a very small amount of Tagalog. I have one 25 year old sister at NYU studying to be a nurse practitioner. I've never had a dog or a cat, but I've had a pet chicken. Which "mysteriously" disappeared one day...

Went to a small liberal arts college, Pacific University, in Forest Grove, OR. Majored in molecular/cell biology. Took the MCAT and said "whynot?"...

I've played hockey, and baseball when I was small, but now I play golf (4 year varsity in highschool and college) and tennis whenever I can find the time (and money). I'm very much into backpacking, mountaineering and rock climbing, this past weekend I summitted Mt. Baker (10,771 ft) via the Coleman Glacier Headwall (class 3-4 climb)...and got HELLLLA sun/wind burned. My face hurts.

I'm a huge photographer, recently switched to digital with great reluctance. I shoot mainly black and white. If you're my friend on facebook you can check out some of my photos

I love traveling both in and out of the US...I've found new and exciting experiences as close as Bellingham, WA and as far away as Iquitos, Peru.

I love blues/jazz/acoustic/soul music. I play the guitar a lot in a soul band, and occasionally the alto sax, but am very bad at singing. I like reading, and writing (recently started writing for The Null Hypothesis, a UK based science website). I work in dialysis right now and find chronic care very, very, weird. I'm ready to quit the job and start school.

Neeeeext.

 

[HarveyCushing]

I know we kinda started an intro way back on page 8, seems like it kinda fell through.

I'm Michael, 24yrs old born and live in Chicago. Ran track in high school and ended up going to a small liberal arts college, Andrews University, in Michigan. I majored in neuroscience and history and graduated in '06.

I came into college with an interest for medicine, but wasn't quite sure it was for me. After studying the sciences and shadowing physicians, I realized there wasn't another field as unique and rewarding as medicine.

During college I became interested in research and did that for three years and it became part of my honors research project. I had decided that I wanted to take some time off before going back to school, so I decided to work in a research lab to get some more research experience. After a one year break, I am really excited to start hitting the books again.

I also love traveling and have been to Norway every summer to visit family until a few years ago. I also enjoy running, biking, camping, backpacking, reading, eating good food, and just chilling. I look forward to meeting our class during orientation week. If everyone is as cool as them seem on here, we are gonna have a great class.

 

[MichelOwe21]

I am Michelle, born August 21, 1983, so I will turn 24 during our 2nd week of school. I was born and raised in Texas, and have been known to be just a "tad bit" proud of where I come from.

I have a younger sister who is 15 and already interested in pursuing a career in psychiatry. My mother is an airline captain for Southwest Airlines, so I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel around the states quite frequently.

I started out my undergraduate career at the University of Miami (FL) majoring in psychobiology (neuroscience). I was on the Varsity rowing team and enjoyed rowing along the intercoastal waterway in Miami. I transferred to Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) after my first 3 semesters at UM due to financial reasons.

I graduated from ASU in May 2004, but had not planned to graduate early, so I worked at the Mayo Clinic doing immunohistochemistry research on the role of COX-2 expression in breast cancer tumors. I also worked at an ENT/facial plastic surgeon's office as a medical assistant.

I applied to medical school in 2004, but was not accepted the first time around (primarily due to the ridiculously prestigious schools I limited myself to and because it was just not my time), but I see now why it did not work out, as other wonderful things have happened in my life over the past few years.

I received my EMT-Basic certification in 2005, worked as an early intervention specialist with developmentally delayed children, took a few courses over the past few years, worked in a boutique wine shop, worked in a government-funded research institute (focused on diabetic retinopathy), and traveled here and there to visit family.

I recently moved to Austin, TX to be close to family before school starts. My mother recently moved to the Lake Travis area, so I am enjoying being close to family, working an easy admin assistant position at my uncle's environmental firm, and trying to sleep and relax as much as possible.

I will be moving to KC at the end of July with my boyfriend into the River Market area and look forward to meeting everyone!

Sorry for the long-winded bio, but we all know how chatty women can be.
See y'all soon!!

 

[Talula21]

Thought this was interesting....http://www.adam.com/Our_Products/School_and_Instruction/Students/Higher_Education/index.html

I don't know anything about it, but the demo and pics were neat.

 

[spicedmanna]

I saw one school start a thread of Class of 2011 biographies. I think that's a great idea.

I took a very non-traditional path to get to where I am now. I graduated college about 10 years ago with a bachelor's degree in the biological sciences and lots of undergraduate biomedical research experience, but went on to do and learn quite a few things. I eventually became a wellness coach and yoga/martial arts teacher before finally deciding to become a physician. I just turned 34 recently.

Some tidbits about me:

I have a keen eye for observation and a propensity for noticing things that others tend to miss. After years of undergraduate biomedical research training, I became steeped in the evidence-based, investigative process; it is an integral part of how I think and approach a problem. I love to investigate and research something using all the means at my disposal and putting the pieces of the puzzle together in order to flesh out in greater detail what is going on. I was extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work at an in depth level with some great researchers and to learn from them. I spent a lot of time delving into the mysteries of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and later on, I created the opportunity to work with more behavioral aspects of endocrinology using the Prairie Vole as a model. In these ways, my approach is a lot like that of the fictional character, Sherlock Holmes, and that of my research mentors at the NIAMS, the NIMH, and at my university.

For a period of time, I was a technology professional. I sometimes worked very long hours under tight deadlines. I learned how to work with a variety of people in the corporate business and technology world. During this time, I had the opportunity to work at a couple of short-lived dotcoms, and I was a project manager at one of them.

I completed an apprenticeship with leading experts in relationships and mind-body psychology. The time I spent learning with the husband-and-wife team, really refined my communication skills, particularly my ability to listen consciously. Listening became more than just something I did with my ears, but something I did with my entire body. Working with lots of people, I learned how to speak the unarguable truth, how to be authentic, and how to be present with folks in a manner that invites trauma resolution. I learned how to let people guide me to what most needed to be heard. In these ways, my approach is a lot like that of my mentors, Drs. Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks and similar to one of my physician-heroes, Dr. William Osler.

I am a longtime student of Kundalini Yoga, Taekwon-Do (TKD), and Capoeira. I have taught yoga and martial arts, and I am a second-degree black belt in TKD. I am a student of the body in motion, of the art of breath and movement, and of relationships, particularly in high-intensity situations. Drawing upon my various experiences, I refined my ability to look for psychosomatic traumas evident in breath, sounds, movement, and posture, and to begin to facilitate resolution. In these ways, my approach is distinctive. It is an integration of my experiences. However, I should note that, in terms of physical disciplines, one of my childhood heroes was Bruce Lee, and I have taken many cues from his work.

 

[spicedmanna]

If everyone is as cool as them seem on here, we are gonna have a great class.

I agree!

 

[HarveyCushing]

I have a keen eye for observation and a propensity for noticing things that others tend to miss. After years of undergraduate biomedical research training, I became steeped in the evidence-based, investigative process; it is an integral part of how I think and approach a problem. I love to investigate and research something using all the means at my disposal and putting the pieces of the puzzle together in order to flesh out in greater detail what is going on. I was extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work at an in depth level with some great researchers and to learn from them. I spent a lot of time delving into the mysteries of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and later on, I created the opportunity to work with more behavioral aspects of endocrinology using the Prairie Vole as a model. In these ways, my approach is a lot like that of the fictional character, Sherlock Holmes, and that of my research mentors at the NIAMS, the NIMH, and at my university.

For a period of time, I was a technology professional. I sometimes worked very long hours under tight deadlines. I learned how to work with a variety of people in the corporate business and technology world. During this time, I had the opportunity to work at a couple of short-lived dotcoms, and I was a project manager at one of them.

I completed an apprenticeship with leading experts in relationships and mind-body psychology. The time I spent learning with the husband-and-wife team, really refined my communication skills, particularly my ability to listen consciously. Listening became more than just something I did with my ears, but something I did with my entire body. Working with lots of people, I learned how to speak the unarguable truth, how to be authentic, and how to be present with folks in a manner that invites trauma resolution. I learned how to let people guide me to what most needed to be heard. In these ways, my approach is a lot like that of my mentors, Drs. Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks and similar to one of my physician-heroes, Dr. William Osler.

I am a longtime student of Kundalini Yoga, Taekwon-Do (TKD), and Capoeira. I have taught yoga and martial arts, and I am a second-degree black belt in TKD. I am a student of the body in motion, of the art of breath and movement, and of relationships, particularly in high-intensity situations. Drawing upon my various experiences, I refined my ability to look for psychosomatic traumas evident in breath, sounds, movement, and posture, and to begin to facilitate resolution. In these ways, my approach is distinctive. It is an integration of my experiences. However, I should note that, in terms of physical disciplines, one of my childhood heroes was Bruce Lee, and I have taken many cues from his work.

Spice, you are a great writer. This post reads like an essay. Did you just paste your personal statement? I can't believe that you just whipped that together. You put me to shame.