I just wanted to share some important information about the two schools:
I believe that Touro is far more organized, in a awesome location, has much more money than the Ponce School of Medicine and it's foundation. The mission of the Ponce school is to train physicians who will stay in P.R.
It is only a good school if you speak spanish fluently since the majority of classes are in spanish. Esp. all of the anatomy courses i.e Gross, histo, Neuro., biochem, micro etc It is not the best place for USA students, neither are these gringos given the privileged treatment, which is understood. Other departments as well are served by only spanish speaking faculty and staff. You will be downgraded during rotations if you don't speak the language.
I am sure the education is good, but with way too many challenges, there has been some talk of compromised exams in the school, I would say just like other medical schools. But in general if you are a USA resident and have a choice of a school on the mainland, that would be the way to go, or if you can teach yourself medicine with little guidance go for it.
By the way they change academic affair dean like every two yrs, they have a miserable board passing rate relative to other LCME schools like ~70%, which they blame on the language barrier experienced by their students.
So overall, it seems like the TOURO is worldwide institute with huge backing and would be best suited for anyone in the NYC metro are. The peopl in charge of the school seem to know what they are doing. There network and DEAN's letter in 3 rd year will be worth more than the dean in Ponce who may not even be there when you graduate etc as well as the network that TOuro is expanding. The main teaching hospital for Touro, North General is merging with Mount Sinai, if it hasn't already, which will facilitate awesome letter of recc for residency.
Good Luck my friend, make sure you talk to student at Ponce of your similar background before you make your decision.
Actually most Ponce graduates end up in US mainland residencies, as the number of residencies in the island is limited and not enough spots for students from all three PR med schools plus US mainland students who apply. The reality is that the VAST MAjORITY of PSM students end up in residencies in the states. I have no idea what their USMLE passing rate is so I wont comment on that. The following is their mission statement and Goals:
Mission
The mission of Ponce School of Medicine is to provide high quality education, research and health services in medicine, biological sciences, clinical psychology, public health, and other healthcare fields, to the population we serve, through an innovative health sciences curriculum, while preparing students to be ethical practitioners and scientists.
Vision
The PSM vision is to be recognized as a prestigious academic center and to become a high quality health sciences university.
PSM commits to its mission and the accomplishment of its vision by striving to fulfill the following institutional goals:
Goals
1. To continue its commitment to excellence in educational achievement by recruiting outstanding students and faculty, providing the appropriate resources for the development of high quality academic programs.
2. To expand its academic and professional educational offerings to include other health related fields.
3. To enhance recognition of the institution's commitment to excellence in basic and clinical research, scholarship and creative pursuits, supporting existing investigators and recruiting new highly qualified researchers.
4. To expand and improve its high quality medical, mental health, diagnostic and therapeutic services.
5. To continue to be an institution that prepares ethical professionals and scientists that contribute to society in general and to Puerto Rico in particular.
So overall, it seems like the TOURO is worldwide institute with huge backing and would be best suited for anyone in the NYC metro are. The peopl in charge of the school seem to know what they are doing. There network and DEAN's letter in 3 rd year will be worth more than the dean in Ponce who may not even be there when you graduate etc as well as the network that TOuro is expanding.
I dont doubt that TOURO is an excellent school, but this statement is more of an opinion than fact. You are comparing a relatively brand new school to one that has been established almost 30 years ago. My opinion on this matter is that if a school is accredited by the LCME and has maintained its accreditation throughout its history, it shows that the school maintains a certain quality of education that the LCME deems worthy of a US medical school. We might have our opinions but in the end they are just that, opinions, or do we presume to know something the LCME doesnt?
I have read in other threads dealing with this school and actual students who go there, AMERICAN students, say they were happy with their choice of school. So we can debate here all day, but my advice is, if you really want a genuine opinion, ask a real PSM student about the school. The same for TOURO. They are both excellent schools that will help take you to the promised land, if you work hard enough.
Dr Who