Ok, you asked so I'll bite.
You state that all schools have these problems and that we should just deal with. That's probably the greatest source of frustration I have with the DO profession, and medicine in general. When someone changes the way we practice or the form and amount in which we are reimbursed we simply shrug our shoulders and write it off as just the way business is run (i.e. insurance companies dictating reimbursement). This is something we let happen, we let HMO's be created. Now that frustration out here you go Krista
DMU:
Clinical affairs- Long times to get rotations scheduled. They don't call the site to where you want to rotate. They lost 3 letters of recommendation for residency (advice: Have your LOR send a copy to your school and to you, this will prevent you having to track down your LOR writer later.) They are blatantly rude over the phone when trying to schedule rotations. They lose paperwork. When explained to admin was basically given the excuse oh well.
The Dean (4th yr) is a complete jerk. I had a friend who had a master's in Public health who falied his last fourth year rotation (epidemiology) b/c he got into a disagreement with a nurse and she convinced the attending to fail him, He asked for a meeting or to somehow find out why he was failed the Dean refused and said he would have to simply make it up.
University- A student has been caught cheating repeatedly and allowed to continue through with studies. A student was at Wellman's a local watering hole with his DMU t-shirt on and peed on a table b/c he was so inebriated, from my understanding administration became aware of it. Same student was also accused of mutilating cadavers in the anatomy lab. One of the Professors was allowed to have a personal relationship with students for quite a long time. An OMM fellow was allowed to have inappropriate relationships with students. Both had direct effect over respective student's scores. Lecturer's constantly not showing up for lectures. Exams not reflecting course content. Professors who repeatedly received bad reviews allowed to stay (DMU doesn't have a tenure system). Course Secretaries treating students as if they were children and belittling them as such. Look at the brochure DMU puts out last I saw it was four women, four minorities, four men one of them being white. If I was a minority I would be outraged that DMU is billing itself as a 50% minority and 50% male:female ratio, with one of those pictured being a spouse to a classmate of mine not even enrolled in the school.
Also ask yourself these questions? Why does DMU have such a difficult time recruiting Physicians to allow DMU students into their clinics that are DMU alumni? Why does DMU have such a difficult time raising money from their alumni?
DO profession?
Allowing school after school to be opened with no oversight or planning for the professions growth. The AOA in a recently prublished article, didn't even know how many residency positions it had! A former president of the AOA stated publically that he wanted every DO student to do a DO residency this is simply not a mathematical reality. In some instances if AOA residencies were required to stand up to ACGME scrutiny they would be closed.
My overall problem again is apathy. People like Krista are too busy whisling a happy tune to their own oblivience that they simply don't see what is going on around them. We who object are viewed as malcontents whose only object is destroy the system from within. We are simply thorns in the sides of the administration b/c we don't simply follow the leader. Even as students it is our resposibility to question the leadership of our schools and our organization if we beleive they are leading us in the wrong direction. You say our school is a business, well we are consumers paying for an education and I think it is permissible for us to question the manner in which it is provided if we believe we are being short changed. So go ahead and follow the rest of the lemmings. I simply think there are changes that should ocur at DMU and while I know I'm not alone, and I wasn't while I was there the boat rockers suggestions that DMU might be able to change the way things are ran are always ignored. Like I said talk to some Alumni, find out their perceptions of DMU before you dismiss me as someone who is just being how was it put? Bitter.
Disclaimer: I did not proofread the above.
I agree somethings need to change at DMU, sure. I mean, the professionalism emails and be quiet in the library posts have got to stop. But those are minor things. I have loved my time here at DMU and, being 1000 miles away from everything I used to know, that is saying a lot. The teachers are very friendly, look at my sign. who couldn't love a man who makes fun of Dr. House?! As for the course sect. being jerks, bull. I have personally communicated with the one for beh. medicine and have not had a problem. Oh, about the peeing on tables b.s. Sure, I believe that. Hell, I was an RA for three years, trust me, I have seen far worse (you try having a kid run around yoru floor wearing nothing but a cheese hat, thong and whistle (hanging over his penis of course), screaming, "who wants to blow the whistle?!" and tell me what you wont be willing to believe. However, I know, for a fact, that DMU would not let that stand. They are VERY serious about the professionalism here. Man, I have gotten 4-5 posts and emails about the topic in the two months I have been here. I am sure that kid, if he does exist, is currently peeing on a cardboard box wondering what the hell went wrong. As for relationships, jesus, what do you live in a windowless room? It happens everywhere! I do doubt that DMU, if they had known, wouldnt have stopped it, but I do not doubt that it has happened. Now, rotations, I do not know. However, I have talked to a few people already on rotations and have heard no unusual complaints. Listen, I am, by far, the largest supporter of rights and actions to change them. Before I left undergrad, I was upset about the way things were being run in the residence life department. I started a campaign against it and, before I left, I had two heads of the department removed. I did not do this by sitting on a nameless forum, bitching my brains out. I got invovled, met with my dean and didn't stop until I was heard. If DMU, is really as bad as you say it is, trust me, you will hear me
🙂; I am very hard to keep quiet. To everyone else on this thread, make your own opinion. The school is amazing, in my eyes. Sure, the anatomy test molested me today, but I liked it
😍 . I have made some good friends here and have, for the most part, enjoyed my time here in the corn.