For those of you interested in PCSOM and Pikeville, here is the real scope. I am FP faculty and incharge of postgraduate opportunities. 29 year Navy doc and 4 in academic medicine.
Pikeville, Kentucky is a town of 6,500 wonderful folks in the largest county in the US east of the Mississippi. The area is the Appalachian Mountains and all that is beautiful about it. The people of the town are 100% behind you and very proud of the fact you are training to be their doctor (no town-gown stuff). If you are into designer clothes, gourmet meals and foreign films, please reconsider. If you can be happy shopping at SuperWalmart (if they don't sell it you don't need it),good basic food (italian, mexican and chinese)and a place where you can leave your car unlocked and walk in the eviening with out fear, this may be the place for you.
PCSOM's mission is to training primary care doctors for the Appalacians and other underserved area. It does a great job of it. Graduates are highly sought after (70-80% go into primary care specialties - IM, Peds, OB and FP) others go into more limited specialties. The PCSOM Board of Trustees makes sure you start with a level playing field by supplying you with a
Dell lap top (all lectures are on powerpoint and can be downloaded)
OPP table (a strong part of the curriculum)
Stetescope, and diagnosistic kit (Welch Allyn Oto and Opthalmoscope)
and all required text books
The curriculum is tough. Clinical rotations are 14 months in 8 core site (mostly in KY or neigboring states)
If you want to know more contact me privately.