NYCOM vs. PCOM

[luckymed]

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Everyone has any input about these two schools in regards
1) academic
2)hospital affilations
3)boards exam/match
(Does PA state laws require DO to take other exams in addition to the board in order to practice in PA?)
4)Tuition/Financial Aid
5)Housing/Environment.

I am a NY resident, and want to practice in NYC. Will going to PCOM make that more difficult?

any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanx

 

[johndean11229]

hey luckymed, i too am a nyc resident and and want to come back to the city and practice, but in the end i am choosing pcom over nycom..i m hoping it does not screw up my chances to come back, i do not think it will, but i am choosing pcom over nycom because of the area, the residency programs, and more closely, i have 3 friends , who go to nycom, who i actually taught organic chem to during undergrad and they are telling me to go to pcom. so with those remarks and also my friend who goes to einstein says when the profs speak of osteopathic, they speak of pcom, i am making my decision to go to pcom....hopes this helps

 

[Hedwig]

Academic: PCOM. Better reputation, better testing schedule, more stuff about legal, social, and management issues.

Hospital Affiliations: undergrad, probably NYCOM. In terms of GME, PCOM--no question.

Board exams / match rate: From what I understand, they both do quite well. There's a NYCOM match list on here somewhere, and it's very impressive. PCOM only keeps records of the graduates who do osteopathic internships.

Tuition/Financial Aid: Not sure, but I'm pretty sure PCOM is cheaper or, more accurately, less expensive. Neither is cheap. However, NYIT keeps raising tuition.

Housing/Environment: PCOM by far! Long Island sucks. It's expensive and boring, and you have to get on a train for an hour to get to Manhattan. I can't wait to get out of NYIT.

Going to PCOM will not make it more difficult to practice in New York. And yes, PA does require the internship, but it's not particularly difficult to have ACGME programs counted as your osteopathic PGY1.

NYCOM's class size--it will be 320 next year--is the largest in the entire country. And aside from emergency medicine (at St. Barnabas) and neurosurgery (Long Island Jewish Medical Center), PCOM's GME programs are vastly superior, widely considered to be the best in the osteopathic world, easily rivaling their allopathic counterparts. All PCOM GME takes place in major allopathic hospitals--we're talking places like Temple, Jefferson, CHOP, even Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NY. PCOM's reputation is better, and some parts of Philly are a lot of fun. Moreover, the politics of NYIT/NYCOM are horrible because the school's new president is an absolute nightmare.

A NYCOM education is definitely one of the best in the osteopathic world. But, IMHO, PCOM is better for many reasons. PCOM has such a rich history (100+ years), is very dynamic, and has fantastic facilities (you MUST see the fitness center--yikes!). When I'm at PCOM, I really feel as though I'm part of something very special (I'm applying this summer--I really want to be part of it!). I don't feel this at NYCOM. Point being: all the facts and figures aside, you have to go to the school where you think, "I am so damn lucky to be in such an incredible place!"

One more thing: the deans or presidents of UMDNJSOM, Western U, NYCOM, Nova, LECOM, and TCOM (General Blanck, former surgeon general of the army) are PCOM grads. PCOM grads do very well.

 

[tBw]

I agree with absolutely everything Hedwig said. I would like to add that while all DO schools emphasize primary care, NYCOM is much more fervent in this emphasis. So if you are into primary care either school is great but if you want to do specialization or any kind of research I would say that it is a no-brainer - it has to be PCOM.

 

[[email protected]]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Hedwig:
•
Hospital Affiliations: undergrad, probably NYCOM. In terms of GME, PCOM--no question.

Long Island sucks. It's expensive and boring, and you have to get on a train for an hour to get to Manhattan. I can't wait to get out of NYIT.

Going to PCOM will not make it more difficult to practice in New York. And yes, PA does require the internship, but it's not particularly difficult to have ACGME programs counted as your osteopathic PGY1.

PCOM's GME programs are vastly superior, widely considered to be the best in the osteopathic world, easily rivaling their allopathic counterparts. All PCOM GME takes place in major allopathic hospitals--we're talking places like Temple, Jefferson, CHOP, even Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NY. PCOM's reputation is better, and some parts of Philly are a lot of fun. Moreover, the politics of NYIT/NYCOM are horrible because the school's new president is an absolute nightmare.
•••••I agree with about 50% of Hedwig's post regarding the differences between NYCOM and PCOM. Keep in mind that Hedwig is currently a student at the New York Institute of Technology and the information in his post is a reflection of his sour opinion of the school.

The truth: NYCOM has a stronger list of hospital affiliations for the 3rd and 4th year clinical years than PCOM--the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine Educational Consortium (which comprises approx. 20 hospitals in New York and New Jersey) is perhaps the strongest in the profession irregardless of what Hedwig would have you believe. The second best school that provides its graduates strong clerkships is the Ohio Osteopathic school. Also: there's no such thing as a "PCOM GME"--upon graduation from Medical School (Osteo. or Allo.), any individual graduate can apply to any Residency program in the country. You ARE NOT limited to training and practicing in the state in which you attend Med. School (surprise! surprise!). You are however limited in terms of being licensed in the state of Pennsylvania due to the Osteopathic profession's requirement that all those seeking licensure must have completed an Osteopathic Rotating Internship--a disadvantage in some cases: as when a graduate seeks to practice Internal Medicine and would better be served by entering an Allopathic Residency and skipping the Osteopathic Internship because of the better Allo. IM program. New York does not have this requirement for licensure by the AOA (as of yet). Given the fact that most NYCOM graduates were New York residents before entering the school, they probably have a preference for completing their Residencies and seeking employment in the state (which I regard as a bad decision considering the overcrowding of physicians in New York to begin with).

If the administration (chiefly the Deans) at NYCOM) would stop increasing the already barbaric and counter-productive class size (and make an effort to reduce the class size to approx. 250 students again); when NYCOM organizes the shift to a block-style testing arrangement better, and offers students less classroom lecture hours and more study-time; and when the students at NYCOM magically become more satisfied by being better served, deciding to attend NYCOM would be much easier.

Good luck.

 

[Hedwig]

I respectfully disagree.

I do not recall castigating NYIT. What I said was, "Long Island sucks. It's expensive and boring, and you have to get on a train for an hour to get to Manhattan. I can't wait to get out of NYIT." I grew up on Long Island and have lived there all my life. I therefore find it transcendally boring, expensive, and obnoxious. However, my education (in English literature) at NYIT was of the highest quality. I loved every second of it. NYIT also afforded me opportunities I could never have found elsewhere. I had a ball and learned a lot. I graduated summa with a 3.97. I was sad to receive my B.A. That's why I'm back at NYIT as a post-bacc. I love it there.

I agree that NYCOM has better (nay, the best) clinical rotation sites. I never contended otherwise. In fact, I actually wrote, "Hospital Affiliations: undergrad, probably NYCOM. In terms of GME, PCOM--no question." However, your statement "there is no such thing as 'PCOM GME'" baffles me. Please don't put words into my mouth--especially when they don't make any--any!--sense. As I'm pretty sure everyone else on SDN understood, PCOM GME = graduate medical education programs sponsored by PCOM. (More specifically, ER, IM, FP, cards, nephrology, ophtho, ortho, urology, ENT, OB/GYN, gen surg, plastic/reconstructive surg, neurosurgery, geriatrics, derm, OMM, emergency medical services) Why, pray tell, would you assume that I was implying that only PCOM grads qualified for acceptance into said programs? I never said anything remotely similar to that! That being said, PCOM's residencies are the best in the osteopathic world in terms of number of residencies and fellowships, volume of cases, scope of pathology, quality, and location--again, major allopathic hospitals. NYCOM--which has lots of GME in super-dooper community hospitals (including some really ghastly ones, e.g. in Far Rockaway...)--has nothing that comes close except for neurosurg at LIJ and ER at the Barny (which, mind you, is no Temple or CHOP), which is better than PCOM's ER program, despite the fact that PCOM's is dually-accredited (ACGME and AOA). I'm sorry, but I'd like to hear an argument contrary to what I just said. NYCOM's rotations are great, whereas PCOM's leave much to be desired, but when you want postgrad training, it's not even the same ilk.

I also never said that you're limited to practicing in the state in which you graduated. Where did you get that from? What I wrote was, "Going to PCOM will not make it more difficult to practice in New York. And yes, PA does require the internship, but it's not particularly difficult to have ACGME programs counted as your osteopathic PGY1."

Unfortunately, NYCOM's class size isn't going to descend from its stratospherically high 320 anytime soon. It was made that size for a reason: money! NYCOM is NYIT's biggest money maker.

Please don't misquote me or twist my words around to serve your own ends. Can't you read? What's wrong with you? 🙄

 

[NYCOMScrubs]

Wow, Hedwig you're getting a little excited there!

I must admit that I didn't quite understand what you meant about PCOM-GME and after your long explanation, i still don't.

NYCOM and PCOM have nothing to do with how good particular internship, residency, or fellowship programs are at hospitals in their respective consortiums. They are simply assocaited with them in regards to continuing medical education and as sites for 3rd and 4th year med studnets. I'm not sure what PCOM has set up but at NYCOM at great deal of our clinical clerkships take place at the hospitals in NYCOMEC. So, if you're not impressed with the hospitals in our consortium, then you probably won't be that impressed with our clinical rotations. And if you believe that NYCOM has a strong list of hospital affiliations for third and forth year than why are you criticizing NYCOMEC? I'm just a little confused.

That being said, what [email protected] said about GME (which means internship, residency, fellowship) is true. You are free to apply to anywhere and are not limited to applying to within your own consortium. I'm not really sure what your point is when you say NYCOM is better undergrad and PCOM is better undergrad but if we took what you said at face value than PCOM's GME doesn't really matter for undergrad and shouldn't really even matter when if comes to deciding where to go for school. The smart person would go to the superior undergrad and do the better residency after graduation.

Oh, and don't be so quick to put down community hospitals. While big name academic definitely have their advantages in terms of structure and impressive letterheads on your reccommendations, community based hospitals offer a lot as well. Since many don't have residents, you get more one on one contact with attendings. That means, you learn more and get more hands on experience instead of being relegated to lots of scut work and observation. By having both types of hospitals available to do rotations at, NYCOM students get the best of both worlds!

And as far as class size goes, I guess it depends on the individual. If you are used to a small school with lots of individual attention than you won't be happy here. If you can from a big school a class of 300 won't bother you. it hasen't bothered me. I don't mind being 1 of 300. I've done well. i haven't failed anything. i haven't taken an exam re-takes. And I've honored a bunch of times. I guess to each his/her own, as they say.

 

[Jersey Girl]

NYCOMscrubs,

I have a question for you. I will be attending NYCOM this august (as of now). You said in your previous reply that "if you came from a small school you won't be happy here." Well I am coming from a small college. I have always been someone to work independently and study on my own, so I wasn't concerned about going to a large school. So can you expand on that statement please. Are all of the students you know of that came from small colleges unhappy at NYCOM? Are they doing poorly?

 

[[email protected]]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by NYCOMScrubs:
•...I've honored a bunch of times. •••••I'm very impressed.

 

[bobo]

Hedwig, bud, don't get your pants too wet about PCOM.

•••quote:••• Academic: PCOM. Better reputation, better testing schedule, more stuff about legal, social, and management issues</font>•••The testing schedule is geared to the students favor, usually in blocks. However, there was a bit of an uproar this year because of the ill-advised manner in which endocrine was scheduled, but that reportedly has been changed for next year. Also, the hem/onc block this year was a joke. The final was P/F take home! The class average was about 77, so some poor fools probably flunked. The administration does a poor job of giving us the final exam schedule in advance which is a pain to those trying to make travel arrangements in advance. If you saw who is in charge of this particualr area, you would know why it is so poorly done.

The class dealing w/ medicine related-isuues is "Medicine & Society". I would rather be beat down that attend that class. Everyone bitches about it. It is just another thorn in your side when you are busy trying to learn gross anatomy or study for boards.

•••quote:••• All PCOM GME takes place in major allopathic hospitals--we're talking places like Temple, Jefferson, CHOP, even Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NY ••••Like others, I am a little confused here. About clerkships - Third year, there are NO rotations through any of these sites. We rotate through places like Sayre, Beaver and Kingston PA. Not exactly " major" hotbeds of medical activity, but certainly good enough to help you achieve a solid clinical foundation. Roughly half the spots are in the Philly area at places like Parkview, Northeastern and Saint Agnes. We also have a site at the aforementioned Far Rockaway.

•••quote:••• All PCOM GME takes place in major allopathic hospitals--we're talking places like Temple, Jefferson, CHOP, even Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NY. ••••This is untrue. Many residents work in ghetto hospitals like Parkview, not exactly a world-renowned hospital.

Not all PCOM graduates that are in PCOM-sponsored internships/residencies are all that happy. Some think they "suck".
CHOP has no mention on the PCOM residency page info. Temple and Jefferson are only associated w/OB-GYN. MSK is only associated w/ surgery, and who really knows what that means. You are REALLY blowing things way out of proportion. The web page is <a href="http://www.pcom.edu/Graduate_Medical_Education/Residency_Programs/residency_programs.html" target="_blank">here.</a>

•••quote:••• PCOM has such a rich history (100+ years), is very dynamic, ••••I wish I felt dynamic while sitting on my @ss studying all day for gross or neuro or boards.

PCOM ain't a bad place, but damn, you sound like a Caribbean recruiter in disguise (anybody remember Andre?)

 

[Hedwig]

Hmmm, good points guys.

Screw it, I'm going MD. Who needs these headaches? Temple here I come! 🙂

- Stephanie

 

[NYCOMScrubs]

Elaina,
I didn't mean it exactly the way it sounds. It's really a personal thing. Just because you are coming from a small school, it doesn't mean you won't be happy at NYCOM. Most of my friends haven't been bothered all that much by the large class size. It really depends on where you would personally feel comfortable. Coming to a school with 300 in a class doesn't mean that you won't be able to get individual attention. It just means that you will have to seek it out instead of being forced into it. All the professors are more thatn willing to answer any questions you may have. For first year classes, you are always welcome to stop by a particular professors office or make an appointment. I haven't heard of anyone being turned away. And for second year, while many of our professors are practicing clinicians and don't have office on campus, they are always bombarded with students during breaks and after class and really don't mind in the least. i've seen many stay an extra hour or so during lunch with the students. And they are always willing to give out their email and phone numbers.
also, NYCOM has a fellow program for Anatomy, OMM, and Histology and Neuroscience. The fellows are 3rd, 4th, and 5th year studnets who help out with teaching in the labs and are more than willing to set up tutoring sessions. All you have to do is ask!

 

[Jersey Girl]

Thanks NYCOMscrubs.

 

[isomerjohn]

Hedwig:

Are you sure NYCOM's class size will be 320 next year ? Where did you get this info ? Does anyone else have any knowledge of this ?

 

[njdocDO]

From the Dean's mouth, per last week, class size will not increase any more at NYCOM. There's 260 DO students and 40 foreign MDs who are considered part of the class, but only take lecture courses (no labs), and graduate in 3 years. Class size is large, but the faculty is almost overly-abundant. For example, my estimates: the breakdown in anatomy lab is about 1 PhD/DO/MD and 1 Fellow per 10-15 students. OMM lab is about 1 DO and 1 Fellow per every 8-10 students.

 

[isomerjohn]

Great, but I have heard that the dean is going to retire ?

 

[njdocDO]

Yeah, he is retiring, well-deserved after 60 years in the business. He's staying on as Dean Emeritus though, so he'll have a say on some matters. The new Dean hasnt been officially announced yet, but all eyes point to Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, DO. She's past Dean of the Ohio School and right now she's Dean of Allied Health for NYIT. I hear she's also Diana Ross's sister and she defintely looks like her. :wink:

His retiring doesnt matter much on class size though. Most other administration and the AOA are happy with the class size at NYCOM and would not be in favor of an increase, IMHO.

 

[isomerjohn]

Do you know when he is officially retiring ? Also, you did mean "the" Diana Ross right ? I wonder where all of those rumors about the class size being increased to 320 students came from then.

 

[njdocDO]

hey...
The Dean is officially retiring in July/August. I havent heard the rumors about class size increasing more. Personally, the whole idea of "class size" as an evaluator of a school is over-rated IMO. Med school is totally what you make of it. You could have a class of 20 and that wont make you a better physician. You can only get spoon-fed for so long, then it's up to you to do the work and learn. There are more than enough qualified faculty here for questions and extra help, especially for the hands-on instructional classes...for example, in Family Practice it's a DO, me, and 4 other students in the group.

And...yeah, I mean "the" Diana Ross. Diana is Dr. Ross-Lee's younger sister. She is quite an accomplished woman, including being the first African American woman to head a US Med School (Ohio Osteopath) and present Chair of the Board of Governors of AACOM.

 

[Dr Sardonicus]

I am a first year at NYCOM, and can confirm all the facts posted by njdocDO.

When applying to schools, class size was not exactly high on my priority list. (I mean, I went to a state university with 35,000 students).

But, it really is what YOU make of it. I have gotten to know a number of professors pretty well by simply stopping by thier offices and shooting the breeze.

What makes Hedwig say that PCOM is "better" academically then NYCOM? Many students are complaining that the block system at NYCOM is too onerous. I would like to find out how other schools manage thier exams.

 

[Doc AdamK in 2006]

PCOM way over NYCOm

When I went to NYCOM everyone looked upset to be there.

It out in Old Westbury LI. The area is awful

I was really pissed that I put down a deposit there

AK 😀

 

[njdocDO]

Everyone looked pissed here? Maybe you visited during an exam block? People here are usually friendly and helpful, IMO.

The north shore of LI isnt the most happening place in the universe, but Manhattan is a short train ride away, there's beaches in the summer and plenty of other stuff to do, not like there's alot of time anyway. I'm never bored, to say the least.

Moral of the story: make up your own mind and dont listen to half of the people on this board who most of the time dont know what the hell they're talking about. Some of these "experts" havent even set foot in a single class at any medical school yet, but claim to know everything inside and out about a school.

 

[hosskp1]

I have a better idea---
put all the schools you got to into a hat and just pick one (just kidding).
Eveyone has reasons for their selection of school--- family, location, reputation. IN THE END-- you have to make the choice and live with it. I have mixed emotions about where I am now, but I am living with and trying to make the best out of it. I am overall happy to be a third year and happy to be getting ready fourth year and residency. There is some regret, but that would have happened anywhere. There are a few minor problems but-- Atleast I am going to be a US grad and I did not have to go to some third world country and hope to work my way back in. So cheer up-- no matter what you choose you will be fine.

 

[Hedwig]

Yikes...

I would like to sincerely apologize for how (how to put this nicely?) prickly and incoherent my responses were earlier in the week. No offense intended--to anyone. I get really bitchy when I have a big test (it was yesterday--on cellular respiration and photosynthesis and enzyme kinetics), and I become reactionary and judgemental. (Watch out for women in medical school, boys.) So again, a thousand apologies.

My point about PCOM's GME programs that I did a horrible job of articulating is that some--not all--have very good reputations, but you're more likely to snag one of them if you're a PCOM student, all things being equal. That's one of the few advantages of paying so much tuition for 4 years, I suppose. Whether or not this ought to be a consideration, I don't know. Regardless, half of PCOM students (125 students) do the allopathic match.

I think that anyone who goes to either school will receive among the best educations in the osteopathic world. The educations are slightly different, but both great. I know that NYCOM offers a few electives--medical Spanish, ACLS, perhaps one or two others. PCOM does not. PCOM's curriculum puts more (comparitavely)emphasis on medical humanities, ethics, law, and such, which appeals to me and my lefty, English major background. There's also much more research at PCOM than at NYCOM. However, NYCOM's clinical affiliates are awesome, whereas PCOM's are mediocre and a few are hostile to DOs. PCOM also has less of an emphasis on primary care. NYCOM, however, is subjected to the (bad) decisions of NYIT's authoritarian (Hitler comes to mind here) president, who's a real, um, jerk. He replaced the old president, who was really responsive to students and a very nice man, who actually went to become president of PCOM, if I'm not mistaken.

I guess you just need to see both places and decide what you like. Location is a big issue for me. While Philadelphia is a scary place, there are some good areas and some fun things to do. Long Island is boring (my personal bias, having been raised there), and it's annoying (and pricey) taking the LIRR if you want to go into the city and party.

Here's another issue, which I'm probably going to get my head ripped off for mentioning (literally--ha!). Having been an undergrad at NYIT (class of 2000), I knew lots of those BS/DOs. I don't mean to sound offensive, but they're very, very cliquey and racially self-segregating. Once I witnessed a fight between some Hundus and some Muslims over (what else?) Kashmir. They were SCREAMING at each other in the halls. No, thanks. I don't know if NYCOM is different (I assume it is, being 320 per class), but all these guys (and gals) ended up at NYCOM eventually, so I'd rather not find out. Who needs religious intolerance and geopolitics in medical school? The impression I've gotten--again, this is just me--is that PCOM is more diverse and a whole lot friendlier. I worked in one of their clinics in West Philly once and had a really great time. Everyone is so nice, and the doctors, students, and staff went out to restaurants and bars together several times, and it was a lot of fun.

I'm sure I haven't helped any because I'm so subjective. But objective measures of PCOM and NYCOM are both great and rather similar, so in the end you need to spend some time in both places--hang out for a day at each and just walk around, talk to people, etc. Let that be your guide.

BTW, my family doc went to NYCOM and he's amazing!

- Stephanie :wink:

 

[I_am_Raj]

as long as u get into med school and become a doctor or phd.. thats all that counts.

 

[Dr JPH]

Or PhD?

What does that mean?

What does that have to do with medical school?

 

[bobo]

Hedwig said:

•••quote:••• I know that NYCOM offers a few electives--medical Spanish, ACLS, perhaps one or two others. PCOM does not. ••••Wrong. Below is the list of second year electives offered to second year PCOM students. There is a medical spanish offered throughout the year. Also, all third year students take ACLS (not an elective, required).

Ethics, Spirituality, And End Of Life Care
Introduction to Alternatives in Medicine: A survey of Integrative, Complementary, and Holistic Medical Approaches & Therapies
Technology and Continuity of Medical Education
Osteopathy in the Cranial Field
Laboratory Medicine
Seminar in Geriatrics
The Art of Physical Diagnosis: Enhancement of Skills in the Primary Care Setting
Clinical Research
Clinical Physiological Measurements
Case-Based Learning
Independent Study
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Introduction to plastic and reconstructive surgery - discussions of aesthetic/cosmetic
Sleep Disorders
Non-Pharmacologic Treatment In Psychiatry
Construction of Surgical Opinion


Hedwig also said:

•••quote:••• However, NYCOM's clinical affiliates are awesome, whereas PCOM's are mediocre and a few are hostile to DOs. PCOM also has less of an emphasis on primary care.••••Mediocre? That's a bit of a stretch for someone who wasn't even sure what GME was last week. MCP is the only rotation that has a bad rep towards DO students. Of the seven core rotations third year, there are 2 slots per rotation at MCP for 4 of them. Since there are more slots than students for most rotations, cardiology is the only rotation where students absolutely must rotate thru MCP.

So far as the emphasis on primary care, PCOM does 2 months of FP, 1 month of peds, 1 month of IM, 1 month of OB/GYN, and 1 month of psych 3rd year. Fourth year is six months of medicine in some form or fashion. Pretty heavy primary care emphasis if you ask me.

 

[Wombat]

Ok. Here is the lowdown on NYCOM.
1st year classes:
Anatomy
Biochemistry
Physiology
OMM (Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, Ribs)
Histology
Genetics
Family Practice (*lots of emphasis on Physical Diagnosis)
Human Diversity
Microbiology
Neurology
Neuropathology
Neuroscience
General Pathology

2nd year classes: (Pharmacology, Medical Imagimg, and Nutrition integrated into the Clinical medicine exams)
ACLS (elective)
Allergy and Immunology
Behavioral Medicine
Cardiology
Cardio Path
Toxicology
Complementary Medicine*
Dermatology
Endocrinology
Family Practice II (emphasis on history taking, review of systems and differential diagnosis)
Gastroenterology
General Surgery (*includes lots of lectures in Plastic and reconsrtuctive surgery)
Health Policy
Laboratory Medicine*
Hematology
Infectious Diseases
Medical Jurisprudence/Ethics*
Pharmacology
Medical Spanish (elective)
Musculoskeletal Pathology
Nephrology
Nephropathology
OB/GYN
OB/GYN Pathology
Ophthamology
Orthopedic Surgery
OMM III (upper extremity)
OMM IV (lower extremity)
OMM V (*cranial, Balanced Ligamentous Tension, Peds, OB/GYN, The Hospitalized Patient)
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Public Health and Preventative Medicine
Pulmonary Medicine
Pulmonary Pathology
Rheumatology
Sports Medicine (elective)
Urology

Third year:
6 weeks Family Practice
6 weeks Peds
6 weeks Psych
6 weeks OB/GYN
12 weeks medicine
12 weeks surgery
OMM

Forth year:
too complicated to mention right now

So as you can see, NYCOM has a lot of mandatory classes that PCOM offers as electives. Also, ACLS I think everyone pretty much has to take sometime in their 4th year. NYCOM offers it as an elective 2nd to give you a head start.

 

[RockandRolldoc]

My D.O. school can beat up your D.O. school. Seriously, they both have their stregnths and weaknesses. I, however, am choosing PCOM. When I interviewed at NYCOM I thought it was nice, but PCOM swept me off my feet. There is a certain intangible factor that transcends rotations and class size and that is the feeling you get when you're actually at the school PCOM just clicked for me as I'm sure NYCOM clicks for some people. I have a relative who is in practice in philly and she has nothing but great things to say about PCOM and the students. She also knows many doctors and from what I hear, the students are well taken care of by physicians in the community.

 

[smastinrhm]

Hey guys, i need some help in deciding which school to matriculate at. Both NYCOM and PCOM are both great schools, so i'm having a really difficult time choosing between the two. When i visited both schools, i got a better vibe from PCOM, it just seemed like they had better facilities, the students seemed to be more happy, the faculty seemed more dedidicated to their students, etc. I have spoken to several friends who currently attend NYCOM and they say that the first two years are good, the students there are for the most part segregated based on their nationality and background, and if you don't have any connections, they you're screwed for the exams, since the school utilizes old test questions quite often. Keep in mind, i understand your experience in med school is what you make out of it, but i don't want to attend a school that runs on that high school mentality. On the flipside, i would be saving an extra 8-10 grand by living at home if i attended NYCOM, since i'm about 30mins away from the school. From what i understand both PCOM and NYCOM have a strong basic sciences curriculum, but i think that NYCOM has a better clinical education, based on what people have said and the hospitals they are affiliated with. But overall, i think PCOM is more reputable in terms of being around longer, and if two applicants, one from PCOM and the other from NYCOM, with the same credentials are applying for the same residency program, the residency director would be more inclined to give it to the applicant from PCOM. Right now the balanced is tipped a little bit on the PCOM side, but i really feel that the 3rd and 4th years at NYCoM is by far superior to PCOM, and aren't the clinical years relatively more important than the basic sciences? (i already have a strong foundation in the basic sciences from grad school). So basically i'm going crazy, pulling out my hairs, trying to decide which school to attend. any help and comments would be greatly appreciated. thanks a lot!

 

[JMJ]

Go to the school that you feel will make you the best physician. Based on what you have said, you feel that the clinical years are more important that the science years. I would tend to agree. therefore, choose the school that is going to make you the best physician...bottom line. How well you adapt to a given environment and group of people will have an influence on your ability to perform in the science years. Make your decison based on comfort, gut feeling, and what school you feel is going to produce a quality physician. You have to great options. Go with your gut.... Best Wishes

J.J.😎

 

[oceandocDO]

I'm a second year at nycom. Both schools are great schools, so take comfort in that. PCOM is old and established in certain circles, but if you're looking to stick around NY after graduation, NYCOM has many, many more connections in the NY area and from what I've seen there isnt a comparison when it comes to clinical years. I've heard some horror stories about rotations from upperclassmen at pcom, and from some nycom students who have done elective rotations at pcom, but I also know some pcom graduates who were quite pleased with their clinical education. To each his own.

As far as nycom being segregated based on background or ethnicity, I assure you it's not as bad as you may think it is. Do certain groups gravitate together, especially in the first few months, sure, as they do anywhere, but this dissolves quickly as long as you are somewhat outgoing. Quantitatively NYCOM is the most diverse medical school in the country, with 55% women this year actually, so please believe this isnt a school of segregated cliques who never interact, that is far from the case. When it comes to old test questions, TQs are actually given out to all students on a CD by the student council folks in the first month of class. The faculty knows these resources exist, thus as a result, test questions are very rarely repeated. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise. If they're not doing well in school, it's not because they have missed out on old test questions that someone else was able to see beforehand and study from. TQs are the most over-rated study aid in medical school, believe me, I've tried them.

But overall, i think PCOM is more reputable in terms of being around longer, and if two applicants, one from PCOM and the other from NYCOM, with the same credentials are applying for the same residency program, the residency director would be more inclined to give it to the applicant from PCOM

This is the common statement most premeds ask that has absolutely no relevance to reality. Your school has very little to do with where you go in residency. It's YOUR performance, not your school's, that determines your placement. NYCOM's match this year was on par if not better than any other D.O. school out there. One of my colleagues listed the recent allopathic match from nycom in thisthread.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. Like I said, both places are great schools with great futures, so go to the place where you can be the most happy, as a happier med student is a more productive one, and a better eventual doctor for it, IMO.

 

[beponychick]

Hello everyone!

I recently interviewed and was accepted to PCOM. I just received an interview invitation for NYCOM. I really liked PCOM when I visited and am wondering if I should go on the NYCOM interview. For those of you who interviewed at both schools, which one do you like better? Do you think it is wise for me to NOT go on the NYCOM interview?

Cheers...
🙂

 

[Chronotropic]

If you haven't received an acceptance from PCOM then yes you should go.

 

[PTjay]

congrats on your acceptance to PCOM. I really enjoyed my interview experience there as well and thought everyone was excellent. I received an interview invitation to NYCOM as well and am deciding not to go. I interviewed at NSU and am having a difficult time choosing between PCOM and NSU, and I'd rather be in philly or fort lauderdale than long island but that's me.

if PCOM is your top choice then don't go on the interview. I have heard others give advice though that you should go to every interview you get or you may not end up at the school that is right for you.

hope that helps but if you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

jay

 

[isomerjohn]

PCOM - Case closed