LECOM Bradenton Discussion Thread 2011-2012

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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To expand a little on what digitl was saying, there are no lectures from the LECOM faculty on any subject except for anatomy. The remainder of the material is self taught. I know that this may seem like a daunting feat, but it is 100% do-able. My recommendation would be to sign up for a buddy when the email is sent to you and talk to him/her about what resources they used outside of their textbooks. Digitl brought up a great list of resources that can be found both in hard copy and possibly PDF. One resource I found particularly helpful was the faculty themselves. During the day (when they are not facilitating PBL classes) you have access to each individual faculty who has an excellent grasp on each subject from Pharmacology to Pathology to Microbiology. Do you reading, attempt to understand the material, and then bring your questions to them. I have never been turned away and never been told any question was not worth asking.

Off to the clinic. The babies await!
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BCLumas said:
To expand a little on what digitl was saying, there are no lectures from the LECOM faculty on any subject except for anatomy. The remainder of the material is self taught. I know that this may seem like a daunting feat, but it is 100% do-able. My recommendation would be to sign up for a buddy when the email is sent to you and talk to him/her about what resources they used outside of their textbooks. Digitl brought up a great list of resources that can be found both in hard copy and possibly PDF. One resource I found particularly helpful was the faculty themselves. During the day (when they are not facilitating PBL classes) you have access to each individual faculty who has an excellent grasp on each subject from Pharmacology to Pathology to Microbiology. Do you reading, attempt to understand the material, and then bring your questions to them. I have never been turned away and never been told any question was not worth asking.

Off to the clinic. The babies await!
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We do have lectures on Clinical Exam and OMM, in addition to anatomy. Sometimes, your PBL facilitator will also give a mini-lecture on a topic, if the entire group is having trouble with it, but this is generally frowned upon (as it does not promote self-learning), so is rarely done...

Agree that our faculty are (generally) awesome, friendly, and have open doors.

In fact, teaching at LECOM-B would be a pretty sweet gig. I'm not entirely sure what they do all day, and Sarasota is freaking awesome.
 
digitlnoize said:
We do have lectures on Clinical Exam and OMM, in addition to anatomy. Sometimes, your PBL facilitator will also give a mini-lecture on a topic, if the entire group is having trouble with it, but this is generally frowned upon (as it does not promote self-learning), so is rarely done...

Agree that our faculty are (generally) awesome, friendly, and have open doors.

In fact, teaching at LECOM-B would be a pretty sweet gig. I'm not entirely sure what they do all day, and Sarasota is freaking awesome.
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Digitlnoize strikes again with spot on information.

I'm going to throw a plug in for any 4th year LECOM-B students lurking this forum that are participating in the Osteopathic Match on February 13th. Good luck guys!
 
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premed21 said:
I'm interested in the group interview portion. What kind of questions do they ask in this? And does everyone just chime in a response, or do they take turns going around so everyone has a turn to speak? Thanks!
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In regards to the group interview:
It lasts about 45minutes, there are ~6-8 students and the faculty member is the same person who did the 1x1 interviews. You meet right after observing the 1 hour PBL session and the group portion usually starts off with: What did you think overall about watching the PBL session?
- Did anything surprise you?, What did you like/Dislike? etc.
- Then we got into some ethical issues, in terms of how medical records are now electronic, we talked about the +/- aspects of that
- Overall I think everyone's group interview is different and it also depends on the feedback of the group as to where the conversation can go. But overall everyone should have a chance to talk and you should definitely make an effort to voice your opinion.
We all gave each other a chance to talk, but there wasn't a formality to it, it was a laid back conversation and everyone spoke when they felt comfortable and ready to give their input on the topic at hand.
- Hope this helps, and best of luck w/everything! :)
 
so...do we only get the drugtest before matriculation and that's it, or are they random, or again before rotations, or what? does anyone know? and do we get those at the doctor during the physical or do we have to go to a lab?
 
voodoochild DO said:
so...do we only get the drugtest before matriculation and that's it, or are they random, or again before rotations, or what? does anyone know? and do we get those at the doctor during the physical or do we have to go to a lab?
Click to expand...

I only had one before matriculation. Tried to get it at the doctor, but they didn't do the correct 10-panel (there are quite a few different ones). Tried a bunch of times to get it right, gave up and drove to a lab that I knew had the correct 10-panel dipstick.

It's the rotation sites that want this info (and only certain ones), not LECOM. They could, theoretically, decide to randomly test you again, either LECOM or the Rotation Site, but I don't think it happens very often...although it could.

Just keep your urine clean and you won't have a problem!
 
premed21 said:
I'm interested in the group interview portion. What kind of questions do they ask in this? And does everyone just chime in a response, or do they take turns going around so everyone has a turn to speak? Thanks!
Click to expand...

During my interview, we were given a scenario of a mistake at a hospital. I think there were 6 of us and 2 doctors. We all had a chance to talk, no need to cut anyone off to get a word in. It was relaxing and the facilitator did not ask the next question until we were all completely done with the discussion of the first question.

It was fun actually. You'll have enough time to gather your thoughts before having to speak. Good luck!
 
octupus said:
During my interview, we were given a scenario of a mistake at a hospital. I think there were 6 of us and 2 doctors. We all had a chance to talk, no need to cut anyone off to get a word in. It was relaxing and the facilitator did not ask the next question until we were all completely done with the discussion of the first question.

It was fun actually. You'll have enough time to gather your thoughts before having to speak. Good luck!
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Our group was similar, but we only had one facilitator ( a lawyer actually) who just basically asked what we liked about the PBL, would you have chosen MD before DO, DO philosophy questions. He went around the table and the ones who weren't speaking, he directly asked or started the conversation with them. Like Octupus said, it gives you plenty of time to come up with a thought out answer. The only thing I thought was uneasy, was certain times people were answering and he was making marks on his sheet, I am sure it was just his thoughts on you but it made me a little uneasy. I did think it was cool after the group interview, we just sat around with our interviewer and shot the shizzz, just like normal conversation. It was much less intimidating than the one on one interviews in my opinion. Just don't be that person that is forced into talking, speak clearly and think about what you are saying.
good luck
 
I got an interview for april 20th in Bradenton. Is there really a point for them to be interviewing that late?
 
OhioG said:
I got an interview for april 20th in Bradenton. Is there really a point for them to be interviewing that late?
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If they're interviewing, then yes. I'd go, unless you have another acceptance that you prefer...
 
I know more than a handful of my classmates got in after the new year. There a probably still more than a few spots left
 
Do you need a car to attend this school? I mean, there is no "on-campus" housing, so everyone has to drive to get there right? What if you are coming from across the country and don't have a car there? How are you supposed to get to school?
 
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They are nearly finished building a new apartment complex across the street from the school. It's called Lost Creek at Lakewood Ranch. So if you choose to live there, you can just walk.
premed21 said:
Do you need a car to attend this school? I mean, there is no "on-campus" housing, so everyone has to drive to get there right? What if you are coming from across the country and don't have a car there? How are you supposed to get to school?
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premed21 said:
Do you need a car to attend this school? I mean, there is no "on-campus" housing, so everyone has to drive to get there right? What if you are coming from across the country and don't have a car there? How are you supposed to get to school?
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I am going to say that it would be a good idea to have a car. As AnthroDocFL stated, you could stay across the street, but what if you need to go anywhere else? This campus is not like any "typical" campus with several places to eat on campus and more within walking distance. You will have to drive to get groceries, etc... There are places to eat and a Publix at both the SR 70 intersection as well as the SR 64 intersection of Lakewood Ranch BVLD but neither are really close in terms of walking distance. Just my opinion though......
 
GenusTide said:
I am going to say that it would be a good idea to have a car. As AnthroDocFL stated, you could stay across the street, but what if you need to go anywhere else? This campus is not like any "typical" campus with several places to eat on campus and more within walking distance. You will have to drive to get groceries, etc... There are places to eat and a Publix at both the SR 70 intersection as well as the SR 64 intersection of Lakewood Ranch BVLD but neither are really close in terms of walking distance. Just my opinion though......
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That's not ENTIRELY true. The Publix and surrounding restaurants are a mere quarter-to-third mile away from the campus, easily accessible by bike or a long walk. Would it be more convenient to have a car in that circumstance? Absolutely. It does not rain often in Bradenton, but when it does it frequently rains quite hard. A small walk/bike across Lakewood Ranch could leave you and your books drenched. It also might not be too terribly comfortable to wear the school attire and walk/bike the "whatever" distance is necessary to get to and from the campus.

In short, there is a nearby Publix with at least 6 different restaurants (I have not been back at campus in nearly a year, so things might have been added). There is a pizza place, Subway, another italian pasta place, asian food, a smoothie place, and a nice small cafe behind Subway that I really like. I guess that makes seven. You can make it work for you, but it will be a long, long two years.

Oh.. and do not forget that having a car for third and fourth years are nearly mandatory. I cannot think of any conceivable way for you to do it otherwise... unless you use city transportation?

Good luck to you.
 
Get a car.

1. It will help you get to Siesta Key, which is pretty much mandatory.

2. You can DD for your friends, and not be the douchebag who never drives *cough* BCLumas *cough* (just kidding)

3. You can get to school easily. You *could* walk from a house in northern Lakewood Ranch (it's really not THAT far), or you could carpool with people from the Yacht Club or somewhere probably, but that's going to get old fast, and with occasional PBL group switching and whatnot, could be confusing to schedule.

4. You pretty much have to have one for 3rd/4th year. The only exception would be if you managed to set up all your rotations in a place with amazing public transportation, like NYC or Philly or something...which has been done before (mostly), but is tough, I think.

Get a car. Just be smart about it.
 
I guess that Publix on Lakewood Ranch would be a little bit of a far walk in the rain. Geez that brings back an awful memory of walking to a general chemistry exam in the pouring rain and arriving sopping wet. That was terrible. I would also agree that bringing a car for entertainment and rotations is beneficial and essential, respectively.
 
Just a fair warning for all of you guys/girls coming from out of state, the weather in central/southern Florida is probably not what you are used to. I assure you that after walking that "1/3" of a mile in 96 degree heat and >85% humidity it will look like you walked in the rain but probably not smell like it. Some of the previous students may have had their two years on campus during drier than usual years but it is not typically like that. Even though you could be across the street, it might be raining on the other side while you are standing there. Could it be done without out a car, absolutely. Would you hate not having a vehicle after the first month or so, I am willing to bet on it.
 
Got an interview coming up on the 20th of Feb, but will be in Bradenton by the 18th to check out the city. Any tips on what or where I should go during my stay?!
 
Downtown Sarasota is a nice place if you're looking for fun things to do in the "younger" scene. I do not know about the weather as I am currently in (chilly) Texas, but you could always head to Siesta Key and relaxing on one of America's nicest beaches. If you're looking for places around the campus, try going down to Lakewood Ranch (between University and SR-70). There is a nice plaza down there with a movie theater and a bunch of restaurants like pub food, Japanese, Russian, and French cuisine. There is a place to live right across the street, but the name escapes me right now. If you're looking for some excitement in the evening, Ybor City in Tampa is only a 45 minute drive away.
 
omg i was place on the alternate list in LECOM-B. I sent them a LOI. And i got accepted at SH. not sure what to do now. I would prefer LECOM-B over LECOM-SH actually...should i pay the $1500 first. what if LECOM-B accepted me later? would i be able to transfer the $1500 from SH to B? thanks.
 
Does anyone know the difficulty of trying to set up most of your rotations in this general area? Has anyone tried or do you guys just go where you can?
 
GenusTide said:
Does anyone know the difficulty of trying to set up most of your rotations in this general area? Has anyone tried or do you guys just go where you can?
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It's pretty easy, especially if you consider St. Pete and Tampa "general area." When I was doing it, we only had shortages of OBGYN (I think mostly due to school (or someone) requiring preceptors to have malpractice insurance, and Florida having such horrendous malpractice rates that most OBs are dropping their coverage altogether), and somewhat of a shortage of Peds spots.

I think there were still enough spots for those that wanted them, but it was in more short supply than some other rotations.

I did most of my rotations back home in Central Virginia, but I did an IM, Psych, Radiology, and 2 Surgery rotations down there and they were all great months.
 
digitlnoize said:
It's pretty easy, especially if you consider St. Pete and Tampa "general area." When I was doing it, we only had shortages of OBGYN (I think mostly due to school (or someone) requiring preceptors to have malpractice insurance, and Florida having such horrendous malpractice rates that most OBs are dropping their coverage altogether), and somewhat of a shortage of Peds spots.

I think there were still enough spots for those that wanted them, but it was in more short supply than some other rotations.

I did most of my rotations back home in Central Virginia, but I did an IM, Psych, Radiology, and 2 Surgery rotations down there and they were all great months.
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Sweet! I am hoping that I can drive home every day ( Tampa to Ft. Myers). Thanks for the info.
 
nlax30 said:
Besides some audition/away rotations, all mine were in the general Tampa/St Pete/Bradenton area.
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AMG! Nlax showing up out of nowhere. /reminisce

OT: There are also quite a few "year-long" spots available to students who wish to stay at one institution for some time. I did my entire third year at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, FL and I would not trade it for a second. I was able to make tons of contacts, which helped me out during the "you don't have a rotation set up yet" moments during my fourth year. This will make more sense to you later on, but when you sign up for your third/fourth year schedules, put your choice as "Location" rather than "Time." Trust me.. you'll thank me later.
 
BCLumas said:
AMG! Nlax showing up out of nowhere. /reminisce

OT: There are also quite a few "year-long" spots available to students who wish to stay at one institution for some time. I did my entire third year at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, FL and I would not trade it for a second. I was able to make tons of contacts, which helped me out during the "you don't have a rotation set up yet" moments during my fourth year. This will make more sense to you later on, but when you sign up for your third/fourth year schedules, put your choice as "Location" rather than "Time." Trust me.. you'll thank me later.
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Gotcha! Will do. I have a wife a kids here and would rather not be gone for months a a time if I can help it. Does anyone know the difficulty of getting into the ER residency Tampa General (I understand it is a MD residency) or the AOA residency in North Miami Beach which I believe is associated with Nova/ Mt Sinai? How does one determine which residencies are more or less competitive?
 
to1283 said:
omg i was place on the alternate list in LECOM-B. I sent them a LOI. And i got accepted at SH. not sure what to do now. I would prefer LECOM-B over LECOM-SH actually...should i pay the $1500 first. what if LECOM-B accepted me later? would i be able to transfer the $1500 from SH to B? thanks.
Click to expand...

Just pay the SH deposit if it is your first acceptance. I was accepted into SH in early august last year and then I got my bradenton acceptance about a month later and they were more than happy to transfer the deposit to bradenton and give away my spot at SH.
 
GenusTide said:
Gotcha! Will do. I have a wife a kids here and would rather not be gone for months a a time if I can help it. Does anyone know the difficulty of getting into the ER residency Tampa General (I understand it is a MD residency) or the AOA residency in North Miami Beach which I believe is associated with Nova/ Mt Sinai? How does one determine which residencies are more or less competitive?
Click to expand...

Determining the competitiveness of residencies is multifaceted. Contact the residents at the program and ask them what their scores and experiences were like prior to getting into residency. The fact that a program is MD vs DO actually has little to do with your chances. I am applying for residency right now and am strictly applying allopathic. Of note, I did not take the USMLE. This is a path that some people take, but not everyone. I would check with the programs you're somewhat interested in to find out if they require USMLE or not. If so, be prepared to take USMLE at the end of your second year.

Ultimately, residency is up to you as a student and what you want to get out of it. Know that your choice in specialty will likely change (I never saw pediatrics coming) during each year, particularly your third year.

Good luck.
 
BCLumas said:
Determining the competitiveness of residencies is multifaceted. Contact the residents at the program and ask them what their scores and experiences were like prior to getting into residency. The fact that a program is MD vs DO actually has little to do with your chances. I am applying for residency right now and am strictly applying allopathic. Of note, I did not take the USMLE. This is a path that some people take, but not everyone. I would check with the programs you're somewhat interested in to find out if they require USMLE or not. If so, be prepared to take USMLE at the end of your second year.

Ultimately, residency is up to you as a student and what you want to get out of it. Know that your choice in specialty will likely change (I never saw pediatrics coming) during each year, particularly your third year.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I understand. Thanks for sharing your experience. I certainly have not had much exposure to most fields but I am anxious.
 
BCLumas said:
Determining the competitiveness of residencies is multifaceted. Contact the residents at the program and ask them what their scores and experiences were like prior to getting into residency. The fact that a program is MD vs DO actually has little to do with your chances. I am applying for residency right now and am strictly applying allopathic. Of note, I did not take the USMLE. This is a path that some people take, but not everyone. I would check with the programs you're somewhat interested in to find out if they require USMLE or not. If so, be prepared to take USMLE at the end of your second year.

Ultimately, residency is up to you as a student and what you want to get out of it. Know that your choice in specialty will likely change (I never saw pediatrics coming) during each year, particularly your third year.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

This. Great post.

I would also add that no one has any clue what will be competitive in 4 years. You could see EM become way less attractive as the Govt runs out of money to pay for primary care ER visits, which currently account for around half of all ER visits. If this is somehow curtailed, and it MUST be, one way or the other, you could see a decline in ER visits by 25-50%, and a corresponding need for 25-50% less ER docs, making it a much less attractive specialty.

And that's just one possible future of many. Just do your best. I will add that our students seem to have very little trouble getting spots. EM is one of our most matched specialties. I got psych interviews at every program I applied to, except for 3, including many schools in the Top 20 of research funding, for whatever that's worth. Some very good programs. And I'm an average student. I know it's psych, which is less competitive than EM right now (look for that to change over the next decade or so...drastically), but that's still awesome, and our school is known and respected.
 
I'll be down later this week for an interview. Any suggestions on a decent restaurant in the area? I read a little further up about some Sushi, French cuisine, etc., but any specific places that are a "must" in the area?
 
Depends on what you want:

Best ever: Beach Bistro $$$$$$$$!!!!
Sushi: Saijo in Lakewood Ranch
Breakfast: Broken Egg or Pancake House
Local: Old Salty Dog or 4:20 Cafe (see man vs food)
Other: Urban Flats, Daquiri Deck, Siesta Key Oyster Bar, Siesta Key Beach Food Stand...

Thats a start
 
digitlnoize said:
Depends on what you want:

Best ever: Beach Bistro $$$$$$$$!!!!
Sushi: Saijo in Lakewood Ranch
Breakfast: Broken Egg or Pancake House
Local: Old Salty Dog or 4:20 Cafe (see man vs food)
Other: Urban Flats, Daquiri Deck, Siesta Key Oyster Bar, Siesta Key Beach Food Stand...

Thats a start
Click to expand...

My list would go:

Best(expensive): Chart House, Colombia Restaurant, Melting Pot, Bonefish Grill (bangbang shrimp are awesome)
Italian: La Colone ( St. Armonds)
Breakfast: Popi's Place
Local: Old Salty Dog!!!! A definite!!! or Star Fish Co. ( cash only I believe) Cannot get any fresher than the fish house that catches it!!!!
Other: El Adobe, Gio's, Tommy Bahama Restaurant, Beach house ( Better atmosphere than food)
Drinks: Daiquiri Deck, Gilligan's, Lost Kangaroo, Mr. Bones (eh... so-so)
Sushi: Ocean Star
 
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Oooh! Columbia! I knew I was forgetting a big one.

Must go for lunch and get their 1902 Salad + Cuban Sandwich. Best thing ever. Seriously.
 
gatorfann14 said:
Just pay the SH deposit if it is your first acceptance. I was accepted into SH in early august last year and then I got my bradenton acceptance about a month later and they were more than happy to transfer the deposit to bradenton and give away my spot at SH.
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thank you for answering my question :)
 
Here is a spread sheet that compares match lists, GPA/MCAT scores of matriculates, COMLEX scores, and other types of data. It includes:

-2011-2008 Match lists for many osteopathic schools
- comparison of match results between schools
-GPA/MCAT scores, a profiles of average matriculating students compared between all Osteopathic schools,
-COMLEX scores for some schools
- You'll also find comparison of tuition / graduate indebtedness between schools

https://sites.google.com/site/osteopathicreference/home
(I can't host the spread sheet on the forums because of size limits)

I apologize in advance that I will be mass posting this through out the forums this afternoon but many people have been looking for this data and I want the to be able to find it!
 
Heading down to Bradenton tomorrow for an interview on Friday. If anyone else is in the area and wants to meet up for dinner on Thursday, let me know. Otherwise, good luck to everyone! :)
 
GimpGenius said:
Heading down to Bradenton tomorrow for an interview on Friday. If anyone else is in the area and wants to meet up for dinner on Thursday, let me know. Otherwise, good luck to everyone! :)
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Good Luck
 
Cancelled my Interview today, hopefully one of you fine SDNers get one that are still waiting!
 
Does anyone know how many total applicants LECOM-B receives, how many interviews they give out, and how many acceptances they give out?

And by acceptances, I don't mean how many people are accepted. I mean, if they interview 600 people, do they offer acceptances to 400 people and the class only ends up being 200 students? Anyone know the specific numbers? Thanks
 
premed21 said:
Does anyone know how many total applicants LECOM-B receives, how many interviews they give out, and how many acceptances they give out?
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Hey premed21, I interviewed today and here were the most helpful numbers I can recall.

LECOM- Bradenton receives a little over 3000 applicants, interview around 700, and they matriculate about 180.

I'm sure they give out more than 200 acceptances because people don't pay the deposit, decline, or choose other schools. Additionally, they said they had 150 people on their "Alternate/Wait List" last year, and accepted 70-80 of them.

Hope this helps, good luck!
 
Hey all,

I will be withdrawing my acceptance to LECOM-Bradenton. My deposit is due Feb. 21st (Tuesday). PBL is not really for me. I will most likely be attending PCOM in Philly. Best of luck to everyone. You all deserve a spot!
 
yodelyolo said:
Hey premed21, I interviewed today and here were the most helpful numbers I can recall.

LECOM- Bradenton receives a little over 3000 applicants, interview around 700, and they matriculate about 180.

I'm sure they give out more than 200 acceptances because people don't pay the deposit, decline, or choose other schools. Additionally, they said they had 150 people on their "Alternate/Wait List" last year, and accepted 70-80 of them.

Hope this helps, good luck!
Click to expand...

I know this is a long shot, but did anyone happen to mention how many slots they've filled/how many are left open?
 
necronomicon said:
I know this is a long shot, but did anyone happen to mention how many slots they've filled/how many are left open?
Click to expand...

A few students asked the admissions coordinator that question. Her response was ambiguous, but she said they are almost full and have to wait for people to decline their acceptances or not pay the deposit before they can send out new acceptances. I'm hoping that is the reason I was waitlisted :/
 
yodelyolo said:
A few students asked the admissions coordinator that question. Her response was ambiguous, but she said they are almost full and have to wait for people to decline their acceptances or not pay the deposit before they can send out new acceptances. I'm hoping that is the reason I was waitlisted :/
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Ahh...that's too bad to hear. I didn't get my application into them until really late, unfortunately. I don't think I was finished until 2/10, so that was my own fault. Forgot that LECOM-E and LECOM-B had separate secondaries and checked them both of my list when I had only finished E's :(
 
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