No medical schools in alaska?
Started by byeh2004
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byeh2004 said:
same reason as why there is no med school in wyoming. A med schools costs lot$$$$ of money to set up to become successful. Smaller states just don't have the population to generate enough tax revenue to make starting a med school a viable option. As a result, U of Washington ends up taking care of these unpopulated states medical education needs. But who knows, with the way DO schools are beginning to pop up, we might see a med school in Barrow, AK with over 200 spots per class to support Native Alaskan medical needs
(and also the needs of those who fail to make above a 20 on the mcat but still want to sliver their way into medicine 
)
quantummechanic said:same reason as why there is no med school in wyoming. A med schools costs lot$$$$ of money to set up to become successful. Smaller states just don't have the population to generate enough tax revenue to make starting a med school a viable option. As a result, U of Washington ends up taking care of these unpopulated states medical education needs. But who knows, with the way DO schools are beginning to pop up, we might see a med school in Barrow, AK with over 200 spots per class to support Native Alaskan medical needs
hahaha... so true... sad, but true. I'm waiting for the internet Touro campus to come online
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Goose-d said:hahaha... so true... sad, but true. I'm waiting for the internet Touro campus to come online
I don't get it, can you clarify?
Re Alaska, maybe Sen. Ted Stevens can go on the Senate floor crying how unfair it is for Alaska not to have a med school, and he'll appropriate $400 million for one. Heck, it'll be a better investment than the "bridge to nowhere"
Not everyone likes DO schools and by all means I am not saying you have to, but I just dont understand why you have to belittle those that go there. I understand that sometimes low MCAT scores get in and GPA's as well, but it is really worth you poking fun? I hope you want to be a doctor for more noble reasons than being superior to everyone around you although its tough to see this at the moment. If DO schools are able to produce people who want to practice medicine in the small wyoming/alaska towns that I am sure you want nothing to do with than maybe you should support that rather than make fun. If I have you all wrong I apoligize but your post sort of bothered me.quantummechanic said:same reason as why there is no med school in wyoming. A med schools costs lot$$$$ of money to set up to become successful. Smaller states just don't have the population to generate enough tax revenue to make starting a med school a viable option. As a result, U of Washington ends up taking care of these unpopulated states medical education needs. But who knows, with the way DO schools are beginning to pop up, we might see a med school in Barrow, AK with over 200 spots per class to support Native Alaskan medical needs
Alaska has a population of ~627,000 people. There are 18 cities (and 46 states) in the lower 48 that have larger populations. It is also the least densely populated of all the States. Rare conditions are going to be very rare in such a small population. With such a small population, a state school would have take students from out of state (does U Vermont do this?).
While Vermont is surrounded by densely populated states as well as a large state (Maine) that does not have a med school, Alaska is remote to all but Washington State.
The cost of living is high in Alaska which would increase the cost of hiring med school employees & running a school.
Also, if you think that some people have a problem with "northern weather", try coupling that with extreme northern latitudes such that the dark winter/bright summer becomes a quality of life issue. Bottom line: getting good applicants to U Alaska Med School and giving them a good clinical experience at a fair price would be like trying to sell snow....to Alaskans! 😀
While Vermont is surrounded by densely populated states as well as a large state (Maine) that does not have a med school, Alaska is remote to all but Washington State.
The cost of living is high in Alaska which would increase the cost of hiring med school employees & running a school.
Also, if you think that some people have a problem with "northern weather", try coupling that with extreme northern latitudes such that the dark winter/bright summer becomes a quality of life issue. Bottom line: getting good applicants to U Alaska Med School and giving them a good clinical experience at a fair price would be like trying to sell snow....to Alaskans! 😀
desiredusername said:
Vermont is able to fill its class with non-Vermonters. I wonder if Alaska would be so lucky. Also, as you point out, Alaskan residents and those other states without med schools have an option that gives them in-state consideration at other schools.
I don't think there's any question that Alaska would be able to fill its class - you've been a part of these forums for 9 months, I'm sure you've realized that pre-meds will go anywhere. I do think Alaska would have a problem with attrition and with funding. As you said, Seasonal Affective Disorder afflicts a lot of people. Once winter arrives they may have a lot of students leave. Also, Alaska just isn't a wealthy state and I don't think the legislature would be willing to pony up that kind of money. Of course, if they wanted to actively recruit Asian students (sort of like what some undergrad schools do by going on recruiting trips to Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, etc.) they could potentially address both of those problems and create a unique school.
TSisk23 said:
stfu you totally did not get my point,
the aoa (ostepathics, not alpha omega alpha) is considering opening 3 new med schools http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=acc_predoc ...one would be another branch of Tuoro to be in NYC, a branch of Still in Arizona (another DO school in AZ), and one at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN (I've been to Harrogate, it is a ****ty town, and plus LMU has a reputation to be about on the level of community college around here!). My point is that DO schools are popping up to make money off of substandard students(http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberlain/ranmcat.htm most of the newer schools have worse standards, did they learn about Newton's Second Law and Feedback Inhibition or did they just volunteer in hospitals during class?) in random locations (Hey Im going to Philadelphia in Atlanta! WTF?) It cheapens the name of the med school and makes the entire medical education look like the online degrees that are popping up for just about every other field. Doesn't the DO degree deserve better than that? Don't you agree that the DO schools shouldn't be commercial doctor mills? I have much respect for DO's as I have worked with one on the research I'm doing(She is going to be second author on a kickass paper 👍 ). This debate should goto the preDO forum...
Alaska is a rich state (oil - it pays a dividend of ~$2,000 to every resident each year) but it doesnt' need a medical school in order to educate its residents (as in people living in Alaska, not medical residents) and provide clinicians to its people. Do people wish that there were another 80-90 seats even if they were in Alaska? Perhaps, but that isn't going to go far when thousands of applicants are left with no where to go each year.
Alaska med school -- an idea whose time has not come.
Alaska med school -- an idea whose time has not come.
Dont get too hyped up man, I apoligized for possibly misunderstanding you so no need to be a dick about it...I agree with what you just posted...I was only commenting about DO schools being a way for those with below a 20 MCAT to sliver their way into medicine thing.quantummechanic said:
If you are going to insult the intelligence of others, please do so with appropriate words. Sliver??TSisk23 said:
