•••quote:•••Originally posted by Asclepian:
•5. If you know Toran, you would understand why we are all very upset about his dismissal. Some of us stood beside someone we felt would make, and hopefully will still make, a wonderful physician. KCOM is in part responsible for losing someone who could (again, I hope he still will) make a lasting impression in our profession.
6. Final point. The attrition rates at KCOM speak for themselves. They are way to high, and if you don't believe us, talk to someone outside of the admissions department (they are only going to say positive things for obvious reasons). The KCOM class of 2003 had over 30 requests for transfer for the things that occur here. Clinical faculty have left in protest. These things are not "normal" medical school occurances. They are signs of the problems that exist here. So please understand that there is more to this story than a medical student who was dismissed... There are/were problems on BOTH sides.•••••Asclepian;
While I agree with you on the majority of your points [yes, it is sad that Toran is not going to graduate with you guys and I am glad he took the honorable route & avoided litigation], I do not agree with you on the latter couple of points. Whereas, in fact, you are merely spreading rumors about a situation you were not even around to experience.
First, in my experience, the normal attrition rate for KCOM (I am familiar with those of classes 2000~2004) are NOT in excess of the national average. In fact, both classes 2002 & 2003 were substantially below: 2002, class of ~150 lost 2 or 3 totally and 5th yeared 4 into my class. My class, 2003 - the largest in school history - 174 lost 2 completely (1 of them a 5th year from 2002), 1 to withdrawal and 5th yeared 5 into 2004 & one of those 5th years was an elective one. So your claims of an abnormally high attrition rate are blatantly false.
Not to point an accusing finger, but the class of 2004 has had an extraordinarily high loss/5th year rate...do not pass judgement upon the an entire program from the narrow perspective of a single class. Yes, 2004 had curriculum issues...but, 2003 was the FIRST class thru the new curriculum & we had a far smaller attrition rate than they did...their version was tweaked and debugged vs the version 2003 endured.
On the issue of "clinical faculty" leaving. This again was an event that has not effected you, you did not experience this and have no right to be speaking as though you are knowledgable about this.
Yes, there was some severe Deans issues over the emphasis of curricular content, focus and many other issues. However, the Deans issues have now been stabilized with the filling of all three major academic Deans slots with qualified DOs who are all Board certified specialists.
During my first year, the clinical faculty felt very very strongly that certain reforms were mandatory. They felt strongly enough that there was a threatened walk out, which actually did occur for a short period of time. The faculty felt sufficiently pro-student to place their jobs on the line. How many faculty at other schools would do that? In the course of things, that same faculty figured out that they could do more for us, the students, by returning to teach us and utilizing appropriate channels to facilitate the needed reforms -- the same reforms that your class is benefitting from right now.
The missing faculty to which you refer are only 4 or 5 individuals who, with the exception of a couple of them, were offered the chance to return, but refused to do so. The have chosen not to return and to be very unprofessional and vocal in their choosing to do so. Excepting that small handful, ALL of the faculty returned and has been teaching at KCOM along with quite a few new people.
Your claim that my class, 2003, had 30 requests for transfer. Exactly how did you find this out? That is confidential information and not something you can get an accurate depiction of through the grapevine. Do you not realize that gossip only grows as it is retold time & time again. I do not doubt that there were a few transfer requests, it was a very tense & stressful time during all of that stuff. However, no one actually did transfer from my class to any other schools. I cannot imagine there having been that many...but even if there were, you, as a student, would have no way of knowing how many & to portray yourself as knowing is wrong and borders on slanderous.
Do NOT simply repeat what you have heard about events that occured long before you arrived. You are an intelligent professional-to-be and not a parrot. Yes, there was some major $hit that went down during my first year, but the school has emerged stronger, in my opinion. No, it is not a perfect place...but there is no such thing! When you do get out here & into the wards, you will learn that the education you received at KCOM, while not perfect, leaves you very well prepared for clinical medicine training.
Please, in the future, try to refrain from placing unfounded gossip, accusations and petty gripes about your program into a public forum. If you have legit problems and are able to substantiate them, there are well defined avenues through which you can pursue them. Believe it or not, they work -- it seems slow & ponderous, but they work over time. By airing dirty laundry in public, esp if you really are not able to "know" the accuracy or substantiate the truth, only reflects negatively upon you, your school and can potentially prove harmful in the future when you go to apply for residency slots.
