Medical school near Tampa, FL?

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Hey guys, just wondering if anyone's heard anything about an osteopathic school thats going to be put here near tampa (florida)?

My dad told me about it a few months ago, but I didn't know if it was a definite thing or not. Then I heard about it again last night from someone else.

Has anyone heard anything about it?

 

[H0mersimps0n]

I know LECOM has its eye on opening a new school in FL.... no other details aside from that rumor itself.

 

[SawBones]

Ah yes, you are referring to the Florida College of Osteopathic Medicine which was established back in 1994 but has never actually been able to open its doors. Originally, when I first started learning about osteopathic medicine in '95 I remember hearing about FCOM on the AACOM website. But then it disappeared from their site around '97 or so and I have heard nothing of it since.

I just did a quick internet search and it seems that it is not, in fact, dead! However it does seem to be meeting a lot of resistance.

Here is a link where you can read more about FCOM:

http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGANSE93F8D.html

Interestingly, I also stumbled across a court case back in '97: Florida College of Osteopathic Medicine, Inc. v. Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., 982 F. Supp. 862 (M.D. Fla. 1997) 13. I didn't see any specifics on the case, however.

Maybe some of our Florida friends can find out more.

 

[blike]

I know LECOM has its eye on opening a new school in FL....

Yea, I heard it was going to be a satellite of LECOM. But from what I've been told its a pretty definite thing now, set to open in 2004.

 

[DrQuinn]

Word on the street is that the school is still a strong possibility. To be built either in St. Pete or around Tarpon Springs (Tampa Suburb)... it will likely be associated with Northside Hospital (St. Pete).

And it will be affiliated with LECOM, much like AZCOM is with CCOM...

Man DO schools are the biggest money makers out there...

 

[H0mersimps0n]

Originally posted by QuinnNSU Man DO schools are the biggest money makers out there... [/B]

aww man, don't say things like that. Let me live in my naive little world thinking that medical schools charge what they do just to queeze by and that $250,000 debt was not because they are greedy ba$***** lookin for a buck at the students hardships...

 

[SawBones]

I must say that I am not totally against the creation of new osteopathic medical schools, but I do have a real concern about schools like Touro and FCOM. In my opinion, both of these schools picked the wrong state to open a new school. There are plenty of states out there with no medical schools at all, and there are even more states that don't have osteopathic medical schools. Why not open an osteopathic medical school in an area of the country that could actually use one? From my research, FCOM would be the SIXTH medical school in Florida, joining the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, the University of Miami, Florida State University, and Nova Southeastern University.

Quinn, you are from NSU... what do you think, does Florida need another medical school, and an osteopathic one at that? A quick browse of the AOA Opportunities database (a listing of AOA internships/residencies, for those unfamiliar with this database) suggests that Florida doesn't even have enough AOA programs to supply NSU-COM graduates. Even worse, doesn't Florida require an AOA interniship to practice? So unless FCOM brings with it 100+ internship positions (impossible), I think new DOs in Florida are in for a bit of a headache in a few years.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

Geeze Saw, they should name the next Florida school W-COM...

The Wasteful College of Osteopathic Medicine

Don't think it would compete well with X-COM...


😱 😉

 

[Pikevillemedstudent]

At the moment I have no idea where this info comes from, but I did hear that the AOA was attempting to block the creation of a new school that was for-profit. This may be the school and the reason for the delay.

 

[SawBones]

Actually, FCOM is not-for-profit. And yes, it is true that the AOA has been in court trying to stop the creation of the first for-profit medical school in the U.S. Frankly, I hope they succeed. I'm not sure where that school would be located, though.

 

[GoForIt]

Why not open an osteopathic medical school in an area of the country that could actually use one?

I hope that AOA can persuade some of the state university to open an osteopathic medical school in an area of the country that could actually use one. It would attract some of the best students in the state to attend the DO school. If there are enough DO schools affiliated with state universities, perhaps more people would know what a DO is, and will know that MDs are trained to do what DOs are doing except OMM.

 

[Old Yeller]

Yeah, I heard that there was a school in the works in the Tampa Bay area, and have also heard that there was another one opening up in Montana. I have heard this from my History of Osteopathy lecturer. Personally, I hope that the one in Montana opens up soon because I think osteopathy would thrive out in the west.

 

[maysqrd]

I heard from an Admissions Director that there was a school opening up in Utah?? As for the earlier comment regarding Touro and its location. Having lived in Northern CA my entire life and more specifically in the Bay Area for the last 11 years, opening an osteopathic school in CA was absolutely the right thing to do! The environment between the UC schools and Touro is very cooperative. The Bay Area is HUGE!!! And osteopathic medicine needed to find a way to serve this community. COMP is a days drive from the bay area (doing 75 m.p.h. on I-5 to boot!).

The UC schools are highly competitive. The tuition factor for a CA resident just can't be ignored. Even though it may seem like there are plenty of med schools in CA already, look at the size of this state and the population that it serves. There is over 300 miles between UC San Francisco and the Oregon border and NO med schools until you get into Portland, OR. Having a school that is focused on primary care in Northern CA is extremely important. These areas are not wealthy and have many underserved patients. There is not one single osteopathic residency in the entire Bay Area! I am glad to see that Touro has decided to tackle this challenge.

The entire west coast is severely lacking in medical schools given the size and populations from Mexico to the Canadian border. My vote for a new medical school is in Portland, OR!! Eastmoreland Hospital is osteopathic for goodness sake!

 

[Skip Intro]

Originally posted by QuinnNSU
Man DO schools are the biggest money makers out there...

Guess you've never heard of AUC, St. George's, and Ross University?



Seriously, if DO schools can turn a profit (or, at least break even), then why are so many U.S. allo schools in such dire straits?

 

[oceandocDO]

Seriously, if DO schools can turn a profit (or, at least break even), then why are so many U.S. allo schools in such dire straits?

One reason:
Because many of the MD schools were owners, legally and financially, of large, expensive hospitals. Medical schools have recently learned it's very hard to make money from hospitals, hence the reason for these large umbrella corporations having to come in and run hospital networks. DO schools got out of the hospital business before the MD schools did, giving them a competitive financial advantage of late.

 

[jhug]

i am suprised that more state schools (msu for example) haven't jumped on offering MD & DO programs. Talk about a total monopoly! That way the schools get the $$ from applicants/those enrolled AND the $$ from the state! Plus, i think this system would develop a better relationship between the two professions.

 

[joshua_msu]

Actually, MSU is the only school with three medical schools. MD, DO, and veterinary