ATSU/SOMA (Arizona) Discussion thread 2007-2008

[Xoynx]

SOMA does not have an undergrad fellowship for OMM. KCOM is probably more aligned to OMT . SOMA's mission is to create physicians who wish to work with underserved populations at Community Health centers , and so the interviewing process is trying to really find students who fit this model best. If you are looking for a DO school that does not "mirror" allopathy, you are going to be very disappointed. Truly the "osteopathy" of Osteopathic medicine is really confined to OMT class, everything else is indistinguishable from Allopathic medicine. While I love and appreciate being different from an MD in terms of practice there is really no difference. But if you want to focus on OMT, there are many opportunities for further studying down the road, and I have heard lots of potential referrals from other DOs + MDs. But just understand medical school is medical school except for 4 hrs on Thursdays (at SOMA) when we practice OMT.

I'll second that. My chief interest in medicine is OMT, and I heard that KCOM offers more weekly OMT hours. On the other hand, my wife would never be able to find a job in Kirksville. No biggie--as Needle Guy said, there will be plenty of time for specializing in OMT down the road.

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[Xoynx]

wow, my naivety shows. point taken. i haven't read gevitz, but i have read a lot of still, becker, and sutherland. my idealism stems from being a paramedic for the last five years in a terribly underserved community in northern new mexico. i want to be an osteopath because iwant something more to offer my patients than a pill. I have also been a massage therapist for ten years and find the manipulative medicine to be a truly effective adjunct. further, i am an idealist in the sense that still wanted to create something that empowers people, and sorry but pills don't. my experience is that there is a time and a place for both, and i enjoy that line that divides the two. on a side note, i am not sure who i will vote for, but i'm hanging on to my hope.

Dude! I was an LMT for ten years too! Pick the Ohio CHC!

 

[EastWestN2grt]

I'll second that. My chief interest in medicine is OMT, and I heard that KCOM offers more weekly OMT hours. On the other hand, my wife would never be able to find a job in Kirksville. No biggie--as Needle Guy said, there will be plenty of time for specializing in OMT down the road.

Needle guy!! I like that. Now back to the stress of studying for our lovely Cardio test on Monday morning!!

 

[Bonsante]

Good luck on your exam on Monday!

Has anybody heard anything about the group that interviewed on Feb. 15th? Have decisions been rendered by the admissions committee?

 

[Bonsante]

That was me! Good call. I hope you get a positive reply! You seem like a potential good match for the school. I have heard the 'rumor' about NHSC being available next year and I do hope it happens. Its something the big wigs in Admin/faculty have been working on all year, and I was told from an excellent source w/ the ear of the head of the NHSC that they were very supportive of the idea of getting it available for us earlier than the 1st graduating class. I mean it only makes sense since we ARE going to be at the centers that the NHSC sends their scholars. So if its true I will be applying the day I hear its available.

Anyways, best of luck!!!Hope to see you in Brooklyn!

The NHSC applications for next year are due in late March, but they have not come out to the public yet. I called one of NHSC representatives last week, and they said to be patient and to have supporting documents ready when the application comes available. Talk about a tight time period since it's late February already.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

Dude! I was an LMT for ten years too! Pick the Ohio CHC!

i think my wife would leave me if i told her we were moving to ohio. plus, i'm a wolverine fan. i don't think i could live in buckeyeville. yikes...

 

[kimmi]

Good luck on your exam on Monday!

Has anybody heard anything about the group that interviewed on Feb. 15th? Have decisions been rendered by the admissions committee?

I have been accepted by SOMA--found out yesterday from Joyce.

 

[Bonsante]

Congrats. If you decide not to take the spot, you should tell Joyce to give it to me. Haha! Anyway, this looks pretty grim for me..... onto the next endeavor.

 

[Johnson48]

Dude! I was an LMT for ten years too! Pick the Ohio CHC!

Hi, I am looking forward to Ohio but not necessarily the weather since right now the entire country is locked in ice. But everyplace has drawbacks. As you are there, let me know what you are encountering with your search. I am hoping the school may also give us contact info as time goes on to those of you already there.

On another note, Congratulations to all of those who are accepted or choosing to attend in the fall. Look forward to seeing you in the fall.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

Hi, I am looking forward to Ohio but not necessarily the weather since right now the entire country is locked in ice. But everyplace has drawbacks. As you are there, let me know what you are encountering with your search. I am hoping the school may also give us contact info as time goes on to those of you already there.

On another note, Congratulations to all of those who are accepted or choosing to attend in the fall. Look forward to seeing you in the fall.

makes oahu sound nice, doesn't it....

 

[imps4343]

primary care is great for US communities, however, it does not pay the bills, lets face it, we live in a capitalist society and making 60,000$ a year in FP while over 200K in debt plus cost of living is not going to cut the mustard

 

[EastWestN2grt]

primary care is great for US communities, however, it does not pay the bills, lets face it, we live in a capitalist society and making 60,000$ a year in FP while over 200K in debt plus cost of living is not going to cut the mustard

I dont know what 1965 family practice salary figures you are looking at, but if you look at TODAYS salary figures, an FP makes closer to$150,000 annually. On top of this since Primary care physicians are very needed, there are tons of loan repayment options available when in practice. You seriously need to go back and do your homework before spouting ignorance!!

 

[GreenShirt]

primary care is great for US communities, however, it does not pay the bills, lets face it, we live in a capitalist society and making 60,000$ a year in FP while over 200K in debt plus cost of living is not going to cut the mustard

If you'd like a reference, the AAMC specialties page has the following salary ranges listed for the primary care specialties:

FP: $142-190k (http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_fp.htm)
IM: $160-190k (http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_internalmed.htm)
OB: $219-300k (http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_obgyn.htm)
Peds: $142-195k (http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_pediatrics.htm)

It's not quite the to $500K you can make as a radiologist or the millions a Beverly hills plastic surgeon brings in...but it should pay the bills.

The AAMC pages gives you a helpful overview of various specialties if you're interested in learning about your prospects (http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/specialties.htm)

 

[gildas]

primary care is great for US communities, however, it does not pay the bills, lets face it, we live in a capitalist society and making 60,000$ a year in FP while over 200K in debt plus cost of living is not going to cut the mustard

IMPS,Like it or not there would not be specialists w/out primary care Physicians. I know you probably hear this before but if you are going into Medicine for financial reasons, you will be miserable like some physicians I know.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

IMPS,Like it or not there would not be specialists w/out primary care Physicians. I know you probably hear this before but if you are going into Medicine for financial reasons, you will be miserable like some physicians I know.

halleluja!!!and i know some miserable docs. but first, you have to get in... i got my mcat score yesterday... ouch...21P...hoping my 4.0 GPA pays dividends. if not will retake when i actually have time to study for the test. what do you guys think? is the 21P just too low???

 

[Climber512]

halleluja!!!and i know some miserable docs. but first, you have to get in... i got my mcat score yesterday... ouch...21P...hoping my 4.0 GPA pays dividends. if not will retake when i actually have time to study for the test. what do you guys think? is the 21P just too low???

Khalsa,
I think it will all depend on the spread. If you are 7's in all 3 with a good GPA like you have, you should be fine. In my case, I applied last year and had good PS and BS scores, but got a 5 in VR. They were pretty upfront with me that I was not admitted because of the poor VR score. I retook and doubled the VR score and was told outright that was the difference, other than the fact that I am awsome. And by awsome, I mean deliciously nerdy.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

Khalsa,
I think it will all depend on the spread. If you are 7's in all 3 with a good GPA like you have, you should be fine. In my case, I applied last year and had good PS and BS scores, but got a 5 in VR. They were pretty upfront with me that I was not admitted because of the poor VR score. I retook and doubled the VR score and was told outright that was the difference, other than the fact that I am awsome. And by awsome, I mean deliciously nerdy.

good to know.. bs8 ps7 vr6... we'll see. i think i'll retake them just cause i don't like getting that low a score... will know in a few weeks whether it was good enough.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

Khalsa,
I think it will all depend on the spread. If you are 7's in all 3 with a good GPA like you have, you should be fine. In my case, I applied last year and had good PS and BS scores, but got a 5 in VR. They were pretty upfront with me that I was not admitted because of the poor VR score. I retook and doubled the VR score and was told outright that was the difference, other than the fact that I am awsome. And by awsome, I mean deliciously nerdy.

did they flat out dismiss your application, or did they ask you to retake the mcat within the same application cycle????

 

[Climber512]

did they flat out dismiss your application, or did they ask you to retake the mcat within the same application cycle????

I was interviewed and then waitlisted last year. During last year's interview they expressed the concern (and like I said were pretty upfront about it) and after being accepted this year, said that that was the difference. My GPA is not nearly as good as yours, so that may completely make up for it.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

I was interviewed and then waitlisted last year. During last year's interview they expressed the concern (and like I said were pretty upfront about it) and after being accepted this year, said that that was the difference. My GPA is not nearly as good as yours, so that may completely make up for it.

well, at least you're in. congrats...what chc are you in?

 

[bcl2life]

I am interested in the Phoenix CHC but was informed that only native american students would be allowed entrance to this site. Could someone explain the first year's spread of the location (ie # of non-native american students)? I do not want to disregard the site if there is a chance that the CHC might have an opening.

 

[Climber512]

I am interested in the Phoenix CHC but was informed that only native american students would be allowed entrance to this site. Could someone explain the first year's spread of the location (ie # of non-native american students)? I do not want to disregard the site if there is a chance that the CHC might have an opening.

During interviews, they stated that they have an agreement with the CHC to have a certain numbner of Native American students at this site. They also said that they are having issues finding this demographic to help fill the site. What qualifies as Native American? 1/16th? 1/32nd? I'm not sure. I do not believe that the site has to be completely comprised of Native Americans. Again, they are looking for people with a connection to the demographic that they will serving. So if you have a strong history working with Native Americans, there should be no reason that Phoenix should be disregarded.

 

[Climber512]

Does anyone know of a posting board for the accepted SOMA students or why one has not been started on SDN for the class of 2012? I know there is the Facebook page, but its excludes anyone else's input from SDN. There is a good one from last year with good dialogue and other misc stuff, but nothing for this year.

 

[bcl2life]

Has anyone been accepted since February 22?

 

[EastWestN2grt]

Does anyone know of a posting board for the accepted SOMA students or why one has not been started on SDN for the class of 2012? I know there is the Facebook page, but its excludes anyone else's input from SDN. There is a good one from last year with good dialogue and other misc stuff, but nothing for this year.

Maybe no one one took the initiative to start the Facebook group. You should start it!

 

[imps4343]

no need for attacking now, but when u say a family practice phys makes 150k u mean private practice not working for an underserved community, and i dont understand medicine, humm, thats why docs who accept all insurance and work in these areas, and keep in mind i live in MT vernon NY which is an underserviced comm, see hundreds of patients a day. My FP doc actually told me how little insurance comps pay per patient, i do not belive for one second my FP doc is making 150 a year

 

[Dr76]

I'm scheduled for March 14th too! See you there.

That's great! Did you find any good, cheap hotels near by? I'll need to book a room for only one night. Hope to find some nearby ones. Look forward to meeting you!

 

[Dr76]

Khalsa,
I think it will all depend on the spread. If you are 7's in all 3 with a good GPA like you have, you should be fine. In my case, I applied last year and had good PS and BS scores, but got a 5 in VR. They were pretty upfront with me that I was not admitted because of the poor VR score. I retook and doubled the VR score and was told outright that was the difference, other than the fact that I am awsome. And by awsome, I mean deliciously nerdy.

Hey there. I also got good PS and BS scores, but my VR is low. So are you saying that after the interview they decided your VR wasn't good enough or was that pre-secondary? Thanks.

 

[tlvuong4]

got the call from Joyce Haynie today and I'm in! Will be going to the Seattle CHC, which was my first choice. She said I got the last spot too. Interviewed on 2/22. I'm siked!!

 

[EastWestN2grt]

no need for attacking now, but when u say a family practice phys makes 150k u mean private practice not working for an underserved community, and i dont understand medicine, humm, thats why docs who accept all insurance and work in these areas, and keep in mind i live in MT vernon NY which is an underserviced comm, see hundreds of patients a day. My FP doc actually told me how little insurance comps pay per patient, i do not belive for one second my FP doc is making 150 a year

Ask your FP. Tell them you are interested in FP or primary care and your researching. Ask them if their salary is closer to $60,000 or $150,000. If they are friendly with you, i'm sure they wont mind telling you.

Im not interested in private practice, im interested in working in a CHC, which serve the underserved. Not only are the salaries competitive with private corps., there are extra perks including loan repayment options, and other practice benefits (no malpractice insurance payments--covered by the US govt.). And of course you are working with a population that really NEEDS your services.

Anyways, if you are not interested in working with the underserved, I would strongly advise you NOT to apply to SOMA.

 

[UltraRunner]

That's great! Did you find any good, cheap hotels near by? I'll need to book a room for only one night. Hope to find some nearby ones. Look forward to meeting you!

I cheapest, decent-sounding one I found was at the Days Inn and it's about 5 miles away from the campus. I think with tax and everything came out to $97. See you there!

 

[UltraRunner]

Does anyone know if once we move to the CHC site, is there going to be a lot of relocating or traveling going on for clinical rotations? I know a lot of DO schools requires traveling for 3rd and 4th year. Do you stay at that specific CHC for all 3 years?

 

[inthe415]

I'm taking off for Portland in July to start my time at the CHC - year 2. If anyone wants to buy some cheap ikea furniture, a 9 month old bed (sealy posterpedic), a desk, a chair, a 1980 vw rabbit convertible 160,000 miles $2000 (too rainy in portland) it gets great mileage, 5 potted plants, a bunch of med school books youll never have time to read,

We just met with some DOs from Oregon last night who were in town for the AT STILL Wellness conference. They were very nice, bought us dinner and are very excited that we will be coming to Portland!

Mesa is underwhelming; however, that makes it the ideal place to study! Few distractions.

I'm very stoked on ATSU-SOMA! There's no place I'd rather be studying.

Congrats to the class of 2012!

 

[LauraDO]

I'm taking off for Portland in July to start my time at the CHC - year 2. If anyone wants to buy some cheap ikea furniture, a 9 month old bed (sealy posterpedic), a desk, a chair, a 1980 vw rabbit convertible 160,000 miles $2000 (too rainy in portland) it gets great mileage, 5 potted plants, a bunch of med school books youll never have time to read,

We just met with some DOs from Oregon last night who were in town for the AT STILL Wellness conference. They were very nice, bought us dinner and are very excited that we will be coming to Portland!

Mesa is underwhelming; however, that makes it the ideal place to study! Few distractions.

I'm very stoked on ATSU-SOMA! There's no place I'd rather be studying.

Congrats to the class of 2012!

You will love the DO's in Portland, since I'm here right now I know many of them and they are all great. Who did you meet? Have you met Dr. John Pham yet? If not you will, he is a great guy and you can learn a ton from him

 

[tlvuong4]

Mesa is underwhelming; however, that makes it the ideal place to study! Few distractions.

While Mesa itself might be underwhelming, you're like 10mins from Phoenix. ASU isn't far away if you're into college sports and that is one of the top party schools in the nation. So I'm sure there is some good club and bar scenes around the Tempe and Phoenix area. So it's not totally barren compared to some other rural D.O. schools.

 

[Johnson48]

I cheapest, decent-sounding one I found was at the Days Inn and it's about 5 miles away from the campus. I think with tax and everything came out to $97. See you there!

If you are looking at price, there is a Motel 6 in Mesa and I stayed at the Travelodge for around 70 with tax. I forgot about Motel 6 or I may have stayed there since it is cheaper. I went directly to the company website to book.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

Does anyone know if once we move to the CHC site, is there going to be a lot of relocating or traveling going on for clinical rotations? I know a lot of DO schools requires traveling for 3rd and 4th year. Do you stay at that specific CHC for all 3 years?

Its going to depend on the CHC. Most of 3rd year rotations and 4th year rotations will take place at the CHC (minus elective rotations in year 4) but if the CHCs do not have the facilities for specific rotations then students will have to go relocate for those electives. But well see how everything pans out over the next few years.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I'm still not convinced that this is a real school. Everyone who posts about it is nowhere to be found on threads about other schools, which leads me to believe that they are all the same person. Possibly a robot. ATSU-SOMA is an elaborate hoax that the president of ATSU-KCOM came up with, while drunk, to swindle people out of their $50 application fees. Either that, or it is a front for laundering colombian drug money.

The kicker is, I've got a buddy who lives in Mesa, and his mom is a doctor, and he doesn't know anything about the school either. "There's a medical school in mesa?" was his response.

I may have to physically go there, knock on the door, and ask for a tour of the facility. Seeing the building from the outside is not enough, because it could just be a facade, or an empty building with one secretary (who makes $100,000/year), a desk, and a phone that never rings and isn't even plugged in.

 

[Bonsante]

I'm still not convinced that this is a real school. Everyone who posts about it is nowhere to be found on threads about other schools, which leads me to believe that they are all the same person. Possibly a robot. ATSU-SOMA is an elaborate hoax that the president of ATSU-KCOM came up with, while drunk, to swindle people out of their $50 application fees. Either that, or it is a front for laundering colombian drug money.

The kicker is, I've got a buddy who lives in Mesa, and his mom is a doctor, and he doesn't know anything about the school either. "There's a medical school in mesa?" was his response.

I may have to physically go there, knock on the door, and ask for a tour of the facility. Seeing the building from the outside is not enough, because it could just be a facade, or an empty building with one secretary (who makes $100,000/year), a desk, and a phone that never rings and isn't even plugged in.

One word or rather sentence: LMAOL!!

 

[DrMidlife]

The dean looks exactly like Mr. Burns, which makes it even more surreal.

(Note: I really liked the dean when I interviewed, but you have to admit there's a striking resemblance.)

 

[TexasTriathlete]

That IS Mr. Burns. Did you actually talk to him, or did you just see him sitting in his "office", not moving, and being a cardboard cutout?

I should not ever go to Whole Foods with a fresh paycheck in the bank and an empty stomach.

 

[DrMidlife]

I should not ever go to Whole Foods with a fresh paycheck in the bank and an empty stomach.

On behalf of the entire tree-hugging locally-organic-pretentious too-polite-to-function-at-a-fourway-stop hybrid-SUV-owning-yet-drive-like-******s Pacific Northwest, I would like to thank Austin for exporting Whole Foods. I could hang out in the cheese section or the soy milk aisle all day.

 

[gildas]

The dean looks exactly like Mr. Burns, which makes it even more surreal.

(Note: I really liked the dean when I interviewed, but you have to admit there's a striking resemblance.)

EXCELLENT...

 

[Climber512]

That IS Mr. Burns. Did you actually talk to him, or did you just see him sitting in his "office", not moving, and being a cardboard cutout?

I should not ever go to Whole Foods with a fresh paycheck in the bank and an empty stomach.

So you have almost 3300 postings since becoming a member in Aug 07.....how do you find the time to be such an accomplished tripod and hang out with all the other dirt hippies at Whole Foods?

PS-its cool if you shave, noone will hold it against you. This is a safe place.

 

[gasapple]

No bashing Whole Foods! It's what I usually do for fun because it has the same market feel as I encountered in Europe - unfortunately, much pricier! What can I say, I like it. Oh - I'm not a hippie, either.

Organic heirloom tomatoes are the ****.

 

[inthe415]

You will love the DO's in Portland, since I'm here right now I know many of them and they are all great. Who did you meet? Have you met Dr. John Pham yet? If not you will, he is a great guy and you can learn a ton from him

We met with Dr. Al Turner, D.O. Osteopathic Advantage, David Walls - Executive Director Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of Oregon, and Ned Rosch – Executive Director - Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation.

A couple of us are going to Portland in April for Spring break to check out the apartment situation, see the sites and shop at Powell's books.


Congrats to all who are coming next year! I am very happy with SOMA-MESA.

Back to studying cardio...

 

[OCHO]

.

 

[DOC KHALSA]

So you have almost 3300 postings since becoming a member in Aug 07.....how do you find the time to be such an accomplished tripod and hang out with all the other dirt hippies at Whole Foods?

PS-its cool if you shave, noone will hold it against you. This is a safe place.

Being a bearded one, [by religion and not as a "hippie" (as you seem fond of degrading them)], i would like to respond to you by saying, who the **** are you to judge?

I am assuming that you are a climber (based on your login name) when I say this: I think climbers are supposed to be way more chill than that (I am a climber), and secondly, if you are considering being a physician, you might want to consider the fact that one of those "dirty hippies" might be one of your patients at 3am sometime with a medical emergency. I certainly hope for everyones sake that that isn't the time when you have an internal moral dialogue as to whether you want to practice medicine or have a popularity contest. And by the way, all your previous postings have been supportive and gracious; where didi this come from?

 

[DOC KHALSA]

So you have almost 3300 postings since becoming a member in Aug 07.....how do you find the time to be such an accomplished tripod and hang out with all the other dirt hippies at Whole Foods?

PS-its cool if you shave, noone will hold it against you. This is a safe place.

and by the way, i shop at whole foods, and i am not a "dirt hippie". Some people just like good food. GO texas triathalete. PS (to everyone else) is there good mountainbiking in Mesa. I like to do 24-hour mountain bike races, and did my first triathalon this past spring (just a sprint distance, not a big one)....

 

[OCHO]

.