I am also interviewing on the 23rd. I saw some of you said you like DMU over Western, I also have an interview scheduled there and was just wondering why you liked DMU better, and any other info about either school. Thanks!
Let me preface this by saying they are both fantastic programs, and I had a great time on both interview days. I could honestlty see myself enjoying my time at either school. One of the most distinct things about both schools is their student body. The students LOVE their school, and they aren't shy about letting you know. They were all genuine, enthusiastic, and going out of their way to answer our questions and making sure we felt comfortable throughout the day. It was a great expereince at both schools and comforting to see a group of students who totally annihilated the whole "cut throat medical school" theory.
So, why DMU over Western (I'm from CA so this is a pretty huge deal for me to say i am going to leave so cal for IOWA)? First of all, the facilities at DMU are TOP NOTCH. Absolutely incredible. You can get a feel for it going to
there website, but you also have to go and visit the school to see it for yourself. The simulator demonstration is very impressive and is a training tool that I deifnitely want to take advantage of. I have been to one other school (MD) that has something similar to DMUs simulator manicans, but it was not on the same level. Another thing that is appealing for me is DMUs emphasis on OMM. Obviously, you can get that any DO school, but the number of hours spent learning varies widely. DMU took pride in the fact that they considered themsleves one of the top DO programs for learning OMM. I think they said you spend aout 200 hours total learning OMM techniques. Since this is something I am very interested in, this is obviously a very positive thing. Another thing I thought was cool was that they try to have an OMM component in every course, not just "OMM lecture." So, while you are taking a regular med school course (not OMM lecture), they integrate the use of OMM into to some lectures so that you can get a feel of how the techniques would be useful for this siutation (hoefpully that made sense). Western didn't mention anything like that. DMU has also established a global heath department, and has established rotatinos in Africa (a place that I want to go to) that you can take advantage of during 4th year rotations. Oh and also, DMU gives their students quite a long time for electives during 4th year. THis is a benefit when auditioning for residency programs of your interest.
Another thing that is cool is that the dean is a surgeon (i think its the dean, its someone high up on the food chain), so he is really excited about everything having to do with surgery. The result is they have a basic surgical skills course that all 2nd years take. I havent seen this at any other school, MD or DO. If you arent interested in surgery, then i coudl see how this would be annoying....but I am interestd, so its a positive thing for me. Here is a desription of this course:
"The Basic Surgical Skills Course, taken in the second year, emphasizes the fundamentals of basic aseptic technique theory and applications of clinical practice. Under the direction of surgical residents, surgical nurses, and surgical teaching assistants, students are introduced to suturing, knot-tying, surgical instrumentation, donning surgical gown and gloves, dissection, intravenous insertion practices, and other clinical/surgical procedures and equipment.
The goal of this program is to provide students with a strong foundation in clinical/surgical skills prior to clinical rotation practice. As a result of this educational experience, students are prepared and confident to meet the challenges of performing and practicing skills during clinical rotations in their third and fourth years."
So you can probably tell that the things put DMU above Western for me are personal opinions...things that they offer that taylor to MY interests. This means that they may not taylor to YOUR interests. Best thing is to go to the school and check it out for yourself! The decision is yours to make. I have freinds that are at Western who chose to go there over Des Moines, and ironically my student host at Des Moines actually chose to go there over Western. So its different for everybody. Good luck!!!
