KCOM's curriculum change???????

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s42brown

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I have been accepted to KCOM for the fall, but was torn between UHS and KCOM. The one thing I felt UHS had over KCOM was their case based curriculum. I talked to some of the docs that I work with and they said case based learning was the way to go. However, yesterday my wish was granted. I called KCOM to inquire about the extend of their Problem based learning classes and the lady in charge of the curriculum changes said that next fall they are planning on implementing a new curriculum which is based on the same premises as the genesis program at UHS. This would make KCOM my ideal school and I am very excited about attending next fall. The problem is she said that they can not release too much info at the moment.:mad: Do any of you guys and gals have any more info on the curriculum change, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks
cutty
:p :p :p

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As far as I understand the Genesis program, KCOM already has in place a similar concept.

KCOM has been leading up to this change for some time through the AFFOM program I am sure we told you about when you toured the school. The concept behind AFFOM (Anatomical Foundations For Osteopathic Medicine) is that each course will cover the same region of the body simultaneously, but from different perspectives (Anatomy is the structure, Physiology is the function, Complete DO covers the special testing, and OMM covers the treatment, etc), while implementing a clinical case-based testing model to facilitate the integration of these disciplines.

This approach leads to excellent preparedness for COMLEX, which uses a similar model for testing. AFFOM has been around now for several years in various forms, but it has undergone changes yearly based on student recommendations. The information you were supplied may well represent the culmination of these changes.
 
The information that was given to me on interview day is what I was inquiring about. I said that I wanted to know the extent of the PBL system in the curriculum, and that is when the person at KCOM informed me that a new curriculum was coming for the fall of 2003. She made it sound like that it was a complete curriculum change, and according to the curriculum for the 1st and 2nd year on the website today this change would be quite different. Again, she said that she was not in a position to discuss the details of the changes, possible due to the fact that it is not finalized. However, as a perspective student I would appreciate the opportunity to gain as much info on the change before I commit to attending KCOM in the fall. I love the school and see myself there next fall, I just want to know what to expect.

thanks
 
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:sleep: :sleep: :sleep: :idea: .............
anyone else know about the NEW curriculum?

thanks peps
 
Time to bump this thread up.

I'm with s42. I've been accepted but would like more information regarding the curriculum change. Is there any information on the website? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks:D
 
bump dede bump de bump:p :p :p

Come on KCOMers give us some info please.
 
I seriously doubt they can renovate the ENTIRE curriculum before you begin next year. We have a new dean who has some new ideas for KCOM, but when, where, how is still a question in all our minds.

I would guess (STRESS the word "GUESS") that any changes will be slow and take a while to implement. You guys may experience a different order of classes or something minor like that...but I honestly don't see the entire school changing before you get here.

Keep in mind that most schools are constantly evaluating what works and what can be improved. It's nothing to be stressed about. Whatever changes are made, will be in your best interests. (although, when you are in the middle of this hell, NOTHING seems like it is in your best interest! lol)
 
after going through two years at KCOM, i seriously doubt any curriculum change is going to make a significant impact on the overall outcome. if you think about it, board scores will probably remain the same anyways. just pick a program that gives you as much "free" time to do other things. you don't want to be in class all day. when i was there, most of our days were booked solid. i actually hated it. it didn't matter whether it was cased-based or subject-based. made no freakin' difference. all you need is to get the notes, figure out what's important, and have the time to learn it well. that's all that matters. KCOM screws around with curriculum all the time. we were stuck in the middle of some change. we had anatomy for about 5 quarters, i think. it's completely ******ed. we didn't have the first summer off, unlike many other schools. i think having one summer off is very important for you to pursue other interests (research, preceptorship, travel, etc...). we also don't have enough vacation time during our clinical years. i've met so many other students across the country (MDs mainly) who have anywhere between 2-4 months off during their 4th year. we got 5 weeks! these are the things that will matter most to me. everybody, regardless of curriculum type, will do just fine. you'll forget most of the information anyways because a siginificant amount of it is extraneous.

good luck. you'll cherish med school more as long as you make sure you have time for other pursuits.
 
Just FYI about summer.

Last week, the school announced that there would be a summer break of 5 weeks now. Plus, you get the 2 weeks of preceptorship.....so 7 weeks away from the school. :)

Good luck!

Wifty
 
I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt there are going to be any significant curriculum changes at KCOM. The faculty here are pretty much old school when it comes to teaching around here. I will say that student input (end of quarter evaluations) is listened to and heeded quite often. Case in point...last year, 1st years thought they were required to work too long and hard on an independent report following a PBL. So...they kept the PBL and threw out the report idea for this year, and replaced it with some critical thinking questions.

KCOM has a strong academic reputation that they've held for a long time. I don't think they're about to uproot a system that works in order to experiment. Changes here or there? Yes! But, those changes usually benefit the student.

By the way, the reason we now have a 7 week (five if you exclude the 2 wk. doc. shadowing) is because the military was getting upset with KCOM for not having a summer break - in order for certain students to do their officer's training. Basically, it was forced on KCOM, and MAYBE justly so. Unfortunately, we'll have straight classes from July 28 until Thanksgiving. Yikes!
 
Originally posted by gas-x
after going through two years at KCOM, i seriously doubt any curriculum change is going to make a significant impact on the overall outcome. if you think about it, board scores will probably remain the same anyways. just pick a program that gives you as much "free" time to do other things. you don't want to be in class all day. when i was there, most of our days were booked solid. i actually hated it. it didn't matter whether it was cased-based or subject-based. made no freakin' difference. all you need is to get the notes, figure out what's important, and have the time to learn it well. that's all that matters. KCOM screws around with curriculum all the time. we were stuck in the middle of some change. we had anatomy for about 5 quarters, i think. it's completely ******ed. we didn't have the first summer off, unlike many other schools. i think having one summer off is very important for you to pursue other interests (research, preceptorship, travel, etc...). we also don't have enough vacation time during our clinical years. i've met so many other students across the country (MDs mainly) who have anywhere between 2-4 months off during their 4th year. we got 5 weeks! these are the things that will matter most to me. everybody, regardless of curriculum type, will do just fine. you'll forget most of the information anyways because a siginificant amount of it is extraneous.

good luck. you'll cherish med school more as long as you make sure you have time for other pursuits.

Fortunately they've learned from some of their mistakes with your class, and while the day is still pretty packed the first 3 quarters, anatomy is done at that point and things lighten up quite a bit over the summer and through second year as it stands now (mostly a clinical rehashing of the first year)- giving you plenty of time for extracurriculars. It sounds like they have been putting some effort into making the curriculum more efficient and class hours are dropping bit by bit.

Our new dean (Dr Osborn- also our psychiatry prof) is likely to try several semi-dramatic new things, though it may not affect every student. He is pushing very hard for an optional new style of independent curriculum for those that want it- specifically for students that want to organize all their own studying and testing, as well as those that struggle and need to re-do coursework so they dont have to wait all the way to the next year to re-take classes. He took this so far as to suggest efficient and highly motivated students could use this style to graduate in 3 years, or do a masters+DO in 4 years.. and you entirely skip the in-class busywork etc. Basically it would be PBL, consulting with profs, and self-study, and you would do it in modules. I don't know how they planned to do testing and grades, nor do I know when they wanted to offer these options. I didn't think they were ready to offer this option to the incoming class, but who knows.

The dean has also been pushing hard for more international rotation sites, such as in Europe and a few 3rd world countries. A rotation in Belize will probably be available for class of 2005 or 2006 (was already in process before the new dean).
There may be more optional pass/fail classes offered (in addition to cranial) such as medical spanish, but that isn't currently available for our year.
The only other change I know of is the possibility of a mandatory OMM rotation, which several other DO schools do already. Some dislike this, others think it is critical for every DO to know what real OMM looks like in practice on a daily basis (and to develop skills in this environment). Again, it isnt clear if or when this will happen, but it could happen as early as next year.

All this said, i doubt they will make the independent curriculum option the mainstream teaching style at KCOM- in fact most students will probably continue to learn as we have. Memorization, notes, tests, rinse and repeat.... We learn a ton this way, but I wish I could have taken the independent option- it sounds pretty cool (though I doubt i would try to graduate in 3 years!).

Since none of this stuff is really public yet, who knows what will really happen or when. If you've already selected KCOM though, keep your ears open- you might just see some of this stuff.

well gotta go study... 2 more exams before break!

hope this answers some of your questions,

-bones
KCOM '05/'06 (OMM fellow in training)
 
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