Can any LMU-DCOM 3/4th year give pros/cons?

[ATPsynthase123]

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So I've read all of the posts on the forums, but I would like some recent and up to date info about This school since in interview there next Saturday.

From what I understand the school is actually really good up until years 3+4 where they basically give you the finger and make you travel the country for your rotations.

Is that actually how it is? I'm really considering this school because it is less that two hours from my home town, and since I have a fiancée that won't be able to come with me, visiting home as much as I can is very important.

Side note, how ideal would it be to make the drive back home on the weekends? I can't see how it would be an issue as long as I study while I am there.

Anyways, I'm not so much worried about the academic years as I am the clinical years. So could someone explain the process to me and realistically say whether or not they would recommend the school to future students? As it stands now I would attend in a heartbeat, but I do not want to disadvantage myself when it comes to residency because of inadequate clinical education. That reason alone would be the only thing keeping me from attending DCOM.


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[ATPsynthase123]

Bunp


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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Idk if there are many prominent LMU posters on atm. Medhschool was a very good poster but he's been MIA for a while.

Basically LMU is a mixed bag of rotations. They have some good rotations and others are honestly bad. It comes with being a rural focused school that honestly shouldn't be enrolling as many students as they do.

But it depends, are you accepted anywhere else? If you are and it's a more established school, then go ahead. If not then LMU will provide you the opportunity to be a doctor and you'll have opportunities to match relatively well within your means, though they're not winning any awards for performance in the match with 80% of their class going into primary care.

Though mind you that plenty of ppl intrinsically like PC as well.

 

[Tapoona]

Some rotation sites are stronger than others in certain aspects. Some rotation sites provide things others do not. Was I particularly happy with some of my education, no, but was I happy with where I lived during third year? Yes. I'm currently doing audition rotations and learning a ton. Med school is what you make of it. If you are proactive in researching for the clinical years with the class ahead of you, you will find somewhere that fits you and what you are looking for.

I can't disagree much with what Drrrrrr. Celty had to say.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Idk if there are many prominent LMU posters on atm. Medhschool was a very good poster but he's been MIA for a while.

Basically LMU is a mixed bag of rotations. They have some good rotations and others are honestly bad. It comes with being a rural focused school that honestly shouldn't be enrolling as many students as they do.

But it depends, are you accepted anywhere else? If you are and it's a more established school, then go ahead. If not then LMU will provide you the opportunity to be a doctor and you'll have opportunities to match relatively well within your means, though they're not winning any awards for performance in the match with 80% of their class going into primary care.

Though mind you that plenty of ppl intrinsically like PC as well.

I'm wanting to primarily go into rural Primary Care, so it is very important that I get good IM and FM experiences. As it stands now, I am interviewing at LMU next week and LUCOM (gasp, I know..) the following week. I expect more IIs when my state MD schools, KYCOM, WVSOM and VCOM start sending them out next month.


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[ATPsynthase123]

Some rotation sites are stronger than others in certain aspects. Some rotation sites provide things others do not. Was I particularly happy with some of my education, no, but was I happy with where I lived during third year? Yes. I'm currently doing audition rotations and learning a ton. Med school is what you make of it. If you are proactive in researching for the clinical years with the class ahead of you, you will find somewhere that fits you and what you are looking for.

I can't disagree much with what Drrrrrr. Celty had to say.

Do you feel disadvantaged in auditions due to the preceptor based clinicals?


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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'm wanting to primarily go into rural Primary Care, so it is very important that I get good IM and FM experiences. As it stands now, I am interviewing at LMU next week and LUCOM (gasp, I know..) the following week. I expect more IIs when my state MD schools, KYCOM, WVSOM and VCOM start sending them out next month.


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I think you'll have adequate opportunities to obtain all the training you want at LMU for that. Likewise some more ward based experiences when you do aways or sub-Is. So your route here is no issue as you're not gunning for something ultra competitive.

LUCOM is going to be interesting if they decide to publish or release any information regarding their board scores. I've heard that they're not doing so hot in pretty much everything.
Then again, that may just be me being hopeful wanting LUCOM to close down. Though for obvious reasons it likely will within a decade anyway.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

I think you'll have adequate opportunities to obtain all the training you want at LMU for that. Likewise some more ward based experiences when you do aways or sub-Is. So your route here is no issue as you're not gunning for something ultra competitive.

LUCOM is going to be interesting if they decide to publish or release any information regarding their board scores. I've heard that they're not doing so hot in pretty much everything.
Then again, that may just be me being hopeful wanting LUCOM to close down. Though for obvious reasons it likely will within a decade anyway.

Yeah, I had the opportunity to shadow a surgeon in undergrad and it looked miserable. Maybe surgery is like golf and its more fun to do than watch, but I would about fall asleep standing up while watching procedures. So that basically ruled out the competitive surgery specialties for me. More than likely I would like to do IM at a mid level community hospital or at a regional center where there isn't a lot of small hospitals.

Why would they close LUCOM down within a decade? I doubt the merger will be that rough on DO schools lol


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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I think rumor is that they've got a very high amount of people either failing our, remediating a year, and that board scores might be pretty poor. I suppose will have to wait to see their 4th year outcomes since I doubt they'll volitionally release their stats.

 

[Allykat1850]

I'm a current 4th year, and if your goal is rural Primary Care, DCOM is definitely a great option. Like stated above, a majority of the class goes into FM and IM, and I believe our classes and clinicals prepare us well for boards and the match. Regarding rotations, there is a wide variety of options, and students rank where they would like to be based on their individual preferences. For me, I wanted a site with a residency program where I could get both inpatient and outpatient experiences. Many sites at DCOM do have residencies, but due to their popularity I would enter the lottery prepared to be placed in a rural site. Luckily, my rural site has all specialties besides endocrinology, and since the the residency is unopposed, students are given a wide range of responsibilities and access to procedures. While most students stay at their site for only six months then move back to their hometowns or more desirable locations, I chose to complete my entire third year at my site. Again, it comes down to personal preference, you only need to travel the country if thats what you desire to do.
During the preclinical years, I knew multiple med students that would travel home on the weekends. My family lives 90 minutes from the school on curvy mountain roads. I only traveled home maybe once a month, but I definitely could have done more. Exams first year were on Mondays, so on those weekends I stayed in town to either group study or lock myself in a study room. To me the busiest time is fall first year, since you will still be learning how to study effectively and many students meet on the weekends in the anatomy lab. However, once you get more settled it becomes easier, I know a few students that would commute from Knoxville every day and they made it work.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

I'm a current 4th year, and if your goal is rural Primary Care, DCOM is definitely a great option. Like stated above, a majority of the class goes into FM and IM, and I believe our classes and clinicals prepare us well for boards and the match. Regarding rotations, there is a wide variety of options, and students rank where they would like to be based on their individual preferences. For me, I wanted a site with a residency program where I could get both inpatient and outpatient experiences. Many sites at DCOM do have residencies, but due to their popularity I would enter the lottery prepared to be placed in a rural site. Luckily, my rural site has all specialties besides endocrinology, and since the the residency is unopposed, students are given a wide range of responsibilities and access to procedures. While most students stay at their site for only six months then move back to their hometowns or more desirable locations, I chose to complete my entire third year at my site. Again, it comes down to personal preference, you only need to travel the country if thats what you desire to do.
During the preclinical years, I knew multiple med students that would travel home on the weekends. My family lives 90 minutes from the school on curvy mountain roads. I only traveled home maybe once a month, but I definitely could have done more. Exams first year were on Mondays, so on those weekends I stayed in town to either group study or lock myself in a study room. To me the busiest time is fall first year, since you will still be learning how to study effectively and many students meet on the weekends in the anatomy lab. However, once you get more settled it becomes easier, I know a few students that would commute from Knoxville every day and they made it work.

So how does arranging your rotations work if you choose to set up your own? ETSUs medical school is near my home town, could I potentially arrangement my rotations at one of their teaching hospitals, or is that a big no-no?

I really like this school, but it seems to get a bad rap on SDN


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[dfib slim]

So how does arranging your rotations work if you choose to set up your own? ETSUs medical school is near my home town, could I potentially arrangement my rotations at one of their teaching hospitals, or is that a big no-no?

I really like this school, but it seems to get a bad rap on SDN


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You can rotate with a private group at the same hospital as Quillen students but not with the program itself as a 3rd year. They do take 4th years in the program through VSAS. I just got done with an ID elective there. PM me if you want more details.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

You can rotate with a private group at the same hospital as Quillen students but not with the program itself as a 3rd year. They do take 4th years in the program through VSAS. I just got done with an ID elective there. PM me if you want more details.

I sent you a PM, do you know if ETSUs IM residency is open to LMU applicants? I don't think there is a bias considering they are looking to hire a handful of FM attendings for that residency.


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