Does anyone out there have any information on PCOM or the city of Philadelphia. I will be interviewing 4-26 and was trying to learn more about the area and the school itself. Where does PCOM rank among D.O schools? How is the area where the school is located? What are you impressions or experiences of the school like? Last, which to choose : PCOM, UOMHS, or NOVA.
PCOM is a very good school with excellent facilities in a big city. I though the student body was friendly but with a little redneck in them. This may appeal to many people just not me. I believe it is a very highly regarded school by many and many people know about PCOM because it has been around for 100 years.
PCOM has a hospital on campus. The school doesn't provide student housing. Also, it has one of the best OMM program.
Henry, do you ever know what you are talking about? PCOM pays very little attention to OMM. In fact they only have 1.5 hours of OMM a week
all I know about PCOM(and this is second hand knowledge, so beware) is that they scored highest overall on the boards last year. Again, this could be misinformation. I do know this: UOMHS has finished first on the OMM section of the boards for the last six or seven years. It's the only school where students can do a full body treatment from sacrum to cervicals after the first year. I really like the school, but could not compare it to NOVA or PCOM.
I know nothing about the school but philadelphia is a great city. I am from Ireland and I have lived in the U.S.A for about ten years and I have to say that philly is one of my favorite cities. The people are great and the cost of living was somewhat reasonable, for a big. Good luck. Sean Ps. While you are there check out the White Dog Cafe on Sansome St in the city. It is right on The University of Penn's campus and serves excellent food and beer.
Actually, I've also heard what Dogboy has said. PCOM graduates are not historically known for championing OMT. An osteopathic medical student I know did his postbacc work in Philadelphia and has heard that PCOMers are more "allopathically oriented." This is probably because they have strong affiliations with many ACGME approved hospitals throughout Pennsylvania. EDGAR
Ok, I'm a first year student (almost a second) at PCOM and here is my opinion about PCOM: Campus: Awesome, new facilities, new anatomy lab, classrooms, omm lab etc. Hospital: Its not our hospital anymore. We sold it to Allegany and when they went bust it was bought by Tenet Healthcare. We still rotate through it and have residency programs there. Education: Excellent in every respects EXCEPT OMM. I am very disappointed with the OMM program. I feel they don't want to teach, they test us on material that was never covered. They just don't care about us. Faculty: Top-notched. Even though the OMM docs are terrible teachers, they are fantastic docs, and really know their stuff. OMM Time: We have 1.5 hours lab/week, and about 2 hours of lecture per week. Most of the lecturers are terrible, but we do have a few stars on the faculty (the younger docs) Philadelphia: Hate it. The people are nasty, the city is filthy and run down. I have friends from the worst parts of New York who are scared to go to certain neighborhoods here. The area PCOM is in is nice, and center city is nice, but thats it. Residency Programs: Top notch, e.g. our E-Med residency is dual accredited Overall: Great school academically, not for you if you want hard core omm, you would have no problem getting any type of residency (osteopathic or allopathic, we have matched grads in allopathic surgical residency programs all the time) Its a great school, that is highly respected by the local MD community, and produced excellent doctors. Hope that helps
