BRAND NEW DPM Program in CA

[preDPM]

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Hi Everyone,

Is anyone applying for the new DPM program at Western Uni in Pomona, CA? I know that it is a little bit of a gamble when you are applying for a brand new program because no one has any idea whether it would prepare you well enough and there is of course the question of accreditation.

Just wondering if anyone is showing any interest in this program....their class of 50 is apparently going to start in 2009.

Any thoughts on the pros and cons, if any, about a brand new program thats totally untested?

 

[Cheetos]

Great big name dean, great established campus, great location, and of course combined DO classes. I think it's going to be a great school, so go for it! 👍 Wonder what impact it'll have on CSPM though 😕

 

[JEWmongous]

Great big name dean, great established campus, great location, and of course combined DO classes. I think it's going to be a great school, so go for it! 👍 Wonder what impact it'll have on CSPM though 😕

Western does sound like it's going to be a good school. I'm not sure of the affect on CSPM either. Their going on probation does not help things though!

 

[indycolts]

oh really? they're going on probation? what happened..............i guess it makes it all the better that i cancelled my interview there

 

[Feli]

Western's pod program has all the makings of a great school. The only downsides are that they are not accredited and that there are no upperclassmen as mentors.

The accreditation part should not be a concern since the program is following a successful model and has good faculty in place from everything I read. The lack of older students and alumni for the first few classes can be a bit of a downer, though. There will be no students to help you know what books to buy, give you tips on how to study or which classes are hard, tell you how to succeed at clinical rotations, etc. That stuff does help IMO. Advice from students who have been through what you are about to go through can really make things easier (especially in terms of which books to buy, starting clinics, applying for clerkships, residencies, etc). You certainly can learn that stuff by keeping your eyes open and doing your own research, but not everything is readily available and it's just a lot more work.

 

[JEWmongous]

oh really? they're going on probation? what happened..............i guess it makes it all the better that i cancelled my interview there

I believe they didn't send in a progress report on time which resulted in the probation. Some peeps tried to downplay this but if they are really looking for a new dean, then maybe it is more serious than previously thought. They had big problems only a few years ago (moving campuses twice), I'm just surprised they would let something like this happen now.

 

[biocmp]

There will be no students to help you know what books to buy, give you tips on how to study or which classes are hard, tell you how to succeed at clinical rotations, etc. That stuff does help IMO. Advice from students who have been through what you are about to go through can really make things easier (especially in terms of which books to buy, starting clinics, applying for clerkships, residencies, etc).

I offer a humble suggestion. Why don't you and/or others on this board go out of your way and offer up any key advice and ask to have it stickied. Or develop a sheet of all the pertinent information that you received from the upperclassmen at your school and share it. I'm sure you could contact the school and the dean and tell him about a project you had in mind to help the first few classes go as smoothly as possible.

If everyone is really interested in promoting the profession and their colleagues in a good light, this is a wonderful opportunity to do something that not only helps you stand out (great resume builder) but also helps in coming students who will not have the support system that is indigenous to an older program

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I offer a humble suggestion. Why don't you and/or others on this board go out of your way and offer up any key advice and ask to have it stickied. Or develop a sheet of all the pertinent information that you received from the upperclassmen at your school and share it. I'm sure you could contact the school and the dean and tell him about a project you had in mind to help the first few classes go as smoothly as possible.

If everyone is really interested in promoting the profession and their colleagues in a good light, this is a wonderful opportunity to do something that not only helps you stand out (great resume builder) but also helps in coming students who will not have the support system that is indigenous to an older program

Well if I knew what the courses would be like or what your schedule or what your clinic would be like maybe I would. What you are not understanding is each school has similarities but many many differences. I can tell you that you don't need a book for Biochemistry at DMU but does that mean anything to you??? Not if you are not going to DMU. I can tell you that I do not need to buy and otoscope or ophthalmoscope if you can find a student to rent it from or just a DO, PA or DPM to share with you. Will that matter to you, maybe but I don't know if Western will have an integrated program.

I am all about building up the profession but you are asking for the impossible.

 

[Feli]

Well if I knew what the courses would be like or what your schedule or what your clinic would be like maybe I would. What you are not understanding is each school has similarities but many many differences. I can tell you that you don't need a book for Biochemistry at DMU but does that mean anything to you??? Not if you are not going to DMU. I can tell you that I do not need to buy and otoscope or ophthalmoscope if you can find a student to rent it from or just a DO, PA or DPM to share with you. Will that matter to you, maybe but I don't know if Western will have an integrated program.

I am all about building up the profession but you are asking for the impossible.

I agree 100%.👍

Mentoring can be done in a general sense of stating the keys to success in pod school, factors to look for in a good school or residency, etc.

biocmp, what I was getting at was the concerns and questions many pod students have about issues unique to them: books for their classes, their program's clinical rotations, residencies in their area, etc. Nobody can really help very much except for upperclassmen students who have been through that, and there are none at a brand new school.

I think that factor was one of the main weaknesses at AZPod for the early students. They had a small amount of DPM faculty as advisors and maybe a few local DPM residents, but no pod students had actually been through what they signed up for. Having upperclassmen students to speak candidly with for tips and pointers really helps in any academic program. I think it's great the early students stuck it out and learned as they went along, but it was surely tough for many of them (as evidenced by high attrition rates of their early classes). These things work themselves out in time, but being the prototype is never easy.

We might see the same things during the early going at Western Univ pod in Pomona. I think that it'll be hard to be held to the same basic sciences standards as DO students when they have upperclassmen mentors (and "info") readily available and the first few groups of pod students might not.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I agree 100%.👍

Mentoring can be done in a general sense of stating the keys to success in pod school, factors to look for in a good school or residency, etc.

biocmp, what I was getting at was the concerns and questions many pod students have about issues unique to them: books for their classes, their program's clinical rotations, residencies in their area, etc. Nobody can really help very much except for upperclassmen students who have been through that, and there are none at a brand new school.

I think that factor was one of the main weaknesses at AZPod for the early students. They had a small amount of DPM faculty as advisors and maybe a few local DPM residents, but no pod students had actually been through what they signed up for. Having upperclassmen students to speak candidly with for tips and pointers really helps in any academic program. I think it's great the early students stuck it out and learned as they went along, but it was surely tough for many of them (as evidenced by high attrition rates of their early classes). These things work themselves out in time, but being the prototype is never easy.

We might see the same things during the early going at Western Univ pod in Pomona. I think that it'll be hard to be held to the same basic sciences standards as DO students when they have upperclassmen mentors (and "info") readily available and the first few groups of pod students might not.

I agree and any new program will have growing pains. Look at the AZPOD class of 2008, there are only 13 left. I think it is always better to have a few classes ahead of you.

 

[biocmp]

Sorry about that. I completely misunderstood. I thought you were only talking about knowing which books help in clinicals, help you pass boards, and of course any other etiquette/helpful pearls that not only got you through school, but helped you achieve your fullest potential.

Obviously, the specificities of each curriculum are different.

 

[preDPM]

I agree, its never easy to be the guniea pig. Wow, i didnt know there were only 13 left at AZPod!! How many did they start off with anyway?

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

I agree, its never easy to be the guniea pig. Wow, i didnt know there were only 13 left at AZPod!! How many did they start off with anyway?

I can't remember he exact number, but not many more than 13. Maybe 16 or so 😕

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I can't remember he exact number, but not many more than 13. Maybe 16 or so 😕

I thought is was about 30.

 

[Feli]

I thought is was about 30.

That's what I heard also from current 3rd year students. They stated that they've picked up at least a half dozen decels from the class above them, and other orig c/o 08 students were dismissed completely. There's a post on the topic right here...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5174319&postcount=37

Like I said, they were probably all smart students (especially the ones who made it), but it's hard being the first group. It's hard because there's no upperclassmen advisement. It's also pretty hard to be curved against DO students (esp if they might have old tests or study guides that the new pod students did not). It's hard because the provisionally accredited program wants to be extra stringent until accredited (they might fail even some decent students in attempt to assure getting that critical first few high board pass rates). Those factors shouldn't make anyone exclude a school just because it's new, but they are things to consider.

 

[Snake Doctor]

There's a conference this Thursday in Long Beach about the profession. The dean of the new school will be there. Unfortunately, I can't make it, but if anyone can, let us know how that goes! (Contact Western's college of podiatric medicine for more info.... but I think it might be too late to reserve).

 

[PodChick]

The podiatrist I work for is going to that convention.....I thought it was a surgical convention?

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

The podiatrist I work for is going to that convention.....I thought it was a surgical convention?

The conferences is the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. So yes it is a surgical convention but many issues including research are highlighted.

 

[Feli]

There's a conference this Thursday in Long Beach about the profession. The dean of the new school will be there...

In school, you learn the fundamentals of basic sciences, pod med, general med, andpod surg. These conferences really dive deeper into the advanced pod med and surg, though. Basics certainly must remain the foundation to build on, but that said...

The ACFAS annual scientific meeting conference was simply amazing IMO. It really gives you a chance to see some interesting cases and lectures, view hundreds of research posters, and meet top docs from around the country. My experience this past weekend really showed me what can be accomplished in the profession if you apply yourself and seek good training. I'd highly recommend it to any student when they reach their 3rd or 4th year (2nd years could always go also, but most stuff might be hard to follow until you've learned a good deal of pod surg and read a fair amount of current articles). I will certainly attend next year's ACFAS in Wash DC if my budget permits.

Dr. Harkless was there to give a few lectures, and I had a chance to briefly chat with him along with a group of students from various schools. It seems that he has a very good attitude towards teaching podiatric medicine and a pod's role in the health care team.

Also, congrats to AZpod for winning top student research poster; it turned out very nice. 👍