Lecom-b vs. pcom-ga

[bullsfan08]

Hey all,

I have recently been accepted to both pcom-ga and lecom-b. Is anyone out there in the same situation and if so, what are your thoughts. I live in FL. and LECOM is about an hour from my family which would be nice. The rules, hours, and unclear rotations are all a bit worrisome to me though. The match list and comlex scores are great, but I just don't know... I really got a great vibe in Atlanta, does anyone have any insight on the rotation situation, comlex scores, and match list for pcom-ga. How do the two compare. I'm not totally sold on the PBL, it clearly gets results, but I think I might like the camaraderie of a traditional approach better. Any thoughts suggestions, particularly from those in a similar spot or current students would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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[DD214_DOC]

I graduated from PCOM-GA this past year. I really would not pay much attention to curriculum, faculty, and all that crap because in the end you're responsible for what you learn. If PCOM-GA still does not have an official attendance policy, then I would probably chose that over LECOM-B. I quit going to lectures during second term of first year and my grades actually improved -- I learned better on my own. Not saying everyone should do this, but at least PCOM-GA gives you the freedom (Or at least used to)

Current students may be able to elaborate on how things are now. I know Dr. Evans recently jumped ship to some startup school in Indiana and Craver is the interim dean for now. The rotation sites are a bit spread out. A lot of my rotations were split between Warner Robins, GA at Houston Medical Center and the Greenville/Spartanburg area of South Carolina, although I believe VCOM stole these sites away. Some people bash rotating mainly at private practices and regional medical centers but I actually think it's a lot better than at a large academic center. During my rotation in Family Medicine at an unopposed residency program (This was at Self Regional in Greenwood, SC I believe) I actually took care of patients in the ICU. During my surgery rotation at Houston with a private practice surgical group I was first assist on 123 general surgery cases. If you can tolerate a lot of travel the rotations are actually pretty good, assuming they haven't changed.

If PCOM now has an attendance policy or some form of one (they were trying to start one while I was there but never succeeded) then there really isn't any reason to choose it over LECOM-B, especially if your family is nearby.

Good luck.

 

[teacherman84]

I graduated from PCOM-GA this past year. I really would not pay much attention to curriculum, faculty, and all that crap because in the end you're responsible for what you learn. If PCOM-GA still does not have an official attendance policy, then I would probably chose that over LECOM-B. I quit going to lectures during second term of first year and my grades actually improved -- I learned better on my own. Not saying everyone should do this, but at least PCOM-GA gives you the freedom (Or at least used to)

Current students may be able to elaborate on how things are now. I know Dr. Evans recently jumped ship to some startup school in Indiana and Craver is the interim dean for now. The rotation sites are a bit spread out. A lot of my rotations were split between Warner Robins, GA at Houston Medical Center and the Greenville/Spartanburg area of South Carolina, although I believe VCOM stole these sites away. Some people bash rotating mainly at private practices and regional medical centers but I actually think it's a lot better than at a large academic center. During my rotation in Family Medicine at an unopposed residency program (This was at Self Regional in Greenwood, SC I believe) I actually took care of patients in the ICU. During my surgery rotation at Houston with a private practice surgical group I was first assist on 123 general surgery cases. If you can tolerate a lot of travel the rotations are actually pretty good, assuming they haven't changed.

If PCOM now has an attendance policy or some form of one (they were trying to start one while I was there but never succeeded) then there really isn't any reason to choose it over LECOM-B, especially if your family is nearby.

Good luck.

There is no official attendance policy for lectures for the class of 2014. Some professors do clicker quizzes to encourage attendance but many students choose to skip some or all lectures and learn the material on their own. It is nice having that option, especially when you have difficulty learning from certain professors.

 

[ljw8993]

Hey, I know I'm in Erie but we do hear about Bradenton.

I can't speak for PCOM, though I know it's a great school. FLECOM is PBL so there aren't many "classes" you have to attend once you're past the first 12 weeks of Anatomy. After that it's a lot of reading on your own so I hope that's how you learn. I'm LDP and I wish I had stuck with my guns and gone with PBL but no use crying over spilled milk!

It'll be a huge help to have family so close for when things get rough, and they will. I'm a 15+ hour drive from my family and I wish I could have gone to a school closer.

Also, as they keep telling us, Bradenton had a 100% pass rate for the Boards last year for Step 1 (put them at #1 in that category) so you definitely learn what you need to.

I will say that for us up here, we have a dress code, and I'm guessing that FLECOM does too, but don't let that deter you. You won't have to dress up all that often (lucky PBLers).

Hope this helps, and good luck

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

If PCOM now has an attendance policy or some form of one (they were trying to start one while I was there but never succeeded) then there really isn't any reason to choose it over LECOM-B, especially if your family is nearby.

Good luck.

If this is the only reason to choose PCOM-GA over LECOMB-B, coming from a past student, I think I'd choose LECOM-B. As previously mentioned, after the first 12 weeks I believe you need to be in class less than 10 hours a week.

 

[bullsfan08]

I appreciate the advice thus far, keep it coming...

The main things I am concerned with are the clinical rotation sites, from what I have gathered thus far both schools are still kinda up in the air on this at the moment. I don't mind having to travel as long as I'm traveling for quality rotations. The other concern I have is the PBL curriculum, I have done a bit of PBL in the past, but it seems daunting learning the first 2 years without any direction from lecturers, that being said it certainly seems to work... For now I'll pay the deposits and wait until PCOM wants there $2000 in April. If there are any other current/former students on here, please weigh in or pm me if you want.

Thanks

 

[Altruist]

I didn't know anything about PCOM-Ga before reading this thread, but from what's been posted, I'd say the rotation situation seems similar. At LECOM-B, there are opportunities to do your standard, academic hospital rotations--and you want to do some of those no matter which school you go to--as well as community rotations where you get to do more than you might as the guy/gal on the bottom run of the ladder at an academic rotation. There are advantages to each.

Hopefully, PCOM-Ga's rotation assignment process is less chaotic than ours. The freedom that LECOM-B gives us for our rotations is a double-edged sword. If you know people who're willing take you for rotations, you can do your rotations just about anywhere; but on the other hand, some students have found themselves having to line things up on their own that, at other schools, the clin ed department would do for you. 3rd and 4th years would be able to tell you more about the details. As things stand, my rotations have lined up reasonably well, but my schedule isn't set in stone yet, so we'll see.

PBL vs. lectures is a big difference, but there are 150+ students here who get through it every year. It may seem like there's no direction from the outside, but somehow all of us end up reading basically the same things for cases, and picking more or less the same topics for exams. You end up being guided without direct intervention by the faculty, and it seems to be working.

 

[Coastie]

Anyone have links to each schools match list? Thats the best place to start.

 

[msw]

2009 PCOM-GA Match List
http://www.pcom.edu/student_life/student_affairs_main/match_2009_ga.html

2010 PCOM-GA Match List
http://www.pcom.edu/student_life/student_affairs_main/match_2010_ga.html

From what I remember, LECOM-B's match lists have been very good. I was accepted to LECOM-E and PCOM-GA and I decided on PCOM for various reasons. But both schools are great schools with improvements every year.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[zac16125]

Hey all,

I have recently been accepted to both pcom-ga and lecom-b. Is anyone out there in the same situation and if so, what are your thoughts. I live in FL. and LECOM is about an hour from my family which would be nice. The rules, hours, and unclear rotations are all a bit worrisome to me though. The match list and comlex scores are great, but I just don't know... I really got a great vibe in Atlanta, does anyone have any insight on the rotation situation, comlex scores, and match list for pcom-ga. How do the two compare. I'm not totally sold on the PBL, it clearly gets results, but I think I might like the camaraderie of a traditional approach better. Any thoughts suggestions, particularly from those in a similar spot or current students would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I go to LECOM-B. I got into a number of DO schools and 1 MD school and choose LECOM mainly because of the PBL. If you hate lectures and find sitting in a class all day to be a waste of 8 hours, then you'll love LECOM. I know a couple friends who considered LECOM and went elsewhere,and really regretted the decision. The rotation situation can be a huge pain in the ass, but can be avioded if you choose to do a year long rotation at one of the core sites,which I am currently doing and am happy with. I know nothing about the GA school, but theres my take on LECOM. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.