Primary Care Commitment

[aust10n]

I have noted that most COM's have 'commitment to primary care' as one of their selection factors. What does this mean exactly? Are you signing a contract?

While I am open to the idea of primary care, I am not confident I could commit myself to the practice without having experienced clinicals.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Show us an example.

 

[crazyboi1993]

No there is no commitment, they want you to become primary care physicans no commitment, thats their goal at the end, and hopefully to serve that region as well, but no one can stop you from specializing. Just do well on ur audtition rotations, and excellent board scores

 

[aust10n]

Show us an example.

CUSOM is one.

 

[VagabondKing]

While osteopathic schools are interested in creating more primary care physicians, I haven't heard of anyone being forced to become one. Unless you signed up for a primary care scholars type program which give you incentives, ie scholarship, so long as you become a primary care physician.

 

[Azete]

I think this is a common misconception. Yes, the goal of many DO schools is to create primary care physicians but by no means do they push you towards primary care once you're accepted. In fact, it is to the school's benefit to help their "rock star" students achieve competitive residencies/specialties -- it helps them sell their school in the future.

Also, hypothetically, if a DO school were able to recruit a full class of 3.8/32+ applicants knowing none of them would pursue primary care, I think you would find them carefully rewording their mission statement. Primary care just happens to most conducive to the caliber of students they're capable of attracting.

 

[docycle]

While osteopathic schools are interested in creating more primary care physicians, I haven't heard of anyone being forced to become one. Unless you signed up for a primary care scholars type program which give you incentives, ie scholarship, so long as you become a primary care physician.

Sounds fancy. And I think LECOM (and maybe some others?) have specific 3yr PC tracks (http://lecom.edu/academics/the-college-of-medicine/primary-care-scholars-pathway/), which would probably require an actual written agreement.

OP I didn't apply CUSOM. Can you cite what you're talking about?

 

[docycle]

it is to the school's benefit to help their "rock star" students achieve competitive residencies/specialties -- it helps them sell their school in the future.

Well. COCA accredited med schools frankly don't have trouble selling themselves. Now to super-qualified applicants that match competitive specialties? You might have a point there. But theoretically they don't need to attract droves of that type of student. There's nothing wrong at all with churning out PCPs, and many osteo schools seem to take pride in it.

Also, hypothetically, if a DO school were able to recruit a full class of 3.8/32+ applicants knowing none of them would pursue primary care, I think you would find them carefully rewording their mission statement. Primary care just happens to most conducive to the caliber of students they're capable of attracting.

Agreed.

 

[Bones 2020]

It's interesting that my other in-state school, a 100+ year established MD institution, also "pushes" for primary care/rural physicians. So really, it isn't just DO

 

[PathoTurnUp1865]

I'm going to go into what I want.

 

[allantois]

I'm going to go into what I want.

Or more like what you score into ... unless you are an NP, then you can be very versatile and do derm one day, EM next day 🙄

Osteopathic schools' primary care mission statement is more of a warning to students that most of them will end up in primary care.

 

[PathoTurnUp1865]

Or more like what you score into ... unless you are an NP, then you can be very versatile and do derm one day, EM next day 🙄

Osteopathic schools' primary care mission statement is more of a warning to students that most of them will end up in primary care.

This is true, but I am not trying to be a neuro surgeon or any kind of surgeon for that matter. I'm more interested in either specializing through internal or going the neuro route.