NYCOM life

[A-DOG]

I have a few questions. First, I would like to if anyone is interested in rooming with me at NYCOM. I can't afford L.I. housing, and as you future NYCOMer's will see, it is very expensive to live on L.I. Second, how isolated is medical school life? I mean, is it easy to make friends, and meet members of the opposite sex? I know medical school will be very hard, but I think that having companions who are going experiences as myself will ease the stress and potential morbidity of medical school. Basically, I do not want to live four years of my life in isolation. Anyone interested in a roomate contact Email: [email protected]


A-DOG

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[Vegeta]

I'll also be attending NYCOM this August. I'm not sure where I'll live, though. My parents live in Jamaica, Queens, NY, so I've been considering staying with them for the first two years which would allow me to save $50,000 dollars in housing expenses.

Here's my question about NYCOM: Being male, what do the students wear in the OMM labs? Are the men permitted to wear regular shorts with t-shirts, or do they make them remove their t-shirts and leave their backs bare? Are there normally awkward exercises performed ON the students BY the students? How often are these OMM labs scheduled per week? Thank you for your input.

Hey, A-DOG, I'm sure Medical Students band together throughout their education and go party somewhere. You shouldn't worry about what sort of social life you can expect.

 

[turtleboard]

NYCOM men show up to OMM labs with bare backs and, I believe, shorts.

The most awkward exercise I've heard of is feeling for the pubic symphysis, which for the anatomically-challenged, is pretty much down where the sun don't shine.


Tim of New York City.
(not a NYCOM student, but have been there enough times to witness the horrors of OMM lab)

 

[Vegeta]

How could the administration require them to present themselves half-naked like that?!? That's absurd! It's clearly the worst thing I've read about NYCOM. I really need to hear that (men wear nothing but shorts) from a current student... are there any out there?

 

[UHS03]

I am obviously not an NYCOM student, but at UHS that's pretty much how it is. Women wear shorts and a sports bra and men where shorts and a T-shirt (you remove your shirt when necessary.) Here and there things come up that are a little uncomfortable (anything involving the sternum and upper ribs for females, and as Tim mentioned palpating the pubic symphysis in both sexes.) Also, some of the techniques can be a little awkward (doming the pelvic diaphragm...fun stuff..not!) Most students are immune to it by now. I like to call OMM lab "naked time"

 

[drusso]

Look, you really can't say that you KNOW your colleagues until you palpate their pubes, inferior lateral angles of the sacrum, and, of course, their ischial tuberosities. Frankly, I think that the allopathic medical students are missing out on LOADS of fun...

 

[Nanook]

Big whoop....

I just shadowed a physician who graduated from UCD (allopathic), and he told me a story about how he and other students volunteered (ie, were requested to volunteer) for rectal exams, and several of the female students volunteered for pelvic exams.
Ya gotta learn somehow!

The funny thing is, he told me this story while actually performing a rectal exam on a patient!

I guess after this, OMM lab didn't seem so bad. You've got to be pretty insecure to not want to show people your back.

 

[turtleboard]

That UCD guy must've graduated back in the 60s or 70s (free sex and things of that nature). I haven't heard of any allopathic school today that asks or even pays students to volunteer for rectal/pelvic exams.

The MOST we do on each other, as far as I know, is drawing blood and doing routine physicals without genital, rectal, or pelvic exams.

I guess we are missing out on a lot of fun, but we're also missing out on a TON of embarassment (for some).

Tim of New York City.

 

[togo]

As a NYCOM student I feel compelled to clarify something that turtleboard said in his response. Men are not required to "show up" to the lab in shorts and bare tops, nor are women required to show up in sports bras. You show up to lab in loose clothing, ie shorts, scrubs, etc. In some labs you are required to remove your shirt. It is impossible to inspect a back through clothing. In this case, females can wear a sports bra if they wish, but are actually encourage to wear something like a one piece bathing suit which exposes the back. This doesn't pose the strap problem of a bra. Even then, you only need to "expose" yourself for a short time, while you are allowing your partner to practice a diagnosis or procedure.

At the beginning of the year, most people are a little self-conscious in lab. You do this so often, though, that in a short time most people are pretty comfortable in the lab. It's really not as bad as some are making it out to be.

Please don't believe everything you read or hear, especially when it is second hand.

regards.

 

[Vegeta]

Thank you for that fantastic bit of information, togo.

I'm thrilled that I'll be permitted to wear a t-shirt for the majority of the instruction.

Furthermore, am I correct in stating that NYCOM's OMM labs are scheduled for each Wednesday during the 1st and 2nd years of education?

 

[togo]

You will have lab on either Mon. or Wed. most weeks. The class is split into two groups (one on Mon. and the other on Wed.). You'll have a week off once in a while, but most weeks you'll have one lab.