Ccom v dmucom

[cmoynih]

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Ok so I realize this is already a thread but I just wanted to elaborate in some things that are tearing me up bw the two schools?!
Ccom -Pros
Location (I'm frm Chicago)
Ccoms reputation
New anatomy lab

DMU -pros
Surgical skills lab
Simulators
Standardized patients
Laptop provided
Good match into military residencies
Cost of life in Desmoines
Very nice facilities

Con
Desmoines 5 hrs frm home
I would have to take biochem

I'm torn can someone tell me if all the unique features of DMU really are helpful in leaning medicine ... I mean I know they would be ... I'm just torn thanks

 

[DoctorJDO]

one costs more. the other looks like it isn't located where you want to be. you are going to be the doctor you work to be, regardless of where you go. we all take the same board exam at the end, and since the schools have a vested interest in us passing, we all read mostly the same books and learn all the same stuff. I know it is a big decision, but please don't listen to another CCOM/DMU debate. they're both great schools, it's like picking which state lottery you would rather win. who cares? they are both awesome. I guess the question you need to ask yourself, that will help you be a better doctor more than any surgical skills lab or school reputation is: where did you feel most happy?

 

[angryazn88]

one costs more. the other looks like it isn't located where you want to be. you are going to be the doctor you work to be, regardless of where you go. we all take the same board exam at the end, and since the schools have a vested interest in us passing, we all read mostly the same books and learn all the same stuff. I know it is a big decision, but please don't listen to another CCOM/DMU debate. they're both great schools, it's like picking which state lottery you would rather win. who cares? they are both awesome. I guess the question you need to ask yourself, that will help you be a better doctor more than any surgical skills lab or school reputation is: where did you feel most happy?

yeah i agree. and either way, your going to med school!!!

 

[blinkboy1156]

"yeah i agree. and either way, your going to med school!!"

you're

The lottery analogy is good; they're both phenomenal schools.

 

[swamprat]

Who cares about surgical skills lab... it sounds nice as a premed but honestly when your in med school during the first 2 years anything that isn't related to one of your main subjects you need to build your knowledge base and pass step1 your not going to care too much about. At least for me, every time we have a clinical skills or a standardized patient I cringe and think..well I could be learning anatomy right now. And biochemistry, why would you not have to take it at one school?

 

[MIAmedica]

Who cares about surgical skills lab... it sounds nice as a premed but honestly when your in med school during the first 2 years anything that isn't related to one of your main subjects you need to build your knowledge base and pass step1 your not going to care too much about. At least for me, every time we have a clinical skills or a standardized patient I cringe and think..well I could be learning anatomy right now. And biochemistry, why would you not have to take it at one school?

Exactly... it's gonna be integrated into the curriculum one way or another, even if you don't have a "Biochemistry" class. You gotta know it for Step 1... there's just no getting around it.

 

[samuraiR]

pretty sure he means prior to matriculating

 

[MIAmedica]

pretty sure he means prior to matriculating

oooooohhh!!!! hahaha DOH!

 

[cliquesh]

Des monies is a decent school. However, they have few residencies associated with the school and they makes you travel pretty far for rotations during your 3rd and 4th year. CCOM is a solid school, with decent rotation sites located near the school, and CCOM also has a respectiable residency program. CCOM is more expensive, but I think it is a better option.

 

[AutumnChild]

Being a Chicagoan myself I can definite see where you're coming from. CCOM is very attractive as it's close to home and has the strongest rotation sites compared to DMU. However, a couple things I was told and I considered:

'CCOM only allows you to do two months of electives in one specialty in your fourth year. This not important if you are applying IM or FM or some other not-competitive specialty. However, if you are to apply for any of the competitive residencies (Ortho, Urology, Derm, ENT) you will have to do as many electives in that field to maximize your chance of matching. Unfortunately, in DO world, residency programs will not even interview you unless you rotated with them. So, the more rotations you do in your choice of field, the more interviews you get, and hence a better chance of securing a spot.'

Maybe DMU has sites that you need to travel a little farther to get to, but if you think about it, traffic in Chicago is a **tch. So though you may have to travel less in distance, you probably make up in time sitting in ur car. So I think that point is moot.

I'm most likely picking DMU, as you can probably tell.

 

[cliquesh]

I'm pretty sure you actually have to move for the majority 3rd and 4th year rotations.

 

[AutumnChild]

I'm pretty sure you actually have to move for the majority 3rd and 4th year rotations.

Well, I actually want to do rotations in different parts of the country, so this wouldn't be an issue for me. I do think CCOM may be a better choice for someone with a family though. So, OP, if you have a family then CCOM may be better for you.

 

[DOtoCanada]

About 50% of the students at DMU have families and there have been no complaints so far about rotation sites. If you stay in Des Moines for rotations you may have a few sites that you have a 30 minute drive to get to, but you can manage to get most (probably not OB, though) in town. They also have year-round rotation cites in Detroit, Nebraska, many places in Iowa like the Quad Cities, Missouri, Ohio and Minnesota. During your 4th year you only have 2-3 required rotations and the rest you can set up for whatever you want as far as audition rotations go. And contrary to what doxycycline says, the surgical skills lab IS important. If you are the type of student who tunes out the opportunity to learn something just because it won't be on your board exams in 6 months then you are the one missing out. Being able to walk into a surgical rotation on the first day and self gown/glove and pass instruments while knowing which ones are which will make you stand out. You learn 8 different types of sutures, names of instruments, gowning/gloving, charting, IVs, NGs, chest tubes, central lines, foley caths, drains, tracheostomies, intubation, how to navigate the cameras and lap tools during procedures, etc. It's a nice, if not stressful, class to take. Also think about the extra cost, and that the extra cost will have compounding interest at 7.9% from the day of disbursement.

So, I just looked up the cost of attendance for on-campus at CCOM. Nearly 80,000 freakin' dollars. Are you kidding me?!? That is WRONG. After interest, you will be paying $150k MORE for your education. That should be a goal for total debt, not now much additional a school will charge you!