Interesting that you say this. This is a very informative post.
Are you a current LECOM medical student? Can you elaborate on your current experience there?
The poor rotation sites are my biggest issue with that school. I know NOVA has better rotation sites but I still have not heard from them yet.
Meanwhile, ARCOM has the support from the state and has the same rotation sites as the MD school from Arkansas (UAMS).
Also, how is LECOM still getting away with "a long history of corruption and poor treatment of students"? I have heard about their draconian policies but I didn't know it was this bad.
In the past year, one professor was arrested for domestic abuse (to his defense, he was not charged), one professor was rumored to have assaulted a student on campus before quitting, and one professor was fired for having relations with a student. During hurricane Irma, students were told if they evacuated or had to miss an exam because they evacuated, it would be unexcused and automatic fail. The school did not amend this until 2 days after the state of emergency was placed and all local schools were closed which made it very difficult for students to evacuate on time. It often feels as though they care more about where students are eating and drinking than the safety of their students.
I think one of most disheartening aspects is the constant verbal abuse the students receive. Upper class men and graduates will often emphasize that the hospital or rotation site they went to 'doesn't treat you like LECOM'. The school has some faculty that really do want what's best for student but they seemed handicapped by the administration.
Additionally, there is very limited research availability at LECOM yet students are told how important research is for match especially after the merger. Rotations are a sore subject. The Bradenton campus has so many Florida rotation spots but there is no guarantee who will get which spots. Not all of the sites have residencies attached or only have a select few. The northern spots that are available to the Bradenton campus are primarily determined after the other campuses choose their rotation preference-Bradenton receives the leftovers. Additionally, all students must complete their geriatric rotation at Millcreek (Pennsylvania). Meaning, if you are lucky enough to get a Florida rotation site for 3rd year core, you still have to go to Pennsylvania for a month for the rotation. (Housing?, Pets?, Kids---Well, the clinical dean told one student that she needed to pick between being a mom or a doctor)
Honestly, I enjoyed PBL but the exams are not representative of board exams. We rely heavily on the advise of upperclass men to prepare for boards because the PBL course director will only tell you to 'read your textbooks'. If you look at different source, rereading is often considered low efficacy while practice tests, sketchy medical, and Anki are considered higher efficacy. That is not to say that you won't read your textbook but that rereading over and over will not give you the best results. Additionally, the daily schedule is subject to change at a whim and students may or may not get an email about the change but are expected to re-download the schedule daily. These changes can be especially difficult because they affect study schedules, research schedules (especially when doing research at established outside agencies), volunteer opportunities, and even things like doctors appointments, etc. Changing schedules may not seem like a big deal until you're in medical school and it seems like every minute counts.
Medical school is hard regardless of where you go but pick a school that is going to support, encourage, and help build you into a confident physician.
