2018-2019 Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM)

[grapples43]

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.

It's possible that I'm being a little insightful and a little cynical. As I said, I think this medical center likely has a place, and I do hope that it does well, but I'm' not impressed with what I know of it so far. I've met Ahlquist a couple of times, but would NOT say that I know him personally. That's why I used the phrase "from what I understand." This is what I have heard about him from people that know him slightly better than I do. As far as infrastructure development in rapidly growing areas, you are correct that there are a lot of hiccups, and the Boise area has probably more than it's fair share. A new medical center focused on serving an area with major population growth is needed, but the opportunity to make yourself money is usually more motivating for a lot of people than purely good intentions.

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 agree with Dr. Rainbow that they community loves ICOM, and while I have always looked at ICOM with a skeptical eye, I do think that I personally have come around to the idea of it being pretty alright. They seem to have worked very hard to make sure that it is a good school that provides a quality education. I remain skeptical on how well it will serve Idaho and what it needs from providers (mostly numbers and an understanding especially of rural needs). Some people in the community truly seem to believe that every doctor that graduates from ICOM will return to the state (or at least a good portion), and I think everyone on this forum knows that is not true. They also appear to be pretty focused on the more urban areas of Idaho and the region, and those are not really the areas that need more providers (at least not as much as rural communities). I also have always had concerns about how they will fit so many students in to rotations in the area and how that will affect the quality of education. It appears that they may fix this problem by sending a majority of their student outside of Idaho, which doesn't exactly contribute to them falling in love with the state and eventually returning.

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[mc29012]

Interviewing here on Monday, does anyone know if uber or lyft will be available around here at like 6AM or will I have to rent a car?

 

[PITBULLS]

Interviewing here on Monday, does anyone know if uber or lyft will be available around here at like 6AM or will I have to rent a car?

Try and schedule the ride ahead of time on either app. This will ensure somebody picks you up on time

 

[mc29012]

Try and schedule the ride ahead of time on either app. This will ensure somebody picks you up on time

Thanks, have never had to uber at such an hour so I didn't even know this was an option!

 

[SKay]

II today! Super excited, I'll be looking through this thread about interview day/questions, but if anyone is feeling generous/wants to impart their personal advice, please do!

 

[Robthebob]

Interviewing here on Monday, does anyone know if uber or lyft will be available around here at like 6AM or will I have to rent a car?

It worked for me! I used an Uber to get from here to the campus, then I was lucky to get a ride from someone going to the airport too!

 

[Robthebob]

II today! Super excited, I'll be looking through this thread about interview day/questions, but if anyone is feeling generous/wants to impart their personal advice, please do!

Sure! I got in and here's my advice for anyone:

1. Be prepared to answer Why? Why do you want to attend a brand new school, risks, think of the loans and situation (no FAFSA currently, but in the next year or so).
2. Explain what draws you to ICOM
3. Explain issues you had during schooling, if any. They asked me about my first year of undergrad (Mind you, i am a year post master's, so that was... 7-8 years of schooling ago!), and be honest. Do not lie. If you slacked off, admit it. The school appreciates honesty. Say what you learned from the issue then go from there!
4. Be friendly! Seriously. Find SOMETHING in common with your interviewers! That makes them enthusiastic about YOU and YOU enthusiastic about the school. One of mine was one of the Ebola vaccine researchers, I did ebola research. One was an amazing rehab physician who did a lot with pain pumps, orthopedics, played cello, and more... I do ortho/spine/trauma surgery with pain implants, played cello, and linked with a few other topics. Find something, ask them, start a conversation. If you do short answers, they won't be super impressed.
5. Ask questions. Since its a new school there are a LOT of things that aren't in place yet, but they are planning on it. If you do not have much in common with your interviewers, ask about plans for the school.


Interview day was so fun! The campus was AMAZING, the presentations were super high tech and informative, the Dean is WONDERFUL and is open and honest about everything, plus he's a fun guy to talk to! We started with some presentations, interviews, then did a tour and some food to eat. The school is growing, everything is brand-spankin' new, so many plans for the next year or so before we start the semester.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me! I would be more than happy to answer some questions.

 

[snowcrawler85]

Sure! I got in and here's my advice for anyone:

1. Be prepared to answer Why? Why do you want to attend a brand new school, risks, think of the loans and situation (no FAFSA currently, but in the next year or so).
2. Explain what draws you to ICOM
3. Explain issues you had during schooling, if any. They asked me about my first year of undergrad (Mind you, i am a year post master's, so that was... 7-8 years of schooling ago!), and be honest. Do not lie. If you slacked off, admit it. The school appreciates honesty. Say what you learned from the issue then go from there!
4. Be friendly! Seriously. Find SOMETHING in common with your interviewers! That makes them enthusiastic about YOU and YOU enthusiastic about the school. One of mine was one of the Ebola vaccine researchers, I did ebola research. One was an amazing rehab physician who did a lot with pain pumps, orthopedics, played cello, and more... I do ortho/spine/trauma surgery with pain implants, played cello, and linked with a few other topics. Find something, ask them, start a conversation. If you do short answers, they won't be super impressed.
5. Ask questions. Since its a new school there are a LOT of things that aren't in place yet, but they are planning on it. If you do not have much in common with your interviewers, ask about plans for the school.


Interview day was so fun! The campus was AMAZING, the presentations were super high tech and informative, the Dean is WONDERFUL and is open and honest about everything, plus he's a fun guy to talk to! We started with some presentations, interviews, then did a tour and some food to eat. The school is growing, everything is brand-spankin' new, so many plans for the next year or so before we start the semester.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me! I would be more than happy to answer some questions.

What he said

 

[SKay]

Sure! I got in and here's my advice for anyone:

1. Be prepared to answer Why? Why do you want to attend a brand new school, risks, think of the loans and situation (no FAFSA currently, but in the next year or so).
2. Explain what draws you to ICOM
3. Explain issues you had during schooling, if any. They asked me about my first year of undergrad (Mind you, i am a year post master's, so that was... 7-8 years of schooling ago!), and be honest. Do not lie. If you slacked off, admit it. The school appreciates honesty. Say what you learned from the issue then go from there!
4. Be friendly! Seriously. Find SOMETHING in common with your interviewers! That makes them enthusiastic about YOU and YOU enthusiastic about the school. One of mine was one of the Ebola vaccine researchers, I did ebola research. One was an amazing rehab physician who did a lot with pain pumps, orthopedics, played cello, and more... I do ortho/spine/trauma surgery with pain implants, played cello, and linked with a few other topics. Find something, ask them, start a conversation. If you do short answers, they won't be super impressed.
5. Ask questions. Since its a new school there are a LOT of things that aren't in place yet, but they are planning on it. If you do not have much in common with your interviewers, ask about plans for the school.


Interview day was so fun! The campus was AMAZING, the presentations were super high tech and informative, the Dean is WONDERFUL and is open and honest about everything, plus he's a fun guy to talk to! We started with some presentations, interviews, then did a tour and some food to eat. The school is growing, everything is brand-spankin' new, so many plans for the next year or so before we start the semester.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me! I would be more than happy to answer some questions.

Thank you so much!! This really helps and I think with this baseline I should be able to build good responses and such. I am so looking forward to this school and its brand new campus. And ya I have heard great things about the dean. He is a huge reason I would love to go there. Thank you again!!

 

[NeuroNerd10]

Anyone else interviewing Monday 1/7?
I am flying in tomorrow and saw that a few people from previous interview dates had met up for dinner or just to chill. PM me on here if you might be interested.

 

[mc29012]

Really enjoyed this interview. Great facilities, great atmosphere, friendly students, great city/surrounding area, but most importantly, the Dean/Faculty seem super dedicated to improving healthcare in the area and recruiting individuals that fit their mission. Color me impressed, my only fear is the lack of federal financial aid for a few years. Private loans can be rough.

 

[PITBULLS]

Really enjoyed this interview. Great facilities, great atmosphere, friendly students, great city/surrounding area, but most importantly, the Dean/Faculty seem super dedicated to improving healthcare in the area and recruiting individuals that fit their mission. Color me impressed, my only fear is the lack of federal financial aid for a few years. Private loans can be rough.

Agreed! I heard private loans would only be needed for the first year and then after that the other three could be federal. Is this true?

 

[mc29012]

Agreed! I heard private loans would only be needed for the first year and then after that the other three could be federal. Is this true?

If I recall correctly they can begin their application for inclusion in federal aid programs beginning in August of 2020 or something like that which means that the first fiscal year that it would be available for students who begin in 2019 would be 3rd year. They mentioned that it's possible for the federal aid to be awarded retroactively for 2020 (2nd year), but this was not a guarantee (I have no clue how this process would work). They were super transparent about the situation which I really appreciated.

Disclaimer: this is entirely based off of my memory of the financial aid presentation. A lot of info was given so this may be slightly flawed.

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[snowcrawler85]

Agreed! I heard private loans would only be needed for the first year and then after that the other three could be federal. Is this true?

Yes and No. They can apply to US Dept of Education at the beginning of next school year (2020). If they get approved during the school year they said they MAY be able to do fed loans retroactively. I’m not sure chances of them doing retroactive payment of federal loans but was told no matter what there will be fed loans for our third year 2021

 

[Brybry]

Accepted via phone call just now! I had my interview literally four days ago on 1/7. This has got to be the quickest turnaround I've ever heard of.
Completed 10/25. OOS. Non-trad. LM ~68.

 

[Ttg44]

Accepted after 1/7 interview!

 

[mc29012]

Congrats to all my fellow 1/7 interviewers who got that A today! Got the phone call around 4pm EST too!

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[NeuroNerd10]

Accepted!!! So excited!

 

[Robthebob]

Congrats!
Feel free to join us on the facebook page! ICOM Class of 2023!

 

[PITBULLS]

Congrats you guys!! Welcome to the ICOM family!

 

[UchihaSasuke]

Anyone know the post ll acceptance percentage? Got post-ll-waitlisted from another school. So low-key scared. Thank you.

 

[snowcrawler85]

Anyone know the post ll acceptance percentage? Got post-ll-waitlisted from another school. So low-key scared. Thank you.

Are you IS or OOS?

 

[UchihaSasuke]

Are you IS or OOS?

OOS

 

[Robthebob]

Anyone know the post ll acceptance percentage? Got post-ll-wait listed from another school. So low-key scared. Thank you.

Don't despair. They seem really into getting a wide variety of people with experiences and locations. Im OOS with a bunch of experience. When did they say you should get the response?

 

[UchihaSasuke]

Don't despair. They seem really into getting a wide variety of people with experiences and locations. Im OOS with a bunch of experience. When did they say you should get the response?

I actually haven't interviewed there yet but will be soon. Thank you for the words of encouragement.

 

[Robthebob]

It's a great school. A lot of the physicians I work with in surgery have brought up they have heard of ICOM and how it's top-of-the-line upcoming school, the dean is *AMAZING* and the staff are incredibly invested in each and every one of us. If you want, you can PM me and you can ask me questions, be anxious, etc.

 

[snowcrawler85]

I actually haven't interviewed there yet but will be soon. Thank you for the words of encouragement.

I only remember post acceptance rate for IS which is like 85%. ICOM is amazing, just be yourself and have fun. Best of luck!

 

[mc29012]

I actually haven't interviewed there yet but will be soon. Thank you for the words of encouragement.

Hey, I'm from about as far away as you can be from Idaho and by no means a perfect applicant and I got in. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM!

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[Strick09]

Hey everyone I gave up my interview position in feb. hope someone who needs the II gets it! best of luck to all of you guys. I got into nova so i decided to stay in fl!

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[YeezyQ]

Withdrew my interview in February as well. Best wishes to you all!

 

[Datserati]

I interview on 2/18. If anyone wants to share a room or car or just hang out, hit me up. I'm a family guy, so would feel more comfortable chilling with other dudes, thanks for understanding . Stats btw for those who are curious, OOS, 502 MCAT, 3.6cgpa/3.7sgpa, 1000+ hrs clinical as an ER tech.

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[Gormegil]

I’m local, so if anybody coming into town is looking for good food, coffee, etc, hit me up and I’ll send some recs!

 

[UchihaSasuke]

interviewing February 11. If anyone wants to split hotel/car rental. PM me

 

[Strick09]

interviewing February 11. If anyone wants to split hotel/car rental. PM me

Sorry about that I thought this was the Nova thread lol. I would have been interviewing with you though but got accepted here in FL

 

[Strick09]

Woops i thought that was for Nova hahahahahaha

Sorry about that

 

[medicinepassion1]

Does anyone know how rotations would work? I know they have a core site in various states for the third year, but what about the fourth year? If I went here would it require a lot of moving around?

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Does anyone know how rotations would work? I know they have a core site in various states for the third year, but what about the fourth year? If I went here would it require a lot of moving around?

4th year is for audition rotations at potential residencies.

 

[medicinepassion1]

I am pretty sure that fourth year rotations are all elective. So you could do away rotations in away from your core clinical site or in other states at places that you hope to interview for residency. So I believe that much of your 4th year is up to you and how you would like to structure your rotations. I have heard of a couple of schools setting up 4th year in a similar manner.

So does that mean I'd have to move around every four weeks throughout the year? Also, does that mean I'd have to apply to multiple sites for a particular elective, i.e one says they don't want me rotating there? I realize might sound like silly questions, but just want to make sure I understand everything

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

So does that mean I'd have to move around every four weeks throughout the year? Also, does that mean I'd have to apply to multiple sites for a particular elective, i.e one says they don't want me rotating there? I realize might sound like silly questions, but just want to make sure I understand everything

Yes and Yes. This is standard across all schools

 

[Strick09]

Yes and Yes. This is standard across all schools

not exactly the norm across all schools. usually there are key rotstion sites where you can rotate through all specialties needed for 3rd year. 4th year is usually up to you and where you audition for. 4th year is normally a head dive into the specialty you want to hopefully match into. it also allows you to make connections in those residencies for match.

 

[medicinepassion1]

.

 

[snowcrawler85]

At ICOM core rotation website, they have one under Jackson, Wyoming. Does anybody else know anything about this? Based on my research thus far, it's just a resort town. How can you do all rotations there for the third year?

Core rotations are split between everyone. Once you have your core site 3rd year you are there all year. Only a select few will go to Jackson.

 

[medicinepassion1]

,

 

[Benjamin87]

Anyone have a good idea on the schedule for IIs? Or anyone on here with IIs for late Feb and/or early March? Late March?

Thanks

 

[chmed2019]

Accepted

 

[Robthebob]

Awesome! Congrats! Feel free to join us on the facebook group! ICOM Class of 2023!

 

[Luckyone71]

Accepted

When did you interview? And congrats!

 

[chmed2019]

When did you interview? And congrats!

Thank you! I interviewed on February 4th and they got back to me on February 8th.

 

[deleted600623]

Any accepted students purchase their stethoscope yet? I'm going to buy mine soon but I'm not sure which one I should choose between classic III and Cardiology IV. I'm leaning towards the classic III.

 

[Robthebob]

No? I havent got any word on things we have to buy.... And I got accepted in September 2018 lol.