great clinical training in medschool?

[bluebird79]

am in the process of applying/interviewing at schools right now
i'm pretty interested in primary care but will leave door open to specialties
i'm not as interested in research/acad medicine
any thoughts on top medical school programs for great clinical education in M3 and M4? What are good things to look at? Everyone says "You have patient contact early on" and various other lines. How can I really tell? (specifically, i am thinking about UIChicago, Case, Cornell, Dartmouth, Rush, AECOM, Pitt, Baylor if you know anything about these)

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[usnavdoc]

am in the process of applying/interviewing at schools right now
i'm pretty interested in primary care but will leave door open to specialties
i'm not as interested in research/acad medicine
any thoughts on top medical school programs for great clinical education in M3 and M4? What are good things to look at? Everyone says "You have patient contact early on" and various other lines. How can I really tell? (specifically, i am thinking about UIChicago, Case, Cornell, Dartmouth, Rush, AECOM, Pitt, Baylor if you know anything about these)

I dont know the specifics about these med schools but I can give some advice.

You need to make sure your school is associated a large innercity charity hospital/level 1 trauma center and a tertiary care center. For adult medicine/surgery that gives you the greatest breadth of patient exposure. A VA is nice as well. But the charity/trauma center is a must.

This is exactly what i finalized my medical school choice on. I was accepted to 3 schools back when. The choices were Private research based and state with large patient volume/acuity. The private school had a tertiary care referrel center and the preclinical teaching was outstanding but they werent associated with a Level1 trauma center nor a chrity type inner city hospital. So I chose to go to the state school. Less of a name but in my mind better for the direction i was going in at the time.

I would apply to places that give you the best of both worlds but keep in mind when you get your acceptances what your goals are when chosing. And in the end their really are no bad US medical schools.

 

[DrMom]

moving to allo...

 

[.edu-MD]

.

 

[ExtraCrispy]

Try to get a hold of the names of some third & fourth-year students at schools in which you're interested, and contact them to ask about their experiences. I 100% agree with the statements above - look for a place in which the numbers of private patients are fewer, and in which med students are given significant responsibility for patient care on the floors. The more you see and do, the more you learn. Ask about the amount of autonomy given to the students, and what role they play on the wards. If students are primarily shadowing, following a resident around and carrying only a patient or two near the middle or end of third year, it's not the best place for a clinical education.

 

[deuist]

The AAMC surveys graduating medical students every year to see what they think about their education. One of the categories is about clinical skills and patient contact. You can start your search there.

(pssst: Go Miami! We start seeing patients within the first month.)

 

[BKN]

am in the process of applying/interviewing at schools right now
i'm pretty interested in primary care but will leave door open to specialties
i'm not as interested in research/acad medicine
any thoughts on top medical school programs for great clinical education in M3 and M4? What are good things to look at? Everyone says "You have patient contact early on" and various other lines. How can I really tell? (specifically, i am thinking about UIChicago, Case, Cornell, Dartmouth, Rush, AECOM, Pitt, Baylor if you know anything about these)

Baylor and UT Houston are in the Texas Medical Center, most inpatient beds, biggest Cancer hospital, biggest CV hospitals, big Peds hospital, Big trauma centers, etc. Has both the inner city and charity stuff (Ben Taub, Houston VA) and the tertiary care centers. You will get responsibility early, but it's easy to get lost in the shuffle.

 

[beary]

And in the end their really are no bad US medical schools.

Agreed. I wouldn't worry too much about your clinical years now - ultimately everybody gets basically the same training and you will get the overwhelming majority of your clinical training during residency anyway. M3 and M4 are just quick introductions to everything. Just make sure most students pass the boards, which I would imagine is the case at all the schools you are considering.

I actually would consider M1 and M2 years more in your decision making as there is more variability in these years between institutions - lectures vs. case based learning, etc.

 

[DrRobert]

Duke