LECOM-Erie Class of 2015

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swamzi

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Hi everyone,

I noticed a thread hasn't' been a thread started yet for LECOM-Erie 2015. Let's start talking.

Where is everyone from? I'm from Boston, chose the PBL pathway.

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Does anyone know of any apartments near LECOM-Erie that is fully furnished or contains a small fitness center? Thanks!
 
Hey Guys,

Erie Class of 2013. I'm looking to rent out rooms in my house. $400/month not including utilities. With 2 garage spots, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, full kitchen, living room, small but open yard. Partially furnished. Kind of looking for 2-3 people to take single rooms while I'm out on rotations.

[email protected]

Mark
 
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Does anyone know of any apartments near LECOM-Erie that is fully furnished or contains a small fitness center? Thanks!

Not sure about the fully furnished part but as a student at LECOM you will have free access to the AWESOME wellness center! You can check it out at lecomwellness.com

And swamzi, I'm from outside Worcester! Go M*******s! :)

I'm an OMSII currently, so if any of you have any questions, feel free to ask away!
 
Not sure about the fully furnished part but as a student at LECOM you will have free access to the AWESOME wellness center! You can check it out at lecomwellness.com

And swamzi, I'm from outside Worcester! Go M*******s! :)

I'm an OMSII currently, so if any of you have any questions, feel free to ask away!

Ha! Awesome! Great to see some fellow MA peeps are at Erie, I have a bunch of questions for you, get ready.
 
Thanks, LECOM-Erie, for hosting the Patty Kaz this year... :love:


:thumbup::thumbup:
 
Hey Guys, congratulations on your acceptance! I am graduating in May and my wife & I are selling our home. It is in Glenwood, which is a really safe residential area about 3-5 minutes from the school and has 3 bedrooms and a fenced-in backyard. $129,000. Message me if you're interested or have questions, here is the link.
 
Hey guys. I'm LDP from pittsburgh and I have a ton of questions...
How do you guys normally do books?
and is the class schedule the same every year?

thanks for the help :love:
 
Hey guys. I'm LDP from pittsburgh and I have a ton of questions...
How do you guys normally do books?
and is the class schedule the same every year?

thanks for the help :love:
The schedule changes yearly, but if you get a hold of a schedule from this year, next year's should be somewhat similar. They add/drop/move lectures and such and adjust things based on course reviews they get. As for books, it really varies widely. Some people swear by not buying books and only studying from the PowerPoints. Some people swear by buying all of the books. I will say that PowerPoints usually work if you have either had the subject before or can really pay attention to all of the lectures and get the extra stuff out of them needed. If you're like me with a short attention span and/or a minimal background in biological sciences, then you might need to buy some of the books. The only book you absolutely won't need is histology. Oh, and try to avoid buying books way ahead of time as well. We have a couple of students that are good at acquiring electronic copies that then spread through the class like a wildfire, especially for the one credit courses like HCM. I've saved hundreds of dollars doing that this year.
 
If anyone is electing to do the QuantiFERON Gold TB test, make sure you call and verify 100 percent that the lab you are going to actually possesses the test. I spent four hours Friday and four hours today calling and driving to labs trying to find the damn test. A few places said, "Yes we offer that test," and when I arrived, they said, "Sorry, we JUST used the last one." Funny how that can be the same answer at a number of different labs.

I was trying to avoid making four office visits for the skin PPD but that's my only choice at this point.

Just a heads up!
 
painmd87, a nurse will administer and read the PPDs, so you don't even really need an "office visit" per se. I didn't even have to make an appointment. Of course, I understand the inconvenience of having to actually report to the office four times, though.
 
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The schedule changes yearly, but if you get a hold of a schedule from this year, next year's should be somewhat similar. They add/drop/move lectures and such and adjust things based on course reviews they get. As for books, it really varies widely. Some people swear by not buying books and only studying from the PowerPoints. Some people swear by buying all of the books. I will say that PowerPoints usually work if you have either had the subject before or can really pay attention to all of the lectures and get the extra stuff out of them needed. If you're like me with a short attention span and/or a minimal background in biological sciences, then you might need to buy some of the books. The only book you absolutely won't need is histology. Oh, and try to avoid buying books way ahead of time as well. We have a couple of students that are good at acquiring electronic copies that then spread through the class like a wildfire, especially for the one credit courses like HCM. I've saved hundreds of dollars doing that this year.

Thanks for the info Slane, you are wealth of knowledge
 
I am getting ready to graduate and have a nice home I need to sale or rent before I go off to residency. It would be perfect for families or for multiple students to rent.
The house is a 3bdrm, 1.5 bath ranch home on 2 acres. It is located about 5 minutes from Edinboro outside of town. The area is very quiet. The house has a 1200 sq ft basement, and is nearly 2000 sq ft in size. It has a nice kitchen and includes a stove (2003), fridge (2005), and dishwasher. There is a separate but open dining area. The living room is pretty large. There is a separate family room that is like 35' long and 18' wide that has an awesome woodstove with a blower that will heat the entire house. It made a great office area. There is an attached oversized 3 car garage.
I am leaving the washer and dryer (both 2005), a water softener that came with the house and I never used, a china cabinet and buffet table, and a nice playground I bought last summer for about 1k. On the property there are apple and pear trees that do well each year. I bought the home in 2008 and put in brand new carpet with thick pad. It's a great buy and is a very comfortable home. The home is handicap accessible as well.
The price is 135k, and I may be able to contribute a little to closing costs for a potential buyer. The price for renters is 1000/month and can be split among up to 3 students. Utilities for a family of 3 run $120/mo electric. Water is a well, sewer is septic so both are included. Trash runs about $70 every 3 months is you keep the same service. The heat is propane driven hot water boiler which provides 2 zones with separate controls. That means great even heat throughout the house. You can also use wood if you wish. I will leave the sat dish (Dish Network). I have verizon phone service and DSL currently. You can see more at realtor.com under MLS#94531 or contact me directly.
As for location, it is about 15 min to LECOM and the Erie area and 15 min from Meadville. So what does that mean? Well if you intend to stay in the Erie area during rotations and after you will appreciate being between the two cities. There are 3 hospitals in Erie and 1 in Meadville that make up your Erie area rotations. One Erie hospital is horrible and you will try to avoid it...trust me. Another one provides core rotations but we are not allowed to approach them for electives. The other you are free to use for all, but they are very slow to respond to requests and just became part of another hospital system so who knows what to expect. Meadville is an awesome location for rotations where you spend a lot of one-on-one time with attendings and they are laid back and good at what they do. If you are staying in this area you will look forward to rotating there. So, if you live in Erie you have to drive roughly 45 min to an hour each way to Meadville. My house is in between so you are only 15-20 min from either. If you like peace and quiet and would rather live outside of town, you should check it out. You are close to everything you need, yet far enough out to have peaceful living. It's worth checking out. Let me know if you have questions or are in town and would like to check it out.
 
Thanks for the info Slane, you are wealth of knowledge
I just remember what is was like last year and how much help I got from SDN. Figured I should do my part to return the favor to the next class. Plus, it's a nice break from studying.
 
As for location, it is about 15 min to LECOM and the Erie area and 15 min from Meadville. So what does that mean? Well if you intend to stay in the Erie area during rotations and after you will appreciate being between the two cities. There are 3 hospitals in Erie and 1 in Meadville that make up your Erie area rotations. One Erie hospital is horrible and you will try to avoid it...trust me. Another one provides core rotations but we are not allowed to approach them for electives. The other you are free to use for all, but they are very slow to respond to requests and just became part of another hospital system so who knows what to expect. Meadville is an awesome location for rotations where you spend a lot of one-on-one time with attendings and they are laid back and good at what they do. If you are staying in this area you will look forward to rotating there. So, if you live in Erie you have to drive roughly 45 min to an hour each way to Meadville. My house is in between so you are only 15-20 min from either. If you like peace and quiet and would rather live outside of town, you should check it out. You are close to everything you need, yet far enough out to have peaceful living. It's worth checking out. Let me know if you have questions or are in town and would like to check it out.

Could any other current 3rd/4th year students provide an opinion on the rotation situation? With a wife and kid, I'm not that interested in doing to many rotations away from Erie/home. Thanks for the info DOPhd. You have a PM about the house.
 
The schedule changes yearly, but if you get a hold of a schedule from this year, next year's should be somewhat similar. They add/drop/move lectures and such and adjust things based on course reviews they get. As for books, it really varies widely. Some people swear by not buying books and only studying from the PowerPoints. Some people swear by buying all of the books. I will say that PowerPoints usually work if you have either had the subject before or can really pay attention to all of the lectures and get the extra stuff out of them needed. If you're like me with a short attention span and/or a minimal background in biological sciences, then you might need to buy some of the books. The only book you absolutely won't need is histology. Oh, and try to avoid buying books way ahead of time as well. We have a couple of students that are good at acquiring electronic copies that then spread through the class like a wildfire, especially for the one credit courses like HCM. I've saved hundreds of dollars doing that this year.

Yes thank you! That was a huge help.
Next question. How do you get your membership to the health and wellness center? Also, what exactly happens if they catch you breaking the no food or drink policy the first time around?

Thanks again :)
 
Yes thank you! That was a huge help.
Next question. How do you get your membership to the health and wellness center? Also, what exactly happens if they catch you breaking the no food or drink policy the first time around?

Thanks again :)
We were able to start our memberships at the beginning of July. You'll get an email saying to make an appointment for your fitness test a month or two before then--everybody has to do one, you just do pushups, run a bit, get weighed, et cetera, which takes about fifteen minutes. Then you get your keytag and full access to the place. As for breaking policies, usually the first time for anything is just a warning. Repeated offenses will get added to your record and could potentially hurt you come interview time for residency spots. I've been told that as far as dress code goes, they'll take note of offenses and not tell you about them--then you find out a few years later when your letter for residencies isn't too hot. Food and drink though, security will be all over you if they see it. There are cameras all over the building (except for locker rooms, bathrooms, and the OPP lab), and the security guys love to just sit and watch for something to do. Oh, and they made a huge ordeal out of hats this year too for some reason.
 
Could any other current 3rd/4th year students provide an opinion on the rotation situation? With a wife and kid, I'm not that interested in doing to many rotations away from Erie/home. Thanks for the info DOPhd. You have a PM about the house.

If Erie is what you want, you will not have trouble doing the majority if not all the rotations in Erie. Your groupmembers who pick rotations with you will thank you for it. You will literally be reviled as a God.
 
Could any other current 3rd/4th year students provide an opinion on the rotation situation? With a wife and kid, I'm not that interested in doing to many rotations away from Erie/home. Thanks for the info DOPhd. You have a PM about the house.

Pianoman wrote a very detailed explanation of the 3/4 year rotations either earlier in this thread or in the application thread. Sorry I can't remember which one it is, but it shouldn't be too hard to find.
 
If Erie is what you want, you will not have trouble doing the majority if not all the rotations in Erie. Your groupmembers who pick rotations with you will thank you for it. You will literally be reviled as a God.
Yeah, most people seem to want to get away from Erie as quickly as possible for as long as possible, plus absolutely nobody wants to rotate at Millcreek (and after spending some time their shadowing yesterday, I now know exactly why...) Staying in and around Erie won't be a problem, but don't expect the rotations to be stellar by any means. Oh, and not to rain all over the house in Edinboro, but Edinboro gets substantially more snow than Erie does situated North of I-90 (the snowbelt is actually considered more the area between I-90 and I-80, not really Erie, although we do still get lake effect snow.) They had feet this winter when we had inches. If you're LDP and have to commute daily, it could be troublesome if you don't have a vehicle that's capable of handling snowy roads. I absolutely hate driving in the snow though, so that's just my two cents on it.
 
Slane, et al, what are the more desirable rotation locations?

UH-13 was the most desirable group. 13 people do all of their rotations at University Hospitals Richmond Medical Center in Cleveland. The Harrisburg 13 was also competitive since they do all their rotations at Pinnacle in Harrisburg. For locations, Pittsburgh and Buffalo were highly desired.

I'm doing all my core rotations at Wilson Regional Medical Center in Binghamton, NY. I got lucky to be able to stay at one hospital for all of them. I have some friends who are driving all over each month.
 
Yeah, most people seem to want to get away from Erie as quickly as possible for as long as possible, plus absolutely nobody wants to rotate at Millcreek (and after spending some time their shadowing yesterday, I now know exactly why...) Staying in and around Erie won't be a problem, but don't expect the rotations to be stellar by any means.

Meadville is a stellar rotation, especially for surgery. Neuropsych at Hamot is supposed to be a really good rotation even though its very little psych and more neuro. You spend two weeks at Dr. Esper's office and two works on the inpatient neuro service at Hamot. I've talked to a few people who rotated on Dr. John's service at MCH and they said it was a good educational experience even though they worked a ton. They learned a lot and became competent quickly. I'm not sure how much pathology you get there. The people who do FP here in Erie with the OMM profs get to come to lab and help the first and second years.
 
Do you recommend prioritizing location over schedule?
Definitely, unless you have a really strong preference for your vacation months (like a wedding or something big like that.) Or if you go PCSP, you get first dibs on the rotations before the rest of the class, but then the rest of the class pretty much despises you after having to fight for theirs. It's a win/lose for sure, but I see the win as being worth it--I won't see 99% of my class until graduation after rotations start, so whatever.
 
Meadville is a stellar rotation, especially for surgery. Neuropsych at Hamot is supposed to be a really good rotation even though its very little psych and more neuro. You spend two weeks at Dr. Esper's office and two works on the inpatient neuro service at Hamot. I've talked to a few people who rotated on Dr. John's service at MCH and they said it was a good educational experience even though they worked a ton. They learned a lot and became competent quickly. I'm not sure how much pathology you get there. The people who do FP here in Erie with the OMM profs get to come to lab and help the first and second years.
When I was at MCH, there wasn't any learning going on really. It was a terrible experience, one that left a very bitter taste in my mouth for that place... Hamot got picked up by UPMC, so rotations will likely be changing there, probably not for the better either. The VA is, well, the VA and kind of a last resort for Erie rotations. I've heard great things about Saint Vincent though, and Meadville.
 
Can you guys give any info about the San Diego sites? Would you be able to do all 3/4 year rotations there?
 
When I was at MCH, there wasn't any learning going on really. It was a terrible experience, one that left a very bitter taste in my mouth for that place... Hamot got picked up by UPMC, so rotations will likely be changing there, probably not for the better either. The VA is, well, the VA and kind of a last resort for Erie rotations. I've heard great things about Saint Vincent though, and Meadville.

True, there's no telling how the UPMC-Hamot merger will affect rotations there. I would assume it won't change much since we have UPMC affiliates. The one thing I've heard about the VA is it's a great surgical rotation for people not interested in surgery one bit. As far as MCH, I can only attest to the experiences of my friends that rotated on Dr. John's IM service. I did some shadowing w/ ortho in the OR there and it was pretty good. I know a few of the ortho residents and they are pretty cool. I haven't been in the ED though.
 
Do you recommend prioritizing location over schedule?

I went with schedule over location because since I'm military, my match occurs in December of 4th year. I have to have all my applications, rotations, LOR, etc done by October 15th so I needed electives early in 4th year. If I could do it again, I would probably choose location with a couple backups for schedule. It changes every year though. Last year, it was better to choose schedule than location. It just depends on the needs/desires of the students in your class.

As far as San Diego rotations, you can do 3rd year there. When you pick location, its only for 3rd year (fourth year is a whole new ballgame and you don't set that up until 3rd year). The people who pick San Diego have to set up a lot of their own rotations there. I've heard good and bad things about it. Good being the weather. Bad being some of the experiences there. Also if you have to come back to Erie for any reason, it gets expensive. As far as I know you can take the shelf exams there in San Diego but I'm not 100% sure about that.
 
Beware Landlord:

Gary Hanlin. Crazy old man will charm you on the phone but shows up angry and blames babies for plumbing problems. Scary mofo.
 
Regarding the (now past due) visit to security for the photo ID, can this be done on a weekend or do they only do this during weekdays?

When do they start hounding people who haven't turned in physicals/immunizations/transcripts/etc? I have everything ready to go, just waiting on the second of my PPD tests in 2 weeks (I gave up on the Quantiferon -- impossible to find).
 
Regarding the (now past due) visit to security for the photo ID, can this be done on a weekend or do they only do this during weekdays?

When do they start hounding people who haven't turned in physicals/immunizations/transcripts/etc? I have everything ready to go, just waiting on the second of my PPD tests in 2 weeks (I gave up on the Quantiferon -- impossible to find).
I don't think the hounding began until the actual start of the semester last year. If you're not complete by then, expect lots of emails reminding you to complete everything. You can always send some stuff now with a letter saying the rest is coming later, that's what I did and they were fine with it.
 
painmd87, you only need to schedule your appointment with security by April 1st. The latest date available to get your photo taken when I checked was the Wednesday prior to orientation, so if you don't plan on moving there until the last minute, make sure you call soon.
 
painmd87, you only need to schedule your appointment with security by April 1st. The latest date available to get your photo taken when I checked was the Wednesday prior to orientation, so if you don't plan on moving there until the last minute, make sure you call soon.

Well we're already past that deadline. I was hoping not to take a day off from work, but I am making a number of weekend trips between now and July to get my new house in order. I'll call them and see what's up.

Thanks.
 
Well we're already past that deadline. I was hoping not to take a day off from work, but I am making a number of weekend trips between now and July to get my new house in order. I'll call them and see what's up.

Thanks.

Yeah I am going up this friday to get it all done. Luckily my job hours are flexible so I have been working 10 hour days...sucks but oh well.
 
LECOM grad offering up help if you guys have any questions. If anyone needs housing, I rent a room out to students in my house (complete with all my old medical books)...PM me if interested.
 
When I was at MCH, there wasn't any learning going on really.


Slane,

When were you at MCH and in what capacity? Was it for a full rotation or for PCSP early clinical experience? I expect to do my rotations in Erie and I'm curious what to look forward to.

TANSTAAFL
 
Slane,

When were you at MCH and in what capacity? Was it for a full rotation or for PCSP early clinical experience? I expect to do my rotations in Erie and I'm curious what to look forward to.

TANSTAAFL
It was for early clinical experience. Maybe it was a bad day, maybe I was with atypical residents and students, but I wasn't impressed. Word of mouth is that Hamot and Meadville are much better local choices. Saint Vincent was good as well, but I don't think they're accepting LECOM students any more.
 
It was for early clinical experience. Maybe it was a bad day, maybe I was with atypical residents and students, but I wasn't impressed. Word of mouth is that Hamot and Meadville are much better local choices. Saint Vincent was good as well, but I don't think they're accepting LECOM students any more.

Interesting. According to St. Vincent's Web site, they have a "major affiliation" with LECOM. I wonder what happened that they aren't taking students anymore?

http://www.saintvincenthealth.com/F...cation/Medical-Student-Rotations/default.aspx
 
Hey Guys,

Congrats on the acceptances. I'm gonna be a second year next year and we are looking for a third roommate since our current one is heading off to rotations. The house is student owned, and is less than a mile from the main campus. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, full kitchen and living room with all the furnishings. You'll only have to worry about buying furniture for your bedroom. Washer and Dryer. Two car garage. Rent is 320 bucks not including utilities (usually comes out to be 80 bucks a month per person).

Another major plus is that our neighbor usually plows for us in the morning, even with all our snow I had to pick up a shovel 3 times all winter. Also, you will have one PBL student and one LDP student as a roommate which will be a great asset for you in terms of advice for either pathway.

Good luck finding housing and enjoy your last couple of months off! PM me or email me ([email protected]) and we can schedule a time for you to see the house. I also can have photos

Alex
 
hey everyone,
I just got accepted ISP pathway! Just wondering who else is in that pathway, and any current students that have suggestions/ thoughts about ISP.
 
hey everyone,
I just got accepted ISP pathway! Just wondering who else is in that pathway, and any current students that have suggestions/ thoughts about ISP.

Congrats! ISP'13-er here :) My thoughts: ISP > every other pathway. Just kidding, LDPs/PBLs/PCSPs, don't freak out! Seriously though, it seems like most everyone ends up loving whatever pathway they're in. If you have a specific question, I'd be more than happy to answer -- or PM me and I'll give you my e-mail. Good luck and congrats again!
 
Hey all:

When I interviewed last July I remember seeing a list that showed several rotations throughout the SE (SC, GA, ?maybe NC? and of course lots in FL).

I have a husband and a house in SC and would like to know more about rotations in the SE if anyone has done them. Ideally I would like to set up a large portion of my third year in the SE as he will be staying here and I kinda like him.

I am one of the APAP students (3 years).

Thanks!

Lisa
 
How long should we expect it to take before we get any kind of confirmation of receipt of our completed matriculation packet? I made copies of everything, in case anything gets lost, but I'm wondering how long until I should consider it lost before I call and bother someone.
 
I just sent in my deposit the other day, how long til I should expect the matriculation packet?
 
How long should we expect it to take before we get any kind of confirmation of receipt of our completed matriculation packet? I made copies of everything, in case anything gets lost, but I'm wondering how long until I should consider it lost before I call and bother someone.

Check the portal. I didn't receive any confirmation other than the portal indicating the items were received.
 
I mailed my matriculation agreement on a monday. The portal was updated on Wend. On Thursday, they emailed me a large PDF of additional documents to complete. All in all, it was pretty quick. This was 2 weeks ago.
 
Does anyone know if LECOM offers financial aid or scholarship opportunities to families? My wife is working at a childcare center and our son was born at the end of April. We're crunching numbers and it's going to be REALLY tight when I stop working to attend school.
 
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