Hello everyone! I am a 3rd year medical student here at JB. I will be an academic scholar starting in January also. I see over the past year or so, the JB students haven't always gotten a chance to update you all on their experience at the school so far. I though I would bring good perspective to this campus. Obviously I will reply whenever I get chance. I am super busy, but since I have a little free time I thought I would help out. I will address whatever I can here but please ask more questions if you need it.
Rotations:
OMS-3 doing my rotation in jonesboro. if you are assigned to JB, you get assigned to one of the two hospital system in the area and are expected to be with them for whatever your required rotations are in 3rd year. You Put in preferences for rotation in 2nd year and then just hope for the best. Its a preferred lottery system, so no matter what you could end up anywhere but the school states that they try their best to get people in to their tope 3-5 ranked sites. Sites include: Shrevport Louisiana, some in MO, Little Rock, Fayetteville, Memphis, Jonesboro. These are the big ones that most people go to, but remember you could rank all your top preferences and still end up in the middle of nowhere. But don't let this fret you, because TBH this is where all the learning is done.
All the doctors I have worked with so far have been really excited to see students and have us on board. a lot of them are associated with the school in some way and are involved with the school. The student to doctor ratio is 1:1 even in JB where a lot of the students are placed. You get to see awesome cases, and since im not battling it out with other students and residents I get to scrub in on cool neruosurgical cases, assist and be on the forefront of learning. 1st week in EM I called a code and preformed compressions, sutured, gave injections, reduced a dislocated kneecap and shoulder with the supervision of the ER attending. My dad did his residency and fellowship in NYC and Long Island and said that students literally get kicked to the side for any of these things and you barely get to take a history up there and that down here you really are getting hands-on. This should give you a good idea as to the HUGE benefit in learning in a rural setting.
IDK why everyone is saying that NYITCOM is fighting out for rotation spots? we have a ton, and every student is assigned with a proper doctor and system. I have worked with other medical students from ARCOM and from other med schools doing their Sub-I. No problems, and its great seeing our partners out there from ARCOM. NYITCOM is a big name in medicine, and has the power and pull to get you what you need. and they will make sure they have quality rotations at each of their spots.
ARCOM:
I would be wary of any ARCOM vs NYITCOM posts out there where ARCOM students come in claim unsubstantiated claims against NYITCOM in reference to academics and rotations. There is some major politics behind the scene that we don't all get to see. This is all I will say on the subject. One thing I have heard since I was applying was " NYITCOM doesn't have the states support" This is not true. The governor, A-States chancellor and local JB government have come out and mentioned their support for us even before the school was founded. each year during DO Day, NYITCOM is invited to meet with Governor Hutchinson and talk about advocating for the health of the state and our school. He has openly met us, and works with our deans. We have a lot of amazing rotations spots, and great faculty and staff who teach at these spots. Believe me when I say that you are ready for the wards after you finish your first 2 years of school. I have seen our own 3rd/4th year NYITCOM students flourish at intern levels while on rotations and have no doubt about my classmates and the quality of the graduates from our campus.
First 2 year years: Pre-Covid, things might be different now.
Its system based. 4 semesters total. with anatomy in first semester. Doctor patient relationship, OMM first semester and then add problem based learning cases in the second semester. Lectures are recorded. You get a mix of classes from NY and JB. All of them are live and recorded. You have direct Verizon link to the professor while they are giving lectures. So you get almost realtime question and answers regardless of where the lectures are held. You take a mini test (precomp) and then 2 weeks later a big test (comp). the percentages for each test depends on the amount of lectures covered. if you need help studying or need coaching, you are given access to a great library for resources, we have 2 amazing academic enrichment specialists who specialize in this and can help you with whatever you need. Faculty and staff are alway available on campus to get information (obviously provided we are on campus). You also are given access to mentors and they also have options for upper classmen to tutor you for free. First 2 years are tough, but I doubt its easy anywhere else. Make sure you have your basic sciences done and make sure your know how to manage a lot of information coming at you fast.
Options to do the following on top of your normal class time:
Telemedicine Certificate(Required classes for this)(Has come in hand for COVID transition, Ultrasound certificate, medical Spanish certificate, Masters in Neuromuscular sciences (Academic Scholar)
COMLEX/USMLE:
When you are about to take level 1, you will be required to meet certain exam scores through practice exams starting in January of your 2nd year. These are just guidelines and you adjust your studying accordingly. You get access to conquest,combank, First Aid and maybe some other things but they give you the basics of what you need to get started. Assuming you follow the minimum score requirements at each checkpoint its NBD usually unless the academic enrichment specialist thinks you need more time. literally whatever you need help with, they will guide you the best. If you don't make it to these standards, then they will see where your weaknesses are and see what you need to do. Usually also NBD and just there to make sure they address the problem areas.
Opportunities:
Tons, I believe our campus has now 2 SOMA NATIONAL presidents, we get to go to OMED conferences, sometimes NY will have summer events and professional development that you get to go to or apply to. I did one between 1st and second year where I went to go do student leadership training with the dean and some other NY students. I love Long Island and NYC and used to live there as a kid and visit almost every summer so it was nice to go and just enjoy life and learn important skills. Then our OMED conference was 2nd year for me and I went to Baltimore with other students and got to see how OMED works and NYITCOMs role in recruiting students and advocating for their students. We have a student portable clinic called the Delta Care-a-Van. My favorite activity of all things was to do hours on this van. You get to take BP, do anxiety, depression screenings along with blood sugar. You help patients get referrals to local clinics. This is currently a mobile student COVID-19 testing unit and we are going around areas and doing testing. NYITCOM has also taken over the A-State faculty clinic, and has opportunities for students. Every faculty member is open to having students join them and they all want to teach. I have faculty that will reach out to me and ask if I want to join them. This is the benefit of having a small class, you get great opportunities and have no one to really fight for these opportunities with, everyone gets equal opportunity really, as long as you are a good person and a good student. Research: great opportunities, you have faculty and staff that are always working on something and will gladly take the help and have you come on board or even they will let you come up with something you need. We have students who present at conferences and get awards frequently. With the support of our NY campus, we have great connections everywhere to get the help in the research you would like to do.
-Also plenty of simulations, intubation, stitching labs given and students are welcomed to sign up.
-Literally any volunteering idea you want to do you can, so many opportunities to go out and get hours and get experience
Extra Help:
Academic enrichment specialists: Help you with any of your academic needs and coaching in order for your to study smarter not harder
Counseling: Both a-state and NYITCOM have therapist/counselors to help with mental health and are covered by the institution
Professional Development: We have a professional development faculty member who has built her career around helping you beocome a professional and develop your professional identity. She will have meetings with everyone along the way to best help your chances of getting into residency and matching the best you can. She will help with getting resumes, getting good LORs, good ideas on what to do for each specialty. She is a godsend to our school and NYITCOM is very big on professional development.
Jonesboro/A-State campus:
Food: Nothing but normal fast-food restaurants, some interesting places in downtown but nothing I can rave about
Only one Indian restaurants with HALAL food for those who would like it
Mosque: 1 mosque near campus for the muslims here who might wonder
Ice cream: I love ice cream, but its only Andys and Dairy Queen and its a struggle for me. But if you don't choose a med school cause of ice cream then IDK what to say TBH but I can't blame ya either.
Shopping: Mall, currently renovating due to tornado that destroyed the mall in march/April. Target, Walmart, Kroger, Sams, no costco
Starbucks on A-States campus right across from the lecture hall: life saver when you have a long day
Gym: Great gym and you get the same access as anyone else lookup redwolf center gym if you need more info
Library: You get access to A-State library, you get access to our own small library that has recently been moved to our 1st floor and has computers, books and access to whatever else you might need.
Memphis: about 1 hour drive from here, great getaway on the weekends for food and whatever else you need
-Memphis also has the closest airport.
Little Rock: About 2 hours away, also a great getaway option
-Has airport, but further than Memphis
Cost of living: idk I guess cheaper than NY, but still kinda more expensive than it should be IMO. But its still cheap: 1000 a month for your own decent apartment.
Dorms/apartmetns: A-State has apartments for just graduate students, great little places to live.
Would I do it again: YES
Why: The school is a well established School from NY and knows what they have to do. They have a the good old 1-2 sucker punch to help you ace comlex and know what you need for the wards. they shoot out really good graduates from the NY campus and same here. We have just graduated our 1st class in march and have talked to them and they all say NYIT prepared them well. Im telling you that our NYIT students shine in the hospitals and our graduates do great also. We have great support and the school listens. This campus is great, and we have a great culture here and a tight knit family. Im trying to think of CONs compared to others schools and don't have much to say, things could always be improved but the thing is the DEANS WILL LISTEN. They will see what we can do and try their best to implement it. I have family members in medicine and they see great power of NYIT and are all impressed with the school. NYITCOM without a doubt will continue to shoot out great graduates because we already have amazing students.
Ask me more, and ill see what I can address.
