2013-2014 Rosalind Franklin University Application Thread

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How important is AmeriCorps? I'm a VISTA volunteer (>1700 hrs) working on education and outreach for the Affordable Care Act and holy crap this has introduced me to so many scenarios of people in need of health care education/service, but it's not clinical!

Stats: 31Q (balanced and REALLY don't want to retake but will if I'm not accepted this cycle) / 3.95 cGPA / 3.94 sGPA

How important?

It's not necessary.

Is it a nice addition to an application?

Yes.

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Had a really conversational, relaxed interview day here. All of the staff and faculty were super nice, and seemed very supportive of students. Facilities seemed good, though the new building isn't quite open yet. And I thought our interview group had some cool people. Thumbs up.
 
Had a really conversational, relaxed interview day here. All of the staff and faculty were super nice, and seemed very supportive of students. Facilities seemed good, though the new building isn't quite open yet. And I thought our interview group had some cool people. Thumbs up.

Good luck! I'm from Boston as well, and I think we need more of our kind to take over Illinois.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Had a really conversational, relaxed interview day here. All of the staff and faculty were super nice, and seemed very supportive of students. Facilities seemed good, though the new building isn't quite open yet. And I thought our interview group had some cool people. Thumbs up.

I agree :)
 

Yay! We're giving off the right laid back vibe.

While everyone is gushing, I want to take a moment to advertise for something we've started at RFUMS. We recently opened a free primary care clinic that is entirely student run (health professionals, including physicians, supervise actual patient care), and I hope that was brought up at your interview. We're extremely excited about it, and a number of us have been putting in a lot of hours to make the clinic run smoothly so that our future M1s and M2s get some experience with patient care and interaction with upperclassmen during the first two years. All students at any level can volunteer (albeit in different roles depending on their medical program), and we're excited to have any of you who attend volunteer as well.

In addition to your normal interview neuroticisms, feel free to post or PM any questions about the clinic (or the school in general, of course), and I'll do my best to answer them for you.
 
anyone thinking we might hear back this week if we've interviewed already? :scared:
 
Has anyone been small-pooled lately? I am hoping to hear back soon!
 
hey tantacles! thanks for being around in this thread. what're your favorite things about rosalind franklin?
 
hey tantacles! thanks for being around in this thread. what're your favorite things about rosalind franklin?

The new free clinic we just opened, financial support for research over the summer (there was a pretty non-competitive grant available), and my classmates, who are all incredibly laid back.
 
Should we respond to the small pool email? If yes, what is good to say?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
The new free clinic we just opened, financial support for research over the summer (there was a pretty non-competitive grant available), and my classmates, who are all incredibly laid back.
thanks for the response! anything you don't like about the school?
 
Hmmm... I wonder if RFU will come out with decisions today or tomorrow. Or wait a week out like last year...
 
The only thing i don't really like about the school is our website (but it is a work in progress)

Also, +1 on tantacles point- the student body is definitely one of the best parts of the school. Would you want to spend 4 years in a cut-throat environment or in a group of friends?
 
anyone thinking we might hear back this week if we've interviewed already? :scared:

I am...:eek:
But I'm gonna guess it will be probably next week when they start sending out acceptances, judging from last years trend.
Hopefully something will come this week though.:xf:
 
I hope we hear sooner rather than later, the wait is terrible :)
 
thanks for the response! anything you don't like about the school?

I don't particularly enjoy studying, and our school's website is disgracefully out of date.


I also think our curriculum could just a restructuring; we currently run on a pretty classical lecture-based system. To give an idea of how it works:

First year: ALL of biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, anatomy, physiology, and neuroanatomy (along with some other filler courses and clinical reasoning courses).

Second year: ALL of pathology, microbiology, clinical psychology, pharmacology, and again, some other fillers.

I just think an organ-based system makes more sense. Fortunately, though, lectures are optional.
 
I hope we hear sooner rather than later, the wait is terrible :)

I was just looking at the tread from 2011-2012, and it actually looks like they sent acceptances on the 14th that year..
So maybe we'll hear something sooner..!

I don't particularly enjoy studying, and our school's website is disgracefully out of date.


I also think our curriculum could just a restructuring; we currently run on a pretty classical lecture-based system. To give an idea of how it works:

First year: ALL of biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, anatomy, physiology, and neuroanatomy (along with some other filler courses and clinical reasoning courses).

Second year: ALL of pathology, microbiology, clinical psychology, pharmacology, and again, some other fillers.

I just think an organ-based system makes more sense. Fortunately, though, lectures are optional.

Hey Tantacles, thanks for all the helpful posts!
What are your thoughts on the rotation system by the way? I was told it was sort of like the residency match, but is it pretty hard to get the rotation where you really want to go?
For example the Cook County emergency medicine rotation. Thanks a lot!
 
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I don't particularly enjoy studying, and our school's website is disgracefully out of date.


I also think our curriculum could just a restructuring; we currently run on a pretty classical lecture-based system. To give an idea of how it works:

First year: ALL of biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, anatomy, physiology, and neuroanatomy (along with some other filler courses and clinical reasoning courses).

Second year: ALL of pathology, microbiology, clinical psychology, pharmacology, and again, some other fillers.

I just think an organ-based system makes more sense. Fortunately, though, lectures are optional.
thanks so much!
 
I was just looking at the tread from 2011-2012, and it actually looks like they sent acceptances on the 14th that year..
So maybe we'll hear something sooner..!



Hey Tantacles, thanks for all the helpful posts!
What are your thoughts on the rotation system by the way? I was told it was sort of like the residency match, but is it pretty hard to get the rotation where you really want to go?
For example the Cook County emergency medicine rotation. Thanks a lot!

I'm only a second year, but from what I understand, if you want to go to a particular place for a rotation, you just have to bid your "points." Our school has somewhat of a lottery system in place where you get 20 points for both junior and senior year that you can bid. If you outbid other students, you get the rotation. If you don't (or if nobody else bids), the spot is chosen by lottery.

Cook County is hard to get into, yes. I personally want to get the emergency medicine rotation because I want to go into emergency medicine, so I'll be bidding the maximum number of points on it. However, keep in mind that it's very hard to figure out which rotations are "the best" as a second year medical student. People have variable experiences, and in fact, rotating at multiple hospitals is a huge advantage; in the real world, no two hospitals are identical working environments. Coming out of our school, our graduates understand not only a tremendous amount about diagnosis and treatment, as most fledgling doctors do, but a lot about medical practice.

Also, keep in mind that many medical schools do not have a required emergency medicine rotation, something that makes our school unique, so in a way, we go into elective and away EM rotations better prepared than other medical students.

Does that answer your question?
 
Anyone get small-pooled lately?
 
I can tell you that specifically Cook County for ER it isn't that hard. The lottery system works as Tantacles described, but it isn't as tough as you may think. People pretty much usually got what they wanted. I am doing ER at Mt Sinai (which is awesome as well- you do get to do trauma) and only spent 1 point.
 
Was really hoping for some love from this school, but I've been complete now since 8/21 and no word at all. Not looking good.
 
Was really hoping for some love from this school, but I've been complete now since 8/21 and no word at all. Not looking good.

I was complete 8/21 too. The email said we would hear in 6 to 8 weeks and today marks the end of the 8 weeks.

I definitely do not have my hopes up.
 
I can tell you that specifically Cook County for ER it isn't that hard. The lottery system works as Tantacles described, but it isn't as tough as you may think. People pretty much usually got what they wanted. I am doing ER at Mt Sinai (which is awesome as well- you do get to do trauma) and only spent 1 point.

Notably, though, Sinai doesn't have its own residency program; it piggybacks on UChicago's, meaning you have to be accepted to UChicago's residency program to train there.

Cook County CAN be hard. That's not to say that it's always hard, but a third year last year had to spend 17/20 of his points to get Cook County. A lot of it depends on when in the season you do the rotation.
 
I'm only a second year, but from what I understand, if you want to go to a particular place for a rotation, you just have to bid your "points." Our school has somewhat of a lottery system in place where you get 20 points for both junior and senior year that you can bid. If you outbid other students, you get the rotation. If you don't (or if nobody else bids), the spot is chosen by lottery.

Cook County is hard to get into, yes. I personally want to get the emergency medicine rotation because I want to go into emergency medicine, so I'll be bidding the maximum number of points on it. However, keep in mind that it's very hard to figure out which rotations are "the best" as a second year medical student. People have variable experiences, and in fact, rotating at multiple hospitals is a huge advantage; in the real world, no two hospitals are identical working environments. Coming out of our school, our graduates understand not only a tremendous amount about diagnosis and treatment, as most fledgling doctors do, but a lot about medical practice.

Also, keep in mind that many medical schools do not have a required emergency medicine rotation, something that makes our school unique, so in a way, we go into elective and away EM rotations better prepared than other medical students.

Does that answer your question?

That definitely clears it up.
I guess for EM Cook county is one of the better places to rotate right?
Anyway, thanks a lot for all the info!

I can tell you that specifically Cook County for ER it isn't that hard. The lottery system works as Tantacles described, but it isn't as tough as you may think. People pretty much usually got what they wanted. I am doing ER at Mt Sinai (which is awesome as well- you do get to do trauma) and only spent 1 point.

Wow, Mt Sinai? That sounds like a great place.
Were you researching rotation sites on your own or is there a good system at CMS that helps you choose them? Thanks for the input! :)
 
I wanted to post a question I received in a PM from another prospective student, and I hope it's informative to all of you. I asked permission of this person prior to posting.

Hey tantacles,

Thanks for all your responses on the CMS page! I interviewed back in Sept and hoping to get some good news soon. I have a question about patient care experience during M1/2 years. I understand the free clinic is new and that opens some new doors, but from what I understand pt care experience is limited. Actually something I found concerning during my interview came from a M4. He said he went to his first day on rotations and was told to 'go see' the pt and he had no idea what to do. He said he went in said hi and walked out. Maybe it was nerves or was it lack of preparation for clinical years? Can you comment anymore on how much pt care interaction you get during years 1 and 2? Are there physician mentors/preceptors in the community that will let you come out to 'shadow' or do some h&ps?

Thank you!!

Hi, there!

While I will say that clinical experience in the M1 and M2 year is limited and is not currently a strength of our school (though we're stronger now that we students have started the free clinic), I can almost guarantee that the student you spoke to was exaggerating. If I were sent into a patient's room as a medical student as an M2 (I just started M2 year), I could almost certainly take a history and full physical. I don't now that I'd be able to diagnose yet, but I'd certainly be able to run through vital signs, the history of present illness, and the physical exam with a good deal of acuity.

To give you a timeline of clinical experience (excluding the clinic, which I'll tell you about in the next section of this message):

Year 1: Essentials of Clinical Reasoning 1 - This course trains and tests extensively on the physical exam. Among other methods of testing, we perform a videotaped history of present illness with a standardized patient (which includes a writeup of the mock case) and a videotaped physical exam in the EEC, which you probably toured through, or at least saw, when you came to the school. It's that really high tech room in lower floor of the school. In addition, we have lecture and lab sessions all year that focus on myriad clinical skills, including, but not limited to: The pulmonary exam, cardiac exam, GI exam, and the neurology exam.

Year 2 - Essentials of clinical reasoning 2 - This year focuses much more on diagnosis. I've only just started, but already we've covered dermatological diseases and some diseases of immune hypersensitivity. We review the physical exam from the year before but with a focus on interpreting our findings rather than just understanding how to do the exam.

In addition, as a required part of this course, we are assigned a clinical preceptor in our second year, and we are expected to shadow this preceptor and do H&Ps and physicals in his/her clinic.

So while we may not have much clinical experience in the curriculum, to say that we have none is definitely an understatement of the clinical time we do have.

In addition, the Interprofessional Community Clinic was recently open. The clinic is exclusively managed by students but staffed by professionals from every professional school (medicine, psychology, podiatry, pharmacy, and more) that the school has. Students exam patients, present to attendings, and overall get to behave like 3rd and 4th year medical students while the faculty supervises.
 
That definitely clears it up.
I guess for EM Cook county is one of the better places to rotate right?
Anyway, thanks a lot for all the info!

In my opinion, if you want to go into emergency medicine, it's one of the BEST places to rotate primarily because they have their own Emergency Medicine Residency program, meaning that your rotation there is essentially an audition for their program.
 
Rejected this morning.

OOS 3.8/32, complete 8/21

Good luck to everyone else here.
 
Rejected today. 3.8/34 OOS without a small pool. Good luck to everyone else.
 
Sorry about the rejection, congrats on the other interviews though!
If you don't mind sharing- when were you complete?
 
Sorry about the rejection, congrats on the other interviews though!
If you don't mind sharing- when were you complete?

8/21

I was not small pooled or anything so I was rejected after 8 weeks and 1 day.
 
Rejected as well today. Complete mid august. Oh well, good luck to the rest of you.
 
Damn so many rejections today, someone wasn't in a good mood
 
Interview invite this morning! They're on November dates now

Btw what % of interviewees get accepted? Because I heard they interview very few people
 
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