Does Class size matter?

[Pony46]

So this has been posted in the allo forums...but not osteopathic.

What do you think about the class size that you have found yourselves in?

Do you think that size matters in Medical School?

I am on the fence.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Old_Mil]

So this has been posted in the allo forums...but not osteopathic.

What do you think about the class size that you have found yourselves in?

Do you think that size matters in Medical School?

I am on the fence.

So long as the school has sufficient facilities to service the class, it doesn't really matter. Other things (mandatory attendance, a dress code, pop quizzes (which can really screw up your study schedule in medical school)) make a much larger difference in your life.

The problem comes when the a school has facilities (parking, study areas, and so on) for a certain number of people and decides to admit more than that number to enhance revenue.

 

[MasterShakeDO]

Class size lecture? No. Two weeks into the semester half the students stop showing up.

The crucial ratios to look for are student:cadaver and OMM tables:faculty instructor
Look for 5:1 for both

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

Don't go to class. Then it becomes irrelevant.

 

[tideleonheart]

Another vote for no, it doesn't matter.

I used to think it did, but then I realized you learn 90% of stuff in med school on your own study time. Sure, you can get a good baseline in lecture, but you actually learn it on your own. Even with 180 people in my class, the teachers are rarely busy / flooded with students coming to them in case you run into the rare need to ask them something.

Honestly, I don't have time to go ask a teacher for help every time I run into a little bump. You just have to work around it yourself or with your friends. If that doesn't work, I e-mail the teacher and get a response a day later. That approach saves me time.

 

[ChiDO]

Also depends on what programs your school offers. We have ~240 kids total. 40 of them are in PBL, so you see them rarely..another 40 or so are in ISP, so you NEVER see them.

That leaves about 160 kids who are in our lecture pathway. The lecture hall holds all 240 of us, so that's no problem. We even have mandatory attendance and it really doesn't matter.

Like the above people said, it's all about learning the stuff yourself anyways. As for our cadaver lab, we had 3 lab sessions and it was 4/5 people per cadaver.

As for OMM, 5:1 ratio is a crazy amount if you only have 1 class with everyone. We had ours split into LDP 1 day and ISP/PBL the next. For LDP we have 2 teachers per 20 students.

So, no class size doesn't matter.

 

[Pony46]

These answers confirm what i have been thinking ...

The question which now begs to be asked is - Then at this point in your medical education what does matter to you ??


ChiDO and Mastershaker touched on this with regard to ratios but what else?

Also thanks for all the thoughts--- so far.

 

[Flushot]

Well, there is also the question of rotations in relation to class size. It was a big deal for AZCOM when they grew from 150 to 250, so it was an issue you had to consider when applying. I think we all can agree that lecture hall size is not a big deal, but were you concerned about the former issue?

 

[Pony46]

Well, there is also the question of rotations in relation to class size. It was a big deal for AZCOM when they grew from 150 to 250, so it was an issue you had to consider when applying. I think we all can agree that lecture hall size is not a big deal, but were you concerned about the former issue?

No, I had not thought of that. I was wondering what are you thankful for in your school now that you are there???

What is really important to you, that your school has that you could not do without ?

I just find it helpful to know what current Med students are finding useful, instead of what, just about to start Med students are stressing over---

Did it work out with AZCOM and the increase in class size vs. the # of rotations?

 

[Doctor Bob]

The size of the lecture hall is rarely an issue... So long as your lecturer has a good enough microphone and the projection screen is large enough it's not a problem.

Labs however should be small... dissection and the others as mentioned.

But also you want to be sure that the school has a good plan in place for what to do with the class when it comes to 3rd and 4th year rotations.

If the school doesn't arrange them and leaves it to you to arrange then, well, you have to be that much more motivated and understand the area around the school will be a little bit more saturated.

If the school has set locations that all of the 3rd and 4th year students go, then larger class sizes mean more students rotating in the hospital, more shared time, less time 1 on 1 with attendings/residents, etc. But if the school has a plan in place to deal with a greater number of students, this usually doesn't become an issue.

 

[Flushot]

No, I had not thought of that. I was wondering what are you thankful for in your school now that you are there???

What is really important to you, that your school has that you could not do without ?

I just find it helpful to know what current Med students are finding useful, instead of what, just about to start Med students are stressing over---

Did it work out with AZCOM and the increase in class size vs. the # of rotations?

2012 is AZCOM's first 250 class size, but there has also been the opening of a new MD school in AZ, so that might make things trickier. It's hard to say if they'll be prepared in a year from now, since all we know is that "they're working on it". I don't buy the fact the argument that "they wouldn't have increased the class size if they weren't prepared for rotations", because the increased class size does equate to immediate revenue.

Still, I don't think 2012 will be in trouble, but they'll have to do some work on their own to find out places to rotate. If anything, this should be of concern, not to mention lab or whatever, but this might affect you in the long run.

 

[DrWBD]

It matters for clinical clerkships.
Schools with large class sizes need lots of hospitals to send their students, and the more sites you need, the more likely the sites will be somewhat spotty in quality of teaching, etc.

 

[Bacchus]

For those of you that have a large class, do you feel you've been sufficiently able to get to know your classmates? Has camaraderie been hindered?

 

[MossPoh]

Size doesn't matter....you just have to know how to use what you have.

Wait? What are we talking about?

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Size doesn't matter....you just have to know how to use what you have.

Wait? What are we talking about?

LOL. I was going to go there as well..you know from a woman perspective. LOL