NSUCOM forcing us to take KAPLAN prep course

[nsucomm]

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Dean of Student Affairs came in to give a lecture on the Kaplan board review course. Students are getting a heavily discounted price for the course, but NSUCOM is making it mandatory by making it an official course called "Integration of Biomedical and Clinical Science". The Dean also said that we cannot register for the COMLEX until we take the Kaplan assessment exam.

Just stating the facts here. Would like to know your thoughts of a school making it mandatory to take a specific board review course.

Keep in mind I'm appreciative of what Kaplan and NSUCOM are offering us, but I'm more concerned about your political views regarding student choice, and corporate sponsored college requirements.

-M2, NSUCOM

 

[sexyman]

Interesting question. I suppose this can be compared to your school making certain Text books a requirement? For instance at VCOM we are required to buy and complete an online medical terminology course.

However I do feel as though if the administration feels strongly enough that kaplan is the best board prep they should have just included the price in your tuition and not give you a "discount".

Personally I think the best way for them to do this would be to give students a discount on any type of baord prep they choose. I suspect they chose to make this mandatory because they want their students to do well on Comlex/USMLE for the benefit of the school, not so much for the benefit of the individual students. They obviously felt using FORCE would be the best way to accomplish this.

 

[DrMidlife]

I think there are a number of things you could be arguing with, and I'm curious to know which one(s).

Are you upset at having to pay for Kaplan when you could potentially prep for free using other and/or borrowed materials?

Are you upset at the prep choice of Kaplan vs. other systems?

Are you upset at having to sit in yet another class for board prep vs. studying on your own?

My concern is how this takes away from USMLE study time. I expect Nova's not invested in those scores at all.

 

[nsucomm]

The good intentions of NSUCOM are not in question, and I am not upset with the points brought forward. NSUCOM wants to make sure every student does well on the boards and after reviewing the Kaplan course, I'm confident that a student will excel with its choice of program. However, my argument is that I feel a student's right to choose is being infringed, if he or she had that right in the first place. In effect, that may make students upset with the points Midlife brought forward. I would like to focus on discussion if a student should have that right, and if you see a trend of corporate partnership at your school. The way Kaplan does the course is that they review for the USMLE with osteopathic principles and techniques as a supplement, so it wouldn't take away from USMLE study time.

Another example along with VCOM's med term course requirement: If a medical school reviewed many high quality stethoscopes and made it mandatory that everyone to purchase the Littman Cardiology III stethoscope after finding it to be the best in their opinion, would you feel that a student's right to choose has been infringed? Did a right to choose even exist in the first place? Does attending a private institution change the scenario as a opposed to a state university? I'm just using stethoscopes as an example, don't pull an Ali G on me 🙂

In retrospect, I shouldn't have said NSUCOM specifically because I'm more concerned at the issue at hand, not with the school in particular and I know some are sensitive to that matter.

DrMidlife: Congrats on getting accepted to NSUCOM!

 

[sexyman]

One thing to remember is NSUCOM has made the course a part of it's curriculum by

by making it an official course called "Integration of Biomedical and Clinical Science".

I believe our schools NEED to have certain hourly requirements per week for class time, so if they did not force you to enroll in the class wouldn't you be taking some other class at NSUCOM anyway? The way NSU has done it, you are "in class" and studying for the boards at the same time right?

So in effect it is good time management.

Honestly I think it sounds like a good idea, plus when you enroll in a school you are never really in control of your education/curriculum. You have to put your trust in your school officials. I dont think it would work if med students decided which courses, books, etc, we use. We don't have any experience or knowledge to base our decisions on. NSU has proved themselves as a great educator in medicine- I would just put my trust in what they suggest.

 

[ShyRem]

I would have absolutely killed for a prep course at UNE. As it was, they didn't allow us sufficient time to prep unless we ditched our regular classes. Totally sucked.

 

[jonb12997]

I would have absolutely killed for a prep course at UNE. As it was, they didn't allow us sufficient time to prep unless we ditched our regular classes. Totally sucked.

I couldn't agree more...

 

[cbest]

What would they do if you just didn't show up for it? Can they really MAKE you?

 

[scpod]

What would they do if you just didn't show up for it? Can they really MAKE you?

Apparently, you didn't read the part in the original thread where it says you have to take the course or you can't register for COMLEX. You can't register until your dean submits your name, and s/he can remove you at any point. If you don't pass COMLEX, you can't become a DO. You make the call...

 

[cbest]

My bad, wasn't really paying attention.

I just don't like the idea of being forced to do partake in a course like that that may not be nearly as beneficial as self-study. Some people are great auditory learners and they'll probably take a lot away from a course like that. Personally, I'm of a fan of working things out on my own at my own pace. I'm more of a visual and 'hands-on' learner. Time spent away from more high quality resources like FA, Goljan, BRS Physio and UWorld seems like time wasted, BUT ya gotta do whatcha gotta do I guess!

 

[jonb12997]

just go to the course and spend the time doing practice questions on the internet...

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

I think it's kind of idiotic to force people to take a prep course. Some of the best scores on SDN are acheived by people who study on their own.

A better idea would have been to make it a requirement if you're in the bottom 1-2 quintiles/quartiles of the class. It's the bottom-scrappers in med school I'd be worried about.

 

[MossPoh]

It sounds like you'd get your indepenent study time as well, right? As long as it doesn't take away from that 2,3,4 weeks or whatever NSU gives you, then it doesn't seem like a bad thing. I think with the case of Kaplan, it happens to be the most widely used. A student should be able to choose, but I don't know how many people would choose something else or how many people would really follow through with it anyway. The fact is, a lot of stuff is corporate sponsored and chosen for you already though. The computer system you log on to, the "required" texts, etc. You don't get the choice of angel versus blackboard versus whatever else. You might like one system more, but tough luck. Same thing with this, if you really want then I suppose you could go out and buy other books which I'm sure some people will do.

I guess I need clarification though, this is more of a thing to get a headstart on prepping for COMLEX right? It isn't meant to fully sub in that gap they traditionally leave.

 

[scpod]

I guess I need clarification though, this is more of a thing to get a headstart on prepping for COMLEX right? It isn't meant to fully sub in that gap they traditionally leave.

This is board review, a crash-course review in topics that you should have already been through in the last two years. Our school used to pay for the Kaplan course for us but they decided that they could do a better job with some subjects. So they got a great Kaplan guy for a week of Path and used our professors for the other subjects the other week. It was not mandatory, so I went for a few days at first, then started staying home. I went when the Kaplan guy came in, though, because the upperclassmen raved about him-- and he was really good.

We were, however, required to take several very, very long practice exams. I didn't like the idea at first, but it was good in that they were diagnostic too and showed you wherwe your weaknesses were. Note that people with averages 75 or below at our school were "required" to attend another week of board review after that. It was optional for anyone else who wanted to attend. I had originally thought that I might want to attend that week, but figured my time was better spent studying on my own.

After the Kaplan guy left, I studied on my own for five more days, took COMLEX, then went to Las Vegas for a week. I was very glad that we had that much time before starting rotations to get that all done. I don't know what kind of schedule Nova has planned for you, but it really isn't all that bad. You could realistically go to the board review sessions and still have time to study on your own. You might even be able to do some study on your own "during" the sessions if you are bored by board review 🙂.

 

[MossPoh]

Thanks. I'm not too worried either way. 😉

Anyway, having decisions made for you will always happen unless you open up your own school, own practice, or own hospital. In those situations, you can give whatever options you want..within reason.

 

[DrWBD]

I find this disturbing.

Not because I don't think Kaplan is worthwhile - I took Kaplan for the COMLEX/USMLE myself.

It's just that making a board review - given by an outside corporate entity - a mandatory part of the school curriculum should not be allowed, no matter what the benefit may be. The truth is that students shouldn't even need a board review, at least theoretically. All the material that is to be tested on the COMLEX is supposed to be taught within the standard osteopathic medical school curriculum. If the school is not doing this, it is not living up to its teaching responsibility. Kaplan, or any other test prep class, should not be used as a band-aid to cover deficiencies in the medical school curriculum.

It sounds like Kaplan is getting a sweet deal out of this. They are guaranteed a full class taking their course. It wouldn't surprise me if the school was getting some kind of financial incentive for forcing enrollment in the Kaplan course (speculation by me, of course).

As far as blocking COMLEX enrollment for those who do not take the Kaplan course, this seems like its ethically wrong, and should, IMO, be brought to the attention of the NBOME and AACOM.

 

[misery]

as a soon to be grad of NSUCOM and frequent complainer while in school let me say two things.

1) NSU prepares you for boards. Let the system work and if you work with it you'll be giddy when you get ur scores back. Esp your USMLE if you opt to take it, which I highly advise.

2) I used Kaplan as did 90% of the class, they might as well make it mandatory. If it's a class as someone posted it goes for certain reqs they have and gets you more time off before your cores. I don't know how many friends at other schools I have that got no prep time. Enjoy what you have it could be worse.

mis

 

[EM2BE]

Is it possible the school / schools that do this want to raise 1st time pass rates? This is one way of doing this.

 

[madscientist50]

To clarify, we are only 'required' to take the assessment exam, which gives you study tips, and to take one practice exam. The rest is optional.

This program was instigated because many students in the past requested, after they took the boards, that NSU do something like this. As well as the point that our deans and profs claim there is sufficent, significant data that students perform better on the first try with prep courses and study assistance.

And a side note this is not uncommon for my wife's pharmacy school the students are Required to take a full prep course, 2 practice exams, and the catch, they have nearly 100% pass rate on the first try (at least for the pharm school).

Also my personal thoughts are that I want some help getting ready anyway, and this course builds into our class schedule and gives us many many resources at a cheaper rate than we could get on our own. Including Q banks, Kaplan Books, and practice exams. Just my thoughts.