Usually not. Think of it more as the flexibility to do what you want to do where you want to do it. Most people just want to get out of Bradenton.
That being said, I'd consider doing at least some rotations outside Bradenton. You'll have better experiences for the most part in other places. The Bradenton rotations are fine, but it's nice being at a year-long spot, the big cities have more pathology and some are actual teaching hospitals, etc.
Other things to note:
- you don't *have* to set up your own sites. Many people choose to so they can go wherever they want, but it's very easy to use the established LECOM sites.
- I've also seen a bunch of talk elsewhere about many of the usual gripes people have about LECOM-B: no drinks outside the cafeteria, dress code, having to badge into the building, etc. All I say is that these things aren't really issues for the following reasons:
- It's training for being in a hospital, where you'll also have to do all these things
- You're rarely in the building anyways most of the time. Me and almost everyone I knew were there for the 2 hours a day of PBL or OMM and then bailed and studied somewhere more comfortable: home, starbucks, beach, pool, etc .
