2023-2024 TouroCOM - Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine (Las Vegas)

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Got the A! :) 1/12
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Anyone get off the interview waitlist yet?
 
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Hi! Can a current student answer any of these questions? Thank you in advance and sorry there's so much.
1) Are there any mandatory lectures or activities?
2) How is the gym there haha
3) How is the hiking/outdoorsy scene in LV? How is living in LV in general?
4) What is the exam schedule like? Are there breaks in between blocks?
5) Are there set locations for the core rotations or do you have to set up your own? How are rotations in general, are most people happy with them?
6) How is research there?
7) How would you describe the vibe of the school?

Tyyyyy
 
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shomnom said:
Hi! Can a current student answer any of these questions? Thank you in advance and sorry there's so much.
1) Are there any mandatory lectures or activities?
2) How is the gym there haha
3) How is the hiking/outdoorsy scene in LV? How is living in LV in general?
4) What is the exam schedule like? Are there breaks in between blocks?
5) Are there set locations for the core rotations or do you have to set up your own? How are rotations in general, are most people happy with them?
6) How is research there?
7) How would you describe the vibe of the school?

Tyyyyy
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Not a current student but in terms of number 3... Henderson in particular has a lot of great spas... lake LV to go paddle boarding... and so many other things its so fun there... as for Las Vegas in general... its super fun if you like night life, shows, residencies, shopping... all those things! There is definitely a lot of outdoorsy stuff to do in and around Las Vegas for sure! I love this touro location the most...
 
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dOKtErgH said:
Waitlisted post-interview :( any waitlist success stories?
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Hello,

I am a 2nd year student. I was interviewed during my admissions cycle in October, waitlisted in November, and after submitting a LOI to enroll in late May, I was admitted off the WL. I would not bother hounding admissions now or do anything different than what you are doing already. I would keep in contact as the admission cycle winds down if TUNCOM is still your top choice.

shomnom said:
Hi! Can a current student answer any of these questions? Thank you in advance and sorry there's so much.
1) Are there any mandatory lectures or activities?
2) How is the gym there haha
3) How is the hiking/outdoorsy scene in LV? How is living in LV in general?
4) What is the exam schedule like? Are there breaks in between blocks?
5) Are there set locations for the core rotations or do you have to set up your own? How are rotations in general, are most people happy with them?
6) How is research there?
7) How would you describe the vibe of the school?

Tyyyyy
Click to expand...
1) No mandatory lectures except for OMM which is 1.5 hrs per week. We do have mandatory clinical skills labs, some mandatory simulation labs, and some clinical lectures we have to go to. During your 1st year, you are expected to go to the anatomy lab and participate in your dissections. Otherwise, you can expect to be in person / on-campus 1-2x a week for those said lectures/activities (during normal weeks not including exams, practicals, OSCEs).

2) The gym is small but includes all that you need. Cardio, weight-lifting, mats, kettlebells, free weights, etc. Adjacent to the gym is our basketball court and volleyball court. We have a dedicated area for table tennis as well.

3) I love hiking and doing outdoorsy things in general. I love to rock climb and Red Rocks is right next door which is great! If you're an outdoorsy person, you'll love Las Vegas since around the area we have parks, hot springs, and access to fun trails and outdoor activities. LV is very hot in the Summer (in July of this past year, we basically had our entire week 105F+). Currently in the Winter, we are seeing low 40s sometimes mid 30s and highs as upper mid 50s if not some days upper 40s. Weather isn't too much of an issue unless you're staying all throughout Summer which can be brutal. Dry and dusty conditions can also be a thing so having a humidifier or some lotion can help immensely. It is also windy here since we are in a valley next to the mountains. So very common to have dust and wind storms. Living in LV, you may find yourself not headed to the strip that much because...well...most of us are studying lol...but when its entertainment and fun you're looking for, there is no shortage of bars, dining options, or fun games to do. Overall, LV is fun :)

4) Exam schedule is dependent on the block you're in. We do one body system at a time. Some blocks are long which usually involve anatomy in it whereas others do not involve anatomy and thus are a bit shorter. Nonetheless...the general idea is exams are held every 2-3 weeks with OMM sprinkled every 3-4 weeks. Most blocks will have a midterm and final. If there is an anatomy component to it, you can expect a practical on top of the 2 block exams. Throughout the year, you have clinical skills which is your doctoring course. You will have periodic OSCEs (most of which are not graded except the final), and you will have a written final (no written midterm). Overall...i'd say the exam schedule is not too bad. you have enough time to do fun stuff but also enough time to study.

5) There are set locations for the core rotation but most of the setting up will be on you. You will have your schedule and you'll work with the clinical education dept to figure things out but you're gonna have to do the onboarding, badging, orientation...etc all on your own. When it comes to electives, I am not too sure so i'd have to defer to other people doing rotations right now. All rotations that are core are within 45 minutes of the school. I cannot speak to how happy people are in their rotations...but from what I have heard...some people love their experience whereas others do not. It really depends on the site you received and who your attending/resident/preceptor is. But...that's just my interpretation

6) Research is growing at TUNCOM. From my knowledge, most students choose to do research outside of TUNCOM because there are a lot of residents in las vegas who are doing projects. We are the largest medical school in Nevada and so we take up a lot of the bulk research opportunities outside of TUNCOM. I think this is the case since a lot of the research being done at TUNCOM still focuses on bench research which isn'ta. bad thing...but don't expect to get published. There are few classmates of mine who are doing presentations with faculty this year and their research isn't bench but rather a literature review/analysis. TUNCOM also recently built a new research lab that should be in affect for more clinical research (human performance lab) in the come year if not 2 years.

7) Vibe is fun and collaborative. No regrets about coming here. Some faculty are amazing and receptive to you and want you to succeed whereas other faculty can be more hard-shelled and set in their ways. Nonetheless, you learn to adapt to the expectations the school, admin, faculty, and staff have of you and when there is an issue, you bring it up accordingly. The school says they pride themselves on being a family and community for people to speak out. I'd say this is 70-80% true. We all feel comfortable to speak up when needed and for the most part, we do feel heard. We asked for a reading day to prepare for exams and they were amendable to that. We asked for more study spaces because it was hard to find a place where we could just sit down between classes and they opened up a new space. We asked for newer desks in the common area and they provided us that. On the flip side, we asked to change our exam schedule for certain blocks, but they could not do it...we asked for more flexibility with the lecture schedule to make it more efficient...they couldnt' do it. We asked them to change one of our problem-based learning formats...they have not made a decision on that yet but its very evident that it's a pain for many students and they are still revising on how to address it.

So overall...i'd say TUNCOM is pretty chill. You find your people and you struggle with them. I'd say most people are pretty happy here at TUNCOM. :)
 
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LVLiving said:
Hello,

I am a 2nd year student. I was interviewed during my admissions cycle in October, waitlisted in November, and after submitting a LOI to enroll in late May, I was admitted off the WL. I would not bother hounding admissions now or do anything different than what you are doing already. I would keep in contact as the admission cycle winds down if TUNCOM is still your top choice.


1) No mandatory lectures except for OMM which is 1.5 hrs per week. We do have mandatory clinical skills labs, some mandatory simulation labs, and some clinical lectures we have to go to. During your 1st year, you are expected to go to the anatomy lab and participate in your dissections. Otherwise, you can expect to be in person / on-campus 1-2x a week for those said lectures/activities (during normal weeks not including exams, practicals, OSCEs).

2) The gym is small but includes all that you need. Cardio, weight-lifting, mats, kettlebells, free weights, etc. Adjacent to the gym is our basketball court and volleyball court. We have a dedicated area for table tennis as well.

3) I love hiking and doing outdoorsy things in general. I love to rock climb and Red Rocks is right next door which is great! If you're an outdoorsy person, you'll love Las Vegas since around the area we have parks, hot springs, and access to fun trails and outdoor activities. LV is very hot in the Summer (in July of this past year, we basically had our entire week 105F+). Currently in the Winter, we are seeing low 40s sometimes mid 30s and highs as upper mid 50s if not some days upper 40s. Weather isn't too much of an issue unless you're staying all throughout Summer which can be brutal. Dry and dusty conditions can also be a thing so having a humidifier or some lotion can help immensely. It is also windy here since we are in a valley next to the mountains. So very common to have dust and wind storms. Living in LV, you may find yourself not headed to the strip that much because...well...most of us are studying lol...but when its entertainment and fun you're looking for, there is no shortage of bars, dining options, or fun games to do. Overall, LV is fun :)

4) Exam schedule is dependent on the block you're in. We do one body system at a time. Some blocks are long which usually involve anatomy in it whereas others do not involve anatomy and thus are a bit shorter. Nonetheless...the general idea is exams are held every 2-3 weeks with OMM sprinkled every 3-4 weeks. Most blocks will have a midterm and final. If there is an anatomy component to it, you can expect a practical on top of the 2 block exams. Throughout the year, you have clinical skills which is your doctoring course. You will have periodic OSCEs (most of which are not graded except the final), and you will have a written final (no written midterm). Overall...i'd say the exam schedule is not too bad. you have enough time to do fun stuff but also enough time to study.

5) There are set locations for the core rotation but most of the setting up will be on you. You will have your schedule and you'll work with the clinical education dept to figure things out but you're gonna have to do the onboarding, badging, orientation...etc all on your own. When it comes to electives, I am not too sure so i'd have to defer to other people doing rotations right now. All rotations that are core are within 45 minutes of the school. I cannot speak to how happy people are in their rotations...but from what I have heard...some people love their experience whereas others do not. It really depends on the site you received and who your attending/resident/preceptor is. But...that's just my interpretation

6) Research is growing at TUNCOM. From my knowledge, most students choose to do research outside of TUNCOM because there are a lot of residents in las vegas who are doing projects. We are the largest medical school in Nevada and so we take up a lot of the bulk research opportunities outside of TUNCOM. I think this is the case since a lot of the research being done at TUNCOM still focuses on bench research which isn'ta. bad thing...but don't expect to get published. There are few classmates of mine who are doing presentations with faculty this year and their research isn't bench but rather a literature review/analysis. TUNCOM also recently built a new research lab that should be in affect for more clinical research (human performance lab) in the come year if not 2 years.

7) Vibe is fun and collaborative. No regrets about coming here. Some faculty are amazing and receptive to you and want you to succeed whereas other faculty can be more hard-shelled and set in their ways. Nonetheless, you learn to adapt to the expectations the school, admin, faculty, and staff have of you and when there is an issue, you bring it up accordingly. The school says they pride themselves on being a family and community for people to speak out. I'd say this is 70-80% true. We all feel comfortable to speak up when needed and for the most part, we do feel heard. We asked for a reading day to prepare for exams and they were amendable to that. We asked for more study spaces because it was hard to find a place where we could just sit down between classes and they opened up a new space. We asked for newer desks in the common area and they provided us that. On the flip side, we asked to change our exam schedule for certain blocks, but they could not do it...we asked for more flexibility with the lecture schedule to make it more efficient...they couldnt' do it. We asked them to change one of our problem-based learning formats...they have not made a decision on that yet but its very evident that it's a pain for many students and they are still revising on how to address it.

So overall...i'd say TUNCOM is pretty chill. You find your people and you struggle with them. I'd say most people are pretty happy here at TUNCOM. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this! It was very insightful!
 
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Hello again,

I have more questions that I answered and I'll leave them here for y'all. Cheers!

  • I know OMM is 1.5 hours per week. Is this a set schedule (i.e. every Monday from 8-9:30am) or does that change weekly? And if you get sick and have to miss a session how do you get caught up?
    • Yes, this is a set schedule. During your first year, you’ll have OMM on Tuesdays and then your 2nd year you’ll have it on Thursday. The days themselves don’t really matter but you can be sure that they will fall on a particular day consistently.
    • If you get sick, you will need to go through the proper channels to get an excused absence through the dean of students, or student health department. You kind of just get caught up as you go because you’ll have a partner you’re assigned to. Generally we all try to get each other caught up because you’ll have practicals for OMM and you want your partner to know what they are doing too so that you both do well. That said…there isn’t a formal make-up session for a missed OMM lab.

  • Is there a dress code for OMM? I interviewed with another school that asked if I'm comfortable taking off my shirt during OMM lab so just curious if that's a common thing or was just specific to that school.
    • There is a dress code for OMM. For men, it is shorts that you can see your knees if you were to sit down. You can wear loose-fitting clothes and/or sports attire.
    • For women, you can wear similarly shorts and for your top, many opt to wear sports bra to allow your partner and faculty to identify landmarks with where we are working with. During OMM lab, it will be a common thing to be asked to remove your top (shirt) for men and for women to simply have your sports bra on. This is to demonstrate some anatomical landmarks or specific areas where being able to see bare skin is helpful with the OMM technique. TUNCOM does have a brief orientation about this and anyone with concerns can speak with faculty on this if you need to.

  • What does a typical week look like for you in terms of classes? Are you on campus for the majority of the day? How long do you typically study each day?
    • Typically when you start a block with no anatomy lab, first year will look something like this
    • Monday - Class from 8-AM to 3 PM. These times can be shorter or longer depending on the load of material that day. It is not always this many hours
    • Tuesday - no in-person lecture but you have 1.5 of OMM so you just go to your OMM time and you're done for the day
    • Wednesday - You have mandatory Clinical Skills lecture if they are assigned and lecture can be 1-3 hours long. There may be an associated lab with the lecture or there may be some simulation practice after
    • Thursday - Lecture similar to monday’s schedule
    • Friday - Same story goes
    • When you have anatomy…it gets more complicated because you will generally have 1-2 days of anatomy per week so they can be sprinkled anywhere really except for days you have OMM.
    • Attendance on lecture days are not mandatory and most people from my observation do not go on campus unless they have to. Some will go to campus but they won’t go to lecture. As for me, I don’t go to lecture and I study everything at home.
    • Everyone requires different amounts of studying. You'll see many people who study religiously every day and others you'll see study 5 days before an exam. So it really depends. If I had to break it up...you can expect to probably spend 40-60 hours outside of class to study for your exams. I honestly don't know where that number came up but just imagine spreading that time out in a 2-3 week period. I may be underestimating or overestimating...but that's my shot in the dark.
    • Example of our MSK block
    • 1705736694480.png

  • What resources does the school offer for studying for boards? Do you have any time off that is just dedicated to just studying for boards?
    • You will get Uworld, + Truelearn - the Combank
    • We get 6 weeks of dedicated time to study for boards
    • Note that TUNCOM follows a 2 pass system meaning you go through all the body systems twice which forces you to learn everything a 2nd time. Essentially, the curriculum is set up for you to be refreshed during 2nd year when you relearned everything + more + pathology + pharm.

  • Do professors make their own exam questions or use past board questions for exams?
    • Professors do make their own exams and all questions are in-house.
    • There are a few professors who do use board style questions and they’re rough lol. I think you’ll really expect 90% in house questions and 10% board style questions.
    • That said…we have three faculty members who write exam questions for COMLEX.

  • I've heard there isn't enough parking on campus so if you need parking do you need to get there really early or is it more reasonable? If there's no available parking spots in the lot what are my other options?
    • Parking is terrible lol. You make it work but it can suck during days where there’s a lot of mandatory stuff. Touro has many different health programs so when everyone has to be on campus…it can get quite difficult to find parking. Touro has implemented a carpool program which has definitely relieved some of the parking troubles but during peak times, it can still get pretty tough to find a spot if you don’t get to school early. Generally, no one that I know is chronically having a hard time getting parking…its just more of…if you can’t find parking on the school’s premises, then you’re forced to find parking in the neighboring streets which can also be difficult. This is to say..you’ll find parking but you may have to walk pretty far.

  • Are resources like anki decks or notes passed down from class to class?
    • Yes, we subscribe to Ankihub which every lecture you’ll ever have at TUNCOM, there will be an Anki deck associated with it for you to study off of. This deck was made by our upperclassmen and is routinely cleaned up for any lectures that have been updated. Easy class will have someone in charge of keeping the cards updated so that each year, the cards can be passed down and are accurate to the material being taught year to year.

  • Do you commonly need to use 3rd party resources when studying? Or is the material they give you enough?
    • During the 1st year, I personally did not use that many 3rd party resources. I did watch the occasional YouTube video or osmosis video but i never had to rely on those material to get me through a block. As for 2nd year. I have used a lot of 3rd party resources not to pass my classes but to reinforce the high yield topics on boards. The material is enough for you to learn what you need to learn and you utilize the 3rd party resources to prep you more for boards. Everyone is different though and all I can say is first year I didn’t use as much as I am using now.

  • Do they ever give out statistics regarding Step pass rates and average Step scores? I've only seen COMLEX on the website. If they don't, do you have any ideas of what they may be around from talking to students who have taken those?
    • I can’t say about Step, but we were told and saw data that this past year, ~96 students took step and 3 did not pass (don’t quote me on this)...this is was the rough estimate we were told. I cannot say what scores would be as Step 2 would be the only scored exam at this point…but i can only imagine that more students will take Step 2 over Step 1. But, what do I know?

  • How often do you have the time to grab dinner with friends or take half a day off of studying to just relax? Not sure if fitness is your thing but also curious if you/other people have been able to maintain a regular workout schedule or if that is something most people don't really have time for
    • You will have plenty of time to hang out with friends and do social activities. Usually the best times are after an exam since obviously you’ll have the most free time to decompress and just enjoy life. During the middle of a block, things will get more busy, of course, but I tend to see my classmates still be able to enjoy company, going out, and partaking in activities that they care about. Las Vegas has a lot of options for outdoor activities, food, sports, etc. so you won’t have to worry about not having access to these things. In terms of keeping a fit lifestyle, we do offer a gym and it is widely used in the morning and evenings. I live a bit far from the school so I go to a gym outside of school and I find that I can fit in time to get moving at minimum 1-2x a week. Would I want more a week? - absolutely! But, as life has it…this is the best I am able to conjure up while maintaining my mental health, school, and eating habits.
 
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Is there an accepted students group chat? Would love to connect with others about the school.
 
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Members don't see this ad :)
Accepted this morning! Is there an accepted students chat?
 
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Accepted group chat thing is through Facebook but I don’t think anyone has said anything on it lmao
 
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anyone near the 500 range get an interview or acceptance here? i got my app reviewed recently and admissions team said my mcat is too low & referred me to their MHS program.
 
AdenineBP said:
anyone near the 500 range get an interview or acceptance here? i got my app reviewed recently and admissions team said my mcat is too low & referred me to their MHS program.
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I am near the 500 range and was put on II hold and referred to their MHS program. Not sure why they have such high standards... UNLV at least gave me a chance with an II
 
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Anyone else receive these emails? App in Review -> IWL -> Final App Review
 
Got the A today! Can anyone speak about the rotation sites... I have scoured the internet and their website and cannot find anything. I know they are within 45 minutes of campus, but what hospitals/clinics? Are they affiliated with any level 1 trauma centers? (Interested in trauma surgery/EM).
 
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Disney_Coffee_Med said:
Got the A today! Can anyone speak about the rotation sites... I have scoured the internet and their website and cannot find anything. I know they are within 45 minutes of campus, but what hospitals/clinics? Are they affiliated with any level 1 trauma centers? (Interested in trauma surgery/EM).
Click to expand...
I talked to a recent grad and they mentioned Valley Hospital as the main hospital. They also mentioned that they make your life pretty easy for scheduling third year rotations. There a lot of hospitals around Vegas so scheduling fourth year is not difficult either!
 
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chipeachi said:
I talked to a recent grad and they mentioned Valley Hospital as the main hospital. They also mentioned that they make your life pretty easy for scheduling third year rotations. There a lot of hospitals around Vegas so scheduling fourth year is not difficult either!
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Do you know if they are affiliated with or have core/elective rotations at UMC?
 
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Disney_Coffee_Med said:
Do you know if they are affiliated with or have core/elective rotations at UMC?
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I’m not too sure. I recall that there was an old thread that listed our main sites. If you can’t find it I can ask the graduate :))
 
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Received an acceptance a few days ago. Is there an accepted facebook group or chat? Also, any thoughts on how to find roommates/ housing?
 
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Golfer_boy said:
Received an acceptance a few days ago. Is there an accepted facebook group or chat? Also, any thoughts on how to find roommates/ housing?
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Congrats! There's a facebook group link somewhere in this thread! :)
 
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Disney_Coffee_Med said:
Got the A today! Can anyone speak about the rotation sites... I have scoured the internet and their website and cannot find anything. I know they are within 45 minutes of campus, but what hospitals/clinics? Are they affiliated with any level 1 trauma centers? (Interested in trauma surgery/EM).
Click to expand...
congrats! when did you interview?
 
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Any 3rd or 4th year current students on here who can attest to how competitive clinical rotations are to get at University Medical Center and Sunrise Hospital?
 
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A just now via email, interviewed 1/29
 
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Interview like two weeks ago, got waitlisted just now.
 
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Anyone receive an app in final review email after being put on the interview waitlist?
 
I was wondering what most students do for housing? do they normally go with the school's recs or find housing on zillow?
 
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the school was nice setting up a Facebook group and group me but i feel like people are holding back talking with the admin in it
 
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HeyBabyBoy72 said:
the school was nice setting up a Facebook group and group me but i feel like people are holding back talking with the admin in it
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Hi there!

2nd year student here at TUNCOM. I want to clarify to you or anyone accepted that there are no official administrators within any social media platforms. I hope you feel free to speak without reservation or fear that something you say/ask will be held against you.

All the best!
 
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What was the itinerary for those that interviewed on campus? I'm debating on whether or not I want to do my interview haha
 
for people who have put down the deposit, did you get an email other than the confirmation email that it went through?
 
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Is the class full? Anyone know the post interview acceptance rate? Thanks!
 
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MedApp2223 said:
Is the class full? Anyone know the post interview acceptance rate? Thanks!
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This past year they were pulling people from this app cycle to fill the class that was gonna be starting so they might not be full this year either!
 
MedApp2223 said:
Is the class full? Anyone know the post interview acceptance rate? Thanks!
Click to expand...
The class is not full and TUNCOM is actively interviewing. I do not know the post-II acceptance rate nor if TUNCOM even records such data. However, I will say that the rate of post-II acceptance will vary from year to year.

MedApp2223 said:
Are there post-interview R’s?
Click to expand...
Yes. After an interview, an applicant will be notified whether their application has been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected.
 
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