PCOM-GA rotations

[StevensBibi]

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hi everyone

how are PCOM-GA's rotations? Ward based / preceptor based? Basically staying in the Atlanta area or are you spread out across GA?

thanks

 

[AlteredScale]

Moving to medical student>osteopathic discussions.

 

[deleted407021]

Bump. I am interested, as well.

 

[phenobb]

Depends.

You can choose to stay in the ATL area, but this is in general a mistake. Better rotations are at the "anchor" sites in Columbus, Warner Robins, West Palm, etc.

As far as ward/preceptor, this depends on the rotation. Certainly had inpatient FM/IM with residents, and they are pretty consistent about this across all the sites. Not sure that the residents helped/assisted in learning much. Mostly seemed to waste time with pre rounds, resident rounds, attending rounds on these rotations. After seeing the same patient three times in a day you get REAL tired of residency programs.

Ward based surgery seems to me like it would be a horribly useless thing. Residents would just get in the way- much better to learn from a preceptor.

 

[nfh21500]

Depends.

You can choose to stay in the ATL area, but this is in general a mistake. Better rotations are at the "anchor" sites in Columbus, Warner Robins, West Palm, etc.

As far as ward/preceptor, this depends on the rotation. Certainly had inpatient FM/IM with residents, and they are pretty consistent about this across all the sites. Not sure that the residents helped/assisted in learning much. Mostly seemed to waste time with pre rounds, resident rounds, attending rounds on these rotations. After seeing the same patient three times in a day you get REAL tired of residency programs.

Ward based surgery seems to me like it would be a horribly useless thing. Residents would just get in the way- much better to learn from a preceptor.

I agree with this. But I did stay in the ATL area, and felt like I had a great experience. I think I did get lucky with the sites I got sent to though.
When I showed up at academic programs I did very well, and I do think some of this had to do with being with in preceptor based rotations where I got all the attention and teaching (no competing with residents).

 

[Kissmyabjj]

I did the Atlanta track too. I had great experiences being able to work with a lot of different preceptors at different hospitals. I also had no trouble adapting to an academic style institution.

 

[DrSteveJBrule]

Can anyone comment on where the current "Anchor" Sites are located? I see the class of 2016 had the following options: Rome, GA; Columbus, GA; Warner Robbins, GA; Millegeville, GA; Albany, GA; Birmingham, AL; Montgomery, AL; Dothan, AL; Decatur, AL; West Palm Beach, FL; Johnstown, PA. Anything change?

 

[NurWollen]

The 'rotations suck' thread has everyone nervous. Lol. We'll probably see a lot of school-specific "what are XCOM's rotation sites like" threads popping up.

 

[YankeeCandle1141]

And its stupid. My favorite rotation, where I learned the most and did the most hands on has been deemed to be a "bad rotation" on my class facebook page.

Med students bitch. A lot. If you have an open mind, you will realize that just like rotation grading is subjective, so is the way students review rotations.

 

[wjs010]

And its stupid. My favorite rotation, where I learned the most and did the most hands on has been deemed to be a "bad rotation" on my class facebook page.

Med students bitch. A lot. If you have an open mind, you will realize that just like rotation grading is subjective, so is the way students review rotations.

Yea we see what you mean and are glad that it worked out great for you, but we have to try to plan ahead , because it's more probable that sites deemed crappy are crappy. It's just that we don't know anything about the sites until we are there, so we have to try to find out about them

 

[YankeeCandle1141]

Yea we see what you mean and are glad that it worked out great for you, but we have to try to plan ahead , because it's more probable that sites deemed crappy are crappy. It's just that we don't know anything about the sites until we are there, so we have to try to find out about them

No. Oddly enough, 99.99% of preceptors arent doing it for the money (spoiler alert: they lose money having students). If you dont act like a little bitch when rotations refuse to spoon feed you your education, you will be fine.


What do you think is more likely... 12 awful rotations, or 1 awful medical student?

 

[YankeeCandle1141]

.

 

[wjs010]

No. Oddly enough, 99.99% of preceptors arent doing it for the money (spoiler alert: they lose money having students). If you dont act like a little bitch when rotations refuse to spoon feed you your education, you will be fine.


What do you think is more likely... 12 awful rotations, or 1 awful medical student?

Prob 1 awful student, however there's gotta be a reason people swear by ward based rotations.

 

[hallowmann]

Prob 1 awful student, however there's gotta be a reason people swear by ward based rotations.

It is conducive to learning how to function in residency. That doesn't necessarily correlate to good doctoring, because most physicians don't practice in such settings, but it does help come audition and residency time. There also tends to be more structured learning in wards based rotations.

None of this inherently means that preceptor rotations are bad or poorly planned. The thing is, you could certainly have a really bad preceptor that basically only let's you shadow or where there's very little you can do except watch the doc (possibly a very good one) write notes because he has to hurry and finish before the next patient. Are they all like that, no, and I'm sure it also depends strongly on the field. With wards based, you could have a bad attending, or a bad resident, or a bad intern, but the chances they'd be all bad is not particularly high.

The other thing is structured education. A residency program has a teaching structure embedded in it (because they have to have one), a preceptor may or may not have one. It could work to your advantage in that depending on the preceptor, you might get to do amazing stuff that residents dream of doing. It also could mean that you have a lot of down time where you're just told "read in this room while I do X, Y, Z" or "practice writing notes that I'll never look at". It all depends on how organized the rotation is and the preceptor.

I'd also like to say that med students complain a lot. Go in expecting a great experience, and decide for yourself whether it was bad or not. The thing is, when you start hearing complaints about a specific location/doc where the complaints are all pointing out the same problems and coming from different people, that might actually mean something.

 

[wjs010]

It is conducive to learning how to function in residency. That doesn't necessarily correlate to good doctoring, because most physicians don't practice in such settings, but it does help come audition and residency time. There also tends to be more structured learning in wards based rotations.

None of this inherently means that preceptor rotations are bad or poorly planned. The thing is, you could certainly have a really bad preceptor that basically only let's you shadow or where there's very little you can do except watch the doc (possibly a very good one) write notes because he has to hurry and finish before the next patient. Are they all like that, no, and I'm sure it also depends strongly on the field. With wards based, you could have a bad attending, or a bad resident, or a bad intern, but the chances they'd be all bad is not particularly high.

The other thing is structured education. A residency program has a teaching structure embedded in it (because they have to have one), a preceptor may or may not have one. It could work to your advantage in that depending on the preceptor, you might get to do amazing stuff that residents dream of doing. It also could mean that you have a lot of down time where you're just told "read in this room while I do X, Y, Z" or "practice writing notes that I'll never look at". It all depends on how organized the rotation is and the preceptor.

I'd also like to say that med students complain a lot. Go in expecting a great experience, and decide for yourself whether it was bad or not. The thing is, when you start hearing complaints about a specific location/doc where the complaints are all pointing out the same problems and coming from different people, that might actually mean something.

I guess it's just a matter of finding these comments specific to your school rotations 😀 it's gonna take some work to sort it all out, but it's probably worth it to have good rotations

 

[deleted407021]

I guess it's just a matter of finding these comments specific to your school rotations 😀 it's gonna take some work to sort it all out, but it's probably worth it to have good rotations

You and I had talked about PCOM-GA a while back. Perhaps you remember? How's it been going up there, if you don't mind sharing?

 

[wjs010]

You and I had talked about PCOM-GA a while back. Perhaps you remember? How's it been going up there, if you don't mind sharing?

Pretty good 😀 first yr ended on 6/5. So of course all is well now. Got any q's about the school?

 

[deleted407021]

Pretty good 😀 first yr ended on 6/5. So of course all is well now. Got any q's about the school?

Good to hear! How was you first year in regards to absorbing information? Has that been a challenge? Would you have picked PCOM-GA again, given your first year experience?

More specific to the school: Did you do anything that you think helped you get into this school specifically? What drew you to this campus in particular? Do you feel well prepared for boards, both COMLEX and USMLE? Are you content with the opportunities afforded to you through the school and is there anything you think is missing? Do you see a lot of successful and happy upperclassmen and graduates? Is the student population largely bright and cooperative? Would you say PCOM-GA is a good option for a GA native who isn't gunning for something glamorous?

What do med students do during the summer/winter? What are you up to, if you don't mind sharing? Would you mind sharing your app. stats?


Sorry about all the questions 😳 But thanks for offering to talk!

 

[wjs010]

Information was not so bad to absorb . Just a lot of repetition. Micro/biochem/immuno/ cell/genetics had tons of straight memory. I'm pretty good with memorizing though. Sure id pick it again, as far as DO goes. I mean, i would probably pick TCOM over it but oh well.

Not sure. I just shadowed and had a decent gpa. I also shadowed internationally, but it wasn't mentioned in my interview. This is one of the closest schools to me, so that's a big reason. I have no idea who's happy or if I'm being well prepared for boards yet, but I probably am because we have a good pass rate ( not even sure if that counts) .. Boards is such an individual thing that I cannot really answer. I'm content with the school but I think they did a lousy job of teaching us primary care skills. I'm not sure how bright the student body is, but we must be decently smart 😀 yes, ga-pcom is a great option. We have tons of GA natives. Also, it doesn't matter what you are or aren't gunning for: that's completely dependent on the individual. I am reading that most med students just have fun over the summer, so I'm gonna stick with that. I had a decent gpa and a non-rock star mcat( prob avg) and I'm doing well above avg in classes. Mcat is a joke lol.. I'm convinced it was even harder for me because I hated physics , and pretty much all the stupid, basic subjects on the mcat. Medicine is a different story however. Most of it is at least slightly interesting .. I'm convinced mcat is a terrible entrance exam for med school

 

[Duotone]

For those planning their 3rd year rotations in GAPCOM

Some people do have pressing needs that prevent them from choosing anchor sites (Warner Robbins, Columbus, Albany, Rome, West Palm beach etc etc). If you fall into this category, do not be dismayed. Your rotation (wherever you choose to be) will pan out to be essentially what YOU make of it. There are pros and cons to whichever track you choose.

You can decide to stay in one location (anchor site), get to know everybody there, get used to their way of doing things, and get to know every attending there by their first names. Within a month, you would have settled into their way of doing things. That makes things easier. However, after 12 months, you would have seen things from the perspective of ONE location (be it several attendings). If you happen to spend those 12 months in a site that has a residency program, you would have put one foot in (or out of) the door as far as landing a residency spot is concerned.

You can also decide to choose the Atlanta track (J-track) where you literally jump around from one location to another every month, and get stuck in ATL every so often. By the time you get used to one hospital system, it is time to move on to another (Sucks as hell!). Having said that, the J-track exposes you to a plethora of ways of doing things, and challenges your ability to morph and adapt with the times (which in my opinion) is one of the huge challenges in medicine - adapting to a new way of doing things every now and then. The J-track will bring out the versatile-YOU. This trait will serve you immensely when you start residency. With the J-track, you may get to work with residents (at least at AMC if you choose that site); an experience that may serve you if you plan for an audition rotation there or elsewhere.

So either way, try to touch base with students from both sides of the fence so as to make an informed decision on which track to choose. But remember that what you take away from either track depends on what you want to gain from it. Also bear in mind that one student's worst attending may end up being your dream attending.

 

[Zephor0]

I'm a OMS-3 on the ATL track. I travel a lot. I've had an amazing experience so far and the attendings let me interview whatever patients I want. They let you help with assessment and plans and will use your information you gathered to further the case. They have spots usually at the "good anchor sites" available for ATL students (eg: my IM is at columbus). I've had a really good experience.

 

[appleball5]

I'm a OMS-3 on the ATL track. I travel a lot. I've had an amazing experience so far and the attendings let me interview whatever patients I want. They let you help with assessment and plans and will use your information you gathered to further the case. They have spots usually at the "good anchor sites" available for ATL students (eg: my IM is at columbus). I've had a really good experience.

Thanks for the info! I have a few questions if anyone can answer. I have been accepted and will be attending PCOM GA. I am interested in buying a house for my family in the area. So if I were to do the J track, where are the sites located? Should I buy a house right next to campus or in between there and Atlanta? I would want to pick best location for all 4 years of school.

 

[simbad8]

Thanks for the info! I have a few questions if anyone can answer. I have been accepted and will be attending PCOM GA. I am interested in buying a house for my family in the area. So if I were to do the J track, where are the sites located? Should I buy a house right next to campus or in between there and Atlanta? I would want to pick best location for all 4 years of school.

So basically all the rotation info in this thread is void now because they're changing it for us (probably for the worse but better in their minds). Instead of having j-track and anchors, it'll be regions. So metro atl, northeast GA, southwest GA, etc...(exceptions are Johnstown, PA and west palm beach... And possibly Jacksonville, FL (not sure on that one yet)) And to be totally honest, that's pretty much all we (second years) know about it right now and we're "supposed" to be picking where we go dec 17... so this should be interesting. I can def let you know when we get more info cause I know finding the best place to live is really hard but I would just try to wait for now. Also, they'll be taking the same amount of students (~20) for each region so the chances of being in Atlanta are waaaaay less than they have been previous years.

 

[appleball5]

So basically all the rotation info in this thread is void now because they're changing it for us (probably for the worse but better in their minds). Instead of having j-track and anchors, it'll be regions. So metro atl, northeast GA, southwest GA, etc...(exceptions are Johnstown, PA and west palm beach... And possibly Jacksonville, FL (not sure on that one yet)) And to be totally honest, that's pretty much all we (second years) know about it right now and we're "supposed" to be picking where we go dec 17... so this should be interesting. I can def let you know when we get more info cause I know finding the best place to live is really hard but I would just try to wait for now. Also, they'll be taking the same amount of students (~20) for each region so the chances of being in Atlanta are waaaaay less than they have been previous years.

Thanks for the info!! I will check for an update when you know 🙂

 

[C3H6O3]

So basically all the rotation info in this thread is void now because they're changing it for us (probably for the worse but better in their minds). Instead of having j-track and anchors, it'll be regions. So metro atl, northeast GA, southwest GA, etc...(exceptions are Johnstown, PA and west palm beach... And possibly Jacksonville, FL (not sure on that one yet)) And to be totally honest, that's pretty much all we (second years) know about it right now and we're "supposed" to be picking where we go dec 17... so this should be interesting. I can def let you know when we get more info cause I know finding the best place to live is really hard but I would just try to wait for now. Also, they'll be taking the same amount of students (~20) for each region so the chances of being in Atlanta are waaaaay less than they have been previous years.

Thanks for the info! I have also recently been accepted and I'm trying to choose between a few schools. So will students stay in one particular region for the entire year? Will students rotate to different centers in each region? Sorry for the questions but any info would be much appreciated!

 

[simbad8]

Thanks for the info! I have also recently been accepted and I'm trying to choose between a few schools. So will students stay in one particular region for the entire year? Will students rotate to different centers in each region? Sorry for the questions but any info would be much appreciated!

Yeah so for example if you get southwest region that's basically including Columbus and all those other small towns in that area of the state and you'd be going all over that region instead of before where you'd just be in Columbus.

 

[C3H6O3]

Yeah so for example if you get southwest region that's basically including Columbus and all those other small towns in that area of the state and you'd be going all over that region instead of before where you'd just be in Columbus.

So there is technically no longer anchor hospitals where students will spend the entire 3rd year? Sounds like students will be in a region with a hospital and then also rotate in smaller settings within that region as well? Thanks again for the info.

 

[simbad8]

So there is technically no longer anchor hospitals where students will spend the entire 3rd year? Sounds like students will be in a region with a hospital and then also rotate in smaller settings within that region as well? Thanks again for the info.

Yep that's what we think.

So we got some info today. Basically like I said, it's split up into NE, NW, SE, SW, south central, central georgia, then johnstown, PA and Alabama region. That's all they've told us so far. NE Georgia is basically the Atlanta track spanning only about an hour out from the center of Atlanta so really not bad travel wise like some of the other ones. Something important to note though is that people with families don't get preference, it's all based on a lottery system. So even though I don't have a family (luckily because wow I can't imagine how you guys do it), I would suggest just renting a place for the first two years because the likelihood of you being able to stay in Atlanta for 3rd year is kinda slim... we think there might only be 20 spots per region so 20/135 = no bueno. Also keep in mind though that by the time that you get to this point, it could be completely different.

 

[C3H6O3]

Yep that's what we think.

So we got some info today. Basically like I said, it's split up into NE, NW, SE, SW, south central, central georgia, then johnstown, PA and Alabama region. That's all they've told us so far. NE Georgia is basically the Atlanta track spanning only about an hour out from the center of Atlanta so really not bad travel wise like some of the other ones. Something important to note though is that people with families don't get preference, it's all based on a lottery system. So even though I don't have a family (luckily because wow I can't imagine how you guys do it), I would suggest just renting a place for the first two years because the likelihood of you being able to stay in Atlanta for 3rd year is kinda slim... we think there might only be 20 spots per region so 20/135 = no bueno. Also keep in mind though that by the time that you get to this point, it could be completely different.

Thanks for the update. Is West Palm still an option? Do you see this change as a positive or negative?

 

[simbad8]

Thanks for the update. Is West Palm still an option? Do you see this change as a positive or negative?

No it's not one anymore. And as someone who usually welcomes change, I'm not too fond of this new map yet.

 

[jtm0021]

Ok so I've asked this question before and I got a completely different answer...Alabama rotations are still up and running? I was told they weren't due to ACOM.

 

[simbad8]

Ok so I've asked this question before and I got a completely different answer...Alabama rotations are still up and running? I was told they weren't due to ACOM.

It wasn't for the third years now. They're changing it to a new place I think for us so it's different than previous years. Advice: don't pick this school if you're expecting to go somewhere specific for third year rotations because it's probably gonna be different for you or even if it is, you might not match into it.

 

[jtm0021]

It wasn't for the third years now. They're changing it to a new place I think for us so it's different than previous years. Advice: don't pick this school if you're expecting to go somewhere specific for third year rotations because it's probably gonna be different for you or even if it is, you might not match into it.

Just curious because I asked the question before and didn't really get an answer. I am going to GA-PCOM anyways. I thought about possibly doing my rotations back in Alabama since I'm from there and it would possibly be at the hospital I'm working at right now.