Question on LECOM

[niceguydoc]

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Hey Lecomers, i had a question. During my interview, i asked if the school generated a match list, and in response they said that the graduating class was way too large to keep track of everyone. So i asked them about what percentage of students take both the comlex and usmle, and the response i got was virtually none. Those two responses has raised my suspicions about the reputation of the school. Don't get me wrong, i'm sure their are many intelligent students at the school, but i raise this question in order to help me decide between lecom and a couple of other schools. One of the factors is the match list, or what kind of residencies students place into. Does anyone have any idea what percentage of the graduating class end up at primary care VS specialty residencies and what percentage of the graduating class go into osteopathic VS allopathic residencies. I just find it odd that a school does not make available their match list makes it seem like they have something to hide. I may be wrong, but i'd like to attend a school that can offer me the best education possible tailoring it to my long term goals of residency placement. Thanks for any help.

 

[Green912]

You certainly didn't get a very professional answer. One possiblity could be that your interveiwers didn't know, but didn't want to admit it. Not eveyone on the panel is an employee of the school such as the private practice D.O. in mine. I would assume that at least one person on each panel works for LECOM, but who knows.

 

[Docgeorge]

niceguydoc, do a search on this forum for a thread called LECOM vs NYCOM. I interviewed and was accepcted at lecom, but chose to go elsewere, if you have a choice think real hard about going to LECOM.

 

[niceguydoc]

I'm so confused...i have had people tell me that lecom is a solid school, and then there are people that tell me to go at my own risk. I thought the school was ok, wouldn't mind going there, but i'd like to know what their match list is like, esp the type of residencies their students place into. I don't care about their dress code, or military approach to safety or living in dreary erie. The deciding factor is the type of residencies their students place into. I definitely want to go into an allopathic residency and plan on becoming an anesthesiologist. So i'd like to attend a school that has a good track record of placing students into competitive specialties. It just really surprised me when i was told that virtually none of their 212 students take both the comlex and usmle. and when you look at nycom's match list, it's pretty impressive. I would choose lecom over nycom if i knew for a fact that their students were competitive and place into top residency programs across the nation. Can anyone at lecom please confirm this, so i have peace of mind and feel confident i am making the right decision if i do choose to attend lecom.

 

[njdo]

niceguydoc,

Let me try to put your mind at ease about LECOM. Though you may hear otherwise from people NOT attending LECOM, I will tell you that it is a solid school (especially for being only 10 years old). Last that I heard, LECOM was "ranked" second out of the osteopathic schools for the amount of rotation sites. Some believe that having so many sites spread throughout the east coast is a bad thing, however I see it as a very positive movement. It shows that our name is out there, that hospitals and doctors trust the students that LECOM educates. In case people haven't heard, LECOM is opening a Florida branch in 2004 that has preliminary accreditation in both FL and PA (unanimously). Why would the AOA and FL department of education allow LECOM to come in and open a school to educate the future osteopathic physicians of America if it was such a horrible school?

As for match lists...we as students have never seen match lists either. I will tell you what I've heard from alumni I have talked to. Some of the names I've heard mentioned for matches include Pitt, Penn, Mayo, Georgetown, etc. I also talked to MS IV's that matched at Mercy (Pittsburgh) for IM and Drexel University for Pathology. An alumnus I know personally is doing a rotation in the Lehigh Valley in IM and will be doing a fellowship in Critical Care. Although I can't show you any match list (no one has one), I hope this gives you a better idea of where students are placed. Furthermore, I wanted to mention that we are taught by alumni who have gone into ENT, Ophthalmology, EM, Neurology, Orthopedics, and on and on. A lot of students will end up at the hospitals affiliated with the school, and there are numerous good hospitals-UPMC, Hamot, St. Vincent's, Mercy, St. Luke's Hospital, etc.

It is easy for someone just starting (and even MSI's and MSII's) to think that they have to get the top name residency in the top name hospital. Fact is, it really depends what you want to do later on, and secondly, there are a lot of lesser known hospitals with awesome programs that will lead you right into fellowships if that's what your plans are.

I hope this gave you a little bit of comfort in making a decision between the two schools. I didn't apply to NYCOM, so I can't tell you about their matches nor their education. Please know that LECOM offers a fine education that is continuously growing in quality and recognition each year.

GOOD LUCK!

njdo
MSII

 

[Docgeorge]

I think it's a little odd that neither the presesnt students nor prospective students are not allowed to see a match list. This seems a little wierd to me. But alas it does'nt worry me that I wont ever see LECOM's match lis, but those who are considering going to LECOM probablly should worry a little bit. just my $.02

 

[sddoc]

DocGeorge -

No offense or anything, but you seem to spend more time in forums dogging LECOM than you do talking about your own school. Did someone step on your toes during your interview? Since you decided not to attend LECOM, I'm not sure that you are qualified to comment on the education that students receive there. I'm sorry that you had such a bad impression of LECOM, but, at best, you can give your opinion based on a one or two day visit to the school.

Nice Guy Doc -

You may want to contact Dr. Agostini at LECOM. He is in charge of 3rd and 4th year rotations, and probably has a good idea about where our students end up. Also, as I recall, there was an article in DO magazine a few months ago that reviewed the types of residencies that students at different schools ended up in. If you could locate a copy of the publication (it's produced by the AOA), that may answer at least some of your questions. Good luck with your decision! 😀

 

[niceguydoc]

thanks for all your replies...for some reason i don't feel put at ease if i decide to attend lecom. i just can't get over the fact that the school does not make public their matchlist. i think the majority of allopathic and osteopathic schools postup their matchlist. For a lot of prospective med students, i think where students place in their residency factors into their decision about attedning a particular school. For me, this is definitely one of the most important criteria. To me that raises red flags, shows me that the school has something to hide. this really sucks cuz i could see myself attending lecom. now i have to give serious thought as to whether or not this school is the best fit for me. I didn't get so much of a good vibe from nycom, but then again their matchlist is pretty impressive. correct me if i'm wrong, but they had about 20 students matching into allopathic anesthesiology residencies, which is where i hope to be at 4 years down the line. i guess it's basically gonna come down to the flipping of a coin...heads or tails....🙂

 

[Docgeorge]

sddoc, no offence taken. I do spend an extrodanry amont of time talking about my school. Go look at our thread in the osteo forum. No one stepped on my toes at LECOM, I had a wonderfull interview. Infact I really liked my interviewer, he was a very nice and we cliked on many levels. As far as me posting about LECOM a question was asked about LECOM by someone trying to decide between different medial schools and had a question about LECOM I anwsered based on my expericnes and opinions. Albit these are ony my opinions and they like everyting else are probally biased by my experieces. But is'nt every thing?


I know that I am not qualified to comment on the education there at LECOM, but how about profs at the school? Are they qualified to comment? If you see my previous post, (I think I only gave my opinions about LECOM in that post and one other) you will see how my opinions came about. My question to you sddoc is why do you get so defencive about your school and the education that you receive there? Do you feel that it is lacking? Are you concerned that the administration is so secretive? Why not publish the match list, I mean afterall thats how a medical school is judged is it not? A match list does not have to give names of the students, just the speciallity and the place they matched to is that really that hard?

In the end, if we are lucky enough to have a choice we should choose a place that we are comfortable with if LECOM is a place you are comfortable and happy then by god go there and get your medical education.

Happy Trails

PS if interested heres the link to the other thread about LECOM vs NYCOM

 

[smgilles]

This is right of LECOM's website for the class of 2000 and their match.

http://www.lecom.edu/alumni/alumni.htm

Anesthesiology

Heather Benner, D.O.
Residency
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
e-mail: [email protected]

Joshua Constable, D.O.
Residency
Medical College of Virginia
e-mail: [email protected]

Chang Lee, D.O.
Residency
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
e-mail: [email protected]

Bryan Matusic, D.O.
Residency
Allegheny General Hospital
e-mail: [email protected]

David Skolnick, D.O.
Internship and Residency
Kansas State University
e-mil: [email protected]