The following is a copy and paste from my previous post on NYITCOM JB 20-21 forum, which should generally apply to any questions any prospective student might have.
Hello everyone! I am a 3rd-year medical student and Academic Scholar here in JB. I thought I would bring a good perspective to this campus. Obviously, I will reply whenever I get the 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 systems 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. It's a ranked lottery system, so no matter what you could end up anywhere but the school states that they try their best to get people into their top 3-5 ranked sites. Sites include Shreveport 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 I'm not battling it out with other students and residents I get to scrub in on cool neurosurgical cases, assist and be at the forefront of learning. 1st week in EM I called a code and performed 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 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 of 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(Research, rotations, people, lack of resources). There are 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 support of the state" 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. Even though the organization is from NY, the faculty and staff here are from the region and are here to help the state.
Addressing some common themes I see:
- Yes, the organization is from NY but we have faculty and staff that are deeply from the surrounding areas, our deans are leaders in the area and are well known. this is so we serve a purpose to the people here and not just to have a savior complex from NY.
- Yes, we have faculty in NY and in JB, there is a slight disconnect. but we have extremely helpful faculty here in JB and have always had a great response and help from NY.
- No, We aren't "fighting" for rotation spots. We are serving the same areas as ARCOM and UAMS, yes there are some spots that have been given to UAMS. ARCOM and NYIT share spots and the same doctors many times.
- Yes, we do have support from the state. Governor, local government, and others have made visits to our campus and meet with the students and faculty to discuss policy and problems. We see the governor almost every year during DO day, we are invited to the capitol and we get to see how the process works.
- Yes we have research look at the virtual tour to see where
- Yes, we have our own building with great resources described below. here is the building and virtual tour
- We have been here for 6 years. we are about to graduate our 3rd class. we have experience and we have had great matches.
First 2 year years: Pre-Covid
(There is a change in curriculum happening to start in the fall, so please clarify this with admissions)
Its system based. 4 semesters total. with anatomy in the first semester. The 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 a direct Verizon link to the professor while they are giving lectures. So you get almost real-time questions and answers regardless of where the lectures are held. You take a mini-test (pre-comp) and then 2 weeks later a big test (comp). the percentages for each test depending on the number 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 always 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 upperclassmen to tutor you for free. The First 2 years are tough, but I doubt it's 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.
Other Educational addons you can participate in:
Telemedicine Certificate(Required classes for this)(incredibly useful information now with the pandemic), Ultrasound certificate(This is a must, i didn't do it and i regret it), medical Spanish certificate, MBA with DO , MS in Clinical Nutrition with DO and they are always adding more.
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 comquest,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 it's 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.
-I do not know the pass rate for our campus. Those who do pass seem to be performing on par with the scores of NY from what I have heard.
-Board studying is highly dependent on individuals. NYIT gives you the tools and time and is there for you, it's up to use to actually do the studying.
Opportunities:
- Tons, I believe our campus has now 2 SOMA NATIONAL presidents (Back to back)(Big deal, gives an idea to the quality of leadership that we have at NYITCOM)
- 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.
- we get to go to OMED conferences(And other ones too) 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(See below). My favorite activity of all things was to do hours on this van. You get to take BP, do anxiety, depression screenings along blood sugar. You help patients get referrals to local clinics. This is currently a mobile student COVID-19 testing and vaccine unit and we are going around areas and doing testing. My passion on the side has been the Delta-care-a-van (Here is the NYITCOM page about it too). ALL medical students get to go on this caravan and participate in health screenings and this year we have had students of ALL years give COVID vaccines (Yes actually administer them under supervision) all over Arkansas.
- NYITCOM has also taken over the A-State 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. As an academic scholar, i rotate through this clinic.
Research: great opportunities, we use the research facility of A-state. 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. We have an
NIH funded project down here in Arkansas also, which should give you an idea as to what's happening here.
-Also plenty of simulations, intubation, stitching labs, and students are welcomed to sign up to any of them.
-Literally any volunteering idea you want to do you can, so many opportunities to go out and get hours and get experience
-I have seen people say that NYITCOM A-State doesn't have research?? don't know where they got that idea from.
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 become 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 downtown but nothing I can rave about
- Only one Indian restaurant 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 it's only Andys and Dairy Queen, and it's 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 a 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: lifesaver 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 other places, but still kinda more expensive than it should be IMO. But it's still cheap: 1000 a month for your own decent apartment. but you can easily find places for 600, but you get what you pay for.
- Dorms/apartments: 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 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 the same here. We have just graduated our 2nd class in May and have talked to them and they all say NYIT prepared them well. I'm 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. I'm 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 the 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.
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