ATSU/SOMA (Arizona) Discussion thread 2007-2008

[primadonna22274]

Well thanks so much GreenShirt. This is encouraging.
I guess my frame of reference is the few CHCs I've been a part of, which have all been multidisciplinary clinics with lots to offer but certainly not hospital-like in any way. Salud in particular (part of Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic) in Woodburn, OR is the one I'm thinking of in particular, as well as the Indian Health Service clinic in Grand Ronde, OR where I did my family practice rotation.
Thanks again
L.

Let me start with an anecdotal story: The accreditation committee recently visited SOMA for a routine inspection. They liked what the school was doing and gave it a favorable review. However, they were hung up on one thing: Why on earth had SOMA decided to do their rotation in a bunch of clinics instead of hospitals like other schools? In response, the deans piled the committee members into a van and drove them to Tuscon CHC. The committee was apparently absolutely dumbfounded by what they saw there (in a good way). It was giant modern hospital complex with hundreds of inpatient beds and multiple sprawling satellite clinics. They had thought that the CHCs were just mom and pop type facilities. On the ride back to Phoenix they were absolutely giddy with praise for SOMA for choosing the NACHC as a partner for clinicals.

Back to your concern: Medical school is really about learning the basics of medicine (taking history and physicals, writing SOAP notes, knowing your bugs and drugs...which you probably have down with your PA experience...so you may get a little bored with med school). Most of the higher training beyond that will occur, as you have pointed out, during your residency. Seeing inpatient is probably adventitious in the sense that it helps expose you to hospital culture and the way things are done in tertiary rather than ambulatory setting but you will not likely be able to master all the skills necessary to care for critically ill patients as a 3rd of 4th year med student. Again, if you are in the 90% of physicians that practice on an out-patient basis, understanding the intricacies of inpatient care is not as useful to you and understanding those of outpatient care. But remember, at SOMA you will have plenty inpatient exposure.

I guess the caveat to the whole argument is that the best current students can give you is educated speculation on the subject since no one has gone through the program yet, a lot is just theory at the moment. However, I feel that the CHC will provide us with an individualized environment in which to learn the basics of medical practice (we're their students and their future) and the opportunity to see continuity in patient care (we use the intergrated clerkship model).

Best thing to do: Apply to many places and see which ones speak to you on interview day. I frankly did not think I would end up at SOMA when I looked at it on paper (it was too weird), but on interview day, I fell in love and didn't want to go anywhere else.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GreenShirt]

Well thanks so much GreenShirt. This is encouraging.
I guess my frame of reference is the few CHCs I've been a part of, which have all been multidisciplinary clinics with lots to offer but certainly not hospital-like in any way. Salud in particular (part of Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic) in Woodburn, OR is the one I'm thinking of in particular, as well as the Indian Health Service clinic in Grand Ronde, OR where I did my family practice rotation.
Thanks again
L.

Well, a number of the sites, including my own are as you describe multidisciplinary clinics. So if you're interested in a larger center you'll likely want to choose Tucson, Pheonix or New York. One thing I'd like to point out is that SOMA picked our 11 clinical sites out 1150 potential CHCs around the country because those were the ones best suited to provide a proper medical education, hopefully they'll live up to their promise (which I believe they will b/c they are super-excited about us coming next year).

Good luck next cycle!

 

[primadonna22274]

Thanks! I don't remember if I mentioned it but my sister & nieces are in Tucson (Oro Valley actually) and I have grandparents in Casa Grande so not a bad idea overall.
L.

Well, a number of the sites, including my own are as you describe multidisciplinary clinics. So if you're interested in a larger center you'll likely want to choose Tucson, Pheonix or New York. One thing I'd like to point out is that SOMA picked our 11 clinical sites out 1150 potential CHCs around the country because those were the ones best suited to provide a proper medical education, hopefully they'll live up to their promise (which I believe they will b/c they are super-excited about us coming next year).

Good luck next cycle!

 

[Fluidsmash]

I am wondering how the CHC's are going to function with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students. We are going to have one faculty member so I don’t know how the one facilitator will meet the needs of all the students. Does anyone know exactly how this is going to work?

 

[GreenShirt]

I am wondering how the CHC's are going to function with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students. We are going to have one faculty member so I don’t know how the one facilitator will meet the needs of all the students. Does anyone know exactly how this is going to work?

Most of the course material will be produced on the main campus by the appropriate faculty and then made available to us by various means such as the internet, podcasts, and forums. The facilitator will be there to "facilitate" the class room process on site, but all the faculty on main campus will also be available by e-mail, forums, etc. Don't forget that, in addition to the classroom facilitator we'll also have numerous clinical staff at our disposal at the CHC as well as a number of guest lecturers brought in by the CHC. It's fairly common for medical schools to bring in experts on specific topics for a guest lecture and this occurs in the first year as well.

 

[gildas]

I am wondering how the CHC's are going to function with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students. We are going to have one faculty member so I don’t know how the one facilitator will meet the needs of all the students. Does anyone know exactly how this is going to work?

Correction. Each CHC will have 2 part time faculties/facilitators (one clinical and one basic science) who will be there primary for the students. There will also be other docs from the CHC who will serve as clinical facilitators.

 

[sethman33]

I was recently accepted to ATSU, SC CHC... I have about a week left to decide...

Can anyone tell me anything about the South Carolina CHC? Location, demographics, culture, the clinic itself (size, etc.), and anything else...

If you want to add a plug for the school, I'd like that too!

-Seth

P.S. - I'm thinking about deferring for a year to see how it turns out first... pros and cons on this are welcome as well!

 

[tlvuong4]

I was recently accepted to ATSU, SC CHC... I have about a week left to decide...

Can anyone tell me anything about the South Carolina CHC? Location, demographics, culture, the clinic itself (size, etc.), and anything else...

If you want to add a plug for the school, I'd like that too!

-Seth

P.S. - I'm thinking about deferring for a year to see how it turns out first... pros and cons on this are welcome as well!

I think this is the site for the SC CHC
http://www.bjhchs.com/index.html

I would give them a call and say you're a prospective ATSU student and would like to know more about the clinic itself. You could probably find the demographics and culture on google.

Are they allowing you to defer an acceptance?

 

[Fluidsmash]

I am looking for a place near campus so I don't have to drive, I can't afford the gas. I have a dog so I want to get a house with a yard and I would like to live in a community with a pool. Does anyone know any neighborhoods near campus that would provide these things? Would this be possible for about $1000 dollars a month?

-Thanks

 

[GreenShirt]

I am looking for a place near campus so I don't have to drive, I can't afford the gas. I have a dog so I want to get a house with a yard and I would like to live in a community with a pool. Does anyone know any neighborhoods near campus that would provide these things? Would this be possible for about $1000 dollars a month?

-Thanks

Has ATSU sent you your log on info for the portal yet? There is a school forum where people post properties and a good number of students looking for house mates. You can also try rent.com, it has a good listing of East Valley properties.

I'm more of an apartment expert, so hopefully some of my home owning colleagues can help you out more.

 

[luba12]

Anyone out there assigned to the Alabama CHC. I feel like I am the only one going out there. Also does anyone have any more information on the Alabama CHC anything will be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone know if the class has been filled? and when the official schedule will come out?

 

[Fluidsmash]

I was wondering what types of clubs and activities are available for the students on campus. It seems that the UAAO has a strong presence on campus but I'm not sure that is exactly what I am looking for. I wanted to see what other ways students can get involved in Mesa.

Thanks

 

[gildas]

I was wondering what types of clubs and activities are available for the students on campus. It seems that the UAAO has a strong presence on campus but I'm not sure that is exactly what I am looking for. I wanted to see what other ways students can get involved in Mesa.

Thanks

Your upperclassmates have started several student clubs from Family Practice to Surgery and others such as the red cross. But since we are all moving to our CHCs this summer, I will suggest to contact the current SOMA SGA (btw I am the activities Chairman) to see what type of activities each club has been involved in.

 

[sethman33]

This is from a current first year student at SOMA... I'm thinking about coming here but now I'm not sure... Refute this or agree with it....

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic but overall I would not recommend coming here. Looking back now, I wish I would have chosen another school. A core group of professors are really top notch though - path, physiology, genetics, biochem. Our pharm and micro are atrocious though. The administration likes to talk about progress and always asks the student's for recommendations but never acts on them. Take everything they say with a grain of salt. I'm somewhat jaded since I'm in the first class we have to endure the kinks before they are worked out so things should be smoother before next year."

 

[Xoynx]

This is from a current first year student at SOMA... I'm thinking about coming here but now I'm not sure... Refute this or agree with it....

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic but overall I would not recommend coming here. Looking back now, I wish I would have chosen another school. A core group of professors are really top notch though - path, physiology, genetics, biochem. Our pharm and micro are atrocious though. The administration likes to talk about progress and always asks the student's for recommendations but never acts on them. Take everything they say with a grain of salt. I'm somewhat jaded since I'm in the first class we have to endure the kinks before they are worked out so things should be smoother before next year."

I'm in class 1 also, and I too feel ambivalent. I agree with everything that my classmate said, but maybe I'm not so confident that I picked the wrong school. Yes, it sucks being a "pioneer," as they call us. The school and future classes reap the benefits of all the suck that Class #1 is going thru. I'm pretty sure my grades would have been better if I'd attended another school, and I really don't look forward to spending three years in rural Ohio (I spent thousands of dollars to move to Mesa, and in July I'll have to move all over again). I also suspect that KCOM's OPP program is better integrated into the rest of the curriculum and that OPP receives more respect from the higher-ups in Kirksville than in Mesa. And oh yeah, all the high-tech stuff they bragged about in our interviews? Buggy as hell.

But I'm totally in love with Arizona, and my classmates are the best I've ever had. Because of the altruistic reasons people picked SOMA, everyone is extremely supportive of each other, and gunners are rare. And yeah, OPP does get a lot of respect in Ohio, so I shouldn't complain about the move too much (I'm headed for OMM/NMM specialty).

Regardless, class #2 will have a much better experience than mine did.

 

[texasdo]

I was recently accepted to ATSU, SC CHC... I have about a week left to decide...

Can anyone tell me anything about the South Carolina CHC? Location, demographics, culture, the clinic itself (size, etc.), and anything else...

If you want to add a plug for the school, I'd like that too!

-Seth

P.S. - I'm thinking about deferring for a year to see how it turns out first... pros and cons on this are welcome as well!

I'd go with SOMA....well I did. Plus, it'd be nice to have another Texan join me in SC in 2009

Also, I am optimistic that the kinks will be worked out by the fall...

 

[GreenShirt]

This is from a current first year student at SOMA... I'm thinking about coming here but now I'm not sure... Refute this or agree with it....

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic but overall I would not recommend coming here. Looking back now, I wish I would have chosen another school. A core group of professors are really top notch though - path, physiology, genetics, biochem. Our pharm and micro are atrocious though. The administration likes to talk about progress and always asks the student's for recommendations but never acts on them. Take everything they say with a grain of salt. I'm somewhat jaded since I'm in the first class we have to endure the kinks before they are worked out so things should be smoother before next year."

I'll agree that our pharm and micro profs are horrible, but then again which school doesn't have a few bad teachers? As for the administration not doing anything, I find that untrue. They've actually incorporated all the changes we've requested as long as they've been doable. For example, we requested to have a reading period before finals and got it. Some people requested exams during the week rather than Monday, we got that this module. We asked them to fix the anatomy lab set up. There's a lot more changes we've been able to influence, but they won't take effect until next year.

I think the biggest problem area is the teaching style of the school. They want it to be this whole learner-centered give and take kind of thing instead of lecture. It's the kind of thing that sounds good in theory but is difficult to do in practice. Essentially, the PhDs want us to learn on our own and look stuff up, while the clinicians give lectures.

 

[Xoynx]

I'll agree that our pharm and micro profs are horrible, but then again which school doesn't have a few bad teachers? As for the administration not doing anything, I find that untrue. They've actually incorporated all the changes we've requested as long as they've been doable. For example, we requested to have a reading period before finals and got it. Some people requested exams during the week rather than Monday, we got that this module. We asked them to fix the anatomy lab set up. There's a lot more changes we've been able to influence, but they won't take effect until next year.

I think the biggest problem area is the teaching style of the school. They want it to be this whole learner-centered give and take kind of thing instead of lecture. It's the kind of thing that sounds good in theory but is difficult to do in practice. Essentially, the PhDs want us to learn on our own and look stuff up, while the clinicians give lectures.

As I said, I'm ambivalent. Yes, they've listened to us and incorporated many of our suggestions. Dean Wood is ridiculously available, as if he didn't know that he already has our tuition money. As you pointed out, however, it will be future classes who will reap the benefits of many of our suggestions, as it is too late for them to change our own curriculum. Although class 2 will have a much easier time than we did, it's unrealistic to think that all of the kinks will be worked out by July.

 

[tlvuong4]

But I'm totally in love with Arizona, and my classmates are the best I've ever had. Because of the altruistic reasons people picked SOMA, everyone is extremely supportive of each other, and gunners are rare. And yeah, OPP does get a lot of respect in Ohio, so I shouldn't complain about the move too much (I'm headed for OMM/NMM specialty).

Regardless, class #2 will have a much better experience than mine did.

While I was only there for a few days, I really did like the Phoenix area. I'm sure the c/o 2012 will be great as well. And that is a downside to the whole CHC thing. I'll be leaving Phoenix after only a year. And with that we'll be leaving our classmates and friends after the first year and be with only 9 of our classmates for the rest of the time. My CHC is in Seattle which I'm looking forward to since I was born there and have family there as well.

About the buggy technology. Are you saying the Tablets are buggy? 2K is a big chuck of change for a buggy tablet.

 

[Xoynx]

About the buggy technology. Are you saying the Tablets are buggy? 2K is a big chuck of change for a buggy tablet.

The tablets are a bit more fragile than expected--many students have reported such problems as broken latches, wobbly monitors, etc. I haven't had hardware problems, but I hate that they recently installed Office 2007 on everyone's machine. I had no problems before that, but now Word crashes every 3-5 mins.

Mostly, SOMA's technology problems have to do with the overhead monitors, the wireless mouse pointers, the simulated pts--the stuff that they had bragged about in our interviews.

 

[gildas]

While I was only there for a few days, I really did like the Phoenix area. I'm sure the c/o 2012 will be great as well. And that is a downside to the whole CHC thing. I'll be leaving Phoenix after only a year. And with that we'll be leaving our classmates and friends after the first year and be with only 9 of our classmates for the rest of the time. My CHC is in Seattle which I'm looking forward to since I was born there and have family there as well.

About the buggy technology. Are you saying the Tablets are buggy? 2K is a big chuck of change for a buggy tablet.

When some of my classmates complain about the technology, I am reallly not sure what they are complaining about. First of all I love my tablet, it makes my life a lot easier. I can organize my notes and objectives on onenote for an easy review. W/ everything in the healthcare been so high tech, why not starting be familiar with the technology in med school and wait till residency?
Another thing I know I have access to the library database from anywhere.
I can go on and on about what I can do with my computer, sim-man and all the high tech stuffs, but the bottom line is I love it.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

When some of my classmates complain about the technology, I am reallly not sure what they are complaining about. First of all I love my tablet, it makes my life a lot easier. I can organize my notes and objectives on onenote for an easy review. W/ everything in the healthcare been so high tech, why not starting be familiar with the technology in med school and wait till residency?
Another thing I know I have access to the library database from anywhere.
I can go on and on about what I can do with my computer, sim-man and all the high tech stuffs, but the bottom line is I love it.

I definitely would second this opinion. And by the way, I am one of those students that had problems with my laptop. While I feel (and the school IT guys would agree) that a better tablet would have been my choice, I personally love my computer. While my other classmate is correct in saying that these computers have had regular problems, what he didnt mention is that all I need to do is bring it down to the IT guys, they order the parts, pop my hard drive out and put it into a loaner, and I use the loaner until my computer is fixed. I had everything that had problems fixed already by IT. This is really like the half full, half empty debate. If you are the half empty type, there are always problems and other things to complain/whine about. I know all my classmates posting here, and none of them are the 'whiners' of the class. But there are also the ones in class who see difficulties as things to overcome, and that there is always a bright side to the story. I prefer to lean in that direction. Yes there are problems being the pioneers/guinea pigs but there has been nothing too detrimental which would make me say I should have gone to another school. I personally lost a $2000 deposit at another school to come here, but im still happy w/ my decision. The reality is there are problems at ALL medical schools, its really how you react to it that is the issue. I have many friends at Geffen UCLA med school (oooohh the creme de la creme of med schools) and they ALWAYS complain....this professor sucks, my classmates are a**holes(this I agree with ), I got the worst rotations, Drew students are taking our spots...blah, blah, blah. Really its what you make of it. Jjust remember not everyone can be happy. If you felt good when you were here. Trust your instinct.....

 

[Xoynx]

I definitely would second this opinion. And by the way, I am one of those students that had problems with my laptop. While I feel (and the school IT guys would agree) that a better tablet would have been my choice, I personally love my computer. While my other classmate is correct in saying that these computers have had regular problems, what he didnt mention is that all I need to do is bring it down to the IT guys, they order the parts, pop my hard drive out and put it into a loaner, and I use the loaner until my computer is fixed. I had everything that had problems fixed already by IT. This is really like the half full, half empty debate. If you are the half empty type, there are always problems and other things to complain/whine about. I know all my classmates posting here, and none of them are the 'whiners' of the class. But there are also the ones in class who see difficulties as things to overcome, and that there is always a bright side to the story. I prefer to lean in that direction. Yes there are problems being the pioneers/guinea pigs but there has been nothing too detrimental which would make me say I should have gone to another school. I personally lost a $2000 deposit at another school to come here, but im still happy w/ my decision. The reality is there are problems at ALL medical schools, its really how you react to it that is the issue. I have many friends at Geffen UCLA med school (oooohh the creme de la creme of med schools) and they ALWAYS complain....this professor sucks, my classmates are a**holes(this I agree with ), I got the worst rotations, Drew students are taking our spots...blah, blah, blah. Really its what you make of it. Jjust remember not everyone can be happy. If you felt good when you were here. Trust your instinct.....

E v. W is right: the glass is half full. But because it's also half empty, and because that fact hadn't been discussed nearly much as the fullishness, I thought it worthwhile to mention the voidy stuff before any pre-meds commit.

Yes, our IT department is superb. I cannot imagine a better one. But it's also true that some of my friends own lappies that just won't stay fixed.

 

[GreenShirt]

I think we need to start a c/o 2011 venting thread on the med students forum

 

[Xoynx]

I think we need to start a c/o 2011 venting thread on the med students forum

Only in response to an ATSU-SOMA marketing thread.

 

[oskibear]

This is from a current first year student at SOMA... I'm thinking about coming here but now I'm not sure... Refute this or agree with it....

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic but overall I would not recommend coming here. Looking back now, I wish I would have chosen another school. A core group of professors are really top notch though - path, physiology, genetics, biochem. Our pharm and micro are atrocious though. The administration likes to talk about progress and always asks the student's for recommendations but never acts on them. Take everything they say with a grain of salt. I'm somewhat jaded since I'm in the first class we have to endure the kinks before they are worked out so things should be smoother before next year."

Wow, I'm really disappointed in whoever wrote this. Apparently they were under the impression that they were going to be spoon fed in medical school.

Regardless of what medical school you are at, each faculty cohort will have it's strengths and weaknesses. A friend of mine at UCSF thinks they get poor clinical preparation. A friend of mine at Stanford hates their pathology professor. Point being, while it is true our pharm and micro have been lacking in quality - this is hardly unique to our school. Additionally, there is change occurring now and in the future.

Dr. Pavlick is going to be teaching pharm next year (he currently does only physio but teaches pharm to other programs here on campus) and the recently hired Dr. Kuo is doing an excellent job in covering bugs nowadays.

As for a "non-responsive" administration, I vehemently disagree with that. I've had short-notice sit-downs with the dean to address concerns our club had, and they were resolved *very* quickly. Changes that are scheduled for next year to improve the educational experience are too many to mention. What they've done so far to accommodate us is far greater than what I had ever hoped for.

As for my laptop, I love it! I don't think I'll ever go back to a non-tablet computer. They ARE kinda fragile, but as someone mentioned previously, our IT folks do a great job in fixing them quickly.

In short, yes it's been frustrating sometimes that things don't go as smoothly as a school that's had the same curriculum for 30 years. But that said, many other schools are changing. Our sister school, KCOM will be changing to our curriculum in 2010. Touro CA switched to a systems based model THIS year, and their current first years are having a very similar experience to ours.

I came into this school harboring no illusions that it would run like butter. But I like building and creating things, working towards change. The change this school hopes to achieve is unlike any other school's, and that alone weighed enough in my mind so that I *chose* to join them in working towards it.

Regardless of why I chose this school and the realities of being the first year of a new program, probably the most salient point in addressing my classmate's comments is that most of the complaints of this first year will be completely irrelevant next year due to our feedback and changes already implemented and changes planned by the school. Some complaints will undoubtedly remain relevant, but such is the life of a student. Besides, we have to leave you something to fight for.

 

[gildas]

Wow, I'm really disappointed in whoever wrote this. Apparently they were under the impression that they were going to be spoon fed in medical school.

Regardless of what medical school you are at, each faculty cohort will have it's strengths and weaknesses. A friend of mine at UCSF thinks they get poor clinical preparation. A friend of mine at Stanford hates their pathology professor. Point being, while it is true our pharm and micro have been lacking in quality - this is hardly unique to our school. Additionally, there is change occurring now and in the future.

Dr. Pavlick is going to be teaching pharm next year (he currently does only physio but teaches pharm to other programs here on campus) and the recently hired Dr. Kuo is doing an excellent job in covering bugs nowadays.

As for a "non-responsive" administration, I vehemently disagree with that. I've had short-notice sit-downs with the dean to address concerns our club had, and they were resolved *very* quickly. Changes that are scheduled for next year to improve the educational experience are too many to mention. What they've done so far to accommodate us is far greater than what I had ever hoped for.

As for my laptop, I love it! I don't think I'll ever go back to a non-tablet computer. They ARE kinda fragile, but as someone mentioned previously, our IT folks do a great job in fixing them quickly.

In short, yes it's been frustrating sometimes that things don't go as smoothly as a school that's had the same curriculum for 30 years. But that said, many other schools are changing. Our sister school, KCOM will be changing to our curriculum in 2010. Touro CA switched to a systems based model THIS year, and their current first years are having a very similar experience to ours.

I came into this school harboring no illusions that it would run like butter. But I like building and creating things, working towards change. The change this school hopes to achieve is unlike any other school's, and that alone weighed enough in my mind so that I *chose* to join them in working towards it.

Regardless of why I chose this school and the realities of being the first year of a new program, probably the most salient point in addressing my classmate's comments is that most of the complaints of this first year will be completely irrelevant next year due to our feedback and changes already implemented and changes planned by the school. Some complaints will undoubtedly remain relevant, but such is the life of a student. Besides, we have to leave you something to fight for.

Nicely said.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

Oskibear.....well said!! I feel proud to sit at the same table as you!

 

[Fluidsmash]

I will be starting school at SOMA soon and I wanted to share my thoughts on this issue. There are a few things about SOMA that concerned me while I was applying to the school. My biggest concern was the lack of full accreditation and I was also very concerned about all the unknowns surrounding the CHC’s. These things, along with others made me hesitant to attend this school.

Here is what changed my mind. Medicine is ready for its next big revolution and I want to be part of that. I am sure that most of the people interested in this school are aware of the dire circumstances that surround the underserved medical communities. Something needs to change and I feel like this school is at striving to make a change. I wanted to be part of something different; I want to be part of new ideas.

Schools are always trying to move forward and are always making changes, but a few changes weren’t enough for me. I want to gamble and be a part of something that can be revolutionary.

I know there are going to be bugs because that is always part of change. A few bad teachers is part of any education and the fact that administration is willing to listen is better then most schools. I look forward to being part of this school it will be fun to be part of something different.

 

[primadonna22274]

Fluidsmash,

I like the way you think. Remind yourself in a year that you said all this

My PA program (Pacific University, Oregon) was under "provisional accreditation" status when I matriculated in '98. The first class graduated in '99 and the program was fully accredited then (not sure if this is the same way medical programs are accredited). It was basically an unknown program at the time but it was in my backyard and heck, I got in, so I went. It's been pretty well-received and well-respected in its circle and this summer will graduate its 10th class of PAs.

It sure was tough sometimes to be the guinea pigs. OTOH, we had the opportunity to shape the program in some ways and define it. We had a lot of fun while we were at it. I think it's interesting what you mention about being on the verge of the next big thing in medicine. I'm a bit conflicted myself on the community-based training concept since this was the way my PA education was structured and I do often feel I missed out on training in the wards. The flip side of this is, as a resident, we'll have more than enough hospital-based experience. I would be a bit concerned about residency placements with an unknown and untried program because to me, it's important to get a very good foundation in hospital medicine since that's precisely what I'm lacking at this particular juncture in my professional life.

Congrats on your acceptance and I wish you guys a really excellent year! Perhaps I'll see you when interviews come around.

Lisa PA-C

I will be starting school at SOMA soon and I wanted to share my thoughts on this issue. There are a few things about SOMA that concerned me while I was applying to the school. My biggest concern was the lack of full accreditation and I was also very concerned about all the unknowns surrounding the CHC’s. These things, along with others made me hesitant to attend this school.

Here is what changed my mind. Medicine is ready for its next big revolution and I want to be part of that. I am sure that most of the people interested in this school are aware of the dire circumstances that surround the underserved medical communities. Something needs to change and I feel like this school is at striving to make a change. I wanted to be part of something different; I want to be part of new ideas.

Schools are always trying to move forward and are always making changes, but a few changes weren’t enough for me. I want to gamble and be a part of something that can be revolutionary.

I know there are going to be bugs because that is always part of change. A few bad teachers is part of any education and the fact that administration is willing to listen is better then most schools. I look forward to being part of this school it will be fun to be part of something different.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

Fluidsmash,

I like the way you think. Remind yourself in a year that you said all this

My PA program (Pacific University, Oregon) was under "provisional accreditation" status when I matriculated in '98. The first class graduated in '99 and the program was fully accredited then (not sure if this is the same way medical programs are accredited). It was basically an unknown program at the time but it was in my backyard and heck, I got in, so I went. It's been pretty well-received and well-respected in its circle and this summer will graduate its 10th class of PAs.

It sure was tough sometimes to be the guinea pigs. OTOH, we had the opportunity to shape the program in some ways and define it. We had a lot of fun while we were at it. I think it's interesting what you mention about being on the verge of the next big thing in medicine. I'm a bit conflicted myself on the community-based training concept since this was the way my PA education was structured and I do often feel I missed out on training in the wards. The flip side of this is, as a resident, we'll have more than enough hospital-based experience. I would be a bit concerned about residency placements with an unknown and untried program because to me, it's important to get a very good foundation in hospital medicine since that's precisely what I'm lacking at this particular juncture in my professional life.

Congrats on your acceptance and I wish you guys a really excellent year! Perhaps I'll see you when interviews come around.

Lisa PA-C

Primadonna-- I think you have the CHC concept a little bit skewed. In year 2 (one year before any other school does rotations) we will be getting valuable clinical experience as well as didactic work at the 11 CHCs. During this year the majority of the 11 sites will have us working at outpatient clinics, learning, helping, practicing anything we are allowed to do. During years 3-4, rotations are for the most part traditional-each of the CHCs either have an existing or are connected to a hospital. Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is the hospital for the Brooklyn CHC. The link to their site is here: http://www.lmcmc.com/ Its a complete Trauma I center with 500 beds. Its a good hospital. Now for rotations in yrs 3-4 this is where the majority of our rotations will take place-hospital based. And this is not unique to the Brooklyn site. Now the integrative model means we will continue to follow a core group of patients which we are assigned in year 2, throughout the last 2 years. This means appointments for these patients will be coordinated with our schedules so we can be there for the appointments.

So unlike PA school there are required hospital based rotations which are required of medical students.

 

[spicey]

Does anyone have the link to the Troy,Alabama CHC?

 

[Crunchy120]

As you can see there are a variety of opinions at our school. Some students are very pessimistic and sometimes even bitter about things (very few actually). Yea we've had some tough times throughout but it just makes you that much stronger. We do have a very adaptive faculty and administration. Student Gov. meets with them every week and gets updates on what is being done and we address new issues with them. It is amazing to watch how each module develops from the last to be a better module. Also the changes for next year sound very positive and I feel that 2012 will get a wonderful education.

Also when our CHC directors/faculty visited us a couple weeks ago they sat in on one of our small groups. They said that we truly were thinking at a 3rd year level. The schemes and presentations will put you in a whole different tier of thinking. And pairing it with the clinical experience we will get? You're in for a real treat.

Anyways enough of my praises. Just remember that anywhere you go there will be weaknesses and strengths but there isn't any other place much like SOMA.

 

[primadonna22274]

I probably do. I just can't quite envision it. I DID have inpatient experience as a PA student, just not enough of it--my IM rotation was almost entirely outpatient since my preceptor hated going to the hospital and sent his (much abused) partner all the time; and my FP rotation was in a rural IHS clinic so it was entirely outpatient and that included peds. OB/GYN some hospital but mostly clinic, outpatient urgent care instead of EM. The only time I was really in the hospital for an entire rotation was cardiothoracic surgery (4 weeks).
So, I get a little wary of the "community-based" rotations idea. I will check out the link you mentioned. I did look at the Tucson link and that was impressive. Anybody have the Oregon link? It may not be the same place I think it is.
Thanks
Lisa

Primadonna-- I think you have the CHC concept a little bit skewed. In year 2 (one year before any other school does rotations) we will be getting valuable clinical experience as well as didactic work at the 11 CHCs. During this year the majority of the 11 sites will have us working at outpatient clinics, learning, helping, practicing anything we are allowed to do. During years 3-4, rotations are for the most part traditional-each of the CHCs either have an existing or are connected to a hospital. Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is the hospital for the Brooklyn CHC. The link to their site is here: http://www.lmcmc.com/ Its a complete Trauma I center with 500 beds. Its a good hospital. Now for rotations in yrs 3-4 this is where the majority of our rotations will take place-hospital based. And this is not unique to the Brooklyn site. Now the integrative model means we will continue to follow a core group of patients which we are assigned in year 2, throughout the last 2 years. This means appointments for these patients will be coordinated with our schedules so we can be there for the appointments.

So unlike PA school there are required hospital based rotations which are required of medical students.

 

[oskibear]

Hey Primadonna -

I'm going to Oregon. We're partnered with the Multnomah County Health Department and their Portland CHCs. We haven't been told which hospital(s) we'll be doing our 3rd and 4th year rotations at, though I can't imagine it would be anywhere else besides OHSU.

http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/health/

You can check out the different CHCs on the left-hand column of links.

 

[primadonna22274]

Thank you!

I would be very surprised if it WERE OHSU, but could very likely be Legacy, St Vincent, Salem...no shortage of hospitals in Portland. In fact when I was in PA school the ONLY hospital system I never rotated through was OHSU because I was a Pacific student and OHSU PA students went through OHSU...not so true now, many Pacific grads even work at OHSU.

Will check it out. It is, after all, home.
thanks again
Lisa

Hey Primadonna -

I'm going to Oregon. We're partnered with the Multnomah County Health Department and their Portland CHCs. We haven't been told which hospital(s) we'll be doing our 3rd and 4th year rotations at, though I can't imagine it would be anywhere else besides OHSU.

http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/health/

You can check out the different CHCs on the left-hand column of links.

 

[oskibear]

Oh, interesting! Why would you be surprised if it were OHSU? Are they very exclusive? Sounds like you know a lot about the teaching hospitals in the area. Could you please enlighten?

Thanks!

 

[primadonna22274]

Hi again oskibear,

My thoughts are that OHSU already has its MD students, residents, PA, NP, CNM students rotating through. It's crawling with students. I also would be surprised if OHSU allowed a "competing" med school's students to rotate through. Then again OHSU likes to promote its rural health emphasis and ATSU-SOMA's mission/CHC focus might jibe with that so it might work.

There are plenty of other great teaching hospitals in Portland though. Legacy Emanuel is also a Level 1 trauma and Providence-St. Vincent and Providence-Portland have residency programs and plenty of students too. I rotated through all of these hospitals on OB/GYN and cardiothoracic surgery services as a PA student. There's also the Adventist program and Good Samaritan hospitals in Portland and then plenty others I don't know well in Vancouver (just over the bridge) and Salem (an hour south). Salem Hospital is up and coming in the education field. It suffered for fifty years when OHSU moved its program from Eugene to Portland but for the first part of the 20th century was a leader in training physicians and nurses too. Plenty of PA students have rotated through Salem and now it's (I think) Level 2 (or is it Level 1??) trauma as well. I think it's Level 1 since they have neurosurgery & cardiothoracic surgery services for the past 10 years as well.

I did look at the Multnomah County website--thanks for sharing. What throws me is that I've heard elsewhere on this thread "Portland/Woodburn", and the only thing that's in Woodburn is Salud Medical Center, which started as a migrant clinic out of a trailer in the early 80s and is now a multispecialty group clinic targeted to the Spanish-speaking migrant workers and underserved, but it's still nowhere near a hospital. (Salem Hospital is about 20minutes away and the most likely candidate IMO.)

Very interested to hear more.

LIsa

Oh, interesting! Why would you be surprised if it were OHSU? Are they very exclusive? Sounds like you know a lot about the teaching hospitals in the area. Could you please enlighten?

Thanks!

 

[Fluidsmash]

I didn't realize you were an Oregon Resident Primadonna. I live down the street from Pacific's Health Science Campus and I work at Tuality. I just wanted to echo everything you said about OHSU and surrounding hospitals.

I also wanted to see if any current ATSU students knew anything about the Lakeview apartments at superstition springs. They are only a mile from campus so I figured a few students mush live there. I was thinking about moving in there and what to get some opinions on the place.
-Thanks

 

[Fluidsmash]

I have been reading your posts Primadonna and I wanted to put in my two cents. I base my comments on a year working in a hospital pharmacy. My pharmacy services an emergency room, an intensive care unit, and a progressive care unit.

As you already know these critical patients are very different than what you would see in your clinic on a day to day basis. From what I see from the orders that come down to the pharmacy very few doctors are comfortable managing their patients in these units. Most of them turn their patients over to the hospitalists that have a lot more experience dealing with critical patients. They do stay in touch and stay informed on the patients but they look to the hospitalist for many of the decisions.

In a medical school I imagine you are going to learn a bit about critical patients but just like any doctor your specific training will come as a resident. If you are interested in managing critical patients than you may want to pursue a career as a hospitalists or make sure you get a residency program that is closely associated with a hospital's critical care unit. Really it is only experience that can really make you feel comfortable managing these patients.

 

[Fluidsmash]

Another apartment question. Anyone know about Waterford apartments at Superstition Springs.

 

[primadonna22274]

I'm a displaced person...Oregon native who moved to South Carolina two years ago. Homesick for sure, miss my friends and family, but I like my house here and my husband likes having a job (he's a history teacher and had a very hard time finding a job in Oregon, yay Oregon legislature for funding its schools--NOT). Ideally I'd like to make it home in the next few years, if not for school then for residency and to stay. In the meantime the SC sunshine is nice although it's starting to get pretty darn humid.
I have a sister in Tucson and grandparents in Casa Grande and my husband's parents have a condo in Lake Havasu City so Arizona is not completely ridiculous either, and anything can be done temporarily. I'm not too interested in moving cross-country for the first year of med school and then having to return to the east for years 2-4 so primarily would be pulling for west coast CHCs.
Good luck to you all,
Lisa

 

[Fluidsmash]

Does anyone know much about the Oregon CHC. I am familiar with the Salud Health Program and I am wondering if we will be traveling to all of the locations that Salud does. I am a little concerned because that is a lot of real estate to cover.
Thanks

 

[primadonna22274]

I want to know about this too. I figure if I am asked to interview I'll find out more then but in the meantime....Bueller?

Does anyone know much about the Oregon CHC. I am familiar with the Salud Health Program and I am wondering if we will be traveling to all of the locations that Salud does. I am a little concerned because that is a lot of real estate to cover.
Thanks

 

[Parfee]

I'm wondering if anyone got the financial aid package or any correspondence from the school after the acceptance letter.

I mailed back the letter stating I'm accepting the offer, and paid all the deposits that were due. Just kinda weird haven't gotten anything from the school.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

as an applicant for the 2009 entering class, i have a few questions:

when we apply to ATSU -SOMA, do we apply solely to the school in AZ? Are we accepted and then put in a lottery system for the CHCs?
I am really interested in doing a CHC in Hawaii but if I cannot get that, I might look to attending another school.
I really just need to know if you are given the information about your CHC before any major decision deadlines occur.

 

[tlvuong4]

as an applicant for the 2009 entering class, i have a few questions:

when we apply to ATSU -SOMA, do we apply solely to the school in AZ? Are we accepted and then put in a lottery system for the CHCs?
I am really interested in doing a CHC in Hawaii but if I cannot get that, I might look to attending another school.
I really just need to know if you are given the information about your CHC before any major decision deadlines occur.

yes, you apply solely to ATSU-SOMA. On the interview day you are given a sheet to rank your CHC's. If you are accepted to the school then they will give you a call, tell you are accepted and let you know which CHC you got. Which CHC you land in depends on how early you are accepted. So it's not like they look to fill people according to how they rank their CHC's.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

thanks for the quick response!
what CHC did you end up with?
was it the one you chose? ....actually, how many do you choose? If you choose more than one, do they attempt to give you your first choice, then if that one is not available--they look for your second choice?
it seems like hawaii might be a highly desirable CHC and im worried that others would snag it up before I get a chance to interview...there is no way that having ties to hawaii could improve my chances of getting that CHC, huh? not even a little?

 

[gildas]

thanks for the quick response!
what CHC did you end up with?
was it the one you chose? ....actually, how many do you choose? If you choose more than one, do they attempt to give you your first choice, then if that one is not available--they look for your second choice?
it seems like hawaii might be a highly desirable CHC and im worried that others would snag it up before I get a chance to interview...there is no way that having ties to hawaii could improve my chances of getting that CHC, huh? not even a little?

Also remember that you will need to give a reason which you choose a CHC as a 1st choice if you don't have any tie to that particular site or population. So don't expect them to give you a CHC just because you put it down as a #1 choice even if there are spots available. Another thing to keep in mind is that you will have to opportunity to switch out of your CHC if you want to during your 1st year. Many of my classmates did so this year.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

I'm wondering if anyone got the financial aid package or any correspondence from the school after the acceptance letter.

I mailed back the letter stating I'm accepting the offer, and paid all the deposits that were due. Just kinda weird haven't gotten anything from the school.

The financial aid award letters have NOT been released yet--even for us current students. BUT we did receive an email that we (2011) would be getting our financial aid info on Thursday this week. SO i imagine yours is not far behind.