Med School rankings and what they mean

[Pinkertinkle]

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[automaton]

Well, aren't you special.

your mom thought so

 

[The Good Guy]

i deny that i ever called myself premed because i think anyone who considers themselves pre-anything are losers trying to get credit for something they haven't accomplished.

sincerely,
automaton,
pre-neurosurgery @ mass general, pre-fellowship in stereotactic radiosurgery @ stanford
pre-nobel prize in medicine, circa 2021.

Hmm...you make a sweeping generalization/putdown ("premeds are stupid") and then get atop your high boat.

Good for you I don't know how long you are in your medical education and traning, but a grain of humility goes a long way.

 

[The Good Guy]

your mom thought so

So, are you a medical student, resident, fellow, or troll?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

your mom thought so

That wasn't a question, hence the lack of a question mark.

 

[automaton]

That wasn't a question, hence the lack of a question mark.

i left out punctuation in my response as an implicit acknowledgement of your non-questionness

 

[automaton]

So, are you a medical student, resident, fellow, or troll?

if you only knew

 

[Pembleton]

Um, I think automaton is being facetious and is mocking himself.

 

[automaton]

Hmm...you make a sweeping generalization/putdown ("premeds are stupid") and then get atop your high boat.

Good for you I don't know how long you are in your medical education and traning, but a grain of humility goes a long way.

a grain of humility is no match for my mountain of arrogance

 

[The Good Guy]

Um, I think automaton is being facetious and is mocking himself.

...or being a troll

 

[automaton]

...or being a troll

i wouldn't expect illiterate biobots to know the difference between being facetious and trolling anyway

ok maybe now i'm trolling

 

[The Good Guy]

i wouldn't expect illiterate biobots to know the difference between being facetious and trolling anyway

 

[sacrament]

Then you were pre-med (and, hence, stupid) at one point

Not all medical students were once pre-med. Some of us just sort of fell into it.

 

[waterski232002]

If you're really worried about clinical experience, ask the 3rd and 4th year students what they do on the wards when you interview (central lines, chest tubes, intubations, deliveries, LPs, CPR, etc)... That should give you a feel for how much autonomy they are granted, and how much they actually participate in patient care.

Also, ask how many Sub-internships are required and what they do on them (admit orders, dictate, discharge summaries, all procedure, take 1st call). I know there is a wide variety of this kind of exposure.

At Wake Forest we do everything during our Sub-Internships and are equals to the real interns. Our orders go through without being co-signed (but technically require a signature within 24 hrs... but who's counting), and we do admits alone. We change ventillator settings, run drips, give pressors, and narcotics all independently as 4th year students. I give verbal orders to nurses over the telephone. Your upper level helps you with anything you have a problem or question about. The majority of your clinical teaching will come from the residents.... see if they are friendly/helpful or too overworked to give students the time of day (same goes for attendings).

I feel that my clinical experience has been awesome. When I interviewed at Harvard, they were shocked that I changed vent settings and ran drips as a 4th year. I have tons of experience, and would feel comfortable managing Intermediate-care Unit patients with minimal supervision.

That being said, in the end it's not that big of a deal b/c everyone will learn all the "hands-on" stuff in internship anyway. It just gives you a little extra confidence going into internship. And most places have 2 months of sub-internships anyway. Wake is not unique, but I think places that offer 3rd and 4th yr autonomy makes the years a lot more exciting (you get a piece of the action!).

 

[waterski232002]

To the original poster: I think that some people will be PC about this issue, but a simple fact remains. Some medical schools are better than others, and in many ways (research, clinical care, facilities, hospitals, teaching).

People shouldn't kid themselves and say that all medical schools are "equally as good," because this statement is a load of goose turds.

Some schools are definitely better than others, but NIH funding isn't the way to determine it unless you want to get NIH funding. And nobody cares where you went to med school anyway (besides pre-meds and baby 1st yr med students who haven't been humbled yet)... once you're in practice, people care about where you actually trained... residency and fellowsihp.

I would also be lying if I claimed that I would choose an unranked med school over a top-ten med school (unless there was some VERY convincing reason not to). Many people like reputable and well respected programs and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[The Good Guy]

Some schools are definitely better than others, but NIH funding isn't the way to determine it unless you want to get NIH funding. And nobody cares where you went to med school anyway (besides pre-meds and baby 1st yr med students who haven't been humbled yet)... once you're in practice, people care about where you actually trained... residency and fellowsihp.

Unless you're in academic medicine.

 

[waterski232002]

Unless you're in academic medicine.

Even in academic medicine your residency is much more important than the medical school you went to. Residency trains you for your career... med school is just a stepping stone.

Who are we kidding--we don't do anything important in med school. We just fill space.

 

[The Good Guy]

Who are we kidding--we don't do anything important in med school. We just fill space.

 

[automaton]

i don't know about the rest of the country but in los angeles, people do occasionally ask both about the medical school AND the residency. this usually occurs with a young doctor, and more often in females. i.e. young female docs get asked this.