I used to read this dudes posts on here last year before i started my first year at KCUMB. I was scared shi*less by some of the things he/she said. Honestly after one year i would disagree with most of what this poster is saying. Although my opinion could change in a few years.
Honestly, I hope your opinion DOESN'T change in time. I hope you and others in your class actually have a better experience than those before you. Anyway, you seem like the type of student that is likely to be very successful, because you are open-minded and open to learning. Congratulations on completing your first year. Check that box off!
You completed a HUGE milestone. Now go enjoy your summer break.
I think my class as a whole has had a pretty good experience.
Again, I hope it stays that way. Truly, experiences vary greatly from class to class, because that's how prevalent changes are at KCUMB.
I used to read all these complaints about professionalism on SDN. Ive never even heard of anybody talk about professionalism. Maybe they changed something for my class.
Maybe something did change for your class, I don't know. It makes a difference how a class gels together, too. What I do know, though, having had some exposure to those in direct control, is that they don't really have your best interest in mind, or don't care. Whether it is from ignorance or malice, I can't tell. Nevertheless, if you keep your head down and do what they tell you to do all the time, even if it is against your better judgment, and most of your class is just as highly compliant, then you all probably won't encounter any problems.
The only thing i really agree with is that some of the faculty are pretty weak, especially OMT. Some departments are pretty strong however. I think alot of these issues are something that are common to alot of medical schools. All my friends at other medical schools(DO and MD) complain that their faculty suck at teaching as well.
Vast majority of the faculty are weak, but more importantly, the result is not being prepared for the boards, more specifically, Step 1. I'm not just complaining to complain. Having experienced boards, I can tell you that the school, unless things have changed, doesn't do jack to prepare you for what you really NEED to know. The school is very weak in teaching BASIC SCIENCES, most notably, pathology, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, and immunology. What the school IS good at preparing you for Step 2 and 3, which is the majority of what is taught in class, albeit in a completely random and disorganized fashion. The problem is that you need to get through Step 1 first!
I was annoyed by things here and there prior to taking my step 1, but it was tolerable and I basically just forgot about it. However, when I began studying in earnest for boards, I realized that I didn't know ANYTHING. Zero basic science knowledge. I'm not kidding. The majority of the people around had a similar experience. What the hell had we been doing for two years, huh?
Well, I and most of my colleagues then proceeded to work our butts off to catch up, learning everything for the first time, while folks from other nearby schools simply reviewed the information, having studied it in depth for years.
Again, things turned out okay, because we did the work to make up for any deficiencies. I just don't wish this quality of experience on anyone. It was traumatic. I felt truly cheated, especially when I found out the resources that others had during their time at school.
The constant curriculum changes can be annoying too but at least they are actively trying to change any deficiencies. I also beleive that the changes they are making next year will be really good. The layout of the curriculum is pretty cool and makes medical school a little more interesing in my opinion.
The problem is that there is no stability and they experiment too much. The result is generally less than favorable, but every once in a while, they do good. I'm sure there are people who benefit from this type of curriculum. If you make it, there will be people out there who like it. My experience of it was that it was completely disorganized and random. There were too many guest lecturers and lot of useless repetition, as well as, important topics not covered. Topics that were covered
ad nauseum were more relevant for Step 2 and 3, as were most of the test questions.
There was also too much emphasis on "professionalism" and force-feeding on useless things. I guess if you are used to control-plans and power-trips, KCUMB is the school for you.
Also, as a important side point, it is quite clear that KCUMB's facilities are deficient. Don't believe me? Talk a walk through, say, KUMC sometime. Enough said.
Either way the past several match lists ive seen have been really awesome. I figure the school must be doing something right. One thing i agree with Endocardium on is that KCUMBers seem like they work harder for whatever reason.
Well, yeah, we do work hard and we have a reputation for that, too, nationally.
I still think KCUMB is one of the better DO schools out there and most of the problems the school has are endemic to medical schools as a whole. It seems like we are well respected as a school, especially in the osteopathic community.
I hope you continue to have this experience.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer. I was impressed by KCUMB, but I understand you have a different perspective having already attended and I respect your honesty.
I was impressed by KCUMB at first, too. My perspective evolved gradually into less-than-favorable by the end of first year, but it was still okay, you know? I still felt well-prepared by the school, even despite it's issues. During my 2nd year, things went down-hill fast, to the point of feeling robbed, the pinnacle being when I was preparing for Step 1. Rotations were good, but then again, it's pretty much up to you, what experience you have. The rest is history. No matter how you paint it, though, my overall experience of medical school was that I had been driving a lemon that was sold to me by some used-car salesman.
I hope you have a different experience than me. Regardless of my experiences with the school, everything normalizes once you get out into the real world. Then you experience medicine as it should be. Good luck with everything. Medicine is a tough journey, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
[Advice for new interviewees to KCUMB: I recommend, after your interview day, taking a tour of KUMC, while you are in town. Request a tour, if possible. If not, then just walk through it. It's just minutes away and it'll allow you to gain some perspective and hopefully make a better decision.] 
