Pros and Cons of your DO School

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I wouldn't mind if this thread were closed, and everyone was referred to SDN's existing school survey tool. There are pre-made charts and aggregation tools that would make this run a lot smoother. I think a lot of people are just unaware that the school surveys even exist.

For example, TUCOM-CA: http://studentdoctor.net/schools/school/tucom-ca/survey/35

I think most people know about the school surveys (especially people who have applied - the main target of this thread as this helps people decide which school to attend more than anything else), but honestly I'd rather read a long review of the school from a student in the formats above then look at survey results on very specific details. They don't give a ton of room for descriptions and are mixed with old and new survey results.

I do find some aspects of the surveys particularly useful, like the interview info, but overall, I still think this thread is very useful and provides insight not found in the surveys..

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I think most people know about the school surveys (especially people who have applied - the main target of this thread as this helps people decide which school to attend more than anything else), but honestly I'd rather read a long review of the school from a student in the formats above then look at survey results on very specific details. They don't give a ton of room for descriptions and are mixed with old and new survey results.

I do find some aspects of the surveys particularly useful, like the interview info, but overall, I still think this thread is very useful and provides insight not found in the surveys..

Fair point.

The biggest issue for me is the lack of submissions using the school survey tool. Plenty of schools have 0 or 1 submission. And I like to look at charts instead of reading text. Lazy and stuff.
 
Fair point.

The biggest issue for me is the lack of submissions using the school survey tool. Plenty of schools have 0 or 1 submission. And I like to look at charts instead of reading text. Lazy and stuff.

But some of us don't. This thread is golden. The school survey tool is, as mentioned above, not very useful.
 
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:laugh:
Hey there Bumbles. I see you've returned from your mandatory vacation. Welcome back. I look forward to reading your posts![

I don't read your posts, at all, though.

And, stop the name calling.
 
PCOM-Philadelphia

******I have edited/added onto a previous review from 2007. I have noted areas that I have not changed at the end of those sections.

Curriculum: Anatomy, Development, Histology, Radiology is first trimester and exams are cumulative. Gross lab has about 5 students per body and lab is open 24 hours a day. Second trimester is Cell and Molecular Basis of Medicine and includes all of the biochem, metabolism, nutrition, genetics, some micro and pharm. Starting third trimester we start systems. Cardio, Renal, Pulm, GI, Endo, Repro-GU, Neuro/Psych, Peds/Geriatrics, ENT, Derm, Rheum, Surgery are covered through 2nd year. OMM is progressive with the systems (we learn cardio techniques with cardio system). Primary Care Skills are where we do our Standardized Patient encounters, and starts the first month of first term.

Location: Philadelphia. The school is on the outskirts of the city heading towards the mainline. City Line avenue can be a burden to drive down but there are plenty of apartment complexes and neighborhoods within walking distance, as well as restaurants and grocery stores. I currently live in the Art Museum area and it is an easy <10 min commute without having to use the expressway. A lot of students choose to live in Manayunk, which is also about a 10 minute commute. Campus has two main academic/clinical buildings currently, and will be building a third building on the old hospital land for simulation labs. We have a multi-million dollar athletic center which we share with the Sixers. You'll never be bored in the Philadelphia area. If you don't own a car you can still get around using public transportation.

Cost: ~$43,000 this year. Not the cheapest but definitely not the most expensive. Pretty on par as far as private school tuition is concerned. Getting loans are NO problem. You have to include your parents' income tax info if you want to be considered for grants and are <27 yo, single, without children. Many scholarship opportunities you can apply for. Lots of times financial aid will email you with a scholarship they have found and provided you with. Financial aid has been known to be disorganized at times and I do know people who have had a lot of problems with them. I haven't had any problems to date.

Faculty: Outstanding. Always an open door policy and always tangible. Several other newer DO schools have recruited from our campus. Just lost one of the best OMM professors to a new school where he will head the department. Other schools have based portions of their curriculum on ours. Our basic science faculty are heavy into research. We have pharmacologists teaching pharmacology, immunologists teaching immunology, etc. One negative that comes to mind is that some clinicians that lecture can provide out dated information and do not teach towards boards, but this is being addressed.

Reputation: Rock solid. Arguably the best DO school in the country and holds its own against the 4 MD schools here in Philly. We rotate with them and get nothing but high marks. Our students and residents rotate with some of the best MD students on the east coast and not only do we match up, sometimes we outshine. No worry that someone wont know PCOM, at least not from Maine to Florida to Chicago. Also, one stat shows that nearly 25% of all current physicians have done some or all of their medical training in Philadelphia. We are known ubiquitously. *No change to this, I agree with everything.

Clinical Rotations:
http://www.pcom.edu/Clinical_Educati...te_lists_.html
Some great facilities. Small clinics to large university based medical centers. Philly, NJ, Delaware, NY, Pitt...we are all over. Also, PCOM offers more weeks of elective & selective time than ANY other DO school. If you want freedom and the ability to make your clinical experience truly your OWN, this is the school. Our core rotations are drawn through a lottery system and required to be done at a particular list of hospitals/medical offices and are set up by our school (some schools, such as LECOM require you to set up ALL rotations). We basically run the PCOM clinics throughout the city during our Urban rotation months in 4th year. An important note is that your opinion of a rotation could be based upon the intern/resident you work with. If they suck, you'll hate it. If they're awesome, you'll love it.

Housing: Expense will be based off of where you choose to live. Apartments to houses to condos...all here. The Student Affairs office has a comprehensive list. You can also find personal opinions here on SDN. If you cant find an apartment in the area that fits your finances and personal needs, then you arent looking. I have had friends that have paid ~$400 a month living with other students, and I currently pay $2060 a month for a 2BR/2BR in an apartment across from the art museum that I split with two other people. Some students choose to buy houses/condos in the area for investment purposes.

Study areas: Improving. Library can get crowded but they just removed a bunch of book shelves from the first floor and added more tables. I have never had a problem finding a place to study on campus. It will get crowded during boards studying as second years start staking claim to areas. DO NOT leave things unattended. I had an IPAD stolen while I was in the bathroom. Students have had computers stolen from the library. Apparently they are installing security cameras into the library due to this issue. Lots of students will go to Starbucks or other coffee shops in the area to study. The office building and athletic center also have space for studying.

Social Scene: Post exam parties, open bars, sports, clubs, dances...and you are in Philadelphia. PCOM definitely parties. We're not a stick-in-the-mud school. No formal dress code, no attendance policy...and yes you can even walk into class with a cup of coffee. Laid back school. *No changes here*

Local Hospitals: Somewhere else on SDN I did a tally. Basically there are more hospitals in a 35 mile radius of downtown Philadelphia than in Vermont, West Virginia, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Hampshire...you get the idea. More hospitals than you could rotate through in a decade. And these hospitals all have DOs on staff, many from PCOM. The only hospital I can name in the area that is tough to rotate at that comes to mind is CHOP. Our PA students do spend time there though so I could be wrong, but wanting to go into Peds, I tried to pull a lot of strings and was unsuccessful.

Board Prep: This is changing this year (i've already taken Step 1). PCOM has cut back two weeks at the end of the last term 2nd year (partially by taking away most of the Spring Break) to give students the option of doing a 2 week Kaplan Program at a reduced cost. In the past, PCOM has provided Northwestern for a $35 fee, which I have yet to hear good things about. PCOM is now providing two COMSAEs for students, but does not require a certain score for you to sit for the boards. You will end up with about 4-5 weeks of free time before starting 3rd year to study. PCOM is also now paying for 3rd years take COMAT national shelf exams at the end of most core rotations to better prep us for Step 2. *RUMOR* has it that our passing rate for Step 1 wasn't great for my class, which is one of the reasons they are making changes, but I've always believed you have to take this with a grain of salt. Passing rate doesn't indicate the average score of the students that actually passed. I just always focused on me and didn't use PCOM as my crutch to get me a good score on boards. With that said, hopefully the materials being provided will show a successful improvement.

Specialty: PCOM sends more people into specialty fields than most other DO schools. Each year our match rate is heavier on the specialty side...or at least near 50/50. On top of that realize that many are doing internships (so they get lumped in as primary care matches) and many do internal medicine (72 this year, 35 of which listed a specialty choice). So though our match may say 50-60% into specialty, its probably closer to 65%-70% when its all said and done. Neurosurg, Rads, Anesth, Derm, Optho, Ortho, Psych, Surg...all represented yearly. *Didn't change anything here....didn't add up the percentages with our new match lists, but this information is overall true*

Grades:

Curriculum: B+
Location: A
Cost: C
Financial Aid: B
Faculty: A
Reputation: A+
Technology: A
Study Space/Library: B
Library technology/Resources: B+
Rotations: B+
Social: A
Hospitals: A-
Post Grad: A
Cafeteria Food: B+
Cafeteria Prices: C-

Overall Grade: A-

IMHO you would be hard pressed to find an all around better DO school. There is a reason that PCOM has consistently recieved more applications than all the other DO schools. Does it have its problems? Sure, every school does. But you cant deny almost 110 years of tradition and reputation that survived the dark ages of osteopathy and competition with 4 MD schools right next door. ** I still agree with this statement....to add:

PCOM has a family feel to it. Students are constantly helping other students. We are a close knit community even with 270 students in one class. We don't openly compete against each other. We honestly do have a very strong reputation in the Philadelphia area. I have had MD attendings from Penn tell me that our students are always strong and confident and a lot of times some of the most impressive students they have worked with. We still do have the most applications out of every other DO school. PCOM has recognized faults and is working on rebuilding/revamping. I know a few people in my class that have complained about board prep and rotations, and it looks like that is moving in a more positive direction.

If any other current students want to edit/add, feel free.
 
I am a student from the last class of the Northwest Track. That means I did my first two years in Pomona, and I am currently in my third year up North. The following review applies to both schools.

Curriculum: I like the way the curriculum is structured for the first two years. You begin with anatomy and biochem/genetics first semester, then after a month of immunology/pharmacology, you enter the systems curriculum. Each system (Neuro, Blood and Lymph, Cardio, GI etc.) are arranged with a half-day of lectures about background anatomy/physiology, then a half-day for small group work to diagnose and describe the pathophysiology/workup/treatment etc. for a group of 4-8 related clinical cases. The next session will be a lecture going over the cases and the specifics of each disease. Attendance is mandatory for the small groups (enforcement varies based on the course director), and the lectures usually have quizzes attached, which are sometimes obnoxious but usually helpful for your final grade. Tests are usually every other week, and contain their fair share of ridiculous questions, but for the most part you're given what you need to pass.

Currently, lectures are given in either Pomona or Lebanon, and simulcast to the other campus, I believe at a 50/50 split. It seems reasonably easy to ask questions from the non-lecture campus, but I've only seen a few of these lectures. It's about as obnoxious as it sounds, but the classes below me seem to have gotten used to it. COMP-NW is working toward its own independent accreditation, at which point it would have a faculty entirely to itself, so if you're reading this review a few years after it's posted, you might want to check with the school(s) for the status of that. On the whole, the administration seems to respond (slowly) to feedback about the curriculum, and while they're willing to launch into grand experiments that might or might not work, they do tweak things from year to year, so the general trend is toward improvement.

The OMM curriculum is solid. As a first year, you have two students per table (one treating, one guinea-pigging) with a second-year TA for every pair of tables. Each section of 8-10 tables has a 3rd-5th year teaching fellowship (which is a sweet gig if you can get it), and faculty are roaming, so you get good hands-on teaching experience and can get your questions answered when you have them. The lab is well-equipped, with good tables and numerous video screens so that you can easily view the lecture no matter where in the room you're located. The lab is generally available for after-hours practice or just for treating your classmates. They bring in great DOs from all over the West Coast for cranial week, so if you want to learn cranial and/or network that's a great opportunity to do so. This is one of the best schools for OMM, but there's a good chunk of the class that doesn't really care for it, and that makes me sad. My advice: if you're not interested in OMM, go somewhere else.

The other courses you take may or may not be helpful. The best of this bunch is the Essentials of Clinical Medicine course, which gives you practice in doing a history and physical, dressing professionally, writing a patient note, and figuring out how to use all that fancy medical equipment you bought at the start of the year (pro-tip: get a nice stethscope, but don't worry about the rest). You'll start that class right from the get-go, which is nice. Others include the Physician and Society (mildly informative) and the Basic Life Support/Advanced Cardiac Life Support classes at the end of second year (definitely important). The Interprofessional Education course with the other 8 colleges at Western is probably going to be your least favorite thing ever, unless you really like agreeing with Vet students about how awesome humanism is.

Location: Pomona is a really impoverished city and is probably about 50% Spanish-speaking. This may be a plus or a minus for you. For me, it was a plus, as it's a great opportunity to begin working with the underserved. Numerous clubs (Pomona Homeless Outreach Program, Latino Medical Student Association, Pomona Community Health Action Team, Pipeline etc.) put on clinics and other volunteer opportunities that give you a great chance to work with people in the community. Speaking Spanish is incredibly helpful, and the LMSA puts on a medical Spanish class in the Spring. On the downside, it's not the safest neighborhood, and students have their cars broken into on a near-weekly basis, so be careful. As a heads-up for those of you not from SoCal, Pomona is technically in LA county, but it's the way-East, crappy part of LA and is nowhere near the beach. It is only half an hour from Disneyland, though. =)

Cost: It's expensive. Tuition is about $46k a year, with living expenses adding another $30-35k. They recently hiked tuition about $2000 a year, and we worry about their willingness to do that. A tuition freeze at matriculation would have been nice.

Faculty: This one is really hit or miss for me. There were very few faculty who I felt were really spectacular, and a number of them that were either disorganized, uncommunicative, nauseatingly detailed or just plain bad. During the Molecular and Cellular Basis of Medicine, we had several guest lecturers from UCLA come in, and wow, were they better. I know these were probably the best of the best from over there, but our professors rarely even came close to the level they consistently delivered. I don't know if this is a Western U problem or just a DO problem, but regardless the teaching is usually nothing to write home about.

Reputation: Solid (unless you're on SDN :naughty:). The school's been around about as long as Star Wars, and for a long time it was the only DO presence on the West Coast. Many in the osteopathic community out here are alumni, so it's helpful.

Clinical Rotations: While my personal experience has been hit or miss, my impression is that they're generally good. In any case, Western suffers from the same problem as the rest of the DO world- namely, the lack of a teaching hospital (though Arrowhead, a DO teaching hospital, seems to at least partially fill that role). Third year rotations are spread out across the Southern California area, from Santa Monica to San Bernardino, making it nearly impossible to live in one place for third year. There seems to be a similar variability in the quality of the rotations, though the result seems to be a tradeoff between learning and relaxation that many students use to their advantage (e.g. a student actually interested in surgery will go to Arrowhead, while a student who doesn't care will go to a less-intense program). All in all, it seems the majority of my classmates are getting what they want out of their third year.

Sites in the Northwest are a little more questionable. The rotations in Portland and Corvallis (SHS) seem to be more consistent, but the rotations in areas without residency programs (Medford, Roseburg) tend to be with programs that aren't used to having medical students and ultimately wind up being only a couple steps above shadowing. As COMP-NW gets more established in these areas, I feel like that should improve, but for the moment I'd say parts of the Northwest have some catching up to do. You are more likely to get a satisfying third-year experience down South as of right now.

Housing: Pomona, again, is rough. A good chunk of my class lived there, and I actually walked to school a lot, but it's not for everyone. Claremont is a nicer option for a slightly longer drive. You can live at the Met or the Helix if you like, just keep in mind the 'students only' picture they paint is a bunch of crap. I have a classmate at the Met who had the pleasure of living next to a drug dealer and his revolving door of a clientele- maybe not ideal for medical school. In the Northwest, Lebanon is tiny and doesn't have a lot going on, but Corvallis is a thriving college town and only 20-30 min away. I don't believe there is any designated student housing up there, either. The NW has the advantage of having more localized rotations, making it easier to live in one place for third year (though some of the smaller sites, particularly Roseburg, will make you go elsewhere for a rotation or two).

Study areas: The library is small, but nice. There are a lot of breakout rooms used for the small groups; after school hours, they are usually full until later in the evening (the HEC is open until 1 AM). Many students prefer to study at the Claremont Colleges library, which is bigger and nicer. The main problem is competition: there are 8 other colleges at Western, and three of them (Podiatry, Dental and Optometry) share the main classroom building with the DOs. Study in groups, and have someone stake out a spot for you right after class!

Social Scene: Usually a party after every exam. People get out to do the occasional night-life thing in various parts of LA (clubs, plays, movies, concerts, etc.). There are clubs for various social/interest groups. Large chunks of our class have turned out for flag football/powderpuff games, marathons/mud runs, and even an Olympics-style weekend competition with several other LA-area med schools. There's a little bit of coupling within the class, too- you haven't lived until someone asks where you met and you can say 'cadaver lab' with a straight face.

Local Hospitals: Like I said above, Arrowhead is the big one in LA. There's a very long list of places where students do rotations- if you're interested in specifics and you can't find them on the school website, feel free to PM me and I'll see what I can find out for you.

Board Prep: Nada. Rumor has it the class behind us all got year-long UWORLD subscriptions, but for us it was pretty much just the standard month vacation between 2nd and 3rd year to study. It did help that the classes at the end of third year (Peds, Geriatrics and EM) were relatively easy and consisted of a lot of review, as they each encompass multiple systems. For what it's worth, Western U students tend to do well on boards, but the extent to which that's due to Western students being smart in the first place (check the admission stats) is debatable.

Specialty: Match lists from previous years have been posted on this forum, so search for those particular threads if you're curious about something specific. I obviously haven't matched myself yet, but it seems like if you do what you're supposed to do and you don't waste your time with programs that won't take DOs, you'll be fine getting into whatever specialty you want. For what it's worth, COMP-NW is at least theoretically focused on people who want to do residency and/or practice in the Northwest, specifically in primary care.

And the report card:

Curriculum: A-
Location: A-
Cost: C
Financial Aid: B
Faculty: B
Reputation: A
Technology: B+
Study Space/Library: B-
Library technology/Resources: B
Rotations: B+
Social: A
Hospitals: B-
Post Grad: A-

Overall Grade: B+
 
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Board Prep: Nada. Rumor has it the class behind us all got year-long UWORLD subscriptions, but for us it was pretty much just the standard month vacation between 2nd and 3rd year to study. It did help that the classes at the end of third year (Peds, Geriatrics and EM) were relatively easy and consisted of a lot of review, as they each encompass multiple systems. For what it's worth, Western U students tend to do well on boards, but the extent to which that's due to Western students being smart in the first place (check the admission stats) is debatable.

Not even a Pathoma discount? :(

We (2016 class) have Kaplan High-Yield and we got the standard discount for Pathoma (would've bought it full price anyway). They're trying to incorporate the Kaplan videos in the systems curriculum.

ECM - they have us presenting our patient encounters to attendings (or ECM TAs), which I hear is new for our class as well.
 
Not even a Pathoma discount? :(

We (2016 class) have Kaplan High-Yield and we got the standard discount for Pathoma (would've bought it full price anyway). They're trying to incorporate the Kaplan videos in the systems curriculum.

ECM - they have us presenting our patient encounters to attendings (or ECM TAs), which I hear is new for our class as well.

Im happy your class has those opportunities. Its a step in the right direction for sure.

Im also a Western student and I can tell you that when you hit systems (B&L doesnt really count), you will be amazed at how non-board relevant our curriculum is.
 
Not even a Pathoma discount? :(

We (2016 class) have Kaplan High-Yield and we got the standard discount for Pathoma (would've bought it full price anyway). They're trying to incorporate the Kaplan videos in the systems curriculum.

ECM - they have us presenting our patient encounters to attendings (or ECM TAs), which I hear is new for our class as well.

We do tend to get class discounts on things like Pathoma or COMBANK, but those tend to be deals negotiated by our class officers, not from the school.

I did neglect to mention the Kaplan High-Yield, which they just started for us (basically 30+ hours of video on IM topics). Didn't know they were also doing stuff for Level I, but good for you guys!

And that's a great skill to have. Definitely take advantage of that. We occasionally presented in ECM, but if they're having you do it on a more consistent basis, then all the better.
 
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I would be extremely grateful if we could get an updated NSU-COM.
 
please help me prepare for interview too, what did u answer to the question why u want to study at LMU-DCOM?
 
hi,

i appreciate if you could help me prepare for my interview. my email is [email protected] my interview is on april 22, 2013. thanks

maral
 
please help me prepare for interview too, what did u answer to the question why u want to study at LMU-DCOM?

You honestly can't think of an answer to this question? Why do you want to go there?
 
Any new reviews on Touro-NV / TUNCOM?

Particularly looking for anything about 3rd and 4th year rotations
 
I'm going to do a UMDNJ update once I graduate...just a couple more months.
 
Will do a Western update in the fall after the Step 1 and a few rotations under my belt. So far for pre-clinical though i strongly disagree with some of the overly positive reviews which ignore many flaws
 
Will do a Western update in the fall after the Step 1 and a few rotations under my belt. So far for pre-clinical though i strongly disagree with some of the overly positive reviews which ignore many flaws

Lebanon? Or Pomona?
 
I would be extremely grateful if we could get an updated NSU-COM.

Preclinicals:
1st year - Disjointed salad bowl of classes. Tried not to kill myself.
2nd year - Systems. Taught well.
8 weeks between 2nd year and 3rd year for Step 1
Personal: When I went through, 1st year lectures were not recorded regularly. Now they supposedly are. Loved studying at the University Center. A good 10% of my matriculating class during this period either left medical school entirely, were held back, or kicked out. It added to the stress.

Clinicals:
3rd year - Depends on which hospital you end up. In the busy ones you see a ton and are worked like a slave laborer. In the relaxed ones you have more time for Step 2. Pick your poison.
Personal: Went the busy hospital route. Hated it at the time. In retrospect, reading it without seeing it and examining it is not the way to go. On the other hand, some who went the relaxed route scored freakishly high on Step 2.
4 week "elective" allowed in July for Step 2
4th year - Three rural rotations and an ER rotation. Will get in the way of auditions if you get them early. Pray that you get them later in the year.
Personal: Stressful until you've matched. Some people I know scrambled. NSU assists with DO scramble supposedly but the responsibility of securing a spot is on the scrambler.

Verdict: A means to an end, and a decent alternative to California, where I'm from. Will be a resident at a nice, clean part of the country come July. The tail-end of 4th year for any school is where the payoff or the bitter disappointment is. I'm having a good time filling out paperwork for next year and bottom line is I'm glad to be done because medical school was terribly stressful. I feel lucky to have matched into the specialty I wanted, at the hospital I wanted, in the area I wanted.
 
Preclinicals:
1st year - Disjointed salad bowl of classes. Tried not to kill myself.
2nd year - Systems. Taught well.
8 weeks between 2nd year and 3rd year for Step 1
Personal: When I went through, 1st year lectures were not recorded regularly. Now they supposedly are. Loved studying at the University Center. A good 10% of my matriculating class during this period either left medical school entirely, were held back, or kicked out. It added to the stress.

Clinicals:
3rd year - Depends on which hospital you end up. In the busy ones you see a ton and are worked like a slave laborer. In the relaxed ones you have more time for Step 2. Pick your poison.
Personal: Went the busy hospital route. Hated it at the time. In retrospect, reading it without seeing it and examining it is not the way to go. On the other hand, some who went the relaxed route scored freakishly high on Step 2.
4 week "elective" allowed in July for Step 2
4th year - Three rural rotations and an ER rotation. Will get in the way of auditions if you get them early. Pray that you get them later in the year.
Personal: Stressful until you've matched. Some people I know scrambled. NSU assists with DO scramble supposedly but the responsibility of securing a spot is on the scrambler.

Verdict: A means to an end, and a decent alternative to California, where I'm from. Will be a resident at a nice, clean part of the country come July. The tail-end of 4th year for any school is where the payoff or the bitter disappointment is. I'm having a good time filling out paperwork for next year and bottom line is I'm glad to be done because medical school was terribly stressful. I feel lucky to have matched into the specialty I wanted, at the hospital I wanted, in the area I wanted.

Where did you end up ILikeFood, which specialty? Are you planning on returning back to CA one day?
 
Will do a Western update in the fall after the Step 1 and a few rotations under my belt. So far for pre-clinical though i strongly disagree with some of the overly positive reviews which ignore many flaws

Just as long as you do it before school starts up so I know what to expect (although some second years have already made a couple of comments about the recent systems courses).

TIA!
 
A good 10% of my matriculating class during this period either left medical school entirely, were held back, or kicked out.

:eek:That's almost as high as SGU's attrition rate!
 
hi,

i appreciate if you could help me prepare for my interview. my email is [email protected] my interview is on april 22, 2013. thanks

maral


It would probably be more helpful if you do a mock interview with a faculty member, advisor, a friend... just practice fleshing out why you want to go to medical school without stuttering or coming off as an asshat.
 
Could someone do one for CCOM? Thanks in advance.
 
Preclinicals:
1st year - Disjointed salad bowl of classes. Tried not to kill myself.
2nd year - Systems. Taught well.
8 weeks between 2nd year and 3rd year for Step 1
Personal: When I went through, 1st year lectures were not recorded regularly. Now they supposedly are. Loved studying at the University Center. A good 10% of my matriculating class during this period either left medical school entirely, were held back, or kicked out. It added to the stress.

Clinicals:
3rd year - Depends on which hospital you end up. In the busy ones you see a ton and are worked like a slave laborer. In the relaxed ones you have more time for Step 2. Pick your poison.
Personal: Went the busy hospital route. Hated it at the time. In retrospect, reading it without seeing it and examining it is not the way to go. On the other hand, some who went the relaxed route scored freakishly high on Step 2.
4 week "elective" allowed in July for Step 2
4th year - Three rural rotations and an ER rotation. Will get in the way of auditions if you get them early. Pray that you get them later in the year.
Personal: Stressful until you've matched. Some people I know scrambled. NSU assists with DO scramble supposedly but the responsibility of securing a spot is on the scrambler.

Verdict: A means to an end, and a decent alternative to California, where I'm from. Will be a resident at a nice, clean part of the country come July. The tail-end of 4th year for any school is where the payoff or the bitter disappointment is. I'm having a good time filling out paperwork for next year and bottom line is I'm glad to be done because medical school was terribly stressful. I feel lucky to have matched into the specialty I wanted, at the hospital I wanted, in the area I wanted.

Thanks for your review of NSU. I really do appreciate it. If I may ask another question, how are rural rotations for students with families? Does it not matter and you get sent where ever regardless? I haven't heard a lot of good things about them so far. Thanks again.
 
Agreed. Can anyone update TOURO NV DO program? Last update was 2009 so I'm sure things have changed since then


Any new reviews on Touro-NV / TUNCOM?

Particularly looking for anything about 3rd and 4th year rotations
 
Agreed. Can anyone update TOURO NV DO program? Last update was 2009 so I'm sure things have changed since then

I would like to see an updated Touro Nevada review as well. I know for sure that attendance is no longer mandatory, but would love to hear what else has changed.
 
Thanks for your review of NSU. I really do appreciate it. If I may ask another question, how are rural rotations for students with families? Does it not matter and you get sent where ever regardless? I haven't heard a lot of good things about them so far. Thanks again.

They will work with you within reason. Its a matter of logistics for them. X number of students must be in Y rural rotation site and the reason is there is a financial agreement between the site and the school for these students. They will consider requests, but every decision will ultimately be a question of supply and demand.

The quality of the sites vary. You will care about quality if you are in the midst of what is supposed to be audition rotations. That said, I don't know of anyone in my class who had a rural rotation scheduled before September, so July and August is guaranteed to be open. If you are like me and have rurals at the tailend of 4th year, you won't care at all.
 
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your help on this.
 
UNTHSC-TCOM

Curriculum: Systems based curriculum: Biochem, Musculoskeletal, Neuro, Endocrine, Heme, in first semester and Cardio, Resp, Repro, Mechanism of Disease etc in 2nd semester. Anatomy is usually 2-3 days a week in the afternoons and covers the system you are covering in class. OMM is one afternoon a week usually 2-3 hrs. Second year is similiar schedule. You have a mix of lectures and Clinical intergration Labs as well as DSAs which is basically time to study on your own. You are in class alot more during 1st year and usually 2-3hrs a day in second year with 1 to 2 days free to study each week. One thing about TCOM is that it seems like the faculty want to prove to other TX schools that TCOM turns out students as good or better than them so you are pushed extemly hard during the 1st couple of years. A negative is that first year starts August 1 and ends at the end of June so you get 4 weeks off and thats it.

Location:Most people like Ft. Worth some think it is boring but Dallas is 20min away so if you like a bigger city you can always go there. The school is in the cultural district right outside of downtown and it is one of the nicest areas in the city.

Cost: It is easily the cheapest DO school in the country. Very cheap for instate residents and for out of staters it is still cheaper than other DO schools. TCOM has to take at least 90% Texas residents so its tough to get if an out of stater

Faculty:TCOM was robbed of some of its basic science faculty members by other DO schools and they are working on rebuilding in that area. Dr. Dubin the assoc. dean is an amazing teacher anatomy, cardio, endocrine, and path professors are great. Biochem is ok as are the rest of the departments but they can definetly be improved upon. It may take a couple of years to replace some of the faculty that left because they were amazing teachers. Clinical faculty are outstanding the school has a large physician group that include every specialty. The clinical faculty is expanding rapidly and is one of the strongest areas of the school now. There are quite a few MD faculty here so if you have a problem learning from MDs don't go here.

OMM: The OMM department at TCOM is large and very big on research. The national osteopathic research center is here. OMM is once a week every week for 2 yrs and if you are really interested in OMM you can really get involved here and totally immerse yourself in it. Otherwise you can do your 2yrs and get out as its not really pushed upon you (except by OMM faculty). Some people see this as a positive and some see it negatively.

Reputation:TCOM has a very good reputation in Texas. We consistently have higher board scores than many of the Tx MD schools and we are competitive in any TX residency. Nationwide we are a pretty well respected school however since most of our students are from TX many stay here for residency so we don't have a huge number of students all over the country like many other DO schools do. Students that have gone out of state have landed very good spots. The majority of TCOM students go into MD residencies (over 80%) as there aren't alot of DO residencies around the TX area so keep that in mind.

Clinical Rotations: I think our clinical rotations are good we have 2 campuses right now. One in Corpus Christi where students spend their entire third year and rotate through Christus Spohn, Driscoll Childrens, and Bay area Medical Center. Christus Spohn just opened an ER residency and Driscoll has a Peds residency and is a great Peds rotation. The rest of the students are in Fort Worth at John Peter Smith Hospital, Plaza Medical Center, Cooks Childrens, and Harris Methodist. JPS is a big county hospital around 500 beds and they have Ortho, Family Practice, Rads, OB/GYN, residency there. They are planning on opening an ER residency soon as well. Plaza is private and there is Internal Med, FP, Surgery, and Cards residency etc. Cooks is where we do Peds rotations at and we do various rotations at Harris as well. A handful of students go to Dallas Methodist for internal med and a few go to Texas Tech Odessa for OB and Peds. Next year TCOM is opening another clinical campus in Baytown so students can spend the whole 3rd year there for rotations. You get to pick where you want to spend third year. I think 10-12 can go to Corpus and around 10 will go to Baytown the rest are in Fort Worth.

Housing:There are many apartments and houses around the area. You can find a nice place relatively cheap. The further you are from campus the cheaper it gets in most cases, but you can find some cheap places within walking distance if you look a little.

Study areas:The library is nice but with the addition of new students it is quickly becoming to small. They are supposed to expand it but I don't know when it will happen.

Social Scene:There is no social scene at TCOM you are way to busy. You have test pretty much every 2 weeks and they push us very hard. Most stdents go out the night after tests we go downtown there are a number of bars. If you want something wilder you can always drive to Dallas

Local Hospitals:JPS, Harris Methodist, Baylor All Saints, Plaza, Cooks we rotate at all the major hospitals in the area and physicians and staff are very friendly to the students.

Board Prep:We have a full month of board review at the end of 2nd yr and a month off to study on our own. TCOM has had the highset COMLEX scores for the past 2 yrs and above 90 passage rate on USMLE. You will be well prepared to take boards here.

Specialty: There are lots of IMs and FPs like at most DO schools. Most students seem to want primary care but the students who want other specialties can easily obtain them. It does seem that the school places alot of emphasis on IM and FP however. You can check the TCOM website for their matchlist

One thing to keep in mind is that TCOM is about to undergo a major expansion where they are building a new classroom building and Rec center which is scheduled to open in Sept. of 09. There is also plans for several other new buildings.
Curriculum: B (1st yr is to long)
Location: A-B (depends on who you are and where you came from)
Cost: A+
Financial Aid: A
Faculty: B- (Loss of basic science faculty brings this down)
Reputation: A
Technology:B
Study Space/Library: C+
Library technology/Resources:C
Rotations: A
Social:C
Hospitals: A
Post Grad: A


Overall Grade: A


I typed this up fast so I'm sure there are lots of mispelled words and grammar errors sorry. If you have any questions let me know
I'm C/O 2013, and just want to add a few things!

The new building is complete, it's very nice and has 2 huge classrooms that can be converted into 1 even bigger classroom if needed. There is a new cafeteria of sorts in the building that serves breakfast items and decent lunch. New building also has tons of study rooms on the second floor.

In addition to Fort Worth and Corpus Christi, there are now additional off-campus rotation sites in Baytown, Conroe, Dallas, and Longview! I personally enjoyed rotating off-campus my 3rd and 4th years, as I wasn't in a crowd of 4 students and 5 residents! Just me and the attending most of the time, it was a great experience!

When I interviewed at UTSW, the program director told me how they really respect TCOM grads and that they know TCOM has excellent students, as he has worked closely with many of them. TCOM grads matched in competitive ACGME programs all over Texas this year! As there are few AOA programs in Texas, most TCOMers opt to go the ACGME route, as already stated.

I have to disagree about what the original poster said about the social aspect! My class was very social! We have a powerderpuff game which has become tradition between the 1st and 2nd years, we often went out as a class to downtown Fort Worth (which has lots of music and bars and such and is actually very pretty) after our exams, there was a lot of social support, movie night, fancy casino nights and such. I would actually say the social aspect, at least for my class, was GREAT! Quite honestly, it was like one big happy family! There was always something going on, and usually the whole class was invited!

I would also give TCOM a strong A! I know I made the right choice in coming to TCOM, could not be happier!
 
Agreed. Can anyone update TOURO NV DO program? Last update was 2009 so I'm sure things have changed since then

I would like to see an updated Touro Nevada review as well. I know for sure that attendance is no longer mandatory, but would love to hear what else has changed.

Any new reviews on Touro-NV / TUNCOM?

Particularly looking for anything about 3rd and 4th year rotations

This is a review of TUN from a 4th year who just matched into a competitive specialty who wishes to remain anonymous:


"Review of Touro Nevada:
Curriculum:
The first two years are solid and adequately cover the content of the boards. I never thought that anything we went over was unnecessary or out of place for a medical school.
Location:
Good for foodies, socialites, and outdoor folks who love hiking and trails. Good for gun enthusiasts but poor for hunters. Not so great for fishing, no beach (obviously), and no snow or related activities. A short drive to Utah will satisfy most outdoor needs. This is also appealing for the many students with family in Utah. Moderate for families (Henderson is family friendly, but las vegas may not be as accommodating to young children). The weather is very manageable, and never gets to a point where it interferes with education or transportation.
Cost:
Not great. Although its not the most expensive, the tuition is rather high for what you get out of the school, and the annual raising of rates is an unwelcome reality.
Faculty:
Overall pretty reliable. There are several standout faculty members who are very passionate about the subject matter and make the experience rewarding overall. Every department has at least one attentive, helpful faculty member available for counsel during office hours.
Reputation:
Developing. Most preceptors in other states and residency directors know little about the school which is still relatively young.
Clinical rotations:
Fair selection of quality inpatient rotations in Clark County, but not as extensive as you would receive at a more established school. One should consider several away electives at challenging teaching hospital environments to enhance this curriculum.
Housing:
Abundant and cheap all over town. Definitely a strong point of consideration for the area.
Study areas:
Excellent. Between the library, various empty classrooms, and the study rooms all over campus, you will never have difficulty finding a quiet place to study, even on busy nights.
Social scene:
Lots of opportunity to mingle with the community, whether through philanthropic organizations, enjoying the night life, or with the growing arts scene.
Local hospitals:
Lots of sick, indigent patients and thus great opportunity to learn. Valley Medical Center is crucial as the primary teaching hospital to hone skills during inpatient medicine based rotations. Securing a satisfactory number of inpatient rotations without using away electives remains difficult however, as there are only 2 teaching hospitals in the county.
Board Prep:
If you pay attention in your first two years, you are definitely WELL prepared for both USMLE and COMLEX step 1 exams. There tended to be more difficulty with the step 2 exams, requiring more initiative on the part of the student for adequate preparation.
Matching:
Good students who were proactive in their education matched favorably. There were a few exceptions but overall, the class is satisfied with match outcome. In the allopathic match, some students even became the first DO's to ever match a particular program."
 
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I'll prob post my parting thoughts on TouroCOM (NY) one day this weekend since I'm graduating soon. In the mean time, here is the entire thing in a nutshell.

Pro: it's in NYC. This is all sorts of a great thing in ways you wouldn't immediately even realize.

Con: some people dont like NYC. These people are wrong and/or in denial. :laugh:
 
Can someone please do one for WVSOM?
 
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:eek:That's almost as high as SGU's attrition rate!

As a rising third year, I can tell you that my class has not had nearly this many fall behind. That said, first year definitely is very hard. Nova is not in the business of cruising people through who can't cut it and there's definitely a discussion to be had in all DO schools about admissions practices balancing with rigorous standards during the first two years. Maybe it's unfair to take students who might not make it but from what I've seen 2013 has a pretty solid match and FWIW my class rocks. If you need reassurance that this doesn't happen every year, my class has actually grown since we matriculated and the only people who left did so due to personal reasons. Those who repeated first year seem to be doing great. I can't speak for the year 2 repeaters (if there are any) since it's still a bit early and remediation tests haven't even started yet.

Also, for families and rurals etc., to add to what Food said above, as far as I know everyone who petitioned to have their rotations moved (even rurals) was successful. Even ones that I thought weren't particularly strong arguments.
 
I'll prob post my parting thoughts on TouroCOM (NY) one day this weekend since I'm graduating soon. In the mean time, here is the entire thing in a nutshell.

Pro: it's in NYC. This is all sorts of a great thing in ways you wouldn't immediately even realize.

Con: some people dont like NYC. These people are wrong and/or in denial. :laugh:

Looking forward to reading. Congrats on taking the next step!
 
As a rising third year, I can tell you that my class has not had nearly this many fall behind. That said, first year definitely is very hard. Nova is not in the business of cruising people through who can't cut it and there's definitely a discussion to be had in all DO schools about admissions practices balancing with rigorous standards during the first two years. Maybe it's unfair to take students who might not make it but from what I've seen 2013 has a pretty solid match and FWIW my class rocks. If you need reassurance that this doesn't happen every year, my class has actually grown since we matriculated and the only people who left did so due to personal reasons. Those who repeated first year seem to be doing great. I can't speak for the year 2 repeaters (if there are any) since it's still a bit early and remediation tests haven't even started yet.

Also, for families and rurals etc., to add to what Food said above, as far as I know everyone who petitioned to have their rotations moved (even rurals) was successful. Even ones that I thought weren't particularly strong arguments.

Honestly, I don't think the person you quoted interpreted what I wrote correctly. I'm a bit insulted he even compared NSU to a Carribean school. I have many gripes about NSU but it's not even close to the do or die atmosphere of the islands.

To reiterate: Leaving would be leaving on their own accord. Held back would mean the 5 year plan but still in medical school. The ones kicked out only represented 1/4 of that 10% I guestimated on.

And our match list is pretty goddamn good this year. If any island school can match that list with 90% of their original matriculating class I will eat my own head.
 
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