Questions regarding LECOM PCSP

[Postictal Raiden]

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The fear of being 400K+ in debt got me thinking about and considering LECOM's 3-year primary care medicine program. I've read on their website that the program is designed for those who want to commit to practicing in either FM or general IM for five years. Furthermore, the only fellowship options available for PCSP graduates are Geriatrics, OMM, and OB.

I was wondering...

1. Were graduates of this program able to secure residencies? were they discriminated against because of their accelerated medical education?

2. Does shaving a year off compromises one's medical education? From what I understand, the pre-clinical years remain the same, but the clinical ones get reduced to only 20 months.

3. Does hospitalist work qualify as "general" medicine? or does one have to be practicing outpatient care?

4. What is the likelihood that, after completing the 5-year post-residency service commitment, one goes back to complete a fellowship in CCM or Rheum?

Thanks,

 

[costales]

What about 4th year electives? Maybe you should ask the school to clarify.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

What about 4th year electives? Maybe you should ask the school to clarify.

From what is it seems, they have eliminated most of vacations, stuffed some of year 2 courses into the end of year one, and made the clinical rotations start in April of year 2. It looks to me that they have gotten rid of elective rotations to allow sufficient time for the other mandatory ones.

http://www.mutualgravity.com/dld/lgzhdztzw/pscp-flyer.pdf

 

[BabyDoc86]

The way it was explained at my interview last week, they cut out the 3rd year rotations you won't need, like surgery.

 

[Slane]

They drop pretty much all elective rotations, you have a few medicine selectives but they have to be approved by the administration as being beneficial to you as a PCP. None of the core rotations are dropped, you still do surgery, OB/GYN, and all that. You can only do FM or IM residencies now, pediatrics and OB/GYN are not allowed. You can't do IM/EM or FM/EM programs, it can only be strict FM or IM. It hasn't been around for anyone long enough to do a post-IM fellowship, the first class is only like two or three years into its residencies I think. You don't get very much time to study for boards.

My personal opinion, don't do it. The pre-clinical portion of it is horribly developed and poorly taught. Do you get out of medical school a year quicker? Yes, but at the expense of coming through it with a sub-standard education. Interest in it in general seems to be waning. 5 of the original 12 in my class dropped from it, and the class behind me didn't even come close to filling the spots. Technically it's still an experimental pathway that can be revoked by the AOA at any time, we signed all kinds of research consent stuff when we started in it. I personally don't see it lasting too much longer.

 

[AFMD]

According to LECOM's 2011 match list more than a third of LECOM graduates went matched into a family medicine or internal medicine residency. Of course less than that matched into an AOA residency, but it these are very popular specialties for LECOM graduates. As for being "stuck" in a primary care residency, many LECOM grads (and medical school grads in general) will be "stuck" as well.

(Our medical system is extremely specialist heavy right now. Many medical schools do not even have Family Medicine departments. If I have type 2 diabetes do I need to see an Endocrinologist MD FACE to tell me how to take Metformin? Anyways, this is a discussion for a different thread.)

PCSP students take level 1 of the COMLEX at about the same time as the students from the other pathways (LDP, PBL, and DSP). The two biggest differences are losing the first summer of vacation and doing fewer rotations. Losing out on audition rotations might be a big deal for you.

PCSP students do the first 12 weeks of anatomy exactly the same as the LDP and DSP students. (Parenthetically, PBL does not participate in the actual cadaver anatomy lab) From what I understand PCSP is similar to DSP (directed study) after anatomy, but they don't stop in the summer. They've gotten ahead and do two rotations before taking level 1 of the COMLEX.

After these two rotations they have 4 weeks to study for level 1 of the COMLEX. They take level 1 about the same time as everyone else (May). COMLEX 2PE is taken duing the 9th rotation (November I think), and COMLEX 2CE after the 10th rotion (December I think).

It's a small program that LECOM has an interest in protecting to protect their reputation. The students save close to 60 grand in tuition and living expenses (depending on the situation), not to mention making a 6 figure salary a year earlier than everyone else. Having not been through the program I don't know much else than this.

Rotations are:
End of Year 2:
1) FM
2) IM1
3) "Clinical Review" 4 Weeks of studying for Level 1 of the COMLEX

Year 3:
4) OB/GYN or Peds
5) Peds or OB/GYN
6) IM2
7) Gen Surg
8) Med Selective 1
9) OMM Review or Psych
10) Psych or OMM Review
11) Med Selective 2
12) Ambulatory Med 1
13) Ambulatory Med 2
14) ENT
15) EM
16) Sub I

 

[ljw8993]

I'm a 4th year at LECOM. I have two friends of mine who went through PCSP and came out ok. There are some advantages (3 years, lower loans), but some definite drawbacks.

1. Practically no time off. After your summer before first year, don't expect many holidays or time off.
2. I've heard complaints about the faculty and organization.
3. You are stuck in IM or FP. Even if you want to be a hospitalist, you have to work in your field for 5 years as an attending before you can go on to something else. There is a contract you sign saying that if you don't, you will owe the school another year's worth of tuition.
4. You miss out on several opportunities. You only get 1 month of EM, practically no electives. You are only allowed to choose from a VERY selective set of rotation sites. While there may be 10 of you, there are 10 or 11 places you can choose from.

If you aren't 100% sure that you want FP or IM, I would say to not do it. Also you need to be great with time management and studying on your own as you're basically an independent study student (read from books and follow objectives). You may have only 1 exam for an entire subject (like biochem). You also have to apply for programs, many times before you have taken your Step II PE or even written exam. You have to take your PE in December (or before if I remember correctly). No exceptions.

I will say that both of my friends have graduated and have residencies (1 in NJ, the other in Meadville) and seem to be fairly happy. Granted, how happy can you be as an intern? But I digress...

 

[Igor4sugry]

I had a hard time understanding their PCSP pathway. Family Doc should be well rounded, and cramming all rotations into essentially one year does not help. I believe there is a great deal of maturity that a medical student goes through during their fourth year, not to mention doing rotations that may never be done in residency (e.g. derm, anesthesia, etc...).

Physician Assistant programs have this amount of clinical training; lets not go down to that level.

 

[medhead1990]

Necro Bump.... Current 3rd year PCSP student, if anyone has questions about the program fire away. =)

.

 

[GypsyHummus]

How competitive is the program? Is there any way to attend lectures though this pathway? Are there people from the post bacc program that can get into this program? (current post bacc student).

I am interested in family medicine, but eventually I would like to do an urgent care type of set up (which I think you can do as a FM doc). Are there rules prohibiting this?

Can this pathway also work as a general practitioner with just a 1 year rotation residency and setting up shop in a state without residency requirements?

how do graduates do on the COMLEX? USMLE?

Necro Bump.... Current 3rd year PCSP student, if anyone has questions about the program fire away. =)

.

 

[medhead1990]

How competitive is the program? Is there any way to attend lectures though this pathway? Are there people from the post bacc program that can get into this program? (current post bacc student).

I am interested in family medicine, but eventually I would like to do an urgent care type of set up (which I think you can do as a FM doc). Are there rules prohibiting this?

Can this pathway also work as a general practitioner with just a 1 year rotation residency and setting up shop in a state without residency requirements?

how do graduates do on the COMLEX? USMLE?

Getting into pcsp is not particularly difficult they àlmosr always have at least one unfilled spot. This is mainly because no one wants to sign their life away to primary care with the just in case looming over their head.

The girl I sat next to in all the lectures we do attend was post bacc.... you can attend all the lectures you want but you will find you don't attend very many at all.

Part of the contract is providing primary care medicine for 5 years after residnecy which I do not belive urgent care would qualify. So you would have to do the 5 years and then transition over to urgent care.

I would just finish resiency it'd only 2 more years. I honestly don't know technically it's within the contract I think but I have a feeling they would not like the idea.

You will do very well in whatever boards you take. Pcsp historically does as good orbetter than the lecom average... which lecom traditionally is one of the higher scoring schools in the country.

Typed this with my phone sorry for any errors

 

[Bluedogsarecool]

Getting into pcsp is not particularly difficult they àlmosr always have at least one unfilled spot. This is mainly because no one wants to sign their life away to primary care with the just in case looming over their head.

The girl I sat next to in all the lectures we do attend was post bacc.... you can attend all the lectures you want but you will find you don't attend very many at all.

Part of the contract is providing primary care medicine for 5 years after residnecy which I do not belive urgent care would qualify. So you would have to do the 5 years and then transition over to urgent care.

I would just finish resiency it'd only 2 more years. I honestly don't know technically it's within the contract I think but I have a feeling they would not like the idea.

You will do very well in whatever boards you take. Pcsp historically does as good orbetter than the lecom average... which lecom traditionally is one of the higher scoring schools in the country.

Typed this with my phone sorry for any errors

Is PCSP harder than the normal LECOM curriculum? Do u have more meterial to know per test than a regular student or is it just dissipated in the summer so you have reasonable time to prepare?