I am a 4th year medical student about to graduate from an Osteopathic School and I just wanted to take the time to explain a few things to the up-and-comers because they are things that I did not understand and I wish someone would have explained them to me better before I signed up for this extortion. As Osteopathic Students, you will likely get 2 good years of sound, quality medical education. As third and fourth year students, however, many Osteopathic Schools leave their students high and dry and fending for themselves when it comes to clinical education. Schools will try to woo you by telling you that You can do your clinicals wherever you want. The reality, however, is that you will be paying tuition to your school so that you can personally call doctors office after doctors office and hospital after hospital, groveling with them to let you tag alone for 4 weeks so that you can get credit for that rotation. I am sure you can imagine the clinical experience gleaned from spending 4 weeks with whoever says yes. Sometimes you hit pay dirt and end up with someone who actually teaches you something, most of the time though, you end up as a glorified secretary/admit nurse in whatever office you end up. Didactics? Not unless you count arguing with your schools clinical education director about how you still havent found anyone who will permit you to leech their time as a tag-alone-student for next month (all for the grand price of $40,000 k a year). As for the hospitals ha! Ive been to 2 Osteopathic Hospitals, and , well, Im not even getting into that b/c its a whole other can of worms. Lets just say their reputations speak for themselves, with a few exceptions, of course. If you are not in an Osteopathic Hospital where everyone understands the anal rape we are experiencing, then you might be lucky enough to land a few rotations at some smaller community hospitals where the atmosphere is not at all one of a teaching hospital and you will feel like a red headed step child as the LPNs bitch at you for putting the chart in the wrong place or some other petty thing. In some cases you will go to a big University Center, after you apply 6 months in advance for whatever time slot they dictate, hoping that they give you free housing, after youve submitted your 6 page application, along with the $80 fee and another $120 for a background check. Once youve gone through that heachache and waited months for them to get back to you they tell you they can take you for some time slot that is totally inconvenient for you. Of course, you will take the time slot anyway and spend the rest of the time leading up to that rotation just hoping that you dont get a phone call that goes something like this: Oh, by the way, what school did you say you go to? Sorry, we only accept students from LCGME schools (ie, not you).
So, what about that $40,000 a year? Just go to any Osteopathic Schools web site and read all about their new expansions in lecture halls, anatomy labs, clinical simulation labs, etc etc etc all designed to sucker in another 200 students a year so the dean and his minions can stuff their pockets. Not for profit my ass there are just a few to many brand new BMWs in the faculty parking lot for me to buy any of that nonsense. What about spending money on HOSPITALS and CLINICAL EDUCATION SITES? What about paying QUALITY, BOARD CERTIFIED physicians DECENT salaries to teach students in CLINICAL settings? What about the AOA and COCA making reforms that benefit our profession and educational standards, residency programs, and licensing protocols (COMLEX PE, most notably?).
Osteopathic Medical Education is rapidly becoming a SCAM, and right now, there seems to be no end in sight. No strong leadership no voice, unless, of course, you count cha-ching. Just dont say you werent warned.
So, what about that $40,000 a year? Just go to any Osteopathic Schools web site and read all about their new expansions in lecture halls, anatomy labs, clinical simulation labs, etc etc etc all designed to sucker in another 200 students a year so the dean and his minions can stuff their pockets. Not for profit my ass there are just a few to many brand new BMWs in the faculty parking lot for me to buy any of that nonsense. What about spending money on HOSPITALS and CLINICAL EDUCATION SITES? What about paying QUALITY, BOARD CERTIFIED physicians DECENT salaries to teach students in CLINICAL settings? What about the AOA and COCA making reforms that benefit our profession and educational standards, residency programs, and licensing protocols (COMLEX PE, most notably?).
Osteopathic Medical Education is rapidly becoming a SCAM, and right now, there seems to be no end in sight. No strong leadership no voice, unless, of course, you count cha-ching. Just dont say you werent warned.
. The established schools are nothing like this and your testimony is worthless unless you name a specific institution. I can't take you seriously with your tone and without specifics. Your warning is thus discarded by 99 percent of those who read it. 
