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Pros and Cons of your DO School
- Thread starter Ilikescience
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+2ccom update please
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Anyone want to do an OUCOM...hopefully an OOSer to give some insight on if they feel the 5 yr contract is worth the education?
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Can someone do an updated/second opinion of MSUCOM? Thanks!
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Can someone do an updated/second opinion of MSUCOM? Thanks!
+1 for MSUCOM update, would like to hear some more input with respect to quality of clinical rotations and preparation for boards
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Now that first semester is over, I'll give my impressions of KCUMB for those who care.
Curriculum: First, we start clinical education on the second day of school. We have patient simulators and within the first month, we do our first standardized patient interview, so to people who find that important, you should know that.
As for regular classes, we're on a Genesis curriculum. It's 100% systems-based. We just finished the Cardiopulmonary I section, so everything was about the heart and lungs -- the physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, embryology, pathology, anatomy, histology, immunology, clinical lectures (internal medicine, EKGs, pediatrics, etc.). In Cardiopulm II in January, we get into surgery and all the rest. Even our simulated/standardized patients have heart and lung problems. This makes learning better, in my opinion, because everything is related. It's easier to remember COPD when you get it in 10 different subjects in the span of 5 weeks, for example.
After each section (they're all usually 5 weeks long), we get a one week break. It's called PEP week or Professional Enrichment Program, where the school schedules things like electives and such. It's also used for remediation for anyone who fails the section. It's common for a lot of first years to fail the musculoskeletal anatomy practical and those students remediate it after the MS section during PEP week.
We have a mid-term and a final for each section. Most are quite difficult. Our Cardiopulm final had an average of 70%, for example. Individual exams aren't curved, but every section is curved to an average of 85%. During finals week, we also have a path practical, an anatomy practical, and an OCS (osteopathic clinical skills) practical and didactic exam.
We have the best path professor and path faculty in the country as far as I'm concerned. The head of our path department has a website at pathguy.com. Look it up! He's amazing! We also have two other path professors, both of whom are extremely willing to help students succeed. Pathology lab is modeled after "morning report." Students present a case with X-rays, labs, and the whole nine yards. It's the class's job to then diagnose the patient individually or in groups. You get better at it as time goes on.
Osteopathic Clinical Skills is a mix of clinical skills lab (we just learned complete heart and lung exams during Cardiopulm I) and OMT and ortheopedic testing. This could be run better. Depending on who teaches it on a given day, it could be a well-run point A to point B kind of lab or it could be a bit disorganized when trying to cram in three pages worth of osteopathic and orthopedic tests in two hours.
Location: It's Kansas City. There are pros and cons to that. Personally, I love the city, but I know that some of my classmates aren't as enammored by it. There is crime and the neighborhood the school is in leaves a lot to be desired.
Cost: It was $41,000 for first-year tuition this year. It's expensive, but not the most expensive in the country.
Faculty: I think the faculty is great! They go out of their way to help you. As with all schools, there are some who are good and others who aren't so good, but thus far, I've been impressed with most of them.
Reputation: KCUMB has an outstanding reputation throughout the country. The students are well-prepared when they hit third-year rotations. The only thing I'd change is have students start rotations in July, like other schools in the country, instead of in August or September.
Clinical rotations: See above. Rotations are done on a lottery system. There are a number of affiliated hospitals all over the country. During second year, you tell them where you want to do your rotation. Then, the office of clinical education does something called a straw poll. This tells you how many people want a certain location and how many spots are available. For instance, it might say that in Witchita, there are 15 spots and 30 students chose it as their number one choice. Instead of taking the chance that you won't get Witchita, you have the option of changing your first choice to another location. After all that's done, the school matches students to one of their top three choices. Most people match. Of the current second-years (260 people), only 17 were left unmatched. If you don't match, you get to scramble for spots left over. When everyone is matched, they tell you where you're going.
Housing: Most students live in Century Towers, an apartment building across the street that used to be the school's teaching hospital. It's dorm-like living except everyone has an apartment instead of just a room. The neighborhood is kind of rough, so some people prefer to live elsewhere. There are lofts downtown and there are some nice condos/apartments down by the shopping district, the Plaza, for those who want to spend the money.
Study areas: Some students study in the library (which is very small) or the cafeteria (which closes early, but we'll get to that later), but the vast majority of students study in Smith Hall, a four-story study hall on campus. It has study rooms ranging from small to large to two AV rooms that include a projector for large group studying or tutoring. Every room in Smith Hall includes a computer and an OMT table, which is great if you're tired and want to take a nap during the day. There's a small kitchen downstairs to store dinner or treats and microwaves in the kitchen, the student lounge, the cafeteria, and in the Annex building which has two lecture halls.
Social scene: It's Kansas City. There are a number of bars and nightclubs downtown. The power and light district is popular among students. After the first section of the year, it's KCUMB tradition for the second years to throw a party for the first years at one of these bars. It's a good time.
Local hospitals: There are a lot of hospitals and three medical schools here in KC, so it's common to see people all over town in scrubs and white coats.
Preparation for boards: There's a Kaplan review program held at KCUMB during second-year, but I hear students are on their own paying for it. I heard it's pretty good though.
Chances of specializing: KCUMB's match list shows A LOT of people going into specialties and allo residency programs. Check out last year's match list for details.
Dress Code, Policies, Administration: Technically, there's a dress code of business attire or scrubs, but a lot of people wear scrub pants and sweaters/sweatshirts and they're fine. Dress code is kind of laxed. Just don't wear jeans and a T-shirt Monday-Friday and you'll be fine. You can eat or drink in class, no problem. Class attendance is required, but no one takes roll. In August, 99-100% of the class showed up daily for lecture. In December, it was more like 60-65%. There are some lectures, like patient presentations and something called Interdepartmental Conference (two more departments integrating subjects -- like pharm and internal medicine) that have a quiz that go with them to encourage attendance, but you know about those ahead of time.
All first years are elgibile for free tutoring. Most people sign up for tutors during orientation week. If you're having trouble in any subject during the year, they'll find you a tutor, but the subjects most people sign up for pre-emptively are anatomy, OCS/OMT, and path. I usually meet with my tutor once a week for path and OCS and 2-3 times a week for anatomy. Don't underestimate this! It's EXTREMELY helpful. It's done in groups with 2-3 tutorees per session for anatomy and more like 5-7 for path and OCS. Your tutors are second years who have old power points, CDs, mock practicals, old lecture notes, tips and test-taking strategies, etc. to help you succeed. The path club also puts on a mock path practical before each path practical for everyone, whether you're in the club or not. Family Medicine club does a mock anatomy practical before the first anatomy practical in musculoskeletal for members (it's free to join) and there's also a mock OCS practical at the beginning of the year.
Speaking of clubs, there are lots of them! Cardiology club joined the ER club, internal medicine club, and the AMA club to bring in a cardiologist to go over EKGs at the beginning of Cardiopulm. ER club does suturing clinics, IM club and Peds club do tons of community service projects. There's something for everyone really.
Believe it or not, my biggest complaint is the operating hours of the cafeteria. It's open M-F until 2 p.m. It may seem like a small thing to most people, but when you're in lab until 4 or 5 p.m. and/or studying on campus into the evening or until 11:30 at night on test weeks (which is how long Smith is open), the fact that there's nothing to eat is really annoying. There's nothing within walking distance except a 7-11, affectionately called the Stab n' Grab among students because of the shady neighborhood. So anyway, it's irritating that the cafeteria closes so early in the day when classes aren't even over yet.
Report Card
Curriculum: A+
Location: C
Cost: C
Financial Aid: B
Faculty: A
Reputation: A
Technology: A-
Study Space/Library: B
Library technology/Resources: B
Rotations: NA
Social: A
Cafeteria Food: B
Cafeteria Prices: A
Overall Grade: A-/B
Curriculum: First, we start clinical education on the second day of school. We have patient simulators and within the first month, we do our first standardized patient interview, so to people who find that important, you should know that.
As for regular classes, we're on a Genesis curriculum. It's 100% systems-based. We just finished the Cardiopulmonary I section, so everything was about the heart and lungs -- the physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, embryology, pathology, anatomy, histology, immunology, clinical lectures (internal medicine, EKGs, pediatrics, etc.). In Cardiopulm II in January, we get into surgery and all the rest. Even our simulated/standardized patients have heart and lung problems. This makes learning better, in my opinion, because everything is related. It's easier to remember COPD when you get it in 10 different subjects in the span of 5 weeks, for example.
After each section (they're all usually 5 weeks long), we get a one week break. It's called PEP week or Professional Enrichment Program, where the school schedules things like electives and such. It's also used for remediation for anyone who fails the section. It's common for a lot of first years to fail the musculoskeletal anatomy practical and those students remediate it after the MS section during PEP week.
We have a mid-term and a final for each section. Most are quite difficult. Our Cardiopulm final had an average of 70%, for example. Individual exams aren't curved, but every section is curved to an average of 85%. During finals week, we also have a path practical, an anatomy practical, and an OCS (osteopathic clinical skills) practical and didactic exam.
We have the best path professor and path faculty in the country as far as I'm concerned. The head of our path department has a website at pathguy.com. Look it up! He's amazing! We also have two other path professors, both of whom are extremely willing to help students succeed. Pathology lab is modeled after "morning report." Students present a case with X-rays, labs, and the whole nine yards. It's the class's job to then diagnose the patient individually or in groups. You get better at it as time goes on.
Osteopathic Clinical Skills is a mix of clinical skills lab (we just learned complete heart and lung exams during Cardiopulm I) and OMT and ortheopedic testing. This could be run better. Depending on who teaches it on a given day, it could be a well-run point A to point B kind of lab or it could be a bit disorganized when trying to cram in three pages worth of osteopathic and orthopedic tests in two hours.
Location: It's Kansas City. There are pros and cons to that. Personally, I love the city, but I know that some of my classmates aren't as enammored by it. There is crime and the neighborhood the school is in leaves a lot to be desired.
Cost: It was $41,000 for first-year tuition this year. It's expensive, but not the most expensive in the country.
Faculty: I think the faculty is great! They go out of their way to help you. As with all schools, there are some who are good and others who aren't so good, but thus far, I've been impressed with most of them.
Reputation: KCUMB has an outstanding reputation throughout the country. The students are well-prepared when they hit third-year rotations. The only thing I'd change is have students start rotations in July, like other schools in the country, instead of in August or September.
Clinical rotations: See above. Rotations are done on a lottery system. There are a number of affiliated hospitals all over the country. During second year, you tell them where you want to do your rotation. Then, the office of clinical education does something called a straw poll. This tells you how many people want a certain location and how many spots are available. For instance, it might say that in Witchita, there are 15 spots and 30 students chose it as their number one choice. Instead of taking the chance that you won't get Witchita, you have the option of changing your first choice to another location. After all that's done, the school matches students to one of their top three choices. Most people match. Of the current second-years (260 people), only 17 were left unmatched. If you don't match, you get to scramble for spots left over. When everyone is matched, they tell you where you're going.
Housing: Most students live in Century Towers, an apartment building across the street that used to be the school's teaching hospital. It's dorm-like living except everyone has an apartment instead of just a room. The neighborhood is kind of rough, so some people prefer to live elsewhere. There are lofts downtown and there are some nice condos/apartments down by the shopping district, the Plaza, for those who want to spend the money.
Study areas: Some students study in the library (which is very small) or the cafeteria (which closes early, but we'll get to that later), but the vast majority of students study in Smith Hall, a four-story study hall on campus. It has study rooms ranging from small to large to two AV rooms that include a projector for large group studying or tutoring. Every room in Smith Hall includes a computer and an OMT table, which is great if you're tired and want to take a nap during the day. There's a small kitchen downstairs to store dinner or treats and microwaves in the kitchen, the student lounge, the cafeteria, and in the Annex building which has two lecture halls.
Social scene: It's Kansas City. There are a number of bars and nightclubs downtown. The power and light district is popular among students. After the first section of the year, it's KCUMB tradition for the second years to throw a party for the first years at one of these bars. It's a good time.
Local hospitals: There are a lot of hospitals and three medical schools here in KC, so it's common to see people all over town in scrubs and white coats.
Preparation for boards: There's a Kaplan review program held at KCUMB during second-year, but I hear students are on their own paying for it. I heard it's pretty good though.
Chances of specializing: KCUMB's match list shows A LOT of people going into specialties and allo residency programs. Check out last year's match list for details.
Dress Code, Policies, Administration: Technically, there's a dress code of business attire or scrubs, but a lot of people wear scrub pants and sweaters/sweatshirts and they're fine. Dress code is kind of laxed. Just don't wear jeans and a T-shirt Monday-Friday and you'll be fine. You can eat or drink in class, no problem. Class attendance is required, but no one takes roll. In August, 99-100% of the class showed up daily for lecture. In December, it was more like 60-65%. There are some lectures, like patient presentations and something called Interdepartmental Conference (two more departments integrating subjects -- like pharm and internal medicine) that have a quiz that go with them to encourage attendance, but you know about those ahead of time.
All first years are elgibile for free tutoring. Most people sign up for tutors during orientation week. If you're having trouble in any subject during the year, they'll find you a tutor, but the subjects most people sign up for pre-emptively are anatomy, OCS/OMT, and path. I usually meet with my tutor once a week for path and OCS and 2-3 times a week for anatomy. Don't underestimate this! It's EXTREMELY helpful. It's done in groups with 2-3 tutorees per session for anatomy and more like 5-7 for path and OCS. Your tutors are second years who have old power points, CDs, mock practicals, old lecture notes, tips and test-taking strategies, etc. to help you succeed. The path club also puts on a mock path practical before each path practical for everyone, whether you're in the club or not. Family Medicine club does a mock anatomy practical before the first anatomy practical in musculoskeletal for members (it's free to join) and there's also a mock OCS practical at the beginning of the year.
Speaking of clubs, there are lots of them! Cardiology club joined the ER club, internal medicine club, and the AMA club to bring in a cardiologist to go over EKGs at the beginning of Cardiopulm. ER club does suturing clinics, IM club and Peds club do tons of community service projects. There's something for everyone really.
Believe it or not, my biggest complaint is the operating hours of the cafeteria. It's open M-F until 2 p.m. It may seem like a small thing to most people, but when you're in lab until 4 or 5 p.m. and/or studying on campus into the evening or until 11:30 at night on test weeks (which is how long Smith is open), the fact that there's nothing to eat is really annoying. There's nothing within walking distance except a 7-11, affectionately called the Stab n' Grab among students because of the shady neighborhood. So anyway, it's irritating that the cafeteria closes so early in the day when classes aren't even over yet.
Report Card
Curriculum: A+
Location: C
Cost: C
Financial Aid: B
Faculty: A
Reputation: A
Technology: A-
Study Space/Library: B
Library technology/Resources: B
Rotations: NA
Social: A
Cafeteria Food: B
Cafeteria Prices: A
Overall Grade: A-/B
Last edited:
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Thinking about it, would any student be kind enough to do a current review of ATSU - KCOM?
Yes JP, I know awesome could be the answer for all them.
Yes JP, I know awesome could be the answer for all them.
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Thinking about it, would any student be kind enough to do a current review of ATSU - KCOM?
Yes JP, I know awesome could be the answer for all them.
Hahahaha ... I hope I'm 'JP,' because that was funny. +1 on a KCOM review though.
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Hahahaha ... I hope I'm 'JP,' because that was funny. +1 on a KCOM review though.
You are JP. I've reached a Jagger-like state of apathy and have gotten too lazy too type out your entire screen name.
I think there was a KCOM student (maybe in the school-specific thread
) who said (s?)he would be around to answer questions during break. Maybe we could drag them down here to do our bidding?
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I think its a noble question, but I have a feeling it would turn into a flame-fest. No matter what side of the RVU debate you (not you, but anyone) fall on, it's bound to get heated here. I hope someone can do it for you and the people here are respectful and take the debate elsewhere, or the reviewer can at least PM it to you.
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It would be nice to have a pros/cons from RVU. Any problems regarding the post or flaming should be reported. But this is the thread for pros/cons and information. I think an RVU review would be a lovely addition and would welcome it.
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I agree with you wholeheartedly, I just stated my concerns for such information in the public forum. Sorry if it didn't come out as I had hoped it would.
+1
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+2
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No apology necessary... I was just agreeing with you and stating that this particular thread is not the place for a flame-fest. It IS the place for pros/cons.
And the mods of all forums review each and every reported post in their particular forums in a fairly timely manner (final exam period and surgery/IM rotation periods perhaps taking us a few more hours than normal - remember, we're students too!).Ok guys here it is upon request...
Curriculum: First year consists of all the core science classes (Anatomy, physiology, Biochemistry, Micro, OTM... etc). 2nd year we have mostly clinical classes which are systems based (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pathology...) One great thing about the curriculum is that we cover the same body system in all the classes at the same time so alot of material overlaps(for ex: Lungs, will be covered in Path, Pharm, OTM, Internal Medicine). I felt the strong classes so far have been Anatomy, OTM (of course) Histology (Dr. Rhodes is by far the most amazing professor I have met), Pathology, Biochem, Physiology... actually all the classes are pretty good. Only class I consider a bit weak is Pharm, I feel like we should be covering more board material related stuff, but still the professors do their best. (Our curriculum changes every year it seems, They shortened anatomy and OTM time for the current 1st year class)
Location: Its Kirksville, small town but it grows on you. I am big city person, so I am glad its only 2 years we spend there. Which is a perfect amount of time. There are bars and plenty of restaurants in town, and also Truman State University. So if you get tired of Med school gals you can always hit on the undergrad girls lol
Cost: 40k this year, goes up every year. We are about average for private DO schools
Facilities/Study space: Plenty Plenty Plenty of study areas. Sometime during finals week it gets packed but usually its pretty empty on campus or the library. A new 12 million dollar facilty opened up my first year, so If you guys get a tour of the OTM lab its amazing. The new library has plenty of study areas, and the basement is finally open now which has 1000 or more study desks too..I read somewhere on SDN about the Anatomy lab being smelly and not clean, well thats how you learn anatomy by getting down and dirty. It takes a bit to get used to the smell, but once you do barely notice it. I think the custodial staff kept it clean for the most part, I mean its anatomy lab its going to smell!!!
Reputation: Oldest DO school, been around for over 100 years. I have met KCOM grads everywhere, and there are plenty of them in MI. Or school is known to be among the most to send students into specialties, according to US News and World Report only 33% of KCOM grads go into primary care. Search for it on SDN I posted the link a while back.
Clinical Rotations: Lots of options in many states. 3 big areas where students go to are MI, AZ, and MO. OH also gets quite a few students, but not as many as the other 3. We go by the lottery system, so you basically rank your top 6 choices, and the school tries their best to match you into your top choice. I think this year 92% of students got their top 3 choices. Some of the hospitals are big, teaching institutions while others are small preceptor based. Also you have the rural vs urban hospitals, so basically its your choice were you want to go. If you dont match for some reason the school works with you to get your top choice. I THINK THIS IS THE STRONGEST ASPECT OF KCOM, they give us plenty of options to choose from.
Housing: KCOM has its own student housing, it goes by fast though so get on it fast, LIKE NOW. There are plenty of apts and houses around town, most people stay close to school. I think if you search the school website they have a link to housing on there.
Local Hospital: Our school is attached to Northeast Regional Hospital, so if you ever want to shadow or rotate there. The school works with you to get you sometime with the docs. Also alot of the docs from the hospital teach us in our clinical classes, so thats another opportunity to make connections with them.
Boards: We get a class payed for by the school, its Kaplan. I think for a week in april we have a board review course (havent gone through it yet, so dont know how it will be). Also we get 6 months free access to the Kaplan Q bank. I think our school does a good job teaching us for the boards, and our pass rate is pretty high. I dont know the exact numbers but I think its close to 98%.
Report Card:
Curriculum: A-
Location: C
Cost: C
Faculty: A
Reputation: A+
Technology: A
Study Space/Library: A
Rotations: A+
Social: B-
Overall Grade: A-
(You guys should also read up on the past review of KCOM by a 4th year on this thread, sorry guys if the review wasnt as extensive as others I kind of did it in a hurry)
Curriculum: First year consists of all the core science classes (Anatomy, physiology, Biochemistry, Micro, OTM... etc). 2nd year we have mostly clinical classes which are systems based (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pathology...) One great thing about the curriculum is that we cover the same body system in all the classes at the same time so alot of material overlaps(for ex: Lungs, will be covered in Path, Pharm, OTM, Internal Medicine). I felt the strong classes so far have been Anatomy, OTM (of course) Histology (Dr. Rhodes is by far the most amazing professor I have met), Pathology, Biochem, Physiology... actually all the classes are pretty good. Only class I consider a bit weak is Pharm, I feel like we should be covering more board material related stuff, but still the professors do their best. (Our curriculum changes every year it seems, They shortened anatomy and OTM time for the current 1st year class)
Location: Its Kirksville, small town but it grows on you. I am big city person, so I am glad its only 2 years we spend there. Which is a perfect amount of time. There are bars and plenty of restaurants in town, and also Truman State University. So if you get tired of Med school gals you can always hit on the undergrad girls lol
Cost: 40k this year, goes up every year. We are about average for private DO schools
Facilities/Study space: Plenty Plenty Plenty of study areas. Sometime during finals week it gets packed but usually its pretty empty on campus or the library. A new 12 million dollar facilty opened up my first year, so If you guys get a tour of the OTM lab its amazing. The new library has plenty of study areas, and the basement is finally open now which has 1000 or more study desks too..I read somewhere on SDN about the Anatomy lab being smelly and not clean, well thats how you learn anatomy by getting down and dirty. It takes a bit to get used to the smell, but once you do barely notice it. I think the custodial staff kept it clean for the most part, I mean its anatomy lab its going to smell!!!
Reputation: Oldest DO school, been around for over 100 years. I have met KCOM grads everywhere, and there are plenty of them in MI. Or school is known to be among the most to send students into specialties, according to US News and World Report only 33% of KCOM grads go into primary care. Search for it on SDN I posted the link a while back.
Clinical Rotations: Lots of options in many states. 3 big areas where students go to are MI, AZ, and MO. OH also gets quite a few students, but not as many as the other 3. We go by the lottery system, so you basically rank your top 6 choices, and the school tries their best to match you into your top choice. I think this year 92% of students got their top 3 choices. Some of the hospitals are big, teaching institutions while others are small preceptor based. Also you have the rural vs urban hospitals, so basically its your choice were you want to go. If you dont match for some reason the school works with you to get your top choice. I THINK THIS IS THE STRONGEST ASPECT OF KCOM, they give us plenty of options to choose from.
Housing: KCOM has its own student housing, it goes by fast though so get on it fast, LIKE NOW. There are plenty of apts and houses around town, most people stay close to school. I think if you search the school website they have a link to housing on there.
Local Hospital: Our school is attached to Northeast Regional Hospital, so if you ever want to shadow or rotate there. The school works with you to get you sometime with the docs. Also alot of the docs from the hospital teach us in our clinical classes, so thats another opportunity to make connections with them.
Boards: We get a class payed for by the school, its Kaplan. I think for a week in april we have a board review course (havent gone through it yet, so dont know how it will be). Also we get 6 months free access to the Kaplan Q bank. I think our school does a good job teaching us for the boards, and our pass rate is pretty high. I dont know the exact numbers but I think its close to 98%.
Report Card:
Curriculum: A-
Location: C
Cost: C
Faculty: A
Reputation: A+
Technology: A
Study Space/Library: A
Rotations: A+
Social: B-
Overall Grade: A-
(You guys should also read up on the past review of KCOM by a 4th year on this thread, sorry guys if the review wasnt as extensive as others I kind of did it in a hurry)
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Would anyone mind doing an updated one for LMU-DCOM? I'd like to hear about rotations now that there's a third year class and more about the school in general. How were boards, how were the pre-clinical years, what are the hours like on a typical week, what are test weeks like, etc?
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Thank You!!! Very well done and good to hear another A rating for KCOM.
2
211519
Tideleonheart's review is spot-on, but there have been a few changes with my class (c/o 2013), noted in red.
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Still wondering about LMU. Anyone?
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Did you visit the campus? If so, what was your impression?
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You GA-PCOM people need TexasTriathlete in here ...
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He did an end of his first year review a while back so just search through his posts or threads started by him and I'm sure you'll find it.
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For everyone else asking the same question as me on here, I searched and found a short review of GA-PCOM by TexasTriathlete.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=576807
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=576807
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Look at that ... he knew this would be a problem and I'd call on him for it, so he wrote a review in the past to solve it!! Bravo Tex ... bravo
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Look at that ... he knew this would be a problem and I'd call on him for it, so he wrote a review in the past to solve it!! Bravo Tex ... bravo
TTT - 1 OMS SDN Forums - 0
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Brilliant!
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Blast from the past!!! Hahaha
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Osteopathic Schools are all unique to themselves unlike most allopathic schools
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Is that the max size or simply where they are now? Many schools take years to reach full class size. It took my school nearly a decade from their first class to reach full capacity...well maybe 8 years but still quite a bit of time.
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As far as the contract, it is possible to buy out of it and I do know some students who intend to do so.
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I know OUCOM is a good school and all but after shelling out mucho dinero for OOS tuition, these same students are going to buy out of their contract?
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Only those who are super rich?
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OOS tuition for OUCOM is 36K per year...not really all that expensive compared to MSU or WVSOM for their OOS tuition.
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From what I saw it increases yearly: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/Aid/fin_aid_edu_budget.htm
I thought as you did until I continued passed year 1 and 2, but yea I guess it could be worse.
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I hadn't noticed that so thanks for pointing it out. Even the tuition for Ohio residents goes up a good amount for their 3rd/4th year.
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Curriculum: Our current curriculum will be different than incoming class of 2014 so sorry if I'm lacking on some of the details. The first two semesters will be comprised of systems based physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, biochemistry, etc. Basically everything that doesn't involve pathological states. The following two semesters will be all of the pathology and pathophysiology. So you will have gone through all of the systems twice with different foci each time. I can't express enough of how much I like the systems based curriculum. I think it makes it easier to formulate differential diagnoses to cases, and it provides a basis for which to incorporate Osteopathic Principles and Practices (OPP) and Principles of Clinical Medicine (PCM). In addition to typical lectures and labs, we also have large group interactive sessions (LGIS) and "grand rounds." These are two additional learning styles that emphasize clinical application of knowledge, problem based learning (PBL), teamwork, and presentation skills.
OPP is all four years. It is typically integrated into the system that we are in. For example, in the pulmonary system we work on inhalation/exhalation somatic dysfunctions, among other things. I would imagine that the first year of systems will be spent on diagnostic skills, and the second year will be spent on treatment, but that could be completely false so take it with a grain of salt. Students have a different lab partner each year, and there are around 10 full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty (community physicians) to assist teaching students. The class is split in half for all labs, so the student to professor ratio is great! In addition to the normal curriculum, there is currently a pilot for an advanced OPP elective, and an OPP fellowship program for students is starting next year.
PCM is also integrated into the system. In addition to lectures, we have two different types of labs. The first is clinically based. During these labs, 8-10 students work through a case with a facilitator (either full-time clinical faculty or an adjunct faculty community physician). The facilitator acts like the patient, and we take turns asking the questions we need to complete our history. We then break into groups of 2 and practice the physical examination skills that are coupled to the lab. A SOAP note (physician progress note) is expected from each lab. The other type of lab is a procedures lab. These are the labs where we learn to suture, cast, split, biopsy, inject, draw blood, scub in, intubate, etc. These skills are learned in the same groups, but instead of having the same facilitator for each skill we need to learn, each group will rotate to different stations, and each station has a different facilitator. A procedure write-up is expected for these labs. Our history and physical examination skills are tested through standardized patients (actors) that start during our first semester and continue through our preclinical years (great start on the COMLEX-PE). Through this course, we also have several shadowing opportunities set up for us starting with semester I.
With this as a base, I know that two additional tracks are being set up. The first is a Wilderness Medicine/Rural Medicine track. This will start with additional lectures in your first year, and continue through your fourth year with a different setup for rotations. The second is an international track. In addition to lectures (like for the previous track), the curriculum will also include rotations to China, Kenya, Europe, and Guatemala (that's the most updated list I've heard). These two will either be open to the graduating class of 2014 or 2015.
Location: Awesome and kind of bad at the same time. The kind of bad is that Parker is not a very exciting town. Sure there's a blockbuster, a couple bars, some parks and a mainstreet (two blocks of nice little shops), but all in all, it's a commuter town of Denver. It's a run-of-the-mill suburb. Fortunately this excludes major worries like crime, etc.
The "Awesomeness" is that we are a 20 minute drive from cool hiking/outdoor opportunities, and we are only 45 minutes from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The nearest ski place is about an hour away. There are plenty of opportunities to do almost anything you want to do in the mountains within 2 hours. If you're not into the outdoorsy stuff, then downtown Denver is a 40 minute light rail ride away (nice since it eliminates parking trouble) or a 25 minute drive. Denver has pretty much anything you could want from a big city. I'd elaborate more on this, but my interests fall into the former category.
Cost: My tuition was frozen by the Board of Trustees at 38K (out of state). I think the class of 2013 pays around 40K (theirs is frozen too). This places us in the middle of private medical school tuition, so I'm not complaining.
The financial aid department is frickin awesome! They are wonderful people, and they know their stuff really well. This is good because we won't get federal Title IV funding until the first class graduates (2 more years). In the meantime though, the school has set up its own Health Professions Loan (HPL) program for students. This was in response to Sallie Mae going from a Loan program that would work for medical students to a program that flat out sucked (darn economy). The HPL is pretty cool though. It's based off of the same standards as a Federal GradPLUS loan.
On a side note, I know that there are more than a few people who are worried about our "for-profit" school not reinvesting in itself, but in order to secure federal funding, a for-profit school must demonstrate that it has reinvested a minimum of 85% back into the school. That is WAY better than many of the "not-for-profit" schools. The proof of this is in our curriculum and our facilities.
Faculty: Awesome for the most part. One of the nice things about a new school is that you get to recruit all the good faculty from the other good schools. Three of the people that made the TCOM program off the charts (including our current Dean) are at RVUCOM. The rest of our faculty are pretty bad though. They trained postgraduate institutions like Harvard, Mayo, and the University of Michigan. We have the whole range of people from accomplished clinicians to researchers. If you want more info, read some of the bios on the website. There are a couple of not so good professors like at any school, but I don't have too many complaints.
Reputation: This depends on whom you ask. If you ask physicians and pre-health advisors in the state of Colorado, they will say that we have an excellent program. If you ask people in a pre-med forum on SDN, we're the end of the profession. I'll let you be the judge.
Clinical rotations: Obviously no objective assessment can be made of these yet, but I can tell you that the last time I asked, there were 377 spots for about 150 students. The sites are set up for us between three large cities in Colorado (Denver, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs). The physician support is tremendous! As a student you will be matched (lottery system) to either Denver or Colorado Springs/Pueblo. There are additional rotation sites set up just in case some fall through (unfortunately, this is not entirely uncommon in medical school education). We also have a curriculum set up throughout the two years so that we learn everything for the specialty, even if we don't get a chance to see it on our rotation. We will be taking NBME shelf exams as an assessment tool at the end of each rotation, but the grades have many components in addition to these exams.
The first clinical year is set up as a procedure and primary care based year. We complete rotations like family practice, peds, general surgery, internal medicine, etc. The first semester of our 4th year is reserved for electives. This is nice, because it will allow us to do audition rotations at locations where we would like to pursue our residency. The rest of our fourth year is set aside for more rigorous rotations like trauma, ICU, and rural/underserved rotations (I'm excited to be first assist on almost everything for this rotation!). As mentioned earlier, we will have to come back to campus periodically to take exams and to continue our OPP curriculum
As mentioned earlier, for either the next incoming class or the one after that, there will be a wilderness med/rural track and an international track.
Housing: The housing in the area is nice and it is incredibly close (you can bike or even walk to school if you want depending on where you are). As I mentioned, we're in the middle of suburbia. It can be cheap or expensive depending on where you're from. I find that the average is probably a little less than $1/square foot to rent an apartment. There are ample opportunities to invest in homes and condos if you are interested. I personally don't have any money, so that is not an option for me (sorry on the lack of details).
Study areas: Plenty! Our library has a bunch, and we also have other rooms that are used around the clock. We have a lot of natural light and earth tones in our building, so it's also not depressing and dreary.
If you don't like studying at school, there are 3 coffee shops that are about 10 minutes away or less.
Social scene: Already mentioned that Parker kind of sucks as a town, but there are four gyms if you want a membership. There is also the Parker Recreational Center. This is nice because it organizes a number of intramural sports. We have a lot of teams (we call ourselves the Fighting Prairie Dogs) including: soccer, flag football, softball, volleyball, and basketball. We play other teams from the community. For additional info see the "Location" section. I would categorize the rest of the social scene as "work hard, play hard." Everyone busts their butt to study for exams, but then there is always a party afterwards at a house, apartment, downtown Denver, a Parker bar, or all four locations. For those who have a family, I know that there are plenty of chances for families to get together and do things that don't involve bars or alcohol.
Local hospitals: Many, many hospitals. CU is the only other medical school in Colorado, and they have their own hospitals. This gives us the rest of the state of CO to play with! In Denver there are two systems, Centura and HealthOne, both of whom we have affiliation agreements with. These two systems in Denver have a combined total of at least 20 hospitals/medical centers.
Preparation for boards: Kaplan Board course built into the curriculum (May of 2nd year) and paid for in tuition. We also have access to a USMLE and COMLEX QBanks either through the library or through the Kaplan course. I can tell you that I just took my first full-length practice COMLEX (two days ago) and I scored very well, so I'm not concerned.
In addition to this and our curriculum, I'd also like to point out here that our class is very supportive of each other. Because we all want to succeed and show the nay-sayers of the premed SDN world, we share resources with each other. People spend hours on pathology outlines and then put them next to the copy machine in the library. People also make copies of questions from review books they own and make them available as well. I think our school is competitive, but we are not competitive with each other.
Chances of specializing: Obviously I couldn't tell you yet. I'm sure that much of this will be dependent on the next two years more than the first two. I can tell you that RVU is doing a lot to meet the needs of the students, but that's about it. Time will tell.
Dress Code, Policies, Administration:
No dress code. Food and drink is discouraged in lecture halls, but it is informally allowed. Class lectures are not mandatory, but encouraged. Labs, LGIS, and Grand Rounds are mandatory. These are enforced with grades, but in total, it's a laid back school.
There is a tutoring system set up by the student affairs office for anyone who would like help, and tutors hold review sessions for classes from time to time. Tutors are typically high-performing second year students or first years with extensive experience with the subject (ie, it was their major in undergrad or a focus of their graduate studies).
There are currently 22 different clubs. This is a lot for a school that has only had 300 students ever! We have everything from SOMA to an Orthopedic Surgery club. They bring in speakers, put on practice standardized patient experiences, plan skill related and social events, etc. I can't be happier with the opportunities to join extracurriculars here. If you're not, we certainly know how to start up a club and write a constitution by now!
I'm going to add a category - Facilities:
Absolutely brand new! Plenty of space, fast campus WiFi, and a plug for your computer almost anywhere you need it. We have awesome lecture halls that record our lectures for us (posted online the same day), and there are even "Quiet Rooms" so that nursing mothers or parents who need to bring their sick kids to school (but don't want to distract class) can have privacy while participating in lecture (one way mirrors, an audio feed into the soundproof room, and a squawk box to communicate with class). Our labs have plenty of space and have flat screen TVs so that you can see exact locations of hand placement in OPP for example. Anatomy lab is well ventilated, and both our labs have natural light.
In addition to these facilities, we have plenty of land for our next two phases of the building (allied health professions building, extension of the clinic, workout facility, daycare, etc). While this doesn't benefit me directly, it's nice to know that we have built-in the space so that future buildings won't be sub-par, and they won't compete for space with the current program.
One more category - Complaints:
No "real" cafeteria. We don't have a hot cafeteria yet. This is scheduled for phase two. It currently only consists eating space, with three large refrigerators, six microwaves, two coffee machines, two sinks, and two vending machines. There wouldn't be enough space for everyone to eat in the cafeteria if we stayed on campus, but fortunately most people go home to eat with their family, take out their dog(s), or they go off campus (subway, chipotle, etc). We're supposedly bringing in an outside vendor for food soon though.
Another thing is that the schedule changes frequently. It's not like they flip our world upside-down, but we do have to live our lives not being exactly sure what free-time we actually have. This is especially difficult for the summer season. It is hard to plan major events (like weddings or vacations for example), when you're not sure if they're going to change the schedule.
The financial situation is kind of a downside. It would be nice to have federally sponsored loans, but the current HPL works well. This won't be a big deal in 2 years. The class of 2014 will have two years of federally sponsored loans.
Okay, I lied, one more category - Accreditation:
A bunch of people are probably want to know exactly where we're at currently. I'm pleased to tell everyone is that we get visited by COCA every year, and we have met all requirements, and have had VERY few recommendations. As far as accreditation goes, we are doing much better than a lot of "accredited" medical schools. There is more than just being "accredited." A school can also fit into one of the following categories outlined by the COCA accreditation standards:
Accreditation with warning: COM is found to exhibit weaknesses that threaten the quality of the total program.
Accreditation with probation: COM is found to exhibit serious weaknesses in meeting the accreditation standards such that the quality of the total program is in jeopardy. This information is open to the public.
I'm sure that the status of the schools that fit into these categories won't be posted on their websites.
Report Card
Curriculum: A
Location: B
Cost: C
Financial Aid: A-
Faculty: A-
Reputation: B
Technology: A+
Study Space/Library: A
Library technology/Resources: A+
Rotations: N/A
Social: A-
Cafeteria Food: N/A
Cafeteria Prices: N/A
Overall Grade: A-
Hope this helped. Sorry that it's so long.
OPP is all four years. It is typically integrated into the system that we are in. For example, in the pulmonary system we work on inhalation/exhalation somatic dysfunctions, among other things. I would imagine that the first year of systems will be spent on diagnostic skills, and the second year will be spent on treatment, but that could be completely false so take it with a grain of salt. Students have a different lab partner each year, and there are around 10 full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty (community physicians) to assist teaching students. The class is split in half for all labs, so the student to professor ratio is great! In addition to the normal curriculum, there is currently a pilot for an advanced OPP elective, and an OPP fellowship program for students is starting next year.
PCM is also integrated into the system. In addition to lectures, we have two different types of labs. The first is clinically based. During these labs, 8-10 students work through a case with a facilitator (either full-time clinical faculty or an adjunct faculty community physician). The facilitator acts like the patient, and we take turns asking the questions we need to complete our history. We then break into groups of 2 and practice the physical examination skills that are coupled to the lab. A SOAP note (physician progress note) is expected from each lab. The other type of lab is a procedures lab. These are the labs where we learn to suture, cast, split, biopsy, inject, draw blood, scub in, intubate, etc. These skills are learned in the same groups, but instead of having the same facilitator for each skill we need to learn, each group will rotate to different stations, and each station has a different facilitator. A procedure write-up is expected for these labs. Our history and physical examination skills are tested through standardized patients (actors) that start during our first semester and continue through our preclinical years (great start on the COMLEX-PE). Through this course, we also have several shadowing opportunities set up for us starting with semester I.
With this as a base, I know that two additional tracks are being set up. The first is a Wilderness Medicine/Rural Medicine track. This will start with additional lectures in your first year, and continue through your fourth year with a different setup for rotations. The second is an international track. In addition to lectures (like for the previous track), the curriculum will also include rotations to China, Kenya, Europe, and Guatemala (that's the most updated list I've heard). These two will either be open to the graduating class of 2014 or 2015.
Location: Awesome and kind of bad at the same time. The kind of bad is that Parker is not a very exciting town. Sure there's a blockbuster, a couple bars, some parks and a mainstreet (two blocks of nice little shops), but all in all, it's a commuter town of Denver. It's a run-of-the-mill suburb. Fortunately this excludes major worries like crime, etc.
The "Awesomeness" is that we are a 20 minute drive from cool hiking/outdoor opportunities, and we are only 45 minutes from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The nearest ski place is about an hour away. There are plenty of opportunities to do almost anything you want to do in the mountains within 2 hours. If you're not into the outdoorsy stuff, then downtown Denver is a 40 minute light rail ride away (nice since it eliminates parking trouble) or a 25 minute drive. Denver has pretty much anything you could want from a big city. I'd elaborate more on this, but my interests fall into the former category.
Cost: My tuition was frozen by the Board of Trustees at 38K (out of state). I think the class of 2013 pays around 40K (theirs is frozen too). This places us in the middle of private medical school tuition, so I'm not complaining.
The financial aid department is frickin awesome! They are wonderful people, and they know their stuff really well. This is good because we won't get federal Title IV funding until the first class graduates (2 more years). In the meantime though, the school has set up its own Health Professions Loan (HPL) program for students. This was in response to Sallie Mae going from a Loan program that would work for medical students to a program that flat out sucked (darn economy). The HPL is pretty cool though. It's based off of the same standards as a Federal GradPLUS loan.
On a side note, I know that there are more than a few people who are worried about our "for-profit" school not reinvesting in itself, but in order to secure federal funding, a for-profit school must demonstrate that it has reinvested a minimum of 85% back into the school. That is WAY better than many of the "not-for-profit" schools. The proof of this is in our curriculum and our facilities.
Faculty: Awesome for the most part. One of the nice things about a new school is that you get to recruit all the good faculty from the other good schools. Three of the people that made the TCOM program off the charts (including our current Dean) are at RVUCOM. The rest of our faculty are pretty bad though. They trained postgraduate institutions like Harvard, Mayo, and the University of Michigan. We have the whole range of people from accomplished clinicians to researchers. If you want more info, read some of the bios on the website. There are a couple of not so good professors like at any school, but I don't have too many complaints.
Reputation: This depends on whom you ask. If you ask physicians and pre-health advisors in the state of Colorado, they will say that we have an excellent program. If you ask people in a pre-med forum on SDN, we're the end of the profession. I'll let you be the judge.
Clinical rotations: Obviously no objective assessment can be made of these yet, but I can tell you that the last time I asked, there were 377 spots for about 150 students. The sites are set up for us between three large cities in Colorado (Denver, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs). The physician support is tremendous! As a student you will be matched (lottery system) to either Denver or Colorado Springs/Pueblo. There are additional rotation sites set up just in case some fall through (unfortunately, this is not entirely uncommon in medical school education). We also have a curriculum set up throughout the two years so that we learn everything for the specialty, even if we don't get a chance to see it on our rotation. We will be taking NBME shelf exams as an assessment tool at the end of each rotation, but the grades have many components in addition to these exams.
The first clinical year is set up as a procedure and primary care based year. We complete rotations like family practice, peds, general surgery, internal medicine, etc. The first semester of our 4th year is reserved for electives. This is nice, because it will allow us to do audition rotations at locations where we would like to pursue our residency. The rest of our fourth year is set aside for more rigorous rotations like trauma, ICU, and rural/underserved rotations (I'm excited to be first assist on almost everything for this rotation!). As mentioned earlier, we will have to come back to campus periodically to take exams and to continue our OPP curriculum
As mentioned earlier, for either the next incoming class or the one after that, there will be a wilderness med/rural track and an international track.
Housing: The housing in the area is nice and it is incredibly close (you can bike or even walk to school if you want depending on where you are). As I mentioned, we're in the middle of suburbia. It can be cheap or expensive depending on where you're from. I find that the average is probably a little less than $1/square foot to rent an apartment. There are ample opportunities to invest in homes and condos if you are interested. I personally don't have any money, so that is not an option for me (sorry on the lack of details).
Study areas: Plenty! Our library has a bunch, and we also have other rooms that are used around the clock. We have a lot of natural light and earth tones in our building, so it's also not depressing and dreary.
If you don't like studying at school, there are 3 coffee shops that are about 10 minutes away or less.
Social scene: Already mentioned that Parker kind of sucks as a town, but there are four gyms if you want a membership. There is also the Parker Recreational Center. This is nice because it organizes a number of intramural sports. We have a lot of teams (we call ourselves the Fighting Prairie Dogs) including: soccer, flag football, softball, volleyball, and basketball. We play other teams from the community. For additional info see the "Location" section. I would categorize the rest of the social scene as "work hard, play hard." Everyone busts their butt to study for exams, but then there is always a party afterwards at a house, apartment, downtown Denver, a Parker bar, or all four locations. For those who have a family, I know that there are plenty of chances for families to get together and do things that don't involve bars or alcohol.
Local hospitals: Many, many hospitals. CU is the only other medical school in Colorado, and they have their own hospitals. This gives us the rest of the state of CO to play with! In Denver there are two systems, Centura and HealthOne, both of whom we have affiliation agreements with. These two systems in Denver have a combined total of at least 20 hospitals/medical centers.
Preparation for boards: Kaplan Board course built into the curriculum (May of 2nd year) and paid for in tuition. We also have access to a USMLE and COMLEX QBanks either through the library or through the Kaplan course. I can tell you that I just took my first full-length practice COMLEX (two days ago) and I scored very well, so I'm not concerned.
In addition to this and our curriculum, I'd also like to point out here that our class is very supportive of each other. Because we all want to succeed and show the nay-sayers of the premed SDN world
, we share resources with each other. People spend hours on pathology outlines and then put them next to the copy machine in the library. People also make copies of questions from review books they own and make them available as well. I think our school is competitive, but we are not competitive with each other.Chances of specializing: Obviously I couldn't tell you yet. I'm sure that much of this will be dependent on the next two years more than the first two. I can tell you that RVU is doing a lot to meet the needs of the students, but that's about it. Time will tell.
Dress Code, Policies, Administration:
No dress code. Food and drink is discouraged in lecture halls, but it is informally allowed. Class lectures are not mandatory, but encouraged. Labs, LGIS, and Grand Rounds are mandatory. These are enforced with grades, but in total, it's a laid back school.
There is a tutoring system set up by the student affairs office for anyone who would like help, and tutors hold review sessions for classes from time to time. Tutors are typically high-performing second year students or first years with extensive experience with the subject (ie, it was their major in undergrad or a focus of their graduate studies).
There are currently 22 different clubs. This is a lot for a school that has only had 300 students ever! We have everything from SOMA to an Orthopedic Surgery club. They bring in speakers, put on practice standardized patient experiences, plan skill related and social events, etc. I can't be happier with the opportunities to join extracurriculars here. If you're not, we certainly know how to start up a club and write a constitution by now!
I'm going to add a category - Facilities:
Absolutely brand new! Plenty of space, fast campus WiFi, and a plug for your computer almost anywhere you need it. We have awesome lecture halls that record our lectures for us (posted online the same day), and there are even "Quiet Rooms" so that nursing mothers or parents who need to bring their sick kids to school (but don't want to distract class) can have privacy while participating in lecture (one way mirrors, an audio feed into the soundproof room, and a squawk box to communicate with class). Our labs have plenty of space and have flat screen TVs so that you can see exact locations of hand placement in OPP for example. Anatomy lab is well ventilated, and both our labs have natural light.
In addition to these facilities, we have plenty of land for our next two phases of the building (allied health professions building, extension of the clinic, workout facility, daycare, etc). While this doesn't benefit me directly, it's nice to know that we have built-in the space so that future buildings won't be sub-par, and they won't compete for space with the current program.
One more category - Complaints:
No "real" cafeteria. We don't have a hot cafeteria yet. This is scheduled for phase two. It currently only consists eating space, with three large refrigerators, six microwaves, two coffee machines, two sinks, and two vending machines. There wouldn't be enough space for everyone to eat in the cafeteria if we stayed on campus, but fortunately most people go home to eat with their family, take out their dog(s), or they go off campus (subway, chipotle, etc). We're supposedly bringing in an outside vendor for food soon though.
Another thing is that the schedule changes frequently. It's not like they flip our world upside-down, but we do have to live our lives not being exactly sure what free-time we actually have. This is especially difficult for the summer season. It is hard to plan major events (like weddings or vacations for example), when you're not sure if they're going to change the schedule.
The financial situation is kind of a downside. It would be nice to have federally sponsored loans, but the current HPL works well. This won't be a big deal in 2 years. The class of 2014 will have two years of federally sponsored loans.
Okay, I lied, one more category - Accreditation:
A bunch of people are probably want to know exactly where we're at currently. I'm pleased to tell everyone is that we get visited by COCA every year, and we have met all requirements, and have had VERY few recommendations. As far as accreditation goes, we are doing much better than a lot of "accredited" medical schools. There is more than just being "accredited." A school can also fit into one of the following categories outlined by the COCA accreditation standards:
Accreditation with warning: COM is found to exhibit weaknesses that threaten the quality of the total program.
Accreditation with probation: COM is found to exhibit serious weaknesses in meeting the accreditation standards such that the quality of the total program is in jeopardy. This information is open to the public.
I'm sure that the status of the schools that fit into these categories won't be posted on their websites.
Report Card
Curriculum: A
Location: B
Cost: C
Financial Aid: A-
Faculty: A-
Reputation: B
Technology: A+
Study Space/Library: A
Library technology/Resources: A+
Rotations: N/A
Social: A-
Cafeteria Food: N/A
Cafeteria Prices: N/A
Overall Grade: A-
Hope this helped. Sorry that it's so long.
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Good, thorough review.... thanks for posting it!
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i'd like to see one too!
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LMU-DCOM
Third years are currently in rotations in several sites around tennessee. To name a few, Kingsport, Morristown, Knoxville, Sweetwater, Crossville, all in TN. A site in Soutwest VA, Alabama and in Hazard KY as well.
This year, we've also added a Memphis TN site where students will rotate through the Methodist Hospital system (a HUGGGGE hospital system).
From what I've heard the smaller hospitals generally range from 100-200 beds and these are places that have not had students before. Because of this there are pros and cons. To get rid of the bad stuff real quick, some of the rotations end up being crappy, such as behavioral health. There are some sites that have awful programs in this speciality.
The pros of learning in smaller hospitals: you get to do alot of stuff. Real doctor stuff. One 3rd year did 100 intubations on an anesthesia rotation. Another has performed a C-section open to close on their own. Many have delivered double digit babies and gotten hands on experience at things you would only watch at bigger hospitals.
Its going well at LMU-DCOM trust me.
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Also check out the current first and second year schedules in the top right corner of www.DCOMDO.com.
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Will be posting up my formal review of NSUCOM within the next couple of weeks. After finally matching...
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