yea, i love sarasota, the area is amazing, but 2004? Well if you come across statistics, please share. I am more interested in the average score rather than pass rate tho, since that is probably a better indicator of the quality of education.
I doubt that they'll give you an average score at LECOM-B, just because the information isn't really available yet. In a meeting with the dean last week, he said that they had results from 113 2008's students so far and 90% passed. Those who failed were all above 350 (passing is 400).
But, keep in mind two things. First, the class time for class of 2008 was shorter. They were offered free Kaplan courses, but they had to come in on weekends for the lectures. The schedule for 2009 and for my class is longer, frontloaded some PBL, and now has the last four weeks set aside just for the Kaplan course. Second, since the first year, the quality of students has greatly increased. 2009 had better test averages and 2010 has much better test averages. Given that, I'd be willing to make an assumption that the pass rate will improve somewhat. The best thing is that the school has really been receptive to changes that have been suggested by the students. Yes, things are still subject to change, but I think that's a good thing. Too many places just keep doing things the same old way because that's the way it's always been done. That can lead to a stagnant learning environment.
New doesn't mean bad. They really went all out hiring professors to make sure that they have people with medical school teaching experience. OK, they pretty much raided the med school faculty from USF in Tampa too, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I could go overboard about the clinical faculty and instruction as well. After the first day of letcure in clinical exam (during week one) I was sitting in front of a former military physician who is board certified in family medicine. He was playing the patient and I was "the doctor" doing a history. It was pretty scary, but six weeks later I'm getting pretty good at it. I'd better be because we have to pass an OSCE exam this semester proving we can do it. Next semester is physical exams and it sounds a little scary, but I'm ready for it. Also, PBL is so advantageous because I already have a pretty damned thorough knowledge of CBC's and ABG's and have been exposed to interpreting ECG's and a host of other tests already. Right now, PBL is only once a week. However, Anatomy/Histo/Embryo is over in three weeks and we go into it 3 days a week. I'm ready for that.
The big point, though, should be to find the right school for you to fit into. I fell in love with the place during my interview and cancelled all of my remaining interviews. You might feel differently. But, try to go into it with an open mind. I absolutely love the students, administion and faculty. They were a big part of why I made Bradenton my choice, but tuition was a big bonus as well. OOS tuition for $26,000 in a beach resort area...that's just my idea of spectacular!
