Best clinical experience: UAB, UF, or Tufts?

[Meeza]

UAB mentions they are clinically focused and allow assisting and very basic procedures as early as first year, if I remember correctly. They have been #1 in NIH funding for four years now I believe (jumping from 15). I think this would be he place for me, but it's also a very little known school it seems. Can anybody give insight on which of these three schools you think is clinically superior?

Tufts and UF of course are bigger names. Does anyone know how well Tufts works with their very large class size? Someone earlier mentioned UFs program is collapsing, and they have to share a lot. Can anybody give insight?

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[blablabla1]

Just interviewed at Tufts. Class size is large but there weren't any complaints from students about getting patients or getting attention from professors. Regardless, I've heard that state schools tend to have very good clinical experiences compared to private (I don't have any evidence to back it up, just going by word-of-mouth). And as much as Tufts made everything seem like sunshine and rainbows, I'm wary of very large private schools.

 

[Meeza]

Just interviewed at Tufts. Class size is large but there weren't any complaints from students about getting patients or getting attention from professors. Regardless, I've heard that state schools tend to have very good clinical experiences compared to private (I don't have any evidence to back it up, just going by word-of-mouth). And as much as Tufts made everything seem like sunshine and rainbows, I'm wary of very large private schools.

I appreciate your response. It truly is so hard to know the nitty gritty when everyone puts on their best! Congrats on today's interview, also.

 

[periopocket]

UAB>UF>Tufts

 

[wengerout]

At the end of the day I feel like this is completely subjective. No matter where you go you will still be taking the same boards and the same licensing exams as everyone else. The only real quantitative metric into the quality of a schools clinical is simply how many times you got to perform a certain procedure/the number of patients avaliable. It's not like certain schools are teaching you a magical way to do a filling.

I'll admit I am still a pre-dent, so I might be wrong on this. However literally every school I have interviewed at has bragged about how good their clinical is.

 

[doktorinprogres]

None of those schools are going to vary so significantly from the other that it'd be a concern.
Since you're a florida resident this is your order: UF>UAB>Tufts.

 

[Manic324]

I'd say don't do tufts. The class size is definitely a problem and it's very evident even during first year. The clinics are not as good as they used to be and there's a pretty significant patient shortage, we are instructed to go out and recruit our own patients if we want to graduate on time.

Edit: also wanted to add that assisting first year is really not a bonus of any sort, you'll find it's similar to shadowing- pointless. If you want early exposure then you want early simulation courses- which tufts does have as early as first semester, but like I said the class size makes it as painful as possible.

 

[blablabla1]

I'd say don't do tufts. The class size is definitely a problem and it's very evident even during first year. The clinics are not as good as they used to be and there's a pretty significant patient shortage, we are instructed to go out and recruit our own patients if we want to graduate on time.

Edit: also wanted to add that assisting first year is really not a bonus of any sort, you'll find it's similar to shadowing- pointless. If you want early exposure then you want early simulation courses- which tufts does have as early as first semester, but like I said the class size makes it as painful as possible.

Thanks for being real! This is why I was skeptical during the interview. I was like "there's no way these students are telling the truth about getting patients not being an issue"

 

[Meeza]

At the end of the day I feel like this is completely subjective. No matter where you go you will still be taking the same boards and the same licensing exams as everyone else. The only real quantitative metric into the quality of a schools clinical is simply how many times you got to perform a certain procedure/the number of patients avaliable. It's not like certain schools are teaching you a magical way to do a filling.

I'll admit I am still a pre-dent, so I might be wrong on this. However literally every school I have interviewed at has bragged about how good their clinical is.

For sure, I agree. I think that's really what I'm asking: whether or not I would get the chair time *advertised*, and if anybody knows a true comparison of the schools. If one school allows students to start by the end of year one and have a steady flow of unshared patients, I'd imagine I'd have the potential to become a more skilled clinician there. Below (post by Manic324) did bring up the simulation courses-- I'll definitely have to look into that, too.

None of those schools are going to vary so significantly from the other that it'd be a concern.
Since you're a florida resident this is your order: UF>UAB>Tufts.

That in-state tuition is lookin' real nice, I admit it.

I'd say don't do tufts. The class size is definitely a problem and it's very evident even during first year. The clinics are not as good as they used to be and there's a pretty significant patient shortage, we are instructed to go out and recruit our own patients if we want to graduate on time.

Edit: also wanted to add that assisting first year is really not a bonus of any sort, you'll find it's similar to shadowing- pointless. If you want early exposure then you want early simulation courses- which tufts does have as early as first semester, but like I said the class size makes it as painful as possible.

That's a good point, I really don't recall if he said assisting or performing basic procedures, but I suppose I shouldn't factor it in if it's just assisting. Were you aware of the patient shortage before accepting your offer to Tufts? I'm still thrilled to interview there in a couple weeks, but want to be fully aware of what I'm getting into.

 

[Manic324]

For sure, I agree. I think that's really what I'm asking: whether or not I would get the chair time *advertised*, and if anybody knows a true comparison of the schools. If one school allows students to start by the end of year one and have a steady flow of unshared patients, I'd imagine I'd have the potential to become a more skilled clinician there. Below (post by Manic324) did bring up the simulation courses-- I'll definitely have to look into that, too.


That in-state tuition is lookin' real nice, I admit it.


That's a good point, I really don't recall if he said assisting or performing basic procedures, but I suppose I shouldn't factor it in if it's just assisting. Were you aware of the patient shortage before accepting your offer to Tufts? I'm still thrilled to interview there in a couple weeks, but want to be fully aware of what I'm getting into.

No school is going to let you do any sort of basic procedures year one, at the very earliest end of year 2.

 

[blablabla1]

No school is going to let you do any sort of basic procedures year one, at the very earliest end of year 2.

I recall VCU saying that we would be working on our first patient at the end of our first year. Maybe I heard wrong