>EVMS has much more established outreach programs, such as the HOPES free clinic (FIU does not have a free clinic). That coupled with the standardized patients, Ultrasound, and just the fact that it's an older school makes me more inclined to pick EVMS if cost were not an issue.
when you're in medical school, you're going to have minimal time for all of these things. Clinics, standardized patients, ultrasound? these sounded very cool to me when I was interviewing, but after getting through most of 1st year I'd rank these things as most important in pre-clinical curriculum:
- mandatory and optional lecture and events - how much truly free time do you have to study every day? This point is incredibly important.
- availability of research
- faculty mentors
- structured, organized elective course opportunities that allow you to receive free elective credit in 4th year, or less commonly 3rd year
Free clinic? not important, and you are going to participate in it for a few hours a month at most. There are student interest groups at every medical school that organize events that are the equivalent of a free clinic - going out into the community and doing HIV testing, taking blood pressure, etc
Standardized patients? don't make me laugh. If you feel weak on your clinical skills, e-mail any residents or attendings affiliated w/ the shcool for a chance to come in, shadow, and interview patients and do write-ups. Standardized patient encounters tend to be much more artificial and less intellectually challenging than even the most staight-forward, but real patient.
Ultrasound? this varies from school to school depending on how curriculum is organized, and but is not very important in grand scheme of things. Love studying anatomy? Study radiology from the 20 million resources available online. There are also the inevitable student interest groups that put up ultrasound events throughout the year.
Both EVMS and FIU are new schools that started up in the 2000s so both are new, inexperienced schools. They have about the same ranking I'd imagine.
In your position I would contact 3rd/4th years at each school and ask - what is your school's Step 1 average and how did your school's curriculum prepare you for Step 1?