Regarding the clinical years...

[KWBum]

Hi!

I was wondering if you all could speak to couple issues.

First, it is my understanding that few, if any, osteopathic medical schools are directly affiliated with or attached to a teaching hospital. This, in contrast to just about all MD schools having their own hospitals. Is this a concern? How does this affect teaching? It seems a somewhat odd arrangement to me.

Second, and stemming from the first question, I am of the impression that most third and fourth year clinical rotations at osteopathic schools must consequently be arranged by the students themselves. The teaching in these years is very unstructured, often far off-campus, and in quality directly relates to the individual student's self-starting and motivation to arrange something didactically useful.

So, if I am wrong on any of these points please correct me. Mostly, I am looking for any and all related comments.

Hey, thanks!

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[pags]

You are absolutely correct and I agree with both of your points. I believe most DO schools do not have an affiliated hospital directly on campus, as compared to allopathic schools. Thus, their 3rd and 4th year students must go far and wide (somewhat) to complete their mandatory and elective rotations. This sets up a couple of problems..... 1) All clinically based courses, such as cardiology, GI, derm, etc...., must be completed in your second year. This makes for a very busy MSII. 2) Increased cost of traveling, parking, and possible living expenses. 3) Marked irregularity in quality of rotations are possible, if not likely, when there are 20 different affiliated hospitals.

As for your comment about self-motivation, if you aren't self-motivated already, you better start soon.

Good luck.

 

[Michael]

I go to OSU-COM in Tulsa and our school has a teaching hospital and a health care clinic. All of our rotations are arranged for us, except the eight months of electives we have to do.

 

[KWBum]

Originally posted by pags:

As for your comment about self-motivation, if you aren't self-motivated already, you better start soon.

Good luck.[/B]

I love it! Yep, you're right. I'd best get with the program.

But I suppose I wasn't too clear was I? I, in mentioning the self-starting, wanted to address the varying nature of comments found in these SDN fora. Some DO students complain a great deal, some are quite happy with their clinics. Thus, the complaints seem to be less a statement on the schools than on the multiple (sic!) personalities of the students attending them. My meaning was intended to be that the last two years of DO school appear to be, by and large, simply less structured than their MD counterparts. One is not, therefore, walked through the process. One must go it alone. So, with less structure it is easier to get lost via the usual student demons such as procrastination et al.

These are simply my understandings. That is why I wanted to start this thread. With interview season upon us, and my lack of information on the subject, I thought I'd throw it up to the grunts in the trenches, as it were, the current MSIII's and IV's.

I'm looking for a variety of inputs. Mike, there, has the right idea. These things aren't generally very clear in the school literature. I am increasingly inclining towards the DO.

So, all you all out there, do let me know.

 

[UHS2002]

I am a MS3 at UHS, staying in KC for my clinical rotations and I can tell you that the school arranges all of them, with the exception of the 4 electives in the fourth year. Although we do not have an affiliated hospital, 7 out of my 10 rotations as a third year will be done at local hospitals.

 

[KCP]

I am an MS 3 at OU-COM. We participate in the CORE which stands for "Centers for Osteopathic Research & Education"

We spend the first two years learning basic science in Athens (Ohio). The last two years are spent at a variety of hospitals throughout Ohio. Who goes where is determined by a lottery. We each rank where we want to go and when your name is pulled, if your first choice is available, that's where you spend your 3rd & 4th years. If it's not available, you go to your second choice etc.

We are not left "hanging" to arrange our own rotations and we don't have to leave the state. Most are small-medium sized community hospitals but there is a large 500 bed hospital in Toledo that's in the CORE.

While a small community hospital doesn't sound glamorous, there are advantages. In my hospital, I am one-on-one with the attending doc, am first assist on surgeries, and don't have to stand 4-5 people back to try to see procedures. It's very much hands-on and the larger hospitals can't offer as much hands-on because they have more interns & residents ahead of the students to do stuff. A teaching hospital doesn't have to be huge and impersonal in order to teach. I am very satisfied with my education up to this point and would not consider going anywhere else.

Good Luck

 

[kidterrific]

Hey, Michael, how do you like OSU-COM? I'm interviewing there on Nov 3rd!

Anything I should know?

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KidT
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