where else did u interview, since u thought lecom was the best experience. really u think pbl and isp kids seemed happiest? i was thinking about taking one of the two but knowing that i procrastinate sometimes i think ldp will be the safer way to go. so do u know if they are just interviewing for waitlist spots now?
I liked LECOM better than DMU and especially CCOM and my state MD schools. They definitely are not interviewing for waitlist spots. Some stats I thought were interesting were: 91-96% first time pass on the boards over the recent 5 years, 98% attrition rate (much higher than other schools), very cheap tuition and cost of living, Erie is actually not a tiny city, LECOM pharmacy program is the #1 in the country for # of applications (I'd guess because they have a 3-year program and still get great passing rates).
Here's what I found out about the pathways from the interview and students. If anyone thinks this info is wrong just post what's wrong and why, but I'm pretty sure it's all good.
LDP - You're in class 8-4 almost every day. Some days are half-days, maybe, and sometimes you might get a day off before an exam. MS-1s have exams every Monday and MS-2s have exams every Friday. Some students didn't like being on campus for 8 hours and then coming home and trying to study, work out, do errands, etc. Lecture attendance is mandatory so you can't just skip lectures to study at home. Students do group studying outside of lectures, especially before exams. Supposedly, 10 or 11 of the professors who teach LDP write questions for the boards.
IDP - You get module packets for each section, such as immunology. You buy the book for it, read the book, and cover all the topics they give you. There are tests about every 3 weeks and bigger modules, like cardiology, are split into 2 exams. So, it is up to you to do time-management and read what you need to read before the exam. IDP meets on-campus every Wednesday for an hour or two after OMT lab. Wednesday is "dress-down" day too. Some IDP students get into groups after a week of studying to quiz each other, some do it all alone, and the IDP professors are almost always available to organize a session. For example, if the IDP students are having trouble with blood gases they will put together an ad-hoc lecture in a small room. You also have access to all of the LDP powerpoints (but won't really have time to read them) and can attend LDP lectures. So, if the book doesn't show enough radiology images you can just go to the lecture by looking at the LDP schedule online. Also, the first 12 or 15 weeks (don't remember the number) of MS-1 are anatomy/histology so you have to be on campus. A lot of the focus is on the boards and the exams are in board-format. They only accept about 30 (?) students to this program. Many of the students are non-traditional, especially those with prior significant clinical experience like nurses, chiropractors, working EMTs/Medics, pharmacists, etc. It's a great program also if you have family obligations.
PBL - This is the most non-structured of the pathways. MS-1 is taught by basic science professors and MS-2 is taught by clinical professors. You get modules and information to read for the upcoming session. There is a quiz at the end of each case study that covered the information, but the quiz is only to see that you're not falling behind and it doesn't get graded. The quiz is a question done by each of the 8 or so students and you're given your 1/8th of the reading to make a question from; the question has to be in board-format. You meet in your group and have a case. One student is the patient, another the scribe, another the doctor. The doctor is suppose to lead the entire case and others are suppose to participate. You get peer-reviewed on your participation, which some students might find annoying. You really learn how to take a detailed history which is suppose to make students very prepared for rotations. There are 3 exams per semester and that is your entire grade. They only accept about 40 (?) students to this program.
PCSP - There is an LDP and ISP version of this and I'm not sure on the details. It is an accelerated program based on Ohio's (?) program, which has shown great results. They had to make a proposal and talk in front of the AOA to pass the program and it is definitely not a short-cut. It is very intense and they only take 6 students. This is the first year they are doing it but again it's based on another program so I wouldn't be too worried about it. Instead of 10 week summer breaks, you get 2 week breaks. You also do the minimum number or rotations and they are specific to family practice and general internal medicine. There is an agreement that you sign saying you will do a primary care residency, otherwise you owe them that 4th year or tuition.
They say that there is no statistically significant difference between the pathways or they wouldn't offer them. However, they hinted that IDL and PBL do better on the boards overall. The programs are selective compared to LDP so they mentioned that might be a reason why they do better. Something else they said was students with > 3.0 GPA in med school have 100% pass rate on step 1 and step 2 of the boards. To me, this fact along with the 98% attrition rate are great. It means if you get in, you have a 98% chance of graduating in 4 years and won't be stuck with $200k in debt and no degree. Also, if you do reasonably well (> 3.0 GPA) you will absolutely graduate. For a school that people seem to rip on because of their low GPA/MCAT, they sure are having great success with their students. Lastly, they are expanding their (small) research program. However, their mission is to train primary care physicians. Their focus is teaching/education but the opportunity to research is definitely there.
