Pros & Cons of LMU-DCOM

[WalkingCorpse]

I have no idea about other schools' rotations.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I've heard that they have wards based rotations

Where did you hear this? I have been told the opposite by a current student

as an accredited school

They aren't accredited yet. They are gong to have COCA trouble if their attrition levels don't drop.

Out of which of these schools would you say has the best rotations?

LMU

VCOM

WVSOM

CUSOM

KYCOM

Or is it a common theme for DO schools to dump you on your ass years 3/4?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

CUSOM and WVSOM hands down.

 

[BelieveMeChile]

Where did you hear this? I have been told the opposite by a current student



They aren't accredited yet. They are gong to have COCA trouble if their attrition levels don't drop.

Current student in the LUCOM thread. He wasn't 100% sure though. What rotations do they have, supposedly?

My mistake. They are seeking accreditation. I imagine with the money invested in the COM they're going to make big changes and improvements.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[IslandStyle808]

That doesn't sound terrible. What's wrong with that?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Gonna play catch up here.

From long ago here is a post by Dr. WBD (an attending on here), it highlights the differences between preceptor based rotations and ward based

"Your question presupposes that there is some merit to a "preceptor-based clerkship" which in my opinion is erroneous. The reason these types of clerkships exist is simple - it allows DO schools to pocket lots of tuition $$ while satisfying accreditation requirements to a bare minimum. My opinion is that preceptor-based rotations have no place in the education of third-year students (except maybe for Psychiatry and Family Medicine).

When you do a preceptor-based rotation in something like Internal Medicine:
- you're getting taught by one person only
- you may or may not have actual clinical responsibilities
- you'll likely have less patients to see (one physician usually doesn't have that many patients on their census)
- you'll be in (most likely) a community-level hospital without high-level pathology to see and manage.

On the other hand, when you do a real Internal Medicine rotation in a teaching hospital (ideally a tertiary level center):
- you'll have one attending but many residents, all of whom you can learn from
- while it might be possible you could "tag along" without meaningful interaction with the team in some teaching hospitals; the good hospital-based rotations I had as a student emphasized the opposite - you were expected to work as a part of the team, presenting cases, formulating differential diagnoses, getting stuff done for the team.
- being on a ward team gives you exposure to exponentially more patients - even if you aren't directly involved with their care, the team usually rounds with the attending on all of the patients which means more learning
- usually higher-level pathology in teaching institutions.

Are there downsides? Yes, but they are overwhelmingly outweighed by the positives. I work in a community hospital and have seen DO students being "precepted" by the ICU attending and the teaching appears to be a complete joke. Most of the students wander around until the attending shows up, do cursory "rounds" and then cut out to "study". Third year isn't supposed to be a vacation - it's an essential part of medical education. Don't cheat yourselves out of a proper education."

 

[IslandStyle808]

That doesn't sound terrible. What's wrong with that?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I will also add my input to this. When you are under an attending, you are seeing and understanding what they do. However, there will be a lot you are missing because of this. Attendings when making a diagnosis, will be zooming through many steps that you don't know about and are really important. However, you will see the steps of this process when looking at residents. Not only that you will be functioning in a team of residents in the future. If you don't learn this early, residency programs will see this during 4th year and you chances at a good program will tank. You don't want to be playing catch up during 4th year when this stuff should have been learned during 3rd year. You will match into a worse program as a result. So you want to be with residents as much as possible.

 

[Rekt]

Out of which of these schools would you say has the best rotations?

LMU

VCOM

WVSOM

CUSOM

KYCOM

Or is it a common theme for DO schools to dump you on your ass years 3/4?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Not sure where that other dude gets a hard on from CUSOM and WVSOM, but these are all pretty much the exact same tier rotation wise, except I'd probably put Pikeville last. I've heard VCOM has huge clinical rotation coordinator problems. At least listen to the alumni in the thread about electives, when I interviewed at LMU I remembered how much elective time you get and looking back, that's something incredibly important. I liked my CUSOM interview, but thought LMU was the superior of the two at that time and trashed my WVSOM interview because of how much it costs to attend.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Not sure where that other dude gets a hard on from CUSOM and WVSOM, but these are all pretty much the exact same tier rotation wise, except I'd probably put Pikeville last. I've heard VCOM has huge clinical rotation coordinator problems. At least listen to the alumni in the thread about electives, when I interviewed at LMU I remembered how much elective time you get and looking back, that's something incredibly important. I liked my CUSOM interview, but thought LMU was the superior of the two at that time and trashed my WVSOM interview because of how much it costs to attend.

I've heard the OOS tuition is atrocious with WVSOM


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[IslandStyle808]

I went to LMUDCOM. I got in my #1 residency in the specialty I wanted. Was it because of DCOM? No, probably not, it was more likely due to my own initiative. 1st/2nd year are ok, you should have no excuse for failing boards at least. My 3rd year core rotations were atrocious, but I was able to set up some sweet elective rotations which took some effort to do. Would I have gone to a different school if I had to make the choice again? Probably.

Long story short: if you're self motivated and somewhat intelligent you will do fine if you go to DCOM.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Glad it worked out for you. The elective time was one of the few pros of the school. Pre-medical students should definitely look at all the handbooks on core rotations and elective rotations. I have read on many occasion where electives rotations have saved the butts of countless DO medical students.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I've heard the OOS tuition is atrocious with WVSOM


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

In the past it was, but all DO schools have radically increased their tuition and WVSOM only had slow increases. Because of this WVSOM's tuition is at $50k, which is not much different than some schools which offer $48k for their tuition.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

In the past it was, but all DO schools have radically increased their tuition and WVSOM only had slow increases. Because of this WVSOM's tuition is at $50k, which is not much different than some schools which offer $48k for their tuition.

That isn't as bad. I know almost all DO schools are very expensive because they tend to be considered private. I guess if you don't want debt you shouldn't go to medical school.

My parents almost had a heart attack when I told them how expensive tuition was. My dad immediately started mentioning PA school and NP school lol


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[IslandStyle808]

Not sure where that other dude gets a hard on from CUSOM and WVSOM, but these are all pretty much the exact same tier rotation wise, except I'd probably put Pikeville last. I've heard VCOM has huge clinical rotation coordinator problems. At least listen to the alumni in the thread about electives, when I interviewed at LMU I remembered how much elective time you get and looking back, that's something incredibly important. I liked my CUSOM interview, but thought LMU was the superior of the two at that time and trashed my WVSOM interview because of how much it costs to attend.

I probably interviewed at the same time as you. LMU was still the worse choice in comparison to CUSOM. The fact that CUSOM is the sponsor of its own residencies says a ton about how well they setting up their clinical education. Although, I do admit, a lot remains to be seen.

 

[IslandStyle808]

That isn't as bad. I know almost all DO schools are very expensive because they tend to be considered private. I guess if you don't want debt you shouldn't go to medical school.

My parents almost had a heart attack when I told them how expensive tuition was. My dad immediately started mentioning PA school and NP school lol


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

In the past, I think WVSOM was at $49k while other schools were at $43-44k. So there was a more substantial difference back then

 

[Seth Joo]

.....

LMU is mostly a rural school, I believe the nearest city is Knoxville, not sure how exciting that city is for young people. That being said, living in Miami, New York, LA is not much fun as a medical student on financial aid unless you got rich parents paying your bills. Many students, particularly millennials have no concept of money, I know this because I am a millennial.

Going to a place like LMU could actually be a good thing, the school has great facilities, the cost of living is low, few distractions.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

The fact that CUSOM is the sponsor of its own residencies says a ton about how well they setting up their clinical education

@Rekt I don't have a hard on for CUSOM and WVSOM. This ^^ is far more than KYCOM and LMU have done alone, not to mention CUSOM has linkages to rotation sites that Wake students rotate at. I agree CUSOM has a lot to prove still but they are already ahead of the other schools on that list.

WVSOM has a decent number of ward based rotations and has some of its own residency programs. It still is rural but has a better run clinical Ed program than the VCOMs, LMU, WCU, and KYCOM.

 

[KaBoom'd]

More insight on clinical rotations is by far the number one thing I'm looking to take away from interview day. I've attached this year's match list FWIW.

 

[IslandStyle808]

@Rekt I don't have a hard on for CUSOM and WVSOM. This ^^ is far more than KYCOM and LMU have done alone, not to mention CUSOM has linkages to rotation sites that Wake students rotate at. I agree CUSOM has a lot to prove still but they are already ahead of the other schools on that list.

WVSOM has a decent number of ward based rotations and has some of its own residency programs. It still is rural but has a better run clinical Ed program than the VCOMs, LMU, WCU, and KYCOM.

CUSOM is actually far ahead of WVSOM, when it first started. More than ten years ago, several WVSOM rotation sites were outside of the state. Only with in the last decade were all core rotations instate.

 

[mrculb01]

Why did you choose to attend LMU-DCOM over other schools? What do you love/ best things about this school?

 

[RGL01]

I graduated from LMU-DCOM in 2014. PGY-3 psychiatry now. Lived in Knoxville. Fell in love with East TN. No regrets about attending there. Fully accredited and relatively inexpensive as medical schools go. The best attribute of the school was the attitude of the faculty and student body. One big family.