LECOM reputation

[doctorE2010]

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I sent in my deposit for LECOM but lateley I've been hearing some negative comments about LECOM and am starting to worry a bit. I'm not concerned with the dress code/rules...more so with the overall reputation and quality of the school, residency matches, and respect from the medical community. Anyone have any info/ insight to this???

 

[FutureDocDO]

I sent in my deposit for LECOM but lateley I've been hearing some negative comments about LECOM and am starting to worry a bit. I'm not concerned with the dress code/rules...more so with the overall reputation and quality of the school, residency matches, and respect from the medical community. Anyone have any info/ insight to this???

Like you, I've sent in my deposit but find myself questioning my decision from time to time. Do you have any other acceptances?

 

[allendo]

Like you, I've sent in my deposit but find myself questioning my decision from time to time. Do you have any other acceptances?

I was in your position a year ago! I promise you have nothing to worry about. If you don't have issues w/dress code, class, and no food in class then your ok. PM me if you have any questions

 

[cabinbuilder]

I was in your position a year ago! I promise you have nothing to worry about. If you don't have issues w/dress code, class, and no food in class then your ok. PM me if you have any questions

What you have been reading about LECOM, I would surmise many are my own posts. I tell you that my not matching is my own doing, not LECOM's. I do not fault the school in any way. LECOM is a good school with a good reputation and you get a good education. There are very few students each year who have to scramble, most students are happy with their match results.

 

[doctorE2010]

What you have been reading about LECOM, I would surmise many are my own posts. I tell you that my not matching is my own doing, not LECOM's. I do not fault the school in any way. LECOM is a good school with a good reputation and you get a good education. There are very few students each year who have to scramble, most students are happy with their match results.

If you don't mind, could I ask why you didn't match? I was accepted to LECOM Bradenton (which I loved) but declined due to location. Erie is closer to my friends and family than where I am now and that's fairly important to me. I have an interview at my first MD program next month and am feeling really torn about it. I was extremely unimpressed by LECOM's admissions office, but I don't think that reflects the school as a whole. Also, I've heard some interesting thigs about the deans/owners...that they're only out for the money and not putting any into the school? Thanks for the replies!

 

[allendo]

If you don't mind, could I ask why you didn't match? I was accepted to LECOM Bradenton (which I loved) but declined due to location. Erie is closer to my friends and family than where I am now and that's fairly important to me. I have an interview at my first MD program next month and am feeling really torn about it. I was extremely unimpressed by LECOM's admissions office, but I don't think that reflects the school as a whole. Also, I've heard some interesting thigs about the deans/owners...that they're only out for the money and not putting any into the school? Thanks for the replies!

I think cabin builder was trying to match allo gen surg/ really competetive! They do invest money in the school, we just got a sim man in a medical education center in downtown Erie that cost big$$$ and you will get to work with the sim man at the end of your first year.

 

[FutureDocDO]

I was in your position a year ago! I promise you have nothing to worry about. If you don't have issues w/dress code, class, and no food in class then your ok. PM me if you have any questions

Which branch are you attending?

 

[allendo]

Which branch are you attending?

erie

 

[Xanderain]

I think cabin builder was trying to match allo gen surg/ really competetive! They do invest money in the school, we just got a sim man in a medical education center in downtown Erie that cost big$$$ and you will get to work with the sim man at the end of your first year.

We were to supposed to have a sim man, an EKG machine and a bookstore. We don't any of them. LECOM maintains its image very carefully. There are a lot of oddities that really can't be explained. But, at the end of the day, if you ignore the BS, and keep your nose to the grindstone, you'll be a decent doctor like everybody else.


Joey, MS-II LECOM-B

 

[FutureDocDO]

erie

Hi. Can you tell me what the exam schedule is like (i.e., how many exams and quizzes per week)? What's the attrition rate at the Erie branch? Are there any other annoying rules other than dress codes, attendance, and food/drink policy? Thank you.

 

[doctorE2010]

I don't think that silly rules and number of exams should be a deciding factor for attending a particular medical school...it's all so irrelevant. I think that the respect from the community and long-term success (ie, residency placement) is a much better indicator of the quality of education received.

 

[docbill]

Don't kid yourself.

LECOM is a new school with new campuses. Nothing fancy. They are like generic name school. They don't have a reputation yet.. since they are fairly new.

There is nothing wrong with attending LECOM. Just know what you are getting into. Why everyone BS and say no its great .. its fair its... whatever. Its new and it does not have the history that other schools have behind them. Look at DMU, MSU, NJ, etc...

Now before you respond to me saying its not true.. and its is a great school blahh blahhh blahhhh think again and respond to yourself. I am not interested in being convinced. I don't really care. I just don't like seeing new people getting mislead and told about the great and wonderful things you have at LECOM.

 

[FutureDocDO]

Don't kid yourself.

LECOM is a new school with new campuses. Nothing fancy. They are like generic name school. They don't have a reputation yet.. since they are fairly new.

There is nothing wrong with attending LECOM. Just know what you are getting into. Why everyone BS and say no its great .. its fair its... whatever. Its new and it does not have the history that other schools have behind them. Look at DMU, MSU, NJ, etc...

Now before you respond to me saying its not true.. and its is a great school blahh blahhh blahhhh think again and respond to yourself. I am not interested in being convinced. I don't really care. I just don't like seeing new people getting mislead and told about the great and wonderful things you have at LECOM.

Thanks for your honest opinion.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

If you got accepted somewhere else that you think you'd be happy at I usually tell people avoid LECOM. My biggest gripe is that they spend too much money on private jets and keeping one of the most dangerously run hospital going when they should be spending their big $$$ on better professors, there were DEFINITELY a lot of holes in our education.

There is also a lot of shady going's on with your money at LECOM- they hold your loan check for at least 2 weeks after all of your friends at other schools get theirs (1% interest on our loan money must be pretty sweet I'll admit). And of course don't forget the graduation fee for the caps and gowns u have to return at the end of the ceremony 😉

Just to not end on a negative note, our clinical skills training was pretty darn good, probably one of the better things at the school was the OMM (well before Dr. H took over) and CODA/OPEP.

 

[bustbones26]

I will put it to you this way. I am a grad of LECOM. Recently, I have decided to pursue at state license in PA. To do this requires you to pass COMLEX III, and of course, take an OMT test.

Already took COMLEX III, now this OMT test, in order to take it, you must send a form the dean/registrar, have them fill it out to verify that you graduated, and they are suppose to send it to the appropriate people. Seems simple right.

Well, it frustrates me to know that despite the fact that I mailed this form it mysteriously will never make it across the desk of the registrar despite the fact that I will send it to him at least three times, and after that I will be so angry that I will have to contact the dean to demand that she takes action. Which of course you cannot do because the dean lives in an inpenetrable fortress somewhere in the school so you have to call her secretary in hopes that she relays the message, which she will, eventually, and then all of the sudden the registrar finds your old mailing which he mysteriously "don't know how that happened", and things get setteled. But bottom line, it must be your fault, and how dare you get angry at us and we now demand you apology from you or else we won't do it. Can you believe this $hit!

Yeah, this goes on frequently throughout your career. Happened to me with transcripts, letters, etc. And I alone was not singled out, several people told me they had similar problems. All you MS-II that think LECOM is Disneyland, just wait until you run into this adminstrative nightmare when you start applying for residency.

Its not a bad school and you will be a good education, but I just never felt comfortable with the whole structure of how the place was run, it was very odd, almost like it was being run by the godfather or something. I mean hell, in the situations where you needed the dean's help, I felt like I would probably had and easier time getting through at the Vatican.

And you will not believe the paranoia it generates, I swear to you that there were people in my class the tought they were constantly watching us, to the point that some claimed there were cameras in the restrooms.

And get this load of BS, when I was an MS-4, my son was born unexpectanly 4 weeks premature in a town 4 hours away from Erie five days prior to my graduation ceremony, two days prior to scheduled practice. Get this, I called LECOM student affairs director, to ask (beg) to be excused from the graduation practice and ceremony? She actually questioned why I wanted to be excused if the baby was going to be born five days prior to the ceremony. Hello you twit, he was premature. Needless to say, born hypoglycemic, and jaundice, in fact the very day of my graduation ceremony he was re-admitted to the nursery because his jaundice was out of control. Good thing I wasn't up in Erie at the time, huh?

It really pleased me to know that while my wife was in labor that I had to make several phone calls to LECOM to straighten the situation out. I mean the ferretis are reasonable people and once the request to be excused got that high up the ladder, I am sure it was easily granted, but man, getting the request there was like pulling teeth from a rabid donkey.

I just can't explain it to you, you just have to experience it for yourself.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I think cabin builder was trying to match allo gen surg/ really competetive!

Yes, this is true. No one's fault but my own.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I think cabin builder was trying to match allo gen surg/ really competetive!

Yes, this is true. No one's fault but my own.

 

[djr0028]

I got accepted to LECOM Bradenton but didn't send in the deposit. In the interview they make the PBL sound really good but so far it hasn't turned out that way. From what I have read and other doctors have told me is that they turn out medical students that don't know very much basic science at all. You may have lost the deposit but don't go there.

 

[Tadgie]

I got accepted to LECOM Bradenton but didn't send in the deposit. In the interview they make the PBL sound really good but so far it hasn't turned out that way. From what I have read and other doctors have told me is that they turn out medical students that don't know very much basic science at all. You may have lost the deposit but don't go there.

I might be a little biased..
PBL isn't like that at all, at least in Bradenton. The entire idea is to learn the basic sciences, you just learn it in a clinical context which I guarantee will help you remember it better than just rote memorization from a lecture. It's not for everyone though, and even if it is, it takes a while to adjust to. My 2 cents, but you could ask my classmates, and I'm sure they'll all agree.

 

[allendo]

I might be a little biased..
PBL isn't like that at all, at least in Bradenton. The entire idea is to learn the basic sciences, you just learn it in a clinical context which I guarantee will help you remember it better than just rote memorization from a lecture. It's not for everyone though, and even if it is, it takes a while to adjust to. My 2 cents, but you could ask my classmates, and I'm sure they'll all agree.

I'm in PBL and our program director from England stated that studying like this helps us put the material in our long term memory. I like the program and can already see how things are connected between different subjects.

 

[FrogE7]

I got accepted to LECOM Bradenton but didn't send in the deposit. In the interview they make the PBL sound really good but so far it hasn't turned out that way. From what I have read and other doctors have told me is that they turn out medical students that don't know very much basic science at all. You may have lost the deposit but don't go there.

FYI:

Harvard Med is PBL,
they are adding OMM to their curriculum,
AND use prosection...

hhmmm... sounds like another school we know

 

[DOtobe]

Luckily I never had the issues with administration that bustbones did. My transcripts were sent out right on time, I didn't have any problems with taking the PA OMT exam...maybe I have been lucky and I am the exception, not the rule.

LECOM does have a Godfather-esque feeling sometimes...I felt like we should have kissed Dr. John's ring when we had the lunches with him.

 

[dtn3t]

Hello you twit, he was premature. ..
... getting the request there was like pulling teeth from a rabid donkey.

LOL.

I don't think any school gets bashed on as much as LECOM. Gotta love it.

With all the frustrations being said (which are true), I do have this to say. I don't think anyone gives a rat's ass about a school's "history" or "reputation". Just because a school has been around longer doesn't make it a good school. I love the misconception that PCOM, DMU, etc are great schools because they have been around longer, more "history". History of what? Putting out more DO's? Well that's true! So what? Residency programs don't look at people and say that because this person went to DMU he must be better than the person from LECOM because DMU has been around longer.

I'm not trying to say that LECOM is great, it's far from it. It definitely has problems (as do all med schools). But it irks me when I see people saying other schools are better for the shear fact of being around longer and has a "better reputation".

LECOM has a lot of BS, but as someone said, if you put your nose to the grindstone, you'll be ok.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

RE: Harvard

they are adding OMM to their curriculum,

Can you back this up? 😕
Oh, and I don't mean their CME courses throught BWH's PMR dept.

 

[DOtobe]

RE: Harvard
Can you back this up? 😕
Oh, and I don't mean their CME courses throught BWH's PMR dept.

I think she was joking.

 

[FrogE7]

RE: Harvard
Can you back this up? 😕
Oh, and I don't mean their CME courses throught BWH's PMR dept.

hhmm...

I just went on the Harvard Med website and found that they do have PBL in some sort of New Pathway:

http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp?page=pathway

However about the OMM, I could not find any solid proof. I read about it from a fellow SDNer's blog that he had linked. Sorry if it was the wrong information. But here is the link where I found that:

http://www.thealo.com/maloblog/blog_comment.asp?bi=233

 

[subtle1epiphany]

hhmm...

I just went on the Harvard Med website and found that they do have PBL in some sort of New Pathway:

http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp?page=pathway

However about the OMM, I could not find any solid proof. I read about it from a fellow SDNer's blog that he had linked. Sorry if it was the wrong information. But here is the link where I found that:

http://www.thealo.com/maloblog/blog_comment.asp?bi=233

ahhh...
Thanks, I remember reading about Harvard's PBL pathway, they were one of the early adopters I believe.
Oh well about the OMM, it would be really cool. I know that they do offer the CME course through Brigham and Women's Hospital's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. Still it's a good thing for us. 👍

 

[Tadgie]

Luckily I never had the issues with administration that bustbones did. My transcripts were sent out right on time, I didn't have any problems with taking the PA OMT exam...maybe I have been lucky and I am the exception, not the rule.

LECOM does have a Godfather-esque feeling sometimes...I felt like we should have kissed Dr. John's ring when we had the lunches with him.

Haha, hear that. The Ferretti's are only here like, once a month and we get that feel pretty bad down here. I can't imagine what it's like having them around here all the time... The cameras are watching. Oooooo.... heheh.

 

[DrRichardKimble]

we just got a sim man in a medical education center in downtown Erie that cost big$$$ and you will get to work with the sim man at the end of your first year.

have you actually worked with the sim man yet? i haven't heard of anyone talking about it except for seeing it on television a few months ago when plaza 18 opened.

 

[allendo]

have you actually worked with the sim man yet? i haven't heard of anyone talking about it except for seeing it on television a few months ago when plaza 18 opened.

We are scheduled for may

 

[allendo]

have you actually worked with the sim man yet? i haven't heard of anyone talking about it except for seeing it on television a few months ago when plaza 18 opened.

we are scheduled for may

 

[eldarion3141]

check out this page on the LECOM SGA site;

http://www.lecomsga.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=9&start=0

all of a sudden, you can no longer log on as a guest anymore, i guess the administration turned that feature off. Oh well, that is the beuaty of sites like SDN.

Do i think that move is somewhat shady? YES

Do i think that people complaining after they SIGNED A CONTRACT and were told AT LEAST 10 TIMES BEFORE Signing the CONTRACT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO ABIDE BY LECOM'S POLICY is completely and utterly stupid?

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!

If you thought that the rule was stupid, then don't sign the contract and don't come to LECOM!!! it's that simple!
I understand that you might think that the rule is silly, but you know what? then you have a choice, don't go to the medical school in Erie, go somewhere else. But I have to sit there and listen to these idiots ramble on every day about how this is so unfair, it's like drilling a tooth with no novaciane.

I don't mind the rule, and in my opinion, the adminstration has worked with us to come up with some viable alternatives.

Often times, in the heat of first year, we sometimes forget how lucky we are to be in MEDICAL SCHOOL, instead of flipping burgers at the local McDEEs.
Oh well, i guess everyone is human.

Oh and i feel sorry for you guys, because 1/2 of the time, the people who show up on these posts are first years who have a very distorted view of the school. LECOM is very different than how it is portrayed on SDN. There are rules, but they are only "enforced" for the first week (i have only seen one kid get sent home for a dress code violation- he was in flip flops and shorts- no shirt, after OMM). As long as you show up in a shirt and tie, study hard, do well, and represent the school in a professional fashion, no one bugs you.
Welcome to the world of WORK! because that is all that a hospital is looking for you to do as well.

And if any one is inclined to critique this post, go ahead, it is going to fall on deaf ears because i am a little bit too busy studying to be looking at SDN every five minutes like some of my colleagues brag. Hope this helps.

 

[cornellmedic]

Administration did not turn off that feature. That site is run by students.

check out this page on the LECOM SGA site;

http://www.lecomsga.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=9&start=0

all of a sudden, you can no longer log on as a guest anymore, i guess the administration turned that feature off. Oh well, that is the beuaty of sites like SDN.

Do i think that move is somewhat shady? YES

Do i think that people complaining after they SIGNED A CONTRACT and were told AT LEAST 10 TIMES BEFORE Signing the CONTRACT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO ABIDE BY LECOM'S POLICY is completely and utterly stupid?

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!

If you thought that the rule was stupid, then don't sign the contract and don't come to LECOM!!! it's that simple!
I understand that you might think that the rule is silly, but you know what? then you have a choice, don't go to the medical school in Erie, go somewhere else. But I have to sit there and listen to these idiots ramble on every day about how this is so unfair, it's like drilling a tooth with no novaciane.

I don't mind the rule, and in my opinion, the adminstration has worked with us to come up with some viable alternatives.

Often times, in the heat of first year, we sometimes forget how lucky we are to be in MEDICAL SCHOOL, instead of flipping burgers at the local McDEEs.
Oh well, i guess everyone is human.

Oh and i feel sorry for you guys, because 1/2 of the time, the people who show up on these posts are first years who have a very distorted view of the school. LECOM is very different than how it is portrayed on SDN. There are rules, but they are only "enforced" for the first week (i have only seen one kid get sent home for a dress code violation- he was in flip flops and shorts- no shirt, after OMM). As long as you show up in a shirt and tie, study hard, do well, and represent the school in a professional fashion, no one bugs you.
Welcome to the world of WORK! because that is all that a hospital is looking for you to do as well.

And if any one is inclined to critique this post, go ahead, it is going to fall on deaf ears because i am a little bit too busy studying to be looking at SDN every five minutes like some of my colleagues brag. Hope this helps.

 

[eldarion3141]

Administration did not turn off that feature. That site is run by students.

- good to know that my fellow classmates are censoring us


and yes i did say that i wouldn't respond, what can i say, i am a hypocrite.