2018-2019 Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM)

[Tibiahonestidk]

Don't think so.

Thanks!

Been complete for a lil over a month. Any one else in the same boat?

---

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[foreverhopeful95]

Anyone else receive that cute banner in the mail?


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[snowcrawler85]

Anyone else receive that cute banner in the mail?


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No but I want it

 

[Xanias]

Interview just now for February. Will be declining the offer.

 

[Great_Scott_Doc]

II for February

 

[Mrgreen29]

Alrighty, for the incoming applicants I will post an honest review of my experience here at ICOM. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
1. No exam reviews. We are unable to see what we got wrong on our exams so we are left to our best guesses. This goes for quizzes as well. Anatomy department is nice enough to release quiz explanations but not for exams. They will go through them if asked.
2. We have had the chair of our MSK department admit he is not an expert on his material and was unable to answer our questions.
3. Assigned seating with mandatory attendance, I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it
4. OPP department is amazing.
5. Consistently inputting grades into “eMedley” wrong. It happened on the first practical and then it happened again today. Scores varied by as much as 15%
6. Grade adjustments can hurt your grade. If you get a question right that they throw out, they also throw out the point you got for getting it right. We have multiple people dropping letter grades after they did their “adjusting”. Your raw score can actually go down.
7. It takes about a week to get exams back after they are taken.
8. Dropped remediation procedure for the first anatomy practical since scores were so low. No retroactive action was taken. The syllabus was revised as well.
9. Facilities are nice and well maintained
10. Security officers are very friendly and I always feel safe.

 

[deleted946657]

Alrighty, for the incoming applicants I will post an honest review of my experience here at ICOM. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
1. No exam reviews. We are unable to see what we got wrong on our exams so we are left to our best guesses. This goes for quizzes as well. Anatomy department is nice enough to release quiz explanations but not for exams. They will go through them if asked.
2. We have had the chair of our MSK department admit he is not an expert on his material and was unable to answer our questions.
3. Assigned seating with mandatory attendance, I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it
4. OPP department is amazing.
5. Consistently inputting grades into “eMedley” wrong. It happened on the first practical and then it happened again today. Scores varied by as much as 15%
6. Grade adjustments can hurt your grade. If you get a question right that they throw out, they also throw out the point you got for getting it right. We have multiple people dropping letter grades after they did their “adjusting”. Your raw score can actually go down.
7. It takes about a week to get exams back after they are taken.
8. Dropped remediation procedure for the first anatomy practical since scores were so low. No retroactive action was taken. The syllabus was revised as well.
9. Facilities are nice and well maintained
10. Security officers are very friendly and I always feel safe.

Why is there no exam review? How are you supposed to get better if you don't know what you got wrong?

Do you feel like some of these things are a new school ironing out its first year wrinkles, or do you feel like there is a systemic problem?

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[Mrgreen29]

Why is there no exam review? How are you supposed to get better if you don't know what you got wrong?

Do you feel like some of these things are a new school ironing out its first year wrinkles, or do you feel like there is a systemic problem?

So it was brought up at dean’s hour about the exam review. This is paraphrased but it was along the lines of I wish I could wave a magic wand and let you guys get your exams back, well I could but I have to keep my staff happy. So take that for what it is worth. I am being as objective as possible and simply stating what has happened.

 

[deleted946657]

What did they mean they have to keep the staff happy? Like how does it make the staff unhappy to give back the exams they already graded? Lol I appreciate you answering my questions. I'm baffled by this one.

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[Mrgreen29]

What did they mean they have to keep the staff happy? Like how does it make the staff unhappy to give back the exams they already graded? Lol I appreciate you answering my questions. I'm baffled by this one.

Sent from my SM-G960U using

For some reason some staff did not want their questions to go back to students. I can’t give a certain reason as to why because I do not know why with 100% certainty. Its not a problem, I just want to share my experience so kids dont have to go in blind like we did.

 

[foreverhopeful95]

Alrighty, for the incoming applicants I will post an honest review of my experience here at ICOM. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
1. No exam reviews. We are unable to see what we got wrong on our exams so we are left to our best guesses. This goes for quizzes as well. Anatomy department is nice enough to release quiz explanations but not for exams. They will go through them if asked.
2. We have had the chair of our MSK department admit he is not an expert on his material and was unable to answer our questions.
3. Assigned seating with mandatory attendance, I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it
4. OPP department is amazing.
5. Consistently inputting grades into “eMedley” wrong. It happened on the first practical and then it happened again today. Scores varied by as much as 15%
6. Grade adjustments can hurt your grade. If you get a question right that they throw out, they also throw out the point you got for getting it right. We have multiple people dropping letter grades after they did their “adjusting”. Your raw score can actually go down.
7. It takes about a week to get exams back after they are taken.
8. Dropped remediation procedure for the first anatomy practical since scores were so low. No retroactive action was taken. The syllabus was revised as well.
9. Facilities are nice and well maintained
10. Security officers are very friendly and I always feel safe.

Wow, thank you for the detailed information! Would you say overall you regret choosing ICOM or are you still happy with your choice?

 

[Mrgreen29]

Honestly its hard to say. It is the only school was accepted to. I was on the lower end of the gpa for here but above average for the mcat. If I got in elsewhere I would have taken that in a heartbeat. Its difficult to know what I would do had I known it was going to be like this. If I had the option, I would have gone elswhere and that decision is still the same. I understand that there are learning curves and am trying to be as understanding as possible. However, I do not want students to be misguided since it is an almost 300k commitment. As I said before, I am being as objective as possible. We shall see how the board scores are. As far as OMT goes, they are amazing. If you truly believe in the osteopathic mentality this place is great.

 

[Mrgreen29]

I know it is still early, but have you heard anything about the progress of establishing clinical rotation sites? That is the biggest question everyone has regarding ICOM, outside of the curriculum.

theyre working on clinical sites. Thats not my area of expertise/interest right now. I know they just picked some up in one of the dakotas and i think new york. I can see what I can find out and get back to you guys.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

I know it is still early, but have you heard anything about the progress of establishing clinical rotation sites? That is the biggest question everyone has regarding ICOM, outside of the curriculum.

This is from their website

 

[mommieofthree]

Alrighty, for the incoming applicants I will post an honest review of my experience here at ICOM. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
1. No exam reviews. We are unable to see what we got wrong on our exams so we are left to our best guesses. This goes for quizzes as well. Anatomy department is nice enough to release quiz explanations but not for exams. They will go through them if asked.
2. We have had the chair of our MSK department admit he is not an expert on his material and was unable to answer our questions.
3. Assigned seating with mandatory attendance, I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it
4. OPP department is amazing.
5. Consistently inputting grades into “eMedley” wrong. It happened on the first practical and then it happened again today. Scores varied by as much as 15%
6. Grade adjustments can hurt your grade. If you get a question right that they throw out, they also throw out the point you got for getting it right. We have multiple people dropping letter grades after they did their “adjusting”. Your raw score can actually go down.
7. It takes about a week to get exams back after they are taken.
8. Dropped remediation procedure for the first anatomy practical since scores were so low. No retroactive action was taken. The syllabus was revised as well.
9. Facilities are nice and well maintained
10. Security officers are very friendly and I always feel safe.

So I think this post is a little too grim (or maybe vague) and feel compelled to reply...

1. Correct, the faculty will not release the specific test answers to students for personal review. However, each question is assigned an objective which is listed at the beginning of each lecture. You can see which objective you failed (by the incorrect answer) and review. For a 130 question test, you will see all answer choices and the objective next to it. They had a review session before clinical foundations and MSK final exams. Faculty meets with all students during lecture hour to discuss and review topics per students request. 90% faculty have an open door policy (basically, come see them whenever w questions). They do have specific office hrs too, but I think most are approachable in the hallway or elevator. Thats how I do it.
2. Everyone has their favorite professor. We started with a great physiology professor for clinical foundations and got someone different for MSK. The first professor is a hard act to follow and the second one was a little disappointing in comparison (for some students) however, they only gave 3 or 4 lectures out of the entire block of 60 + lectures. I don’t think its reasonable to believe you should love every professor that lectures to you. The second one was incredibily nice and personable, but hard to follow compared to the first (which has returned for respiratory, yeah!)
3. Mandatory attendance for each class (but you can have unexcused, I think its like 8-10/class, maybe less...its listed in the syllabus). Its not like you can never miss and not manage your life events. Plus, each lecture is recorded so you can see it when you miss. Its up in panapto in 2-3 hrs after the lecture is given.
4. Yes, the OPP department is amazing...knuff said. They posted the quiz answers (unlike biomedical) that we get weekly for the last block prior to last practical, which was helpful.
5. Most people are used to blackboard and eMedley is a new system the school is trying. Professors and students have expressed their dislikes. They are discussing changing it for next year. The problem with grade inputs occurred 3 times (2 for anatomy and 1 for the OPP department). Its not like its an everyday or test day occurrence. Each time it was remedied in 24-48 hrs and the errors in input were obvious to everyone. Our student government handled it nicely and were involved early, along with the Dean. Evidently, there are software issues and maybe a problem with person who manually inputs the grade into our app. They use a separate system to import final grades into student portal. There are several ways to view your test results. So, in one app it was 15% higher and then reversed in the other and we were left not knowing which grade was correct. Saying your raw score is curved down 15% and never corrected gives the impression that you will get a grade your didn’t earn, which is not true. However, if your initial raw score was 15% higher than what you got in the end...i’d kinda be mad too...
6. There are a few people who have told me they were hurt (not much) by a curved grade in their raw score. Meaning, they drop a question you got correct, but those pts are not added back to your raw score if you missed other questions they kept. There is a 5% (I think, maybe less) they add at the end of grading for any questions they didn’t drop, but were subjective. Basically, your raw score is not your final score, but it causes a lot of anxiety when we see it. We get to bring this up next Deans hr because it causes unnecessary anxiety. Also, after this last occurrence, all grades go through the Dean and he reviews/approves them all prior to final submission.
7. The exams go through a review process with faculty and then with the dean. They go over questions and drop some based on the review. So, it takes about 5 (sometimes 7 days) to get our final grade back after curving and adding of 5% at the end. I like the thorough review, especially with our Dean involved. I think they take it seriously.
8. Anatomy is hard. We have 3 PhDs and 2 general surgeons who teach us anatomy and they are not fooling around. My beef with anatomy is not the lectures, lab, or the professors. Its I feel I don’t have enough time to study anatomy. We get 4 quizzes a week in other subjects, so for most of us, anatomy get punted. We try to study, but its hard to squeeze it in. Most students are trying to really learn it a week before the practical and this is impossible, hence bad score. With that said, COMLEX is heavy on anatomy and MSK vs USMLE, so you will need to know it. I don’t mind the 2nd-3rd order questions, just wish my quiz schedule was structured differently during the week. Meaning, if we had less quizzes to study for the next week, we could spend more time studying anatomy.
9. Yes, our facilities are fantastic (and ladies in the office are super sweet)
10. We have an A-team security team. The probably know more about you than you do and have your license plate memorized. Also, some bring in meals to feed late night studiers because they know we are hungry (and tired). Overall, we appreciate them.
11. The students get to meet with Dean on Fridays every other week. Its required attendance. Others from the dean council are present and we can be as honest and open as want. Everytime we talk about not being able to see exact test answers to our questions for test/quizzes on biomedical exams. Maybe one day they will cave. Also, we talk about what we like and/or want changed. I think the quiz schedule will come up next time. Additionally, they keep us posted on new rotation sites.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

So I think this post is a little too grim (or maybe vague) and feel compelled to reply...

1. Correct, the faculty will not release the specific test answers to students for personal review. However, each question is assigned an objective which is listed at the beginning of each lecture. You can see which objective you failed (by the incorrect answer) and review. For a 130 question test, you will see all answer choices and the objective next to it. They had a review session before clinical foundations and MSK final exams. Faculty meets with all students during lecture hour to discuss and review topics per students request. 90% faculty have an open door policy (basically, come see them whenever w questions). They do have specific office hrs too, but I think most are approachable in the hallway or elevator. Thats how I do it.
2. Everyone has their favorite professor. We started with a great physiology professor for clinical foundations and got someone different for MSK. The first professor is a hard act to follow and the second one was a little disappointing in comparison (for some students) however, they only gave 3 or 4 lectures out of the entire block of 60 + lectures. I don’t think its reasonable to believe you should love every professor that lectures to you. The second one was incredibily nice and personable, but hard to follow compared to the first (which has returned for respiratory, yeah!)
3. Mandatory attendance for each class (but you can have unexcused, I think its like 8-10/class, maybe less...its listed in the syllabus). Its not like you can never miss and not manage your life events. Plus, each lecture is recorded so you can see it when you miss. Its up in panapto in 2-3 hrs after the lecture is given.
4. Yes, the OPP department is amazing...knuff said. They posted the quiz answers (unlike biomedical) that we get weekly for the last block prior to last practical, which was helpful.
5. Most people are used to blackboard and eMedley is a new system the school is trying. Professors and students have expressed their dislikes. They are discussing changing it for next year. The problem with grade inputs occurred 3 times (2 for anatomy and 1 for the OPP department). Its not like its an everyday or test day occurrence. Each time it was remedied in 24-48 hrs and the errors in input were obvious to everyone. Our student government handled it nicely and were involved early, along with the Dean. Evidently, there are software issues and maybe a problem with person who manually inputs the grade into our app. They use a separate system to import final grades into student portal. There are several ways to view your test results. So, in one app it was 15% higher and then reversed in the other and we were left not knowing which grade was correct. Saying your raw score is curved down 15% and never corrected gives the impression that you will get a grade your didn’t earn, which is not true. However, if your initial raw score was 15% higher than what you got in the end...i’d kinda be mad too...
6. There are a few people who have told me they were hurt (not much) by a curved grade in their raw score. Meaning, they drop a question you got correct, but those pts are not added back to your raw score if you missed other questions they kept. There is a 5% (I think, maybe less) they add at the end of grading for any questions they didn’t drop, but were subjective. Basically, your raw score is not your final score, but it causes a lot of anxiety when we see it. We get to bring this up next Deans hr because it causes unnecessary anxiety. Also, after this last occurrence, all grades go through the Dean and he reviews/approves them all prior to final submission.
7. The exams go through a review process with faculty and then with the dean. They go over questions and drop some based on the review. So, it takes about 5 (sometimes 7 days) to get our final grade back after curving and adding of 5% at the end. I like the thorough review, especially with our Dean involved. I think they take it seriously.
8. Anatomy is hard. We have 3 PhDs and 2 general surgeons who teach us anatomy and they are not fooling around. My beef with anatomy is not the lectures, lab, or the professors. Its I feel I don’t have enough time to study anatomy. We get 4 quizzes a week in other subjects, so for most of us, anatomy get punted. We try to study, but its hard to squeeze it in. Most students are trying to really learn it a week before the practical and this is impossible, hence bad score. With that said, COMLEX is heavy on anatomy and MSK vs USMLE, so you will need to know it. I don’t mind the 2nd-3rd order questions, just wish my quiz schedule was structured differently during the week. Meaning, if we had less quizzes to study for the next week, we could spend more time studying anatomy.
9. Yes, our facilities are fantastic (and ladies in the office are super sweet)
10. We have an A-team security team. The probably know more about you than you do and have your license plate memorized. Also, some bring in meals to feed late night studiers because they know we are hungry (and tired). Overall, we appreciate them.
11. The students get to meet with Dean on Fridays every other week. Its required attendance. Others from the dean council are present and we can be as honest and open as want. Everytime we talk about not being able to see exact test answers to our questions for test/quizzes on biomedical exams. Maybe one day they will cave. Also, we talk about what we like and/or want changed. I think the quiz schedule will come up next time. Additionally, they keep us posted on new rotation sites.

Agreed with everything. To me, ICOM is rad af. Any personal questions or if you're wanting to ask more about stuff just send me a PM

 

[deleted946657]

Thank you to all the current students, including the one who had more concerned/negative things to say, for taking time to give your feedback on this thread. It is really useful for all of us to hear from you and all your perspectives.

Sent from my SM-G960U using SDN mobile

 

[snowcrawler85]

So I think this post is a little too grim (or maybe vague) and feel compelled to reply...

1. Correct, the faculty will not release the specific test answers to students for personal review. However, each question is assigned an objective which is listed at the beginning of each lecture. You can see which objective you failed (by the incorrect answer) and review. For a 130 question test, you will see all answer choices and the objective next to it. They had a review session before clinical foundations and MSK final exams. Faculty meets with all students during lecture hour to discuss and review topics per students request. 90% faculty have an open door policy (basically, come see them whenever w questions). They do have specific office hrs too, but I think most are approachable in the hallway or elevator. Thats how I do it.
2. Everyone has their favorite professor. We started with a great physiology professor for clinical foundations and got someone different for MSK. The first professor is a hard act to follow and the second one was a little disappointing in comparison (for some students) however, they only gave 3 or 4 lectures out of the entire block of 60 + lectures. I don’t think its reasonable to believe you should love every professor that lectures to you. The second one was incredibily nice and personable, but hard to follow compared to the first (which has returned for respiratory, yeah!)
3. Mandatory attendance for each class (but you can have unexcused, I think its like 8-10/class, maybe less...its listed in the syllabus). Its not like you can never miss and not manage your life events. Plus, each lecture is recorded so you can see it when you miss. Its up in panapto in 2-3 hrs after the lecture is given.
4. Yes, the OPP department is amazing...knuff said. They posted the quiz answers (unlike biomedical) that we get weekly for the last block prior to last practical, which was helpful.
5. Most people are used to blackboard and eMedley is a new system the school is trying. Professors and students have expressed their dislikes. They are discussing changing it for next year. The problem with grade inputs occurred 3 times (2 for anatomy and 1 for the OPP department). Its not like its an everyday or test day occurrence. Each time it was remedied in 24-48 hrs and the errors in input were obvious to everyone. Our student government handled it nicely and were involved early, along with the Dean. Evidently, there are software issues and maybe a problem with person who manually inputs the grade into our app. They use a separate system to import final grades into student portal. There are several ways to view your test results. So, in one app it was 15% higher and then reversed in the other and we were left not knowing which grade was correct. Saying your raw score is curved down 15% and never corrected gives the impression that you will get a grade your didn’t earn, which is not true. However, if your initial raw score was 15% higher than what you got in the end...i’d kinda be mad too...
6. There are a few people who have told me they were hurt (not much) by a curved grade in their raw score. Meaning, they drop a question you got correct, but those pts are not added back to your raw score if you missed other questions they kept. There is a 5% (I think, maybe less) they add at the end of grading for any questions they didn’t drop, but were subjective. Basically, your raw score is not your final score, but it causes a lot of anxiety when we see it. We get to bring this up next Deans hr because it causes unnecessary anxiety. Also, after this last occurrence, all grades go through the Dean and he reviews/approves them all prior to final submission.
7. The exams go through a review process with faculty and then with the dean. They go over questions and drop some based on the review. So, it takes about 5 (sometimes 7 days) to get our final grade back after curving and adding of 5% at the end. I like the thorough review, especially with our Dean involved. I think they take it seriously.
8. Anatomy is hard. We have 3 PhDs and 2 general surgeons who teach us anatomy and they are not fooling around. My beef with anatomy is not the lectures, lab, or the professors. Its I feel I don’t have enough time to study anatomy. We get 4 quizzes a week in other subjects, so for most of us, anatomy get punted. We try to study, but its hard to squeeze it in. Most students are trying to really learn it a week before the practical and this is impossible, hence bad score. With that said, COMLEX is heavy on anatomy and MSK vs USMLE, so you will need to know it. I don’t mind the 2nd-3rd order questions, just wish my quiz schedule was structured differently during the week. Meaning, if we had less quizzes to study for the next week, we could spend more time studying anatomy.
9. Yes, our facilities are fantastic (and ladies in the office are super sweet)
10. We have an A-team security team. The probably know more about you than you do and have your license plate memorized. Also, some bring in meals to feed late night studiers because they know we are hungry (and tired). Overall, we appreciate them.
11. The students get to meet with Dean on Fridays every other week. Its required attendance. Others from the dean council are present and we can be as honest and open as want. Everytime we talk about not being able to see exact test answers to our questions for test/quizzes on biomedical exams. Maybe one day they will cave. Also, we talk about what we like and/or want changed. I think the quiz schedule will come up next time. Additionally, they keep us posted on new rotation sites.

Thank you for your post

 

[snowcrawler85]

Every school is going to have its issues and quirks, but I loved the way I felt while I was at ICOM and I would be happy to attend.

 

[foreverhopeful95]

Thank you to every current student who’s shared their thoughts on how ICOM is going! It’s hard to know exactly where a new school will be going but I’m still glad I chose ICOM because of how I felt at the interview!


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[PITBULLS]

Same here. Thank you for the feedback. Please keep it coming as new issues and discoveries arise! I too had an incredible gut feeling that this school was the one for me. Having been accepted to 7 already, this still remains my first choice.

 

[PITBULLS]

That being said, how likely do you think it is that I can stay in Boise for all of my rotations?? Has there been any discussion of how they are selected or assigned?

 

[deleted946657]

That being said, how likely do you think it is that I can stay in Boise for all of my rotations?? Has there been any discussion of how they are selected or assigned?

Dr. Hasty mentioned during my interview that if a person has ties to an area, like family or grew up in one of the core sites, they will get preference to stay in that area. After that, they have everyone rank their sites and try to accommodate students as best they can.

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[snowcrawler85]

Dr. Hasty mentioned during my interview that if a person has ties to an area, like family or grew up in one of the core sites, they will get preference to stay in that area. After that, they have everyone rank their sites and try to accommodate students as best they can.

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I am hoping they get some rotations in Oregon.

 

[foreverhopeful95]

Speaking of rotations, it may be a stupid question but is the site you’re placed at the site you’ll be at the whole year or just for a rotation? I know they said something about it during the interview but I forgot lol


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[DCRATAMT2]

Generally the "site" is composed of a number of hospitals and clinics and is the area where you will do all your 3rd year rotations before your elective rotations in year 4.

 

[snowcrawler85]

Generally the "site" is composed of a number of hospitals and clinics and is the area where you will do all your 3rd year rotations before your elective rotations in year 4.

I agree with this.

 

[foreverhopeful95]

Thank you both for clarifying!


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[la_danseuse]

Hey everyone! For those of you that have already interviewed at ICOM and those that will do so in the upcoming months, consider submitting interview feedback about the school. This helps give future interviewees an idea about what to expect and reasons why students opt to attend ICOM vs. not attend. Here's the link: https://schools.studentdoctor.net/school/idcom/1/idaho-college-of-osteopathic-medicine

 

[chmed2019]

II received 12/10 for February!

 

[_Rod_of_Asclepius_]

I know the school is just in it’s first year but can any OMS comment in research opportunities? For those of us possibly attending but have our sights set on specialties other than primary care?

 

[deleted946657]

I know the school is just in it’s first year but can any OMS comment in research opportunities? For those of us possibly attending but have our sights set on specialties other than primary care?

I'm not a current student, so hopefully one of them can comment as well, but I am also very interested in this and have been monitoring the ICOM website for this pretty closely. I also emailed student services about research.

The website has recently had quite a bit of info regarding research added just over the past month or so, including their mission statement regarding research, opportunities already available including those outside the school (i.e. what appears to be a local clinical research company), and current faculty research interests. When I emailed student services about research (this was like a month or two ago, so it was before the other things were posted on the website), they said they were putting a lot of emphasis on research, and they were wrapping up construction of the basic science lab a few months before the second class matriculates, so the faculty should have gotten going on in-house basic science research by the time the class of 2023 starts.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you!

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[_Rod_of_Asclepius_]

I'm not a current student, so hopefully one of them can comment as well, but I am also very interested in this and have been monitoring the ICOM website for this pretty closely. I also emailed student services about research.

The website has recently had quite a bit of info regarding research added just over the past month or so, including their mission statement regarding research, opportunities already available including those outside the school (i.e. what appears to be a local clinical research company), and current faculty research interests. When I emailed student services about research (this was like a month or two ago, so it was before the other things were posted on the website), they said they were putting a lot of emphasis on research, and they were wrapping up construction of the basic science lab a few months before the second class matriculates, so the faculty should have gotten going on in-house basic science research by the time the class of 2023 starts.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you!

Sent from my SM-G960U using SDN mobile

I’m super stoked on ICOM and definitely see it becoming one of the better schools but being brand new DOES make me nervous in addition to the lack of a Federal Aid. I really am nervous about attending here and being stuck in a specialty I have no desire to go into...

 

[deleted946657]

I’m super stoked on ICOM and definitely see it becoming one of the better schools but being brand new DOES make me nervous in addition to the lack of a Federal Aid. I really am nervous about attending here and being stuck in a specialty I have no desire to go into...

Oh for sure, I am worried about that too and would be lying if I said otherwise, as are some of the other accepted students I've talked to. For me, I have decided to trust my gut (which is pro-ICOM) and make my absolute best of it. I've turned down other more "prestigious" interviews and acceptances to do so. But I also totally understand the hesitation others have, and I would not judge someone for opting out. We all have to make that calculation and decision for ourselves. I hope you feel confident and are happy with whatever decision you end up making.

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[PITBULLS]

I’m super stoked on ICOM and definitely see it becoming one of the better schools but being brand new DOES make me nervous in addition to the lack of a Federal Aid. I really am nervous about attending here and being stuck in a specialty I have no desire to go into...

I agree with the previous comment and also had a very positive gut feeling of the future success of ICOM. As for being stuck with a specialty that you may not like, that is moreso up to you then whichever school you attend. Your competitiveness in residency matching in fields you prefer is based heavily on relevant rotation site letters of recommendation and step 1 and 2 test scores. Honestly, for a new school, I believe they will push the faculty to be more involved with and available for the students in order to earn higher test scores. The unknown is both daunting and exciting, and I think we can really set a name for ourselves with this school.

 

[foreverhopeful95]

Another post saying the same thing but I agree! I truly think ICOM will be great, despite the mandatory attendance! Haha
I also see it like Pitbulls where they’ll esp want to help us succeed since it’s so new!

P.S. Academic calendars for class of 2023 have been uploaded to ICOM’s website!

 

[snowcrawler85]

I am also thinking IM vs surgery. I will want to start research early and believe ICOM will allow me with those opportunities. I also believe like Pitbull said, my success will be determined by what I do, not by the school I attend. If I can perform research, get great scores, I think I will be successful as I want to be. It is very important to me to have access to activities outside of school, I love snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, and everything outdoors, Boise is a dream. I have also turned down more prestigious interviews because I believe I will thrive at ICOM. I think our class will be amazing but I’m biased☺️

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Deleted. To keep anonymity, PM me and I can give my unbiased advice and my experience

 

[snowcrawler85]

Do we need to do anything after our background check and drug screen are complete, like upload results to record tracker or does ICOM get the results from Certiphi? I know we have to upload signature page and technical standards to record tracker and pay the fee.. do I have to do anything else before my deadline?

 

[foreverhopeful95]

Do we need to do anything after our background check and drug screen are complete, like upload results to record tracker or does ICOM get the results from Certiphi? I know we have to upload signature page and technical standards to record tracker and pay the fee.. do I have to do anything else before my deadline?

No, as long as you pay the deposit and submit those two forms, you are good! The background and drug screen results go to them automatically

 

[mommieofthree]

I know the school is just in it’s first year but can any OMS comment in research opportunities? For those of us possibly attending but have our sights set on specialties other than primary care?

The research committee has been working on getting proposals for research opportunities out to the students. So far, three representatives from different research institutions in the area came to speak to our class over past 3-4 months. They offered community and biomedical research opportunities. They came to visit us during our lunch break after a block of 4 hrs of lecture, so not everyone decided to attend. Their proposals were recorded in the auditorium for our review. Additionally, 5/6 professors just released their upcoming research projects (starting in Jan 2019 after lab completion) so current students could start the application process to work with them if they want.

Not sure if this is posted on the ICOM website for prospective applicants to view. We are the first class and trying diligently to get all the clubs and student organizations set up. When you get here, there will be a research arm under student government to help facilitate this process.

 

[PITBULLS]

I’ve been hearing some mixed feelings of rotation site quality. Could other current students chime in on this? I feel like it’s still foggy territory because rotations won’t start for another ~20 months, so they’re obviously still in the works. Please and thank you!

 

[snowcrawler85]

I’m not a current student but I feel like I should mention that Dean Hasty has done some amazing things in his career and although ICOM is new I believe we will be given the tools to be successful.

This is from a resource at Campbell University:

“ In 2013, Dr. Hasty became the Vice President of Medical Education and the Regional Associate Dean and later as Associate Dean for Postgraduate Affairs for Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine in North Carolina. During his tenure at Campbell University, he created 383 residency positions in 20 programs at 7 organizations and led the university to be awarded the AOA STAR award for the strategic planning that has created medical education opportunities in North Carolina for the next generation of osteopathic physicians. “

In addition to this first year board scores for Campbell averaged 652 and there was a 100% pass rate.

 

[ktmrider]

Withdrew my application. Not really what I was looking for in a medical school, but in a few years maybe they will be there.

I'd be happy to provide feedback for anyone considering ICOM. PM me.

Hope my spot goes to one of you!

 

[_Rod_of_Asclepius_]

I’m going to be withdrawing my acceptance here, hopefully it helps one of you!

Got my acceptance at my dream school. ICOM was an awesome place and I’m sure will serve all of you well! See you all on rounds one day!

 

[grapples43]

There is no doubt that ICOM could not have picked a better dean. Dean Hasty will make great strides for ICOM, veteran posters and current ICOM students do not disagree with that statement. Especially when it comes to forming residencies, there are not many who can do it better. However, those voicing their concerns just want to make it known that as the second ICOM class, we may not be able to fully benefit from ICOM as it can take a little while for progress to be made.



If I am reading the Campbell Powerpoint correctly, there was one student who had to take the COMLEX early due to a military commitment and scored a 652. The Campbell Class of 2017 had a COMLEX mean of 527.28 (National mean was 514.98 back then) with an overall first time pass of 92.95%. Still really good for a new school and their first class. The table in that PowerPoint is misleading. I believe TCOM had the highest COMLEX score in the nation this past year and they had a mean of 592.93 which is above the national mean of 557.81 on the COMLEX Level 1. Campbell is a fantastic DO school; but, last I looked, they are currently sitting in or around the top 10 in COMLEX Level 1 scores.

I believe Campbell is a great representation of what ICOM can become. If you look at old posts regarding Campbell and Rocky Vista, many posters had warnings for applicants—similar to what you hear about ICOM today. Now Rocky Vista and Campbell have both become respected programs in a short time. I do think that Idaho and Meridian offer greater opportunity than other SDN posters realize.

For instance this article about a new medical center opening:
Former ER doctor Ahlquist part of medical complex development planned for Meridian

The article mentions, “HCA Healthcare, formerly known as the Hospital Corp. of America, will operate the medical facilities. The for-profit company, based in Nashville, Tennessee, operates West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.”

Depending on how quickly this develops and if ICOM is able to partner with them as they did in Eastern Idaho, it would be great. Again, not sure if it would benefit our class.

Although this video:

is definitely promotional, I think that it speaks to how seriously Meridian and Idaho want ICOM to succeed. Especially, because of the growth in the area and the need for medical care. Not many other DO schools have this kind of backing from the city and state.

I’m not sure where you’re from. Maybe the Treasure Valley, maybe not, but this article doesn’t really prove anything about ICOMs potential. I like your enthusiasm and it’s true that ICOM could be a great school and Idaho supports them, but you’re missing information when reading this article.

Ahlquist is an okay guy, but he’s in this for the money. He hasn’t practiced medicine in quite a while. From what I understand, he got into medicine for the money and didn’t like it, so he found something that paid better. He’ll get paid pretty well for this.

A free standing ER without a hospital nearby isn’t the best idea (so I guess it’s good they want a hospital eventually, but you still have to deal with “in the meantime”). Sounds like you could basically have an EM rotation there in the years to come, but I’m not sure beyond that.

I’m not impressed that this is being managed by the same company as West Valley or Eastern Idaho. West Valley is less than impressive and has at times had a difficult time succeeding. I refused to go there when I was in Caldwell, preferring to drive to Nampa. And Eastern Idaho Regional has the reputation of being the WORST medical center not only in Idaho, but the region. I genuinely hope this new medical center is better.

This medical center has a place. People will go there, doctors will work there, and it will be nice to see something not owned by the two major medical centers in town, but I wouldn’t count your ducklings before they are hatched.

 

[PITBULLS]

I’m not sure where you’re from. Maybe the Treasure Valley, maybe not, but this article doesn’t really prove anything about ICOMs potential. I like your enthusiasm and it’s true that ICOM could be a great school and Idaho supports them, but you’re missing information when reading this article.

Ahlquist is an okay guy, but he’s in this for the money. He hasn’t practiced medicine in quite a while. From what I understand, he got into medicine for the money and didn’t like it, so he found something that paid better. He’ll get paid pretty well for this.

A free standing ER without a hospital nearby isn’t the best idea (so I guess it’s good they want a hospital eventually, but you still have to deal with “in the meantime”). Sounds like you could basically have an EM rotation there in the years to come, but I’m not sure beyond that.

I’m not impressed that this is being managed by the same company as West Valley or Eastern Idaho. West Valley is less than impressive and has at times had a difficult time succeeding. I refused to go there when I was in Caldwell, preferring to drive to Nampa. And Eastern Idaho Regional has the reputation of being the WORST medical center not only in Idaho, but the region. I genuinely hope this new medical center is better.

This medical center has a place. People will go there, doctors will work there, and it will be nice to see something not owned by the two major medical centers in town, but I wouldn’t count your ducklings before they are hatched.

Interesting. I can’t tell if you’re being insightful or cynical. How do you know Ahlquist worked EM or changed career paths just for the money? We can all agree that infrastructure development in rapidly growing areas has its hiccups. I think we owe it to ourselves and those we serve to make it as seamless as possible and work effectively with what resources we’re given. Hopefully these developments are with good intentions.

 

[Optimus001]

Does anyone know if they have any clinical sites in Colorado, preferably Denver area?

 

[deleted946657]

I appreciate your views and I am actually enjoying the discussions in this thread. It is better for everyone to have an open forum, especially when it comes to a new school like ICOM. As someone from the area that goes to UW, what are your thoughts on ICOM in general? What is the general consensus in the state/area if you think there is one.

I'm an Idaho native with over 20 years living in Meridian/Boise, and my entire family lives there as well. The state and local area are super excited about the school, for what it's worth.

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[deleted946657]

Does anyone know if they have any clinical sites in Colorado, preferably Denver area?

Their current clinical affiliations are on their website, and I don't see any in the state of Colorado.

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