2018-2019 Texas Tech University - El Paso

Started by gyngyn
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Catchmeifyoucan said:
Thank you so much! that was very good feedback! I really appreciate that!
Are the exams in house or NBME?
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They're in house exams, but most questions are structured similarly to NBME questions in that they start with a clinical vignette (X year old male presents with X).
 
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Class2021_Catalog.png
 
BlooND said:
MS3 here, these are just my opinions and others may think differently so take them with a grain of salt:

1) The way the curriculum is set up makes sense with regards to the clinical presentations and everything, and it helps you organize the information in your head a little better. With regards to Step prep, I don't think the curriculum content helps with Step any more than any other school, but the way the schedule works out, you have a lot of time to study for Step (both dedicated and outside of dedicated).
2) I feel that the student relationships are very good. We all help each other and the atmosphere is very laid back. Upperclassmen are always willing to help the classes after them. There is a TA system, where students from the year above you help guide you, which is especially helpful during the first year because they put on weekly TA sessions where they go over high yield or difficult material. Faculty relationships are pretty good, and most professors are very approachable and willing to help and discuss any concerns or questions. The mentorship with the college system is especially strong, as you have access to 2 individuals whose doors are almost always open to you. The school provides Uworld for Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
3) Clinical opportunities are very good, even from the beginning of your first year. There are 4 free clinics that students can start volunteering at during your first year in which you are directly involved in patient care in some aspect. With regards to 3rd year, because of the small class size, it doesn't feel like you have to compete for clinical encounters. Most likely, you will be the only medical student on any particular service. Going to this school definitely does not limit you to primary care, that more depends on your preferences and board scores.
4) Research opportunities are plentiful, as the class size is so small, and there are an abundance of professors doing research and looking for students to help.
5) Facilities are very good, there is an abundance of space in the library at the MEB and in the clinical building. The study rooms at the MEB are extremely large and comfortable. The clinical facilities that MS1s and MS2s use are mainly the free clinics, which are very limited in the resources they have. However, we have a top notch medical skills center, where you start seeing standardized patients from the very beginning of 1st year, which helps you tremendously in learning to take histories and becoming comfortable assessing patients.
6) Life in El Paso is pretty good. I like to describe it as having enough things to do where you won't get bored but not an overabundance of things going on where you feel that you're missing out. El Paso is growing a lot, with new restaurants and bars opening up everywhere. More notable things that opened up in recent years are a TopGolf, Alamo Drafthouse, and a Whole Foods. The cost of living and housing is relatively low.

Again, these are just my personal opinions, but I hope it helped!
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I'm an MS2. Coming to PLFSOM over other acceptances has been the biggest mistake of my life. While I agree with some of this, there's a lot you're leaving out:

1. The SCI curriculum - which you're completing during years 1 and 2 when most students are free to focus on STEP - is basically a mandatory MPH with an emphasis in Social Justice Studies. It has a ton of required attendance - roughly 400 hours of required attendance during year one, a slightly lower number in year 2, and they don't record the stuff that's not required, meaning you have to go to most of it.
2. The med skills curriculum - which is you're completing during years 1 and 2 when most students are free to focus on the science curriculum - is another distraction from the science curriculum.
3. I and most of my classmates are frequently bewildered by the source of the questions that appear on examinations. Large numbers of people complain about the relevance of the questions and suggest utilizing the many outside resources available, no one listens.
4. My class had 13 people who repeated first year. I believe there was several who quit cold.
5. Average STEP scores are horrible, and have been down every year for several years.
6. Anatomy is a mess. Guest - an intelligent, level-headed individual - left in considerable frustration over the structure of anatomy....he sent the spiciest intra-academic letter to the curriculum director I've ever seen on departure.
7. The culture here is simply loony. The LGBTAIQTP+ community is openly militant, the massive Muslim community advocates for something like Sharia rebranded as professionalism, there's very real racial resentment against whites, several professors are just not professional or competent.
 
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yourFutureDoktur said:
How is the weekly schedule? Do you like how anatomy is spread out throughout the years? You mentioed dedicated step time, how many weeks do we get? Thank you
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Typical schedule is 3 days of lecture from 8-12, with one anatomy lecture in the afternoon of one of these days. One day of SCI/med skills...tends to be a full day on campus because med skills rarely follows SCI. One day of worked case/colloquium, both are required attendance...WCE is practical diagnosis from semi-plausible case studies, colloquium is required humanities stuff. Roughly every other week is a required SCI event or preceptor visit.

There is a ton of unstructured step prep, formal curriculum wraps in late February. You will need it because the formal curriculum...is weakly relevant to STEP.
 
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Samps0n said:
13 people who repeat
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Samps0n said:
I'm an MS2. Coming to PLFSOM over other acceptances has been the biggest mistake of my life. While I agree with some of this, there's a lot you're leaving out:
3. I and most of my classmates are frequently bewildered by the source of the questions that appear on examinations. Large numbers of people complain about the relevance of the questions and suggest utilizing the many outside resources available, no one listens.
4. My class had 13 people who repeated first year. I believe there was several who quit cold.
5. Average STEP scores are horrible, and have been down every year for several years.
nt.
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Wow, this is the first time i hear something like this about el paso. The repeat rate of 13% is way too high and Exams being irrelevant to step prep makes it tough. Do you know what the step average was this year?
 
yourFutureDoktur said:
Wow, this is the first time i hear something like this about el paso. The repeat rate of 13% is way too high and Exams being irrelevant to step prep makes it tough. Do you know what the step average was this year?
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At moment there is a multi-round mortal combat going on between the LGBTAIQTP community and faculty over their formal legal demand to redo all of the bathrooms to be genderless (not joking, there are nasty emails circulating referencing lawsuits and such over gendered bathrooms...note there are already half a dozen genderless bathrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor--- it must be ALL bathrooms) and a lot of other such screaming at the sky.

Faculty resents this a lot...previously they had a policy that failing one exam meant you were on "academic watch" and failing two exams meant a repeat of the year...but that sorta got thrown out the window, and a lot repeated after dropping just one exam...there's real animosity between many (not all) faculty and students.

I will post direct source material later if I have time. Coming here over other acceptances...was flatly stupid....coming here over a quality DO acceptance would be stupid.
 
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Samps0n said:
I'm an MS2. Coming to PLFSOM over other acceptances has been the biggest mistake of my life. While I agree with some of this, there's a lot you're leaving out:

1. The SCI curriculum - which you're completing during years 1 and 2 when most students are free to focus on STEP - is basically a mandatory MPH with an emphasis in Social Justice Studies. It has a ton of required attendance - roughly 400 hours of required attendance during year one, a slightly lower number in year 2, and they don't record the stuff that's not required, meaning you have to go to most of it.
2. The med skills curriculum - which is you're completing during years 1 and 2 when most students are free to focus on the science curriculum - is another distraction from the science curriculum.
3. I and most of my classmates are frequently bewildered by the source of the questions that appear on examinations. Large numbers of people complain about the relevance of the questions and suggest utilizing the many outside resources available, no one listens.
4. My class had 13 people who repeated first year. I believe there was several who quit cold.
5. Average STEP scores are horrible, and have been down every year for several years.
6. Anatomy is a mess. Guest - an intelligent, level-headed individual - left in considerable frustration over the structure of anatomy imposed by Dr. Batar....he sent the spiciest intra-academic letter to the curriculum director I've ever seen on departure.
7. The culture here is simply loony. The LGBTAIQTP+ community is openly militant, the massive Muslim community advocates for something like Sharia rebranded as professionalism, there's very real racial resentment against whites, several professors are just not professional or competent.
Click to expand...


I understand not everyone is going to have a “rosy” experience at particular medical schools and programs, but this is just gross ignorance spewed by a disgruntled student for what seems to be idealogical issues with the culture and practice of the curriculum. I have several friends who are MS2s here who have loved the school and curriculum (and guess what? They’re both Christian Caucasian Males). The curriculum sets you up to be culturally competent and work with a diverse population (that’s the whole mission of the institution), why would you hating all the practical and diverse lessons and encounters purposefully choose to go to this school over other acceptances then?

Not only that but saying you wish you could even go back and choose DO schools over PLFSOM is simply proof of a self-deemed lack of individual success surviving in medical school. Look at residency match rates and matches to specialities between even the highest top tier DO schools in comparison to PLFSOM- you’ll have your answers there. That plus your seemed anger at the LGBTQ initiatives and “Muslim Sharia” narrative being pushed is another indicator of maybe where you’re trying to pinpoint your disgruntled experience blame on to. This was by far the most ignorant post I’ve seen on this forum, and I’m ashamed to know that PLFSOM gave someone like you a chance to come to their medical school when people are literally dying to get in to the institution.

Don’t let this guy lower your happiness of getting into this amazing program. I’m sorry Trump University-School of Medicine wasn’t an option when you applied.
 
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RedWolverine said:
I understand not everyone is going to have a “rosy” experience at particular medical schools and programs, but this is just gross ignorance spewed by a disgruntled student for what seems to be idealogical issues with the culture and practice of the curriculum. I have several friends who are MS2s here who have loved the school and curriculum (and guess what? They’re both Christian Caucasian Males). The curriculum sets you up to be culturally competent and work with a diverse population (that’s the whole mission of the institution), why would you hating all the practical and diverse lessons and encounters purposefully choose to go to this school over other acceptances then?

Not only that but saying you wish you could even go back and choose DO schools over PLFSOM is simply proof of a self-deemed lack of individual success surviving in medical school. Look at residency match rates and matches to specialities between even the highest top tier DO schools in comparison to PLFSOM- you’ll have your answers there. That plus your seemed anger at the LGBTQ initiatives and “Muslim Sharia” narrative being pushed is another indicator of maybe where you’re trying to pinpoint your disgruntled experience blame on to. This was by far the most ignorant post I’ve seen on this forum, and I’m ashamed to know that PLFSOM gave someone like you a chance to come to their medical school when people are literally dying to get in to the institution.

Don’t let this guy lower your happiness of getting into this amazing program. I’m sorry Trump University-School of Medicine wasn’t an option when you applied.
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Thank you [emoji120]
 
It is unfortunate to see such negative comments only days after the majority of the Class of 2023 was set. If I were an applicant just now hearing these types of things, I would wonder why they have not come up in the past few months (by now you have all spoken to multiple different current medical students in person). Not to undermine any of these important topics, but perhaps their impact on medical education has been over blown in a previous post. Continue to ask questions, especially when it comes time for Summer Preview. Unfortunately you may feel a little in the dark until then, but use that time to wrap up what you are doing now, get your orientation tasks completed, and figure out your living situation. If for some reason you are feeling like you are missing something, don't be afraid to ask.

Some clarifications:
Regarding previous Step exam scores, please see my previous post. Seriously though, you do not need to start thinking about this yet.

Regarding the MS1 schedule, I cannot speak for your schedule, but here was what we had this year:
Immersion - Basically 8a-5p, Mon-Thurs, with 4 hours of conversational Spanish mixed with 4 hours of other content, mostly SCI-related, whether it was a lecture or working in small groups. Lunch was frequently provided. Fridays were usually 8a-12p and involved Spanish and a small event of some sort. We went off-campus twice for Spanish I believe. Most if not all of this 4 weeks is mandatory, but most would also agree that it is laid back and gives a great opportunity to get to meet your classmates and get to know the campus, area, and what is to come.

Units/blocks after immersion - You will have the entire semester available in your calendar. The quick of it:
Mon-Weds is a mix of 8-12 and 8-5 (usually only 1 full day). The majority of this time is non-mandatory attendance, recorded lectures. Depending on the unit, you may have 2-3 hours of anatomy once or twice a week, or not at all. Anatomy is rarely on Friday. There may also be 2-3 hours worth of lecture that is not recorded because of the presentation style (usually group-based).
Thursday is 1 hour of Spanish (mandatory), 1 hour of SCI (non-mandatory attendance, not recorded), then 2 hours of medical skills (mandatory). Spanish and SCI are from 8a-10a with varying order, and medical skills has 3 different start times assigned at the beginning of the semester.
Friday is 2 hours of Masters' Colloquium (think ethics, humanities, group discussion, emerging topic debate, etc.) and 2 hours of Worked Case Example (think PBL, case discussion, etc.). These are both mandatory, 8a-12p, with order depending on your college assignment. An anatomy session is rarely scheduled Friday afternoons.
There are also 3 (maybe 4?) PCP visits that are 2-4 hours each scattered throughout each semester, but you have some wiggle room when scheduling those.

To save you the math, no, you will not complete anywhere near 400 hours in mandatory SCI-related sessions your MS1 year. I am not sure where that number came from.

I am telling you the schedule now so that you understand that you have quite a bit of autonomy when it comes to how you choose to make this experience. I beg you not to worry about this for now though, and encourage you to wait a few more weeks before you completely switch gears into being a medical student. That said, congratulations to those who matched, and make sure to treat yourself for the accomplishment!
 
RedWolverine said:
I understand not everyone is going to have a “rosy” experience at particular medical schools and programs, but this is just gross ignorance spewed by a disgruntled student for what seems to be idealogical issues with the culture and practice of the curriculum. I have several friends who are MS2s here who have loved the school and curriculum (and guess what? They’re both Christian Caucasian Males). The curriculum sets you up to be culturally competent and work with a diverse population (that’s the whole mission of the institution), why would you hating all the practical and diverse lessons and encounters purposefully choose to go to this school over other acceptances then?

Not only that but saying you wish you could even go back and choose DO schools over PLFSOM is simply proof of a self-deemed lack of individual success surviving in medical school. Look at residency match rates and matches to specialities between even the highest top tier DO schools in comparison to PLFSOM- you’ll have your answers there. That plus your seemed anger at the LGBTQ initiatives and “Muslim Sharia” narrative being pushed is another indicator of maybe where you’re trying to pinpoint your disgruntled experience blame on to. This was by far the most ignorant post I’ve seen on this forum, and I’m ashamed to know that PLFSOM gave someone like you a chance to come to their medical school when people are literally dying to get in to the institution.

Don’t let this guy lower your happiness of getting into this amazing program. I’m sorry Trump University-School of Medicine wasn’t an option when you applied.
Click to expand...

Yeah wokescolds and PLFSOM go hand-in-hand.

Its by far the worst MD program in the country, no contest, and highly-regarded DO schools have better boards and placements. Add in its cultural weirdo-ness and...go somewhere else, if you have an acceptance, this program is trash.
 
RedWolverine said:
I understand not everyone is going to have a “rosy” experience at particular medical schools and programs, but this is just gross ignorance spewed by a disgruntled student for what seems to be idealogical issues with the culture and practice of the curriculum. I have several friends who are MS2s here who have loved the school and curriculum (and guess what? They’re both Christian Caucasian Males). The curriculum sets you up to be culturally competent and work with a diverse population (that’s the whole mission of the institution), why would you hating all the practical and diverse lessons and encounters purposefully choose to go to this school over other acceptances then?

Not only that but saying you wish you could even go back and choose DO schools over PLFSOM is simply proof of a self-deemed lack of individual success surviving in medical school. Look at residency match rates and matches to specialities between even the highest top tier DO schools in comparison to PLFSOM- you’ll have your answers there. That plus your seemed anger at the LGBTQ initiatives and “Muslim Sharia” narrative being pushed is another indicator of maybe where you’re trying to pinpoint your disgruntled experience blame on to. This was by far the most ignorant post I’ve seen on this forum, and I’m ashamed to know that PLFSOM gave someone like you a chance to come to their medical school when people are literally dying to get in to the institution.

Don’t let this guy lower your happiness of getting into this amazing program. I’m sorry Trump University-School of Medicine wasn’t an option when you applied.
Click to expand...

Can you be my best friend?
 
Samps0n said:
Yeah wokescolds and PLFSOM go hand-in-hand.

Its by far the worst MD program in the country, no contest, and highly-regarded DO schools have better boards and placements. Add in its cultural weirdo-ness and...go somewhere else, if you have an acceptance, this program is trash.
Click to expand...
Sounds like Gold College is still a little salty about getting their coffee swiped... +pity+:banana:
 
Samps0n said:
Yeah wokescolds and PLFSOM go hand-in-hand.

Its by far the worst MD program in the country, no contest, and highly-regarded DO schools have better boards and placements. Add in its cultural weirdo-ness and...go somewhere else, if you have an acceptance, this program is trash.
Click to expand...

Samps0n, gold college members are supposed to protect me. How could you let them take me out of our college?! Help the other gold collegers find me, please!!
 
Friendly reminder to keep this thread professional. Negative opinions of a school are allowed. Outing professors, faculty members, students, or other users is not. Keep it professional. Discuss the positives and negatives of the school, but avoid direct attacks.

Additionally, keep the discussion on the school. If you don't like the school because of its demographics, that's your prerogative. Belittling of other cultures or sexual preferences will not be tolerated.
 
Samps0n said:
I'm an MS2. Coming to PLFSOM over other acceptances has been the biggest mistake of my life. While I agree with some of this, there's a lot you're leaving out:

1. The SCI curriculum - which you're completing during years 1 and 2 when most students are free to focus on STEP - is basically a mandatory MPH with an emphasis in Social Justice Studies. It has a ton of required attendance - roughly 400 hours of required attendance during year one, a slightly lower number in year 2, and they don't record the stuff that's not required, meaning you have to go to most of it.
2. The med skills curriculum - which is you're completing during years 1 and 2 when most students are free to focus on the science curriculum - is another distraction from the science curriculum.
3. I and most of my classmates are frequently bewildered by the source of the questions that appear on examinations. Large numbers of people complain about the relevance of the questions and suggest utilizing the many outside resources available, no one listens.
4. My class had 13 people who repeated first year. I believe there was several who quit cold.
5. Average STEP scores are horrible, and have been down every year for several years.
6. Anatomy is a mess. Guest - an intelligent, level-headed individual - left in considerable frustration over the structure of anatomy....he sent the spiciest intra-academic letter to the curriculum director I've ever seen on departure.
7. The culture here is simply loony. The LGBTAIQTP+ community is openly militant, the massive Muslim community advocates for something like Sharia rebranded as professionalism, there's very real racial resentment against whites, several professors are just not professional or competent.
Click to expand...
Yikes I was taking your comment seriously until I saw the last part.... Seems like you have a bigger problem than just PLFSOM
 
Samps0n said:
Yeah wokescolds and PLFSOM go hand-in-hand.

Its by far the worst MD program in the country, no contest, and highly-regarded DO schools have better boards and placements. Add in its cultural weirdo-ness and...go somewhere else, if you have an acceptance, this program is trash.
Click to expand...

MS2 here. Here's a thought. Stop shifting the blame onto the school for "board scores and placements". Everyone is in control of their future (including STEP 1 scores). The school does an excellent job of preparing students to being able to study for board exams. It is NOT their job to spoon feed you everything. Maybe it's time to take responsibility for your own schooling like an adult. If you aren't happy about the education you are getting, maybe appropriate more time into studying rather than spewing out halfwit nonsense onto public forums about a school that gave you an opportunity most other people didn't get. As for your hateful speech about the muslim and LGBTQ community, no amount of doctor training can cure that kind of ignorance.
 
If I had to guess, I would say Samps0n just doesn't like the color pink... Which kinda hurts my feelings... On a brighter-pink-side, I think I can speak for the vast majority of people at our institution when I say that the opinions expressed by the user that doesn't like the color pink... are not at all representative of the student culture at PLFSOM. Additionally, there are those of us who today created SDN accounts displaying ACTUAL pictures of ourselves in an effort to refute these "claims" and more accurately represent our school. #WellcometoPLFSOM #Iusewtvrbathroomiwant #Weliketohaveagoodtime #Findgoldcollegecoffee

-MS2, PinkPanther2021 :troll:
 
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serenitym15 said:
is there a second look day planned?
also when do incoming students get packets with immunization info, etc...
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Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the equivalent to their second look is “summer preview” which happens at the very end of May/early June. And last year, packets went out on this date in the evening, but idk if they’re doing the same this year :/
 
Catchmeifyoucan said:
Any update on the Facebook page ?
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"Soon!(tm)"

MDhopeful74 said:
When does El Paso take step 1?
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The MS2's dedicated period starts next week I believe, and I have heard dates that range from February to early May, most being that early May or in April.

southpaw3 said:
Anyone going to the reapplicant workshop on Friday?
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For those interested, take a look at the reapplicant workshop flyer. I personally do not know anything more about it than the flyer, but it looks like there is an online streaming option available for those that can't make the trip.
 
KGrimes said:
"Soon!(tm)"



The MS2's dedicated period starts next week I believe, and I have heard dates that range from February to early May, most being that early May or in April.



For those interested, take a look at the reapplicant workshop flyer. I personally do not know anything more about it than the flyer, but it looks like there is an online streaming option available for those that can't make the trip.
Click to expand...

You will get a personal invite to your TMDSAS email for the Facebook group. And one of us will post the link to the official group here. Until then just be patient and relax before the medical school starts.
 
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To current students, are there any restrictions on dyed hair/piercings/tattoos in preclinical? I'd assume once you're in clinical, it's natural hair colors only and no visible tattoos?

(For reference, I have 9 piercings, 4 tattoos that are easily covered, and purple hair.)
 
zabini said:
To current students, are there any restrictions on dyed hair/piercings/tattoos in preclinical? I'd assume once you're in clinical, it's natural hair colors only and no visible tattoos?

(For reference, I have 9 piercings, 4 tattoos that are easily covered, and purple hair.)
Click to expand...

I searched "piercing" and "tattoo" in the Student Affairs Handbook and the Institutional Student Handbook, and neither found anything. Additionally, only as anecdotal information, there are students who have multiple non-ear piercings, visible tattoos, and "unnatural" hair color and as far as I know they haven't had any issues at the pre-clinical level. I cannot comment on if that holds true at the various free clinics, even more various clinical preceptors, and the VA rotation (for those doing that). Because multiple facilities are used during the clinical years, I imagine regulations may vary. It's worth checking up on when you are being oriented to a site.

Foreverstressed said:
Hi, has anyone gotten the orientation packet yet? Or have they just not sent them out?
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In all seriousness from my "soon" comment, it should be any day now. I'm sure someone will post on here (in a fit of joy!) when it is received.
 
Facebook page will be up as soon as MS1s are done constructing MSB 2 building ;P Hang in there.
On a side note lol, Someone mentioned TT was having talks about firecracker partnership. any updates?
 
zabini said:
To current students, are there any restrictions on dyed hair/piercings/tattoos in preclinical? I'd assume once you're in clinical, it's natural hair colors only and no visible tattoos?

(For reference, I have 9 piercings, 4 tattoos that are easily covered, and purple hair.)
Click to expand...

The Medical Skills course (every Thursday for MS1s and every Monday for MS2s) requires "professional attire." People have been called out this year for having skirts that are too short, wearing sneakers instead of dress shoes, wearing nail polish, having nails that are too long, and not removing nose jewelry, for example. I'm not sure where your piercings are, but multiple ear piercings and unnatural hair have been fine. Your white coat is required most of the time, so that and your professional pants will probably cover your tattoos.
 
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