these forums are back up finally....
I'll try and answer your questions the best I can Quimica.
1. Research - UF is a VERY research-friendly school. They definitely encourage it and recognize those at graduation who perform meaningful research during medical school. They have started a new program which I really cant tell you about since it was started just a year or two ago. From what I know, this program wil allow you to do research during school and in between first and second year (UF gives you 10 weeks off btw
) with the intent of doing a major project/publishing/presenting. If you successfully complete the program, you get a certificiate along with your MD when you graduate. I did some research during medical school, but it was more clinically focused (looking at charts, patient outcomes etc.) During 4th year, you can choose to do research electives for months at a time if you so desire. I believe the US news rankings are based on research funding, so in that respect, I think UF is probably tops in the state with the amount of NIH funding it receives, though I could be mistaken.
2. Quality of Life - UF is a very friendly school. Most students are supportive of each other and people will cooperatively study in groups. I remembered when I came to the interview, the current students were genuinely happy to be there-- I really think its the biggest selling point of the school, statistics aside. Whereever you go to interview, you should be given the opportunity to talk with students (without faculty there) to get an idea of how happy people really are. If you interview here, I think you will find most UF students to be very happy with their medical school experience-- UF really treats students well and actively adjusts its curriculum based on student feedback each year.
A former pharmacology professor and founder of the UF COM (Dr. Thomas Maren) developed a big blockbuster glaucoma drug, and when he passed away, he and his family bequeathed a large donation to the COM to create a reading room full of books, AV equipment, nice furniture, and a piano dedicated only to med students only at UF. Its purpose is to allow UF medical students to explore the humanities/literature outside of medicine. Its a really nice room to just relax in between classes (you are NOT supposed to study in it as this defeats the meaning of the room). During the year, The Maren Reading Room hosts book clubs/discussions, art exhibitions by medical students and other literary/humanity events.
Also, there were a fair number of non-trad students in my class. The oldest person was 43. In the class below me, the age ranged all the way up to 50. There were a significant number of people over 30. I think they were able to integrate into the class just fine. There was also a good mix of married and single people. There were at least 3-4 students with families when we started, and a number of people got married and/or engaged the last year of med school.
3. Best and Worst -- I think I've mentioned some of the good things. I'll try and rack my brain for the bad stuff. As I mentioned before, it is Gainesville. It's great if you are in college... but some young professionals may get sick of it after awhile. The administration in general is very concerned about the students. At the end of every class we took in med school, a handful of us were selected to participate in debriefing sessions with the pertinent faculty members in an informal setting with refreshments. We were encouraged to be honest and candid, and from what I saw, the classes we took had already improved from the feedback given during previous years. That said, medical school is not a walk in the park as Im sure you can imagine. A fair number of people in my class had to re-do a year (more than 8 people sometime during 1st or 2nd year). The administration is willing to help, but if emergencies come up and you do miss too much of class, you will need to be prepared to repeat if your performance significantly suffers. In that regard, the administration may not be sensitive to your needs (although I think that may be true at any school). Most of those who had to repeat did have a major emergency come up; however, some of them simply didn't work hard enough (or didnt anticipate how hard it might be). As stated elsewhere, UF is stellar in preparing people for the USMLE Steps 1 and 2, and placing people into some of the best residencies in the country. A big strength they also have is the use of a stand alone standardized patient facility during all years that prepare you for the wards (in years 1 and 2), and eventually for Step 2 Clinical Skills (year 4). All of your tests during Years 1 and 2 are computerized and fashioned similar to the boards (which is great when you finally take them, and feel at home on a computer).
4. Practical - Gainesville is a small town. You will probably need a car to make your life easy, although there is a bus system that's in place due to the large number of undergrads. Most people in med school have a car. Housing is cheap, and you can find housing within walking distance of the school (albeit not the newest, but still safe). I guarantee its probably the cheapest in the state (comparable to tally, <<<tampa, miami etc). Compared to most major medical centers, Shands in gainesville is in a relatively safe area as Gainesville is a much smaller city than most. I walked home at all hours of the night, and never felt unsafe when I had to. That said, there have been murders and rapes in gville before (the infamous one 10-12 years ago), so its like any other place. Shands Jax on the other hand is in a pretty unsafe area.... but it is ok when you are within the hospital complex/dorms.
5. Clinical training - You do your clinical training at 1 of 3 sites during third year (Shands UF in Gainesville, Shands Jacksonville, or the VA in Gainesville). It will be a mix of all three when you go through third and fourth year. Its a good variety of cases. Shands UF in gville will give you exposure to a major medical center, where you will see a mix of normal stuff and some of the esoteric cases brought in from all over the state. The VA will give you a good VA experience (VA's are pretty standard wherever you will go). When are you in Jax (youll probably need a car by this point), you are given housing and a meal card with some money on it to use in the caf there. While in Jax, you will do a lot as a student. There is a lot of indigent care. I did plenty of procedures (1 Central line, 3 lumbar punctures, many arterial sticks, IVs, NG tubes) on rotations there, and was given a lot of autonomy with respect to patient management. The accomodations are decent... there's AC and high speed net.
As a fourth year, you can choose to do your acting internship (aka subinternship or sub-I) at either facility or at ORMC in Orlando, FL. Also, you can do up to 3 electives outside of the UF system during 4th year (most schools allow this during 4th year, its necessary as an "audition" for programs you may be interested in-- schools differ in how many they give you). UF supposedly has the right to limit your non-UF rotations during 4th year if you rank in the lower 1/3rd of the class. I have never heard of this being issue. Also, the 4th year is pretty sweet in that there are only 2.5 months of requirements (1 months sub-I in int med, peds, or FP, 1 month ER, 2 weeks anesthesia). This leaves you a lot of room to explore during your senior year-- they do offer a wide spectrum of electives that count for credit including a trip to nicaragua (primary care/international health elective), reflective writing electives and local volunteer activites among other things. There are of course all specialties and areas of medicine available to rotate through-- 4th year is a chance to see things you may not see again when you specialize in residency.
Hope that helps.... that took a long time to write
Good Luck!
