Not all of them are updated or have that information.
Truth. You will find sites that don't have the full rosters; others that list DOs as MDs, and you can only tell because the school is listed; and others that don't have the credentials or school listed.
Absolutely not. Once you get closer, you’ll have a more solid idea of what you want in a specialty, what region you prefer, whether you want community vs academic setting, etc. And who knows, the merger is still recent enough that hopefully things will only become more equal and this won’t be as much of an issue by the time you’re applying!
There are a ton of different factors you can use to try and judge them, and some of it will depend on what specialty you are going for. Some factors may include # and variety of patients/cases, rotations/electives available, number of faculty, research opportunities, teaching responsibilities, call/clinic schedule, opportunities for additional advanced degrees (e.g. MBA, MPH). Unfortunately, you can't always find the information you need on the website. Normally as you are going through the interview cycle you will narrow it down to a few key factors and the rest you forget about. Even then, the "gut feeling" you get from the interview is definitely the best evaluation.
I agree, it can be a fun way to kill time and dream about the future. And could be a nice base for when you do need to make your list during fourth year! Just don't do it if you're going to take it too seriously.
