Going to a new DO school

[boredbanana]

Hi! I know typically people say to avoid going to new DO schools but I was wondering how truly big the risk is? I’m a low stat applicant, and was fortunate enough to receive 2 II’s despite that, but my only A is to a new school. I really liked the school on interview day, and the school definitely knows what they’re doing in terms of a brand new school. However, I keep reading online about the risks of going to a new one. My goal as of now is do family medicine and then an EM fellowship some point down the line.

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[Doctoscope]

You can match into a quality FM program from any DO school.

Why FM -> EM fellowship though? Why not just go EM directly?

 

[boredbanana]

I’m interested in both specialties. I heard it’s not easy doing a pivot from em to fm

 

[ablanco]

Got to update your username to ijustwantotbeanemergancyfamilyphysician

 

[boredbanana]

Got to update your username to ijustwantotbeanemergancyfamilyphysician

Lmao idk if you can change usernames on SDN

 

[Goro]

Here's why you should avoid brand new DO school, if you can help it:

It takes time for faculty to gel and deliver a coherent curriculum; they have limited clinical rotations sites [it takes time to build these!], the degree of oversight of clinical training will be weak; the schools are unlikely to have resources for struggling students or those with mental health needs; lastly their grads will be unknown products to residency program directors.

OP, since you have only new schools as your choice to attend, pick the once that has the most plusses and the least minuses. Start with the one that has the least tuition.

 

[drthedude]

I was in the same boat as you (but wanting to do neurology) and at the very end of the cycle April, got into an established DO. Don't count yourself out of it just yet

 

[DOlor]

As someone who has gotten interviews from established schools and a new school that I applied to this cycle, my perspective is this:

Many of the D.O.'s I worked with (that went to established DO schools like KCU/DMU/LECOM) told me that yes name is important for connections for residency if I am wanting something competitive, but that I need to really figure out what I want in a school. One of the docs I worked with said he hated the fact that DMU shipped him off to a small community hospital for rotations and he had to come out of pocket for a lot of things. He couldn't make any residency connections from there either, all he had was school name which helps only a little for a D.O. school. He also had to schedule all of his fourth year electives and he said it was very disorganized. (I know alot of D.O. schools are like this but not all). Instead you should look into stuff that YOU care about. (Remediation policy, do you have a support network nearby?, are rotations close or do you have to travel?, tuition cost, dedicated boards time, what kind of curriculum do they have?) New schools are going to shift around the curriculum like Goro said. We are seeing it happen at NoordaCOM right now with their recent 79% board pass rate. That's not all on the school, but they obviously have to work on some things.

With new schools you will be the guinea pigs. But with new schools you will also be a smaller inaugural class so a lot of attention and focus will be given to your class which I find to be a plus. ARCOM was a new school that matched very competitively (neurosurgery, urology, etc.). So don't think a new school will not get you to where you want to go. I have more confidence in new non-profit schools that have their own hospital systems and residencies like BUCOM than I do in the new for-profit schools with no local affiliations.
You need to make a list of what is most important to you in a school. It will be very different from my list or anyone else who comments on here. Feel free to DM me.

 

[deleted1170743]

I will say for the specific school you may be referring to that the rotation sites seem secured, but it may not be well established as brought up before because this will be the first class. There are most definitely going to be hiccups somewhere along the way, but that is expected from a new school right? I do think that you should be open to changes as we will most likely be the ones to run into the problems first. I think it could also be a good experience in a sense that there may be a lot of opportunities to start new organizations, develop stronger connections as we are the first class, and a few other things.

Overall, I would just be open to things changing a lot.

 

[PorkChopsOG]

There will be growing pains with a new school including administration and things way out of your control. But it doesn't matter, especially with your goals. Just study hard, work hard on your clerkships, and worst case scenario the first 3 months of intern year is more difficult for you than it is for your co-residents, but going to a new school isn't a death sentence by any means.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Goro brings up good points about how these schools like to shift around the curriculum when their first class usually ends up with low board pass rates.

Another poster brings up a good point though. Name doesn’t matter a whole lot in the DO world. I went to ATSU KCOM and when I applied to residency, no one outside of Missouri had even heard of my school. I had a good education and I’m glad I went there over a new school I was considering, but I doubt the outcome would’ve been significantly different.

I think there’s an argument to be made that a newer school near your preferred geographic location can be a better option for a lot of people. It’s potentially easier to make connections for residency when your not 1,000 miles away from where you want to end up.

 

[boredbanana]

Goro brings up good points about how these schools like to shift around the curriculum when their first class usually ends up with low board pass rates.

Another poster brings up a good point though. Name doesn’t matter a whole lot in the DO world. I went to ATSU KCOM and when I applied to residency, no one outside of Missouri had even heard of my school. I had a good education and I’m glad I went there over a new school I was considering, but I doubt the outcome would’ve been significantly different.

I think there’s an argument to be made that a newer school near your preferred geographic location can be a better option for a lot of people. It’s potentially easier to make connections for residency when your not 1,000 miles away from where you want to end up.

Yeah luckily this school is about a 3 hour flight from me which is roughly the distance I went away for college. I honestly really like the school and the staff is super experienced in the DO school world. I’m just going to bust my ass so I can match haha

 

[boredbanana]

I will say for the specific school you may be referring to that the rotation sites seem secured, but it may not be well established as brought up before because this will be the first class. There are most definitely going to be hiccups somewhere along the way, but that is expected from a new school right? I do think that you should be open to changes as we will most likely be the ones to run into the problems first. I think it could also be a good experience in a sense that there may be a lot of opportunities to start new organizations, develop stronger connections as we are the first class, and a few other things.

Overall, I would just be open to things changing a lot.

Definitely! I am very excited to be around such great hospital systems though

 

[WildWing]

Lmao idk if you can change usernames on SDN

@ijustwanttobeasurgeon - Yes, you can change your member name. Go to this page and click the link next to your name:

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/account/

The new name will be reviewed before approval.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I just want to say that FM is a very complex and diverse specialty. Saying I just want to go FM doesn't mean you should accept mediocre training. As a family doc you are the first line Dr for your patients. You need to be a a broad generalist so work to get the best training possible. New schools don't have proven faculty or clinical training as noted above so residencies may be wary in hiring you.

 

[boredbanana]

I just want to say that FM is a very complex and diverse specialty. Saying I just want to go FM doesn't mean you should accept mediocre training. As a family doc you are the first line Dr for your patients. You need to be a a broad generalist so work to get the best training possible. New schools don't have proven faculty or clinical training as noted above so residencies may be wary in hiring you.

I never said I was willing to accept mediocre training, not sure where you got that information from. The school I was accepted at has faculty that came from established DO schools as well as rotation sites within a hospital system they have ties too. I’m not concerned with that part, but more so the supposed stigma that a inaugural class

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I never said I was willing to accept mediocre training, not sure where you got that information from. The school I was accepted at has faculty that came from established DO schools as well as rotation sites within a hospital system they have ties too. I’m not concerned with that part, but more so the supposed stigma that a inaugural class

You said you were reading online about the risks of a new achool, so you might be aware of issues of faculty getting the coursework up to speed. Even if they are from an established school, they still need to mesh with other faculty, including the Dept Chair, to get the course work up to speed. Board scores at new schools often reflect these challenges. Clinical rotations continue to represent difficulties for all schools, as new ones come online, and more and more students seek clinical training. Some never get to do an in hospital IM rotation on a teaching service. New schools are at a disadvantage when seeking clinical sites as existing schools have many locked up. These are some issues that promoted my comments regarding mediocre training. At a new school you will most likely have to take a very active role in locating clinical rotations. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

If your only acceptance is a new school and you have low stats to begin with, you should go to that school. There is no point in gambling. You can easily match into FM or EM from one. The school may or may not have good clinical rotations for you. If they don't, you should organize away rotations during your 4th year to catch up. Once you do FM residency, you will be at the necessary skill level to practice independently

"Stigma of a new school" will not stop you from getting into FM or EM