A.T Still University

[orthomyxo]

What is A.T. Still University's reputation compared to other osteopathic schools? My undergrad offers a BS/DO professional pathway with A.T Still that seems like it's worth looking into, so I'm looking for any opinions you might have.

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[Thriller]

ATSU-KCOM rocks! I have to admit that I'm biased though since I go there. I don't know about ATSU-SOMA. KCOM has been around longer than any other DO school and longer than a lot of MD schools so they know what they are doing and have a solid reputation. Extremely well put together.

 

[rddoms]

I agree with the above post. I am getting an amazing education here, and would highly recommend ATSU-KCOM to anyone.

 

[Exalya]

What is A.T. Still University's reputation compared to other osteopathic schools? My undergrad offers a BS/DO professional pathway with A.T Still that seems like it's worth looking into, so I'm looking for any opinions you might have.

The DO I shadowed who believe that AT Still and UNTCOM were the best possible osteopathic schools. It's just one man's opinion, but AT Still is definitely known as among the best--it's older and well-established. If I had known about BS/DO from Kirksville back in the day, I would have done it.

 

[ducki303]

Can any of you guys who are attending KCOM comment on living in Missouri? It just seems like it's in the middle of no-where. I've lived in my California bubble for most of my life, aside from Oregan.

 

[rddoms]

I'm from Seattle, so I know about the fear of coming to MO. The town is really small, and it is a huge culture shock coming here. That being said, there is always something to keep you occupied outside of school. The best thing is that there is less to distract you from schoolwork (as opposed to being in a big city), but there is always something to do if you need to get away. You will miss the city a bit, but you will miss Kirksville once you move away for rotations.

 

[Cale]

I've lived in Missouri all my life and I love it. I will admit that the humidity stinks, but overall it's a nice place to live. If you are used to the city then this is going to be a huge change for you. I visit cities and feel an anxiety attack each time. Kirksville is relatively close to Kansas City and St. Louis so you can always travel to happening locations. I think Kirksville is a great location for medical school since it will be quiet and a great place to study without distractions. My number one choice is Kirksville and would love to attend. Good luck to you!

 

[Cale]

I also wanted to state that I shadowed a DO that graduated from KCOM and he was a great doctor! I was amazed by how much he knew and how he interacted with patients. I knew he must have received a great education.

 

[Thriller]

The first few weeks when I got here I kind of missed certain stores, restaurants, malls, etc. But once school got going all thoughts of those distractions have left and have been replaced with studying and spending any free time with the fam. The cool thing though is that with all the school clubs, intramurals, and city events there is always something going on.

 

[rddoms]

The first few weeks when I got here I kind of missed certain stores, restaurants, malls, etc. But once school got going all thoughts of those distractions have left and have been replaced with studying and spending any free time with the fam. The cool thing though is that with all the school clubs, intramurals, and city events there is always something going on.

That is completely true. One thing is that you have the opportunity to try something new that you might not get the chance to do elsewhere (hunting, fishing, etc.).

 

[ducki303]

Thanks! For all the inside scoop on Kirksville.

What's the weather like there? I have an interview Nov 23. Would I have to drive in the snow? Or would it be better to just take the flight from St. Louis into Kirksville?

 

[rddoms]

You never know how soon it is going to snow. Driving here from STL or KCMO isn't too bad when it is snowing, but fly into Kirksville if you aren't comfortable driving in the snow.

 

[lokiperson]

I've lived in Missouri all my life and I love it. I will admit that the humidity stinks, but overall it's a nice place to live. If you are used to the city then this is going to be a huge change for you. I visit cities and feel an anxiety attack each time. Kirksville is relatively close to Kansas City and St. Louis so you can always travel to happening locations. I think Kirksville is a great location for medical school since it will be quiet and a great place to study without distractions. My number one choice is Kirksville and would love to attend. Good luck to you!

+1 for the humidity..... Buh. That about sums that up. I've lived in Northwest Missouri my whole life and the humidity sucks.. Although I probably wouldn't have known much different until I went down to Mesa, AZ for a week when my cousin was getting ready to start at ATSU-SOMA. Hot, but hardly any humidity. Though, I have to admit this spring/summer/beginning of fall has been extremely mild.

Thanks! For all the inside scoop on Kirksville.

What's the weather like there? I have an interview Nov 23. Would I have to drive in the snow? Or would it be better to just take the flight from St. Louis into Kirksville?

Missouri weather is comparable to an ADHD 9 year old on a sugar high and no meds. One day it will be snowing, the next it will be 65, followed by freezing rain, followed by sub-zero temperatures, then back to 50. The past few years we haven't gotten much snow over here (NW MO, 160 miles west) until late December/early January. My guess is there probably won't be much snow, but the way the weather has been all year, we could be in for an early winter.

 

[thanecyan]

ATSU-SOMA's first class that took step I had a pass rate that surpassed the national average
As for the actual average score, I don't know it. I can only say that a visiting student from that class scored a 600 on the COMLEX

In terms of clinical skills, it probably helps that they cram it down our throats first year (how many other schools hire simulated patients for first year? I am curious) and then throw us into a clinic during second year. I know individual 2nd year students have already delivered multiple babies, which really surprised me.

 

[scummie]

This might be kind of a weird question, but what kind of chain stores do they have in Kirskville? i.e. Are they big enough to have a Walmart or Target of their own? I come from a city of several million people so this could be a huge shock. How can I live without a Target?

 

[Cp22kjer]

This might be kind of a weird question, but what kind of chain stores do they have in Kirskville? i.e. Are they big enough to have a Walmart or Target of their own? I come from a city of several million people so this could be a huge shock. How can I live without a Target?

Walmart, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and fast food. NO Target.

When I first got here, I thought it was going to be tough. I've come to truly enjoy the town, people and just living here.

KCOM thus far has been great. I'm glad I decided to matriculate here and have no regrets.

Goodluck to all of you applying!

 

[thanecyan]

Just got an update on the final outcome for SOMA 2011 COMLEX scores
Pass rate was 1% below national average ;/

 

[bocciball]

I'm a first year at KCOM - the student body, professors, and staff are great. Also we have the best facilities and resources out of any medical school I know about! You will love going to med school here.

 

[DCDocGal]

ATSU-SOMA's first class that took step I had a pass rate that surpassed the national average
As for the actual average score, I don't know it. I can only say that a visiting student from that class scored a 600 on the COMLEX

In terms of clinical skills, it probably helps that they cram it down our throats first year (how many other schools hire simulated patients for first year? I am curious) and then throw us into a clinic during second year. I know individual 2nd year students have already delivered multiple babies, which really surprised me.

Do you feel that the very revolutionary curriculum at ATSU has helped you and your classmates learn the material better? What's the feeling in your class about moving from campus during year 2?

 

[pietachok]

When I interviewed there, there was an unusual cold snap that left the weather well below zero, so it was a pretty gloomy day, which may have impacted things, but I'll be honest and say that of the ~10 schools where I interviewed, students seemed the least happy at KCOM. When asked, everybody said they liked it, that living in Kirksville was great, and that they were getting a good education, but I just didn't get the same positive vibe I got from students at many other D.O. programs.

I was rather attracted to the idea of living in a rural area or town, but after my experiences, I would have picked UNECOM over KCOM based on student happiness alone.

I tend to think that most schools (barring some of the newest perhaps) will give you roughly the same education b/c it is highly standardized. However, the social aspects of med school vary greatly, and I didn't see the point of adding extra stress on top of what is destined to be a stressful education by nature. Happiness and faculty concern for students and accessibility were top on my list for picking a school.

 

[bocciball]

When I interviewed there, there was an unusual cold snap that left the weather well below zero, so it was a pretty gloomy day, which may have impacted things, but I'll be honest and say that of the ~10 schools where I interviewed, students seemed the least happy at KCOM. When asked, everybody said they liked it, that living in Kirksville was great, and that they were getting a good education, but I just didn't get the same positive vibe I got from students at many other D.O. programs.

I was rather attracted to the idea of living in a rural area or town, but after my experiences, I would have picked UNECOM over KCOM based on student happiness alone.

I tend to think that most schools (barring some of the newest perhaps) will give you roughly the same education b/c it is highly standardized. However, the social aspects of med school vary greatly, and I didn't see the point of adding extra stress on top of what is destined to be a stressful education by nature. Happiness and faculty concern for students and accessibility were top on my list for picking a school.

Are you socially awkward? The students are KCOM are super friendly. More friendly than any school I interviewed at (10+, accepted at 9). So I really don't know what you're talking about.

Edit: If you didn't stay with a student or stick around afterward approach 1st/2nd years you really don't have a good basis to make this kind of judgment.

 

[dani042]

When I interviewed there, there was an unusual cold snap that left the weather well below zero, so it was a pretty gloomy day, which may have impacted things, but I'll be honest and say that of the ~10 schools where I interviewed, students seemed the least happy at KCOM. When asked, everybody said they liked it, that living in Kirksville was great, and that they were getting a good education, but I just didn't get the same positive vibe I got from students at many other D.O. programs.

I was rather attracted to the idea of living in a rural area or town, but after my experiences, I would have picked UNECOM over KCOM based on student happiness alone.

I tend to think that most schools (barring some of the newest perhaps) will give you roughly the same education b/c it is highly standardized. However, the social aspects of med school vary greatly, and I didn't see the point of adding extra stress on top of what is destined to be a stressful education by nature. Happiness and faculty concern for students and accessibility were top on my list for picking a school.

Ha ha, did you come on a test day/week? I know I tend to be a little less excited to be at school when I have a test in the next day or two. (Like the one I have Friday, gag) But in general I would say people are happy here. Yes, Ktown isn't the metropolis we all would like it to be, but I'm from a small (pop 900) town so this is comfortable for me. I mean hey, we just opened a sushi place here last week. We have plenty of social gatherings and intramurals to break the stress of studying up and have a good time.

 

[123165]

When I interviewed there, there was an unusual cold snap that left the weather well below zero, so it was a pretty gloomy day, which may have impacted things, but I'll be honest and say that of the ~10 schools where I interviewed, students seemed the least happy at KCOM. When asked, everybody said they liked it, that living in Kirksville was great, and that they were getting a good education, but I just didn't get the same positive vibe I got from students at many other D.O. programs.

I was rather attracted to the idea of living in a rural area or town, but after my experiences, I would have picked UNECOM over KCOM based on student happiness alone.

I tend to think that most schools (barring some of the newest perhaps) will give you roughly the same education b/c it is highly standardized. However, the social aspects of med school vary greatly, and I didn't see the point of adding extra stress on top of what is destined to be a stressful education by nature. Happiness and faculty concern for students and accessibility were top on my list for picking a school.

My experience was not even close to similar to this. In fact, I have yet to encounter a school where the students seemed gloomy. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was a test, who knows. The students had varying degrees of love for K-ville, but all of them seemed happy with their choice.

 

[Emerald84]

I'm interviewing at KCOM soon.....I searched google but no luck. Is there anywhere to do yoga in Kirksville? Please tell me there is!! What do you love about the program the most? (Either from being a current student or interviewed there)

Thanks!

 

[bocciball]

I'm interviewing at KCOM soon.....I searched google but no luck. Is there anywhere to do yoga in Kirksville? Please tell me there is!! What do you love about the program the most? (Either from being a current student or interviewed there)

Thanks!

I think Yoga is offered at least twice a week in our health center. We also have kickboxing which is popular with the females, break dancing classes, cycling, as well as the usual intramural sports.

Edit: Kickboxing is actually Turbo Kick. I'm not sure on the difference but it might mean something to someone.

 

[Emerald84]

That's great! I used to kick-box years ago pretty avidly. It's a lot of fun.

I am training to be a yoga teacher (just for fun) so maybe I could teach a class there!

 

[Emerald84]

What are your favorite things about the program? What has impacted you the most?

How are the clinical rotations organized? Do you pick a city?

 

[JaggerPlate]

What are your favorite things about the program? What has impacted you the most?

How are the clinical rotations organized? Do you pick a city?

I'm really curious about the rotations too. It seems like you pick a geographical area and stick to one hospital there??? However, I can't find a list of the sites because the KCOM website says they are in the process of updating them. Does anyone have a list of all the sites or any comment about the amount of time for elective rotations??

 

[bocciball]

What are your favorite things about the program? What has impacted you the most?

How are the clinical rotations organized? Do you pick a city?

We do a lot of clinical stuff such as mock patient interviews (with actors) our first year of school. We also learn how to perform a complete physical exam before summer of our first year. This is unlike many other schools that may not learn these skills until 3-4th year. By learning these skills early we are able have lots of practice time on friends and family and become an expert before seeing actual patients 3-4th year.

They have clinical sites all over the country. You enter into what they call a match which is basically a big lottery. This past match (2 weeks ago) I believe 94% of students got either their first or second choice for home-base hospital. During rotations we also have a number of elective blocks where we can go to almost any hospital in the USA and rotate there for a couple weeks.

Edit: The match is NOT based on grades or class rank but rather a computer algorithm to get as many people closest to their top choices as possible. This reduces student animosity towards one another and brings us together as a community and family. This policy is also very dissimilar to other schools where rank based placement creates an environment of competition and despair.
Overall I am pleased with the education and the curriculum.

 

[iatros]

We do a lot of clinical stuff such as mock patient interviews (with actors) our first year of school. We also learn how to perform a complete physical exam before summer of our first year. This is unlike many other schools that may not learn these skills until 3-4th year.

just fyi- every school i've interviewed at makes this claim.

i'm thinking every school thinks they're ahead of the power curve when in actuality, they're about on the same page.

 

[rddoms]

Yeah, 92% of us matched to our first choice (of the six we list, and the majority of the remaining 8% got their second choice). For some reason, the clinical educational affairs department took down the map showing our sites for rotations. MI, OH, PA, NJ, MO, IL, MN, AZ, CO, IA, KS and UT are states where KCOM students rotate (base hospitals). Again, these sites are for your core rotations 3rd and 4th years. The electives can be done anywhere. If you want a list of the sites in a particular state, call the clinical affairs office.

Though we are still on a discipline based curriculum, the different departments do a good job of going over the same body regions at the same time, so you get the same info in a few classes each quarter.

As for what pietachok said, you probably interviewed right after we took a neuroscience exam. Few of us are happy after studying for those exams, but for the most part we are a happy group.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Yeah, 92% of us matched to our first choice (of the six we list, and the majority of the remaining 8% got their second choice). For some reason, the clinical educational affairs department took down the map showing our sites for rotations. MI, OH, PA, NJ, MO, IL, MN, AZ, CO, IA, KS and UT are states where KCOM students rotate (base hospitals). Again, these sites are for your core rotations 3rd and 4th years. The electives can be done anywhere. If you want a list of the sites in a particular state, call the clinical affairs office.

Though we are still on a discipline based curriculum, the different departments do a good job of going over the same body regions at the same time, so you get the same info in a few classes each quarter.

As for what pietachok said, you probably interviewed right after we took a neuroscience exam. Few of us are happy after studying for those exams, but for the most part we are a happy group.

Thanks a ton for the info! How much elective time do you get and is there a cap on how many rotations you can do in the same field??

 

[rddoms]

http://www.atsu.edu/kcom/pdfs/CATALOG.pdf

You get 8 weeks of electives during 3rd year to be completed during April/May. Two 4-week rotations. Can be in the same discipline, but not the exact same rotation.

Fourth year has 10 weeks of Electives and 16 weeks of Selectives. Selectives are 4-week rotations, while electives can be 2 weeks or 4 weeks. Selective is defined as a rotation in a specialty chosen from a list produced by KCOM, while electives are anything approved by the regional dean. Only 8 weeks of electives/selectives can be done in any one field during 4th year (can be modified by the regional dean). This is the info for last year, and can change every year.

 

[JaggerPlate]

http://www.atsu.edu/kcom/pdfs/CATALOG.pdf

You get 8 weeks of electives during 3rd year to be completed during April/May. Two 4-week rotations. Can be in the same discipline, but not the exact same rotation.

Fourth year has 10 weeks of Electives and 16 weeks of Selectives. Selectives are 4-week rotations, while electives can be 2 weeks or 4 weeks. Selective is defined as a rotation in a specialty chosen from a list produced by KCOM, while electives are anything approved by the regional dean. Only 8 weeks of electives/selectives can be done in any one field during 4th year (can be modified by the regional dean). This is the info for last year, and can change every year.

Thanks a ton for this information. Sounds solid. I wish KCOM had the rotations part of their website up and running right now. I think they are doing some maintenance.

 

[1viking]

Just got an update on the final outcome for SOMA 2011 COMLEX scores
Pass rate was 1% below national average ;/

Who cares about step 1? That test is like a weeding process. You don't really learn medicine until you are in the clinic. So, I bet these SOMA grads are better off in terms of real life knowledge, which is difficult to quantify.

 

[scummie]

Thanks for that info rddoms!

 

[rddoms]

I'm glad that I can help. Remember that things are always changing, so it may be a bit different when some of you are here. I've found that KCOM does a great job of helping you get to where you want to be, so if there is a change it would be for the better.