Burrell COM webpage

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Alright, I emailed the school asking about Mexican rotations and if they are required.

Thank you for contacting BCOM!


Rotations to Mexico hospitals are completely to the discretion and interest of students. These rotations will not be mandatory for our students and does not put you at a disadvantage for acceptance to our school.


We believe that students can learn and achieve cultural competence without the need for mandating rotation in Mexico. There will be several lectures/activities on-site to prepare you for cultural competence.


If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me! I am here to help!
 
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Man this just gives fuel to the naysayers who already think DO schools are not as good as MD schools.
 
Man this just gives fuel to the naysayers who already think DO schools are not as good as MD schools.

This school and LUCOM are in their own class. This school for having core rotation sites in Mexico and LUCOM for having a museum of dinosaur fossils dated 6000 years old. Last time I checked COCA's agenda, it's yet the same: surprising us with accreditation of next questionable school.
 
I'm going to open up a DO school with a Jedi academy, where we teach people to heal through the power of the force


This school and LUCOM are in their own class. This school for having core rotation sites in Mexico and LUCOM for having a museum of dinosaur fossils dated 6000 years old. Last time I checked COCA's agenda, it's yet the same: surprising us with accreditation of next questionable school.
 
I'm going to open up a DO school with a Jedi academy, where we teach people to heal through the power of the force

Please send me a test strip for midi-chlorian levels asap. I always felt the presence of the force with me 😀
 
I don't see the big deal w/ doing a rotation in Mexico. At VCOM they can do one of their rotations at one of the international sites instead of one of the hospitals if you want.
 
If the Mexico rotation is optional, then this isn't a big deal at all. MSUCOM, among other schools has international rotations.
 
You guys, let's say it's your only acceptance... would you take it or reapply?
 
take it

LUCOM - hell no


Lol I keep reading similar comments about the LUCOM! Is it he problem with their education or rotations? Or is it mostly about the rules and lifestyle that they try to impose ? I am a married non drinker Christian lol, so maybe I would survive 😀😀
 
Lol I keep reading similar comments about the LUCOM! Is it he problem with their education or rotations? Or is it mostly about the rules and lifestyle that they try to impose ? I am a married non drinker Christian lol, so maybe I would survive 😀😀

You'd probably be fine.

But I sense a thread derailment coming down the tracks...
 
Sorry guys did not mean to start that discussion here. I will dig around.
 
Is this school going to have the same problems with the students getting federal loans as RVU did? If I recall correctly when it opened, the first few classes had to pay out of pocket or get private loans.

Does anybody know if they have any rotations set with surrounding hospitals?

Rotations won't be setup until at earliest 2017/2018. This is a brand new school, the class you're applying to will be the first ones doing rotations. Until you guys actually enter 3rd year anything can happen.

They do seem to be sincere in wanting to train doctors who want to practice primary care in underserved areas

I love the sarcasm!

Believe it. And this is common even among non-profit schools.

William Carry
https://www.wmcarey.edu/tuition-and-fees

WVSOM
https://www.wvsom.edu/Admissions/check-status

Touro
https://tourocom.touro.edu/admissions--aid/tuition--fees/

All three schools have deposits that are $3000 total.

Those schools also have hefty price tags. WCU and WVSOM have no reason to be that expensive, especially with their rural medicine goals.

The thing that bothers me about BCOM's tuition (besides the fact they're for-profit) is the general lack of info on the page. They have no idea how much it's going to cost, and I wouldn't put it past them to add a ton of "fees" to the cost of attendance. It's happened before at new MD and DO schools alike.

Yeah I looked at the NRMP report on matching and besides New Mexico SOM having it's own hospital with an assortment of residencies, the state only has a few family residencies at most. Only one of those sites on the BCOM page, in New Mexico, has a family residency. As for the Texas rotations, with the schools expanding there, BCOM will only get the scraps.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2014.pdf

The addition of residency spots seems like it is a work in progress on one of the hospital websites. It will be a long while before the school establishes rotations with residencies in them.

http://www.lovelace.com/news/press/new-med-school-could-bring-400-residency-slots

Students will be lucky if those residencies open up by the time they graduate. Regardless, if you're in the first couple classes, you should assume you won't be doing core rotations with residents or even with faculty of residency programs.

The Mexico rotations aren't a big deal provided they're for electives/underserved/international med rotations and not 3rd year cores. I highly doubt they're for 3rd year cores.

I'm convinced that (for the good of everyone) AAMC will try and create a single med school accreditation system after the residency merger. Otherwise this popping out of questionable schools just won't stop on the part of COCA.

The AAMC is a member organization made up of North American MD schools. It has nothing to do with accreditation of schools. Do you mean the LCME?

I've said it before, I'll say it again: COCA cannot prevent new schools from applying for and getting accreditation. They can however increase requirements making it harder for such schools to open.
 
This school's MINIMUM academic stats is a 2.5 GPA, and a 17 MCAT (source here)

That's as low as new MD schools in the Carribean as well as lower than the minimum stats for a few Podiatry schools.

Sounds like a great way for this school to cash in on all the desperate applicants trying to become a doctor.

Unbelievable.
 
This school's MINIMUM academic stats is a 2.5 GPA, and a 17 MCAT (source here)

That's as low as new MD schools in the Carribean as well as lower than the minimum stats for a few Podiatry schools.

Sounds like a great way for this school to cash in on all the desperate applicants trying to become a doctor.

Unbelievable.


I mean to be fair, Lots of DO schools minimums are around the 2.7 area.
 
True. But a 17 MCAT!!?

Again, to be fair, that is just a minimum. I don't think anyone who has a 17 is getting in. I think it's more for te primary and secondary fee people to try an rope in as many apps as possible. Once they get a healthy named, they will start making cuts.

I have a feeling 3.4 and 24 is where the cuts will happen
 
Again, to be fair, that is just a minimum. I don't think anyone who has a 17 is getting in. I think it's more for te primary and secondary fee people to try an rope in as many apps as possible. Once they get a healthy named, they will start making cuts.

I have a feeling 3.4 and 24 is where the cuts will happen

Well that's what I'm getting at. Why lower the bar that low when you know your true cutoff is 24? Simply for money. And as a "for profit" school it comes off (to me) as taking advantage of the applicant who should not event be applying.

And the additional reason they need to lower the threshold that low is because they don't have much to offer! rotation sites with no GME in place, no research, and limited resources since they are on a public-private bind with NMSU.

Just my two cents. We'll see how it plays out this cycle. But this school, being founded by a real estate broker/gem dealer, is essentially at the very bottom of the barrel IMO.
 
I don't take issue with the for profit status itself per say (profit motivates hospitals in a more efficient way), but I take issue the symptom it expresses in the medical education with the current standards

This lack of decent GME is very troubling, but it itself is not a new thing. DO schools are notorious for letting thier students kind of flutter in the wind to which ever spots they land at.

I mean, rocky vista was herald as the end of the profession, and to my knowledge, they are very selective. They also produce lists of primary care docs, which is something our country needs. I think the problem lies with COCA.

Well that's what I'm getting at. Why lower the bar that low when you know your true cutoff is 24? Simply for money. And as a "for profit" school it comes off (to me) as taking advantage of the applicant who should not event be applying.

And the additional reason they need to lower the threshold that low is because they don't have much to offer! rotation sites with no GME in place, no research, and limited resources since they are on a public-private bind with NMSU.

Just my two cents. We'll see how it plays out this cycle. But this school, being founded by a real estate broker/gem dealer, is essentially at the very bottom of the barrel IMO.
 
Again, to be fair, that is just a minimum. I don't think anyone who has a 17 is getting in. I think it's more for te primary and secondary fee people to try an rope in as many apps as possible. Once they get a healthy named, they will start making cuts.

I have a feeling 3.4 and 24 is where the cuts will happen


I was keeping up with this thread as I really wanna be in this area and I am okay with the said shadiness lol, but I m an east coaster and not of native american background or hispanic... I wonder how strongly they are going to stick to that
 
profit motivates hospitals in a more efficient way

Profit motivates hospitals to be profitable. Efficiency and profitability are not synonymous. I would say that are often contrary in medicine.
 
I don't take issue with the for profit status itself per say (profit motivates hospitals in a more efficient way), but I take issue the symptom it expresses in the medical education with the current standards

This lack of decent GME is very troubling, but it itself is not a new thing. DO schools are notorious for letting thier students kind of flutter in the wind to which ever spots they land at.

I mean, rocky vista was herald as the end of the profession, and to my knowledge, they are very selective. They also produce lists of primary care docs, which is something our country needs. I think the problem lies with COCA.

Idk. To me, they need the for-profit status to even survive as a medical school.

As for the lack of decent GME, I disagree with your opinion in the sense that just because it isn't a "new thing" that we should just continue to let it happen. The variability of clinical rotations adds to the troubles many ACGME PD's have in taking DO applicants as seriously as their MD counterparts. I am looking towards this profession for the future and want to see it progress in a positive fashion. Shrugging our shoulders and acting complacent with the current status of accreditation standards in osteopathic UGME does not sit well with me.

I think we are on the same track here that we are both looking at COCA. For me, BCOM is an unfortunate product of COCA...for now. Should they create the GME spots that proposed to do then that will be great.
 
Idk. To me, they need the for-profit status to even survive as a medical school.

As for the lack of decent GME, I disagree with your opinion in the sense that just because it isn't a "new thing" that we should just continue to let it happen. The variability of clinical rotations adds to the troubles many ACGME PD's have in taking DO applicants as seriously as their MD counterparts. I am looking towards this profession for the future and want to see it progress in a positive fashion. Shrugging our shoulders and acting complacent with the current status of accreditation standards in osteopathic UGME does not sit well with me.

I think we are on the same track here that we are both looking at COCA. For me, BCOM is an unfortunate product of COCA...for now. Should they create the GME spots that proposed to do then that will be great.

Very true. I have seen a few schools that have not even help to develop GME in their locations. They still have the vast majority of their rotations as preceptorships.

We are kind of trusting Burrell to keep their word about developing new GME. I can understand with the lack of medical schools in the area, thusly their are not much residencies either (the MD school has their university hospital in their control though). You could put a school in Idaho for instant and the only GME they have is family medicine (I think there is internal medicine also). So you would see a lot of preceptor based rotations in the beginning. I am not to sure what goes into making a residency program and why a medical school is needed to establish more of them? However, I realize now that it takes time for all the kinks to be worked out, as well as a progressive school that tries establish quality rotations for its students. However, having a class size of 150 is not helping in the short term...
 
However, having a class size of 150 is not helping in the short term...

Exactly this. The founders of this school are taking advantage of the "looming physician shortage". Again, it all comes down to calling COCA to step up their game and put a more stringent limit on the inagural class size so that every student gets quality clinical training IN THAT STATE....and aren't shipped off to other states like the many DO schools already do.
 
Very true. I have seen a few schools that have not even help to develop GME in their locations. They still have the vast majority of their rotations as preceptorships.

We are kind of trusting Burrell to keep their word about developing new GME. I can understand with the lack of medical schools in the area, thusly their are not much residencies either (the MD school has their university hospital in their control though). You could put a school in Idaho for instant and the only GME they have is family medicine (I think there is internal medicine also). So you would see a lot of preceptor based rotations in the beginning. I am not to sure what goes into making a residency program and why a medical school is needed to establish more of them? However, I realize now that it takes time for all the kinks to be worked out, as well as a progressive school that tries establish quality rotations for its students. However, having a class size of 150 is not helping in the short term...
it will likely be 162 since COCA allows an extra 8%.

also, I'm sure people who interview there or those who are accepted will post tons of positive impressions of the school. "Everyone was so nice", "they are really invested in seeing this school to greatness", "they are dedicated to seeing students succeed", "facilities are breathtaking", "faculty are very experienced" blah blah blah
 
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it will likely be 162 since COCA allows an extra 8%.

also, I'm sure people who interview there or those who are accepted will post tons of positive impressions of the school. "Everyone was so nice", "they are really invested in seeing this school to greatness", "they are dedicated to seeing students succeed", "facilities are breathtaking", "faculty are very experienced" blah blah blah

Yep. They will be putting on the smoke and mirrors hard.
 
Is anyone planning on making a Facebook page for those who are accepted? I would but my internet isn't strong enough for me to maintain the page (I am in the peace corps so I am abroad and am at an Internet cafe right now)
 
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After doing some research on the GME, I don't believe it.... They are actually have 101 spots, which look like will be up by 2016-2017 (150+ total by 2020). Please tell me my vision is not impaired.

http://bcomnm.org/academics/clinical-partners-and-gme/#GME

http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/Education/Pages/new-aoa-approved-ogme-programs.aspx

If so, my opinion of this school is starting to change...

This is true, they also mentioned this to us during the opening presentation at the interview I attended a few weeks ago. Many of us where shocked/impressed by this. I think it's funny how some people (not you or anyone on SDN) will be so critical of this school but when it comes time to obtaining a residency they will be happy this school has provided 250+ spots lol.
Anyways, if not already you should definitely apply!
 
interested to hear more opinions on this school
 
Can programs still receive AOA accreditation and then apply for pre-accreditation? Or do they have to apply directly for ACGME accreditation?
 
I can only see dates for the Family Residencies, but not the others. Hopefully they are set up before the first class steps into 3rd year.
 
people who were hating earlier now eating crow...no core rotations are done overseas in mexico, thats an optional luxury for students who want hispanic and rural experience. school already created over 100 residency positions.....turning out to be an excellent situation, don't jump the gun next time
 
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