ATSU/SOMA (Arizona) Discussion Thread 2009-2010

[youreokandimok]

Wow, what happened to this thread? It died on us...

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[otis8]

hey guys i was hoping someone could answer my questions about the second year at soma. how does it work? i know we would have to move to one of the community campuses, but do we get to choose which one? are we learning at a different campus or working in a clinical setting? i cant seem to find any information about it.

 

[ImOnAPlain51]

Sorry for the late responses, it's been pretty hectic around SOMA with Cardio/Pulmonary.

I had a question that I was hoping some SOMA students could answer for me. Do SOMA students primarily do primary care when they graduate or do they do other fields like emergency medicine, surgery, etc.

Well, we haven't had a graduating class yet, but as for my class there are people expressing interest in all fields of medicine from FP to Surgery. We have clubs in most of the major fields to start getting a feel for what you might want to do. Tonight we had a talk from a Cardiothoracic surgeon who uses the da vinci surgical robot, which was pretty amazing. So while the majority of us probably will go into primary care, a bunch will not.

hey guys i was hoping someone could answer my questions about the second year at soma. how does it work? i know we would have to move to one of the community campuses, but do we get to choose which one? are we learning at a different campus or working in a clinical setting? i cant seem to find any information about it.

Yeah, we will move to our assigned CHC and do clinics once or twice a week depending on the schedule. The rest of the time is for classwork, OMM, and board study time. There is OMM faculty at each CHC. I don't know how they plan to do next years CHC match, they have tried different methods of the CHC matching process for all three classes. This year we had a computer match us. We basically listed our top preference and the computer randomly matched students to their choices....I think 85% of the people got their 1st choice. The remaining 15% went back into the computer program for their 2nd choice and so on. There is the ability to switch with other people after the match occurs....but again, I'm not sure about next year.

 

[Johnson48]

I had a question that I was hoping some SOMA students could answer for me. Do SOMA students primarily do primary care when they graduate or do they do other fields like emergency medicine, surgery, etc.

For the second and third year students there is a lot of diversity. At my site about half want to go into some type of primary care field with the others thinking more specialization. Yes, the school would love to have all of us in primary care but they are also realistic and will support the decision of the students to go into other fields.

 

[CWALKERRUN]

T-shack...its your favorite friend from the DMP program. I've been reading everyone's post in preparation for an interview invite (they got everything on 12/8 so it'll prolly be another week or so). I got an interview at AZCOM in april but that is a long ways a way. I'll keep you updated if I get an interview here. If not I might be hitting you up to bunk when I come up for the AZCOM interview.

Bill says HI!

 

[jnguyen24]

So I just got accepted to SOMA today and I am really excited. I was wondering if you guys could give me some information on the different CHC SOMA has to offer. How do you guys like it etc. How do you think it compares to other schools curriculum.

 

[CWALKERRUN]

The CHC's I think are listed earlier in this thread if you just search for it.

 

[EmeanFD]

I just got the interview invite today and am very excited about it. It seems like a very unique interview with the group problem solving and this will be my first panel interview. Anyone have any insight or advice?

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

I just got the interview invite today and am very excited about it. It seems like a very unique interview with the group problem solving and this will be my first panel interview. Anyone have any insight or advice?

They don't do the group problem solving thing anymore.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

The following is my response to a PM that I thought you all might find useful. I deleted some personal identifying information, just to be safe.

Hello,
as I was reading through the older posts...people do seem to talk down about SOMA just based on that they want primary care doctors. I really don't know what I want to specialize in. I was hoping to make that decision during my rotations but the whole CHC setting worries me....do you all get enough exposure to cover all specialty concentrations like surgery? Is being in a CHC viewed favorably when applying to either allopathic or osteopathic residencies? I know a lot depends on your test scores but I'm sure the setting you perform your rotation has a big influence. Also another thing…how is the nighlife in SOMA….is it a boring place to live honestly? Lol This doesn't worry me too much but just thought I would ask. Thanks a lot.

...... - first of all, congrats on your acceptances! It is tough, but a good position to be in, to have to choose between more than one school.

I wouldn't worry about the primary care thing at all. I've talked to both admin here at Mesa and facilitators out at the NYC campus who both have said that of course the mission of the school is to get more primary care docs out, but that they completely understand that most people really aren't in a position to make that kind of decision coming into medical school. I had the same concern as you until I visited the NYC campus and met with the facilitator there (last year, after being accepted, but before matriculating). We are required to take more primary care rotations, but their definition of primary care is pretty loose - it includes gen. surgery and emergency medicine, so I don't really feel hampered there. And of course we are free to do audition rotations wherever we want, just like any fourth year, so I don't think it will be a big deal.

What I can see as an advantage at SOMA is that we are at our clinical sites for 3 years, in small groups, so you REALLY get to know your facilitators very well. I'm not too sure how it works at other schools, but I'm pretty sure that you don't have that same kind of "home base" during years 3-4, let alone the extra time during year 2. So that was really appealing to me to be able to develop those relationships, which count more toward residency acceptances anyway. I don't think that being at a CHC in and of itself will help you in residencies (unless you apply to a residency position at a CHC, which do exist,) per se, but like I said, just having all of that extra time to develop killer relationships with facilitators and docs out at the rotation sites will do nothing but help you. (unless you are incompetent or an ass in your rotations, haha)

I have seen one person at the Hawaii campus here on SDN complaining about his rotations and met one of the upperclassmen that's at the California campus who wasn't happy with her rotations. I also heard that Portland was having a little trouble finding places for their 3rd years to go. So it is definitely a new school - if you aren't comfortable with a little uncertainty, and need more structure, I would probably go to Howard. But to most of us here, we of course knew that it was a new school, and that was appealing to us! We work with facilitators and faculty to shape our own education, and just have a lot of opportunities that just wouldn't be there if there were a rigid structure like at most more established schools.

To be honest, I don't know too much about night life here. I'm married with a kid, haha, and so most of my free time is spent with them. We're really close to ASU, though, so a lot of my classmates get out to the bars and clubs near there, after tests. Scottsdale is pretty cool, too, apparently. But yeah, I'm not the best person to ask about the night life, haha.

Good luck making your decision, and happy New Year.

 

[PreDOMD2010]

Just sent in my deposit and submitted my background check!!! EEEKKK!
Does anyone out there know if there are furnished apartments or homes for rent near the school? My husband is in the air force and won't be able to come to Mesa with me , so I need a place that's furnished.
Also, anyone other married women going to be in Mesa by themselves next year? Need a roomy!

 

[DrKendrickLamar]

Just sent in my deposit and submitted my background check!!! EEEKKK!
Does anyone out there know if there are furnished apartments or homes for rent near the school? My husband is in the air force and won't be able to come to Mesa with me , so I need a place that's furnished.
Also, anyone other married women going to be in Mesa by themselves next year? Need a roomy!

when you receive your school email and access to my.atsu.edu, there is a forum where people list rooms or apartments for rent; and some will list if they are fully furnished or not. congrats on the acceptance

 

[Futuredoc2014]

So I'm filling out my secondary and I'm noticing that the school asks for verifiable letters from the centers where the community or volunteer work took place. I thought this was a bit unusual since none of the other schools did. Did everybody that did their secondary app submit this proof or anybody not? It's just weird cos while it's not a problem going around and asking for that proof, it does slow down the process and I dont wanna hold back on my secondary while I wait around to have these letters done. Should I just submit it and hope that those centers fulfill my request? and is my app gonna even be looked @? I'm limited on funds and trying to figure out which schools to finish up first. Thanks.

Also anybody know what the wait time after submitting the secondary is right now? Is it already a pretty full class? Any advice would help. Thanks

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

So I'm filling out my secondary and I'm noticing that the school asks for verifiable letters from the centers where the community or volunteer work took place. I thought this was a bit unusual since none of the other schools did. Did everybody that did their secondary app submit this proof or anybody not? It's just weird cos while it's not a problem going around and asking for that proof, it does slow down the process and I dont wanna hold back on my secondary while I wait around to have these letters done. Should I just submit it and hope that those centers fulfill my request? and is my app gonna even be looked @? I'm limited on funds and trying to figure out which schools to finish up first. Thanks.

Also anybody know what the wait time after submitting the secondary is right now? Is it already a pretty full class? Any advice would help. Thanks

Any questions about technical stuff on applications I would ask of the admissions department itself. I'm not sure what the wait time is right now, but when I did it I heard back in less than 2 weeks.

 

[sinceritynlife]

So I just got accepted to SOMA today and I am really excited. I was wondering if you guys could give me some information on the different CHC SOMA has to offer. How do you guys like it etc. How do you think it compares to other schools curriculum.

When did you have your application complete and at what point were you interviewed?

 

[sinceritynlife]

Just sent in my deposit and submitted my background check!!! EEEKKK!
Does anyone out there know if there are furnished apartments or homes for rent near the school? My husband is in the air force and won't be able to come to Mesa with me , so I need a place that's furnished.
Also, anyone other married women going to be in Mesa by themselves next year? Need a roomy!

Hey i have few questions. When and how long did it take from the time you were complete to your interview to acceptance letter?

 

[Dazedaisy]

I just got a letter today saying I've been put on hold Anybody else get put on hold then get an interview? If so, how long did it take?

 

[sinceritynlife]

I just got a letter today saying I've been put on hold Anybody else get put on hold then get an interview? If so, how long did it take?

have you been placed on hold before or after your interview? or are you still waiting for a interview invite?

 

[Futuredoc2014]

Any questions about technical stuff on applications I would ask of the admissions department itself. I'm not sure what the wait time is right now, but when I did it I heard back in less than 2 weeks.

Thanks, don't know why I was hesitating so much to pick up the phone and call them...guess I figured they were busy ....anyways,I called, and yep gotta get letters from the health centers sent in to verify all health related volunteer work

 

[Dazedaisy]

I'm still waiting for an interview...I guess that's worse than getting put on hold after an interview

 

[chocolaterie]

I'm still waiting for an interview...I guess that's worse than getting put on hold after an interview

I'm on pre-interview hold as well. Hang on. Just remember, if the class is full they do interview for both wait list positions and for early acceptance to the next year's class.

 

[pinklvr1014]

Hey i have few questions. When and how long did it take from the time you were complete to your interview to acceptance letter?

I interviewed on a monday and got a call on thursday. The letter comes after the phone call.

 

[pinklvr1014]

officially accepted, deposited, and sent in my contract for acceptance! Yay ATSU-SOMA class of 2014! Anyone else?
P.S. Looked at the apts they suggest in the acceptance packet and they look AMAZING!! Like a tropical paradise!! Can't wait!

 

[pinklvr1014]

O, and from complete 2ndary to interview was maybe a month(ish)?

 

[braggable]

Hello. I just scheduled my Interview at ATSU in Az. I am very excited! Anyone have any suggestions on what I should research/study up on in the next 2 weeks before my interview? Anything helps. Thanks.

 

[TruBlue]

Hey BruceCanBeatYou - I have a question for you and was wondering if you might have some info - I PM'd you.

Thanks.

 

[Melicopter]

Hello. I just scheduled my Interview at ATSU in Az. I am very excited! Anyone have any suggestions on what I should research/study up on in the next 2 weeks before my interview? Anything helps. Thanks.

Congratulations! This place is amazing. I just interviewed here and loved it. The school and curriculum model are definitely unique - not for everyone, but I think they're fantastic.

I doubt you have to study much. No one asked me about the citric acid cycle. There was a conversational-style closed-file interview (half-closed, essays but not grades) where the questions centered around my experiences, what I learned from them, and my views of society and medicine. Just know what you think and get used to answering on the spot. That was followed by a file review, where we went through my application, grades, and experiences, so be sure you know what is in your file.

I hope you enjoy your time there!

 

[2hot2doc]

I just had a few question about the school. I will be interviewing shortly and have been investigating the school. I have been accepted to some more traditional curriculum schools and wanted to get any students opinions on a number of issues. I encourage feedback from different opinions.

1. I am trying to find the right curriculum for my learning style. I prefer smaller classes and this is the smallest overall class size out of all the schools I have been accepted to or are still interviewing at. One student from a small school background said they thought the curriculum/ learning style was not right for them. I was interested in your logic.

This is my understanding of the school, and, please, correct me if I am wrong. The school has small classroom with a little over 100 students in it that receive several lectures. The first year is a traditional systems based curriculum. This is where I get a bit hazy. Now the students are in tables in their lecture room to encourage group discussion. Does group discussion occur in class? Do the students discuss subject matters after they are lectured?

Then in years 2-4. You have less classroom hours than most schools, but you do meet a few hours a day and discuss subjects in a group of 10 students at your CHC. With my preference for small groups and questions, I could see this as being a good fit. Are there real professors present at these sites or are they webcammed in? If there is a hybrid, what % is actual professors?

2. I am pretty passionate about being a general surgeon. Do you think I am a disadvantage applying to residencies because I will not have done a full dissection? My intuition tells me that doing a full dissection, as opposed to witnessing a prosection, would be better for my surgery skills. If any surgery students care to share their experience thus far, please share.

3. Here is a big question. I know the literal definitions of professors vs “facilitators”. Is there any concrete difference than what you experienced in undergraduate and in this curriculum? I had one class where the teachers guided us and did not teach us. A bunch of undergrads trying to figure out some dense biology was a disaster. The teacher literally did not teach. It was an incredibly frustrating class.

4. What are the professors’ availability? I was really impressed with Touro-NV open door policy for their professors. The professors are there from 9-5 and really go out of their way to teach their students. How would you describe the teaching atmosphere here? I prefer an environment where you feel comfortable asking any and all questions.

5. What are the requirements and elective options for the 3rd and 4th year? I haven’t seen this online.

6. What are the faculty qualifications? I have talked to an admissions counselor and all she could tell me is that some of them were new and some were not. It immediately made me wonder, how qualified is there staff. She may have just done a terrible job selling it.

I encourage all to chime in (especially those that have interviewed or are currently students)

 

[braggable]

Congratulations! This place is amazing. I just interviewed here and loved it. The school and curriculum model are definitely unique - not for everyone, but I think they're fantastic.

I doubt you have to study much. No one asked me about the citric acid cycle. There was a conversational-style closed-file interview (half-closed, essays but not grades) where the questions centered around my experiences, what I learned from them, and my views of society and medicine. Just know what you think and get used to answering on the spot. That was followed by a file review, where we went through my application, grades, and experiences, so be sure you know what is in your file.

I hope you enjoy your time there!

Melicopter,
You rock. Thanks a lot. That helps tremendously. Good luck!

 

[jnguyen24]

When did you have your application complete and at what point were you interviewed?

I completed my application in October and interviewed on December 14. Got accepted by phone December 17

 

[pinklvr1014]

When you go for an interview they literally spend all day giving you information about the school, program, CHCs, financial aid..you also get fit for a white coat. I thought the whole day completely sold me on the school. It was my last choice going into it and when I walked off campus after my interview it jumped to my first choice.

If you want to be a surgeon you can still go here, but they do seem to emphasize primary care. That would be a good thing to ask on your interview day though if you have specific questions.

The class tops out at 107 b/c the CHCs only take a limited amount of people so unless they add CHC (which they wont do in time for our class i believe they said) it will stay at or very very near 107. So the big lectures wouldn't ever have more than that...which is nice for me b/c im from a small undergrad and don't really want HUGE classes. It was my understanding though, that a lot of the time your class won't even be 107 b/c the class splits and switches for OMM and Med-Skills class in the afternoons. On top of that they break you into groups of ~6 for small group work with the simulator patients (they show you on interview day a demonstration). Also, im pretty sure you only have classes w/ Osteo students..unlike other schools i visited like CCOM that had classes of 400 people b/c it included several other programs in as well (such as pharmacy).

At CHCS it sounded like they use a mix of pod-cast lectures and in person lectures (there are classrooms at all of the CHCs). There are also 1-2 ATSU faculty at each one as well.

As for the rest of your questions, im not sure. But they would all be great to bring with you on interview day..and if you don't feel comfortable asking one to your interviewers or an admissions counselor during your interview/file review you have an opportunity to talk in small groups (3 prospective students to 1 med student on my day). I found this very helpful!

Good luck!!

I just had a few question about the school. I will be interviewing shortly and have been investigating the school. I have been accepted to some more traditional curriculum schools and wanted to get any students opinions on a number of issues. I encourage feedback from different opinions.

1. I am trying to find the right curriculum for my learning style. I prefer smaller classes and this is the smallest overall class size out of all the schools I have been accepted to or are still interviewing at. One student from a small school background said they thought the curriculum/ learning style was not right for them. I was interested in your logic.

This is my understanding of the school, and, please, correct me if I am wrong. The school has small classroom with a little over 100 students in it that receive several lectures. The first year is a traditional systems based curriculum. This is where I get a bit hazy. Now the students are in tables in their lecture room to encourage group discussion. Does group discussion occur in class? Do the students discuss subject matters after they are lectured?

Then in years 2-4. You have less classroom hours than most schools, but you do meet a few hours a day and discuss subjects in a group of 10 students at your CHC. With my preference for small groups and questions, I could see this as being a good fit. Are there real professors present at these sites or are they webcammed in? If there is a hybrid, what % is actual professors?

2. I am pretty passionate about being a general surgeon. Do you think I am a disadvantage applying to residencies because I will not have done a full dissection? My intuition tells me that doing a full dissection, as opposed to witnessing a prosection, would be better for my surgery skills. If any surgery students care to share their experience thus far, please share.

3. Here is a big question. I know the literal definitions of professors vs “facilitators”. Is there any concrete difference than what you experienced in undergraduate and in this curriculum? I had one class where the teachers guided us and did not teach us. A bunch of undergrads trying to figure out some dense biology was a disaster. The teacher literally did not teach. It was an incredibly frustrating class.

4. What are the professors’ availability? I was really impressed with Touro-NV open door policy for their professors. The professors are there from 9-5 and really go out of their way to teach their students. How would you describe the teaching atmosphere here? I prefer an environment where you feel comfortable asking any and all questions.

5. What are the requirements and elective options for the 3rd and 4th year? I haven’t seen this online.

6. What are the faculty qualifications? I have talked to an admissions counselor and all she could tell me is that some of them were new and some were not. It immediately made me wonder, how qualified is there staff. She may have just done a terrible job selling it.

I encourage all to chime in (especially those that have interviewed or are currently students)

 

[2hot2doc]

Thanks alot pnkvr.

Any ATSU students care to add some input on my questions?

 

[pinklvr1014]

I'm not sure if they are giving us different computers --a tablet, a normal computer and a mac book--to choose from or not but do any current students have any recommendations on which one works the best with the program or simply is the best quality? I know we don't have to pick until after March but I'm not sure what would be the best decision.

 

[sinceritynlife]

I'm on pre-interview hold as well. Hang on. Just remember, if the class is full they do interview for both wait list positions and for early acceptance to the next year's class.

Hey chocolaterie, where specifically did you hear about SOMA doing "interviews for both wait list and for early acceptance to next year's class" ???

 

[chocolaterie]

Hey chocolaterie, where specifically did you hear about SOMA doing "interviews for both wait list and for early acceptance to next year's class" ???

I've been keeping in contact with the admission reps for Soma and I expressed a concern that the class would be full by the time I retook my mcat. They told me that they do interviews for waitlist positions and the people who are not able to enter in the upcoming year's class (if no seats open up) will get a spot for the next year's class.

 

[BornforMedicine]

Does anyone know how many people made it off the alternate list last year?

 

[Melicopter]

Someone asked this during my interview day. They didn't have an exact number, but said it was a lot. They said they're already giving people spots that they previously put on hold.

That said, I don't know if there's a difference between the hold and alternate, and exactly which one he said they pull off of. Regardless, it sounded very optimistic.

 

[joes5230]

I just had a few question about the school. I will be interviewing shortly and have been investigating the school. I have been accepted to some more traditional curriculum schools and wanted to get any students opinions on a number of issues. I encourage feedback from different opinions.

1. I am trying to find the right curriculum for my learning style. I prefer smaller classes and this is the smallest overall class size out of all the schools I have been accepted to or are still interviewing at. One student from a small school background said they thought the curriculum/ learning style was not right for them. I was interested in your logic.

This is my understanding of the school, and, please, correct me if I am wrong. The school has small classroom with a little over 100 students in it that receive several lectures. The first year is a traditional systems based curriculum. This is where I get a bit hazy. Now the students are in tables in their lecture room to encourage group discussion. Does group discussion occur in class? Do the students discuss subject matters after they are lectured?

Then in years 2-4. You have less classroom hours than most schools, but you do meet a few hours a day and discuss subjects in a group of 10 students at your CHC. With my preference for small groups and questions, I could see this as being a good fit. Are there real professors present at these sites or are they webcammed in? If there is a hybrid, what % is actual professors?

2. I am pretty passionate about being a general surgeon. Do you think I am a disadvantage applying to residencies because I will not have done a full dissection? My intuition tells me that doing a full dissection, as opposed to witnessing a prosection, would be better for my surgery skills. If any surgery students care to share their experience thus far, please share.

3. Here is a big question. I know the literal definitions of professors vs “facilitators”. Is there any concrete difference than what you experienced in undergraduate and in this curriculum? I had one class where the teachers guided us and did not teach us. A bunch of undergrads trying to figure out some dense biology was a disaster. The teacher literally did not teach. It was an incredibly frustrating class.

4. What are the professors’ availability? I was really impressed with Touro-NV open door policy for their professors. The professors are there from 9-5 and really go out of their way to teach their students. How would you describe the teaching atmosphere here? I prefer an environment where you feel comfortable asking any and all questions.

5. What are the requirements and elective options for the 3rd and 4th year? I haven’t seen this online.

6. What are the faculty qualifications? I have talked to an admissions counselor and all she could tell me is that some of them were new and some were not. It immediately made me wonder, how qualified is there staff. She may have just done a terrible job selling it.

I encourage all to chime in (especially those that have interviewed or are currently students)

2nd year student here but very close to a 1st year so I know of the changes that were made, as well as what CHC life is like. As far as I know, there hasn't been a 2nd year to pop in this forum unfortunately. anyway here we go:

1) The learning style caught my eye as well. How can you not like it? All the basic science within the disease state.... But, it really is too good to be true. The professors have stated "I'm trying to jam in 4 hrs of pharm into 1 hr of lecture so bear with me." Many of the professors are either new to teaching (eek!) or have taught, but not at a medical school! This was alarming, being that the level of mastery of the material they are presenting is pretty awful. The physio professor talks alittle bit about anatomy and how it fits in with the physio, but then says "if the anatomy professor says something else about this topic, go with what they said... I'm just the physio guy"

There is definately a learning curve for the faculty to teach in this way... boiling everything down to its bare concept can be difficult to teach as well as learn. Some students like it, while others need the concepts to be layed down with some detail in order to fully appreciate the concept rather than just accept the concept as is (which is really just memorizing the concept)

The basic sciences are very weak here and the material covered does not even come close to covering board material. In my interview 2 yrs ago, a student asked if there was enough basic science to prepare students for good board scores to get competitive residencies and the dean replied "you don't need high board scores to get primary care". However the dean did say that if you want a specialty, go for it but that they don't prefer that route for the students.

And yes the worst part of the teaching.... some professors with neuro backgrounds in research are teaching material outside their field of knowledge. Professors have caught themselves contradicting what they are saying and giving out wrong info that they later correct with an email to the class. I could pull up some lectures and audios and send them out to anyone who wants a preview of the teaching style... aka know what you're getting yourself into!"

in yrs 2-4, you do have less classroom time, which means the material is frontloaded. While students are acclimating to med school is when they are getting the majority of their sciences... if your the type that can just get right into it and not need an acclimation period into medical school, this is a plus for you.

sounds like "brucecanbeatyou" knows what he's talking about. This school has serious issues with its rotation placements. When picking my CHC I liked it because of how it was sold to me but it was untrue info. Most 2nd years are very distraught at the disorganization within the CHC's.

Certain CHC's cut students being accepted into their CHC. Hawaii is accepting only 8 students instead of 10, the school kept it a secret until after the fact. this I found out from my 1st year friend.

2. The general surgeon issue. This school doesn't touch functional anatomy, nor is an anatomy grade given out. 3rd years are livid at my CHC (which I don't want to name because this school reads every post and I want to be anonymous), because those who want to be surgeons will most likely not be. The functional anatomy scores of their boards are VERY LOW. I will admit, the prosection in the anatomy lab is convenient, but nobody on the boards wheels out a cadaver and asks you to point out the supraspinatus. I'll let a first year dish out the info on this but last year I only remember 3 cadavers and 17 students huddled around... most of us couldn't see anything. This was the only interview I went on where the school didn't show us the cadaver lab. Surgery residents do prefer dissection. Dissection is more expensive for the school to do which is why this school went the other route.

3. Facilitators are just clinicians that guide and teach through the schemes. This was pretty fun for me, depending on who your facilitator is will determine how well you are taught. Sometimes though, the schemes are alittle weak and don't always make great logical sense, where even the facilitator is baffled.

4. The faculty office hours: Some professors don't even attend their own office hours. the 9-5 deal is definately not something you can count on here. when i was a first year, a lot of professors just didn't want to be bothered.

One thing I will mention is that the school is a huge crowd pleaser. Whatever students want (so long as its not time consuming or costly, the school tries to accomodate). My friend in the first year class complained about there being too much pharm, the next module guess what? The pharm professor said well alot of the class complained that I was giving out too much pharm, so the deans told me to give less. I do like that the school is very compliant, but I don't want students dictating my education. Thats the schools job!

To summate, this school is new, really new! Although "brucecanbeatyou" suggests that you're really bonding with your facilitators and getting well known at the CHC.... you're really not. Getting a high end residency specialty or not requires that you network, its like getting a job. If a facilitator knows you for 3 yrs and part of that is at the expense of going around to different rotation sites, your losing the chance of getting your name, face, work ethic, etc out there as well. Every other schools students can impress physicians on rounds in their 6 week rotation, so don't think you need 3 yrs to do it. It's better to stock up many connections and impress many of them, rather than to impress the same facilitators, regardless of how long your impressing the same ones for.

 

[builttorock]

As a member of the 2011 class I would say I agree with a few aspects of Joes5230's critique and respectfully disagree with a few.

1) I don't think you could find ANY medical school where the students love or even fully recognize the competence of all of the faculty. I agree with Joes5230 in that there are some faculty who teach outside their expertise or are even baffling with contradictions. But there are quite a few that are incredible professors who not only know their stuff, but most importantly know how to impart that information well on the students. And it is a small faculty--you simply won't find a PhD specific for each organ system and discipline. You won't find that at any of the COM's though.

As far as board preparation: just like at any other school--they don't spoon feed you the boards. Several people in my class have KILLED the board(s)--straight up KILLED both of them (COMLEX and USMLE). Those are the people that were self disciplined and motivated to train for the boards.

I agree that much is frontloaded. Year one is VERY VERY packed. But year two, three, four have been great! Once you drop into full clinicals in the midst of other schools' students it has been the experience of quite a few of my classmates that the preceptors have been very impressed by the ability to clinically think and manage a patient.

2) As far as the general surgeon issue, I can't say for sure whether the prosection will matter in the long run, as none of the SOMA students have matched (we'll see next year). I do know quite a few students that have done awesome in their general surgery rotations thus far though. I do agree with Joes5230 that there is a lack of functional anatomy being taught though.

3) The facilitators in my experience served three purposes: help the students wade through the vast amount of material, provide more clinical application to the material, and serve as a mentor/advocate for the students. Refer back to 1), I'm sure some are awesome and some aren't.

4) I would say that Joes5230's experience with office hours is likely professor specific. There are a few professors that simply do not have offices at SOMA, which makes it difficult to get after-hours support aside from email. But there are a great deal of professors that have a very consistent open door policy--even into the clinical years--and are very eager to help students better understand the material.

5) year three: 8 wk IM, 8 wk FM, 4 wk Peds, 4 wk Maternal/Child, 4 wk OB/GYN, 4 wk Gen Surg, 4 wk Psych, 4 wk Primary care selective, 6 wk elective
year four: 8 wk medicine selective, 4 wk peds selective, 4 wk surg selective, 4 wk critical care, 4 wk cardiology, 4 wk EM, 2 wk Neurology, 12 wk elective

I would say simply, this is a new school which is built for self-motivated and disciplined students to succeed. It is too early to say how effective it is at training the physicians of the future, but early results (board scores and clinical evaluations) show it's doing quite a bit right.

I just had a few question about the school. I will be interviewing shortly and have been investigating the school. I have been accepted to some more traditional curriculum schools and wanted to get any students opinions on a number of issues. I encourage feedback from different opinions.

1. I am trying to find the right curriculum for my learning style. I prefer smaller classes and this is the smallest overall class size out of all the schools I have been accepted to or are still interviewing at. One student from a small school background said they thought the curriculum/ learning style was not right for them. I was interested in your logic.

This is my understanding of the school, and, please, correct me if I am wrong. The school has small classroom with a little over 100 students in it that receive several lectures. The first year is a traditional systems based curriculum. This is where I get a bit hazy. Now the students are in tables in their lecture room to encourage group discussion. Does group discussion occur in class? Do the students discuss subject matters after they are lectured?

Then in years 2-4. You have less classroom hours than most schools, but you do meet a few hours a day and discuss subjects in a group of 10 students at your CHC. With my preference for small groups and questions, I could see this as being a good fit. Are there real professors present at these sites or are they webcammed in? If there is a hybrid, what % is actual professors?

2. I am pretty passionate about being a general surgeon. Do you think I am a disadvantage applying to residencies because I will not have done a full dissection? My intuition tells me that doing a full dissection, as opposed to witnessing a prosection, would be better for my surgery skills. If any surgery students care to share their experience thus far, please share.

3. Here is a big question. I know the literal definitions of professors vs “facilitators”. Is there any concrete difference than what you experienced in undergraduate and in this curriculum? I had one class where the teachers guided us and did not teach us. A bunch of undergrads trying to figure out some dense biology was a disaster. The teacher literally did not teach. It was an incredibly frustrating class.

4. What are the professors’ availability? I was really impressed with Touro-NV open door policy for their professors. The professors are there from 9-5 and really go out of their way to teach their students. How would you describe the teaching atmosphere here? I prefer an environment where you feel comfortable asking any and all questions.

5. What are the requirements and elective options for the 3rd and 4th year? I haven’t seen this online.

6. What are the faculty qualifications? I have talked to an admissions counselor and all she could tell me is that some of them were new and some were not. It immediately made me wonder, how qualified is there staff. She may have just done a terrible job selling it.

I encourage all to chime in (especially those that have interviewed or are currently students)

 

[sean3130]

its a new school, it's got pros and cons

 

[Melicopter]

I also have questions, in case any of the current students are still lurking around. I'm almost certain I'll go here, but something about a huge deposit makes you rethink everything.

Are the lectures recorded? Classes mandatory? While I intend to go to class, I like to know my options in case I get sick or just feel like sleeping in one day.

I know this was mentioned in passing, but how do you feel about doing prosection instead of dissection? (I don't intend to be a surgeon, if that helps.)

Anything else you can tell me? The things that concern me most are the prosection, the newness, and the potential to either not end up at a CHC where I'd like to be, or end up there and realize it's really unstable or poorly organized. In general, I think the curriculum and the CHC model sound great.

I appreciate any help, and thank you!

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

I also have questions, in case any of the current students are still lurking around. I'm almost certain I'll go here, but something about a huge deposit makes you rethink everything.

Are the lectures recorded? Classes mandatory? While I intend to go to class, I like to know my options in case I get sick or just feel like sleeping in one day.

I know this was mentioned in passing, but how do you feel about doing prosection instead of dissection? (I don't intend to be a surgeon, if that helps.)

Anything else you can tell me? The things that concern me most are the prosection, the newness, and the potential to either not end up at a CHC where I'd like to be, or end up there and realize it's really unstable or poorly organized. In general, I think the curriculum and the CHC model sound great.

I appreciate any help, and thank you!

There is audio of the lectures, all materials are available online, and no, lectures aren't required attendance. OPP, Med skills, and Small Groups are required. OPP and Med Skills are Thursdays all day, and small groups are Monday and Friday afternoons, so you could get away with coming to class 12 hours/week and studying at home the rest of the time. If you're into studying by yourself or in small groups instead of going to class, you should be really excited about year 2 - which of course doesn't have any planned lecture time.

I'm going to do another post again in the next few days that should respond to your other questions/the above post from the second year.

 

[2hot2doc]

Thanks alot Joe and Built to Rock. I appreciate your honest and direct answers.

My interview went alright, although one of my interviewers said something pretty strange. I was explaining my OMM knowledge and he stopped me when I said I had never received a treatment. He insisted I recieve a treatement to see what it was like. I then replied that I was healthy and did not have any pressing issues. He then replied that I should get a treatment to see what it was like. I thought it was strange.

For people interviewing... here are two of my impressions on interview day.

pros
-The dean (whose name I am forgetting) and Dr. McWilliams seem like great people and inspirational doctors. I have seen a few schools so far that I meet the deans and been turned off by some arragance. These two individials seem like role models.

cons
-Joyce Haynie really needs to slow down and treat people a little better. If she were to get this message, I am sorry for such harsh words, but I would tell her that there are many things she might be good at, but walking around and explaining what the school has to offer is not one of them. She looked at me like I had two heads when I told her I was coming in from New Mexico and that my name tag said a different location. It was not like she said anything directly mean, the position should be held by someone who puts the applicants at ease and knows a fair amount about the medical school.

-Not having the financial aid directer give the financial aid talk is not a good idea. I like to get to know everyone I will be associating with at the school, and financial aid can be a burden if there is not enough help in the department. SOMA must have not staffed this dept. very well because every other school I visited had a finanical aid representative give the talk.

* My final assessment of this school. They need to really display their pros and cons in a more direct fashion. I got a one sided story from the school and I think the down side of this curriculum is not spoken about at all. For instance, not once on interview day did they speak about the fact that the didactic work in the second year is online work. This is a very unique and was not addressed at all.

 

[Melicopter]

Hey Brucecanbeatyou - thanks for the response! That helps.

It sounds like you are liking the school so far. I remember following the thread last year before I applied, and how excited you were about the CHCs. I think that was you, anyway. Are you still excited, after attending for awhile?

 

[DOisALLiWANT]

I have a question, for years 2-3 if you want to go to South Carolina for your CHC, how do you request this? Do you tell the administrations at ATSU/SOMA the first year or is it like the lottery system, where they pick your name out of a hat and the first person chosen gets their top pick of where to go. I'm asking because I really dont want to go to Hawaii or Seattle, Washington or Alabama.

 

[Melicopter]

That's pretty funny, because I'm from the west coast and I feel the same way about ending up out east...

A current student could likely answer this better, but until then I'll tell you the response I got on my interview day.

Everyone ranks their top choice. If there are enough spots to give everyone their favorite spot, they get it. If there are too many applicants for a particular spot you then have an opportunity to provide any additional information on why you want that spot, like having family in the area, or plans to practice medicine there. If you still don't get your favorite spot, you can then apply for your second favorite. According to the student, it's not a random drawing at all, and most people get their first choice (but obviously not all).

 

[DOisALLiWANT]

thanks melicopter! how long after do you get a notice of acceptance/waitlist/rejection? Good luck to you

 

[Melicopter]

They called with my acceptance twelve days after the interview. I'm almost positive I'll go here - I really like their model.

Thanks, and good luck to you too!

 

[EmeanFD]

I just got the phone call yesterday with an offer for admission- 11 days after my interview. Very exciting. Waiting for my packet now.

 

[Futuredoc2014]

so I got a letter today stating my app has been placed on hold ...this is before being offered an interview...hope thats not necc a bad thing. anybody know how late in the cycle they will keep reviewing and if theresa real chance of me actually getting an interview after being placed on hold? thanks