There are a lot of cons for going to RVU-COM. If you plan on living on loans, you're looking at $65K+ a year in loans accruing 5-8% interest every year. Loans that you won't be able to pay off until after residency. So, imagine buying a $260K house, but not paying on it for at least 8 years.
That scares the crap out of me.
Still, Colorado and the NHSC are offering very nice loan forgiveness programs. There are 40+ counties in Colorado alone that do not have more than 1 doctor. Then there's the military route, that will not only pay for your tuition and fees/books/supplies, but also pay your $1900 a month. All of these programs have service commitments, but some of them start during your residency.
Speaking of residencies, RVU-COM is untested. No one knows if they will have enough slots for their first class, let alone their first 4 classes. Think about it, they will need about 600 spots to accommodate all of their students.
This doesn't scare me, as much.
For the past 3 years, Colorado Health Sciences has produced less than 10 family practice docs per year. This means that you might see some competition in IM or Peds, but FM, obgyn, AM and Geriatrics residency slots will be wide open. And since there are 40+ counties in CO without enough docs, I would imagine that you'll find a place with someone in the state.
That leaves board scores. When I interviewed at LECOM, they said that their pass rate was 98%. That's the highest I've heard any place, including the MD schools I interviewed at. Most schools claim 90%+ pass rates. The schools that post lower, are probably being more honest.
What I've come to realize is this: most people will pass their boards. It's how well you pass that matters, but then only for specializing. If you just want to be a family practice doc (which is what RVU-COM would like), you just need to pass. You board scores will tell people who you are. Sure, there might be some docs that don't like you because you went to RVUCOM. These docs will probably be the same people that are prejudiced against Caribbean schools. If they're MDs, they're probably prejudiced against DOs. Most doctors don't treat their profession like a bunch of high school kids, setting up cliques and gangs. You're going to find elitists in every profession. If it's that important to you, then you should focus your applications on Ivy League and California schools.
At the end of the day, the two things that would concern me are accreditation and $$$. It's going to cost you no matter what. The school will be accredited, or most of the students will get some kind of matriculation agreement. The administration won't leave the students hanging in the wind. Everyone will know the score by 2012. If that scares you, then RVUCOM isn't for you.
