RVU-COM vs. Big 4?

Started by dylantanis
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dylantanis

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Please NO D.O. vs offshore flaming...

I'd like to know where you'd attend and why?

My end goal is to be a physician....and to me its about residency. Its about placing myself in the best possible position to get a competitive residency.

I obviously would rather live in Colorado then Dominica, Grenada, St. Maarten, and Saba.

Which path would you take to get to the end result?
Which is riskier?
 
The vibe I have gotten is that DO is favored over FMGs at some programs, but I think it may depend on the programs you are looking at.

I am in the same boat as you, but I love CO and would rather spend 4 years close to snowy mountains and rotate in hospitals I know than be on the beach on another country.
 
facetedforms said:
The vibe I have gotten is that DO is favored over FMGs at some programs, but I think it may depend on the programs you are looking at.

I am in the same boat as you, but I love CO and would rather spend 4 years close to snowy mountains and rotate in hospitals I know than be on the beach on another country.
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thats what i'm concerned about...are PD going to have a bias against RVU...or am i better off at SGU that has a 30 yr history....tough one!
 
Art Vandelay2 said:
It may be easier to compare established DO schools with FMG.
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if i got into an established one...this thread would have never started...
i would pick an established program over any foreign route...
i'm just trying to see what some experienced members think in terms of which criterion to use in order to judge a program's ability to get you to the end goal of being a physician...

what should i be considering? i DON'T want to know which is 'better' (DO v IMG debate)....I want to consider this very specific case...RVU-COM v. 'big 4'
 
Depends. I think even within the Big 4, there is a hierarchy. Did you get into SGU? That has a low attrition rate and a 99% acceptance rate into US residency. Clinicals are also in better shape for SGU than some of the others.

So if its SGU vs RVUCOM, its a harder choice than if its Ross/SABA/AUC vs RVUCOM.
 
Chocolate Bear said:
How would any of us POSSIBLY know the answer to your question??!!

Why don't you email some PDs, and if they ever respond, post their responses here?
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I'm not asking for a definitive answer...I'm asking what criterion to use...and for opinions from people that know more than me...

sorry for asking.
 
I think the question is tricky, honestly. You have an acceptance to an onshore medical school. However, that onshore school happens to be for profit, new, and without solidified connections to the US medical system. This is rather hard to answer. If it were any of the more established DO schools the answer would be "clear."

Did you interview at any other DO programs? If so, are there any deadlines coming up that you need to fulfill, thus not getting answers from said programs?
 
dylantanis said:
I'd like to know where you'd attend and why?
My end goal is to be a physician....and to me its about residency. Its about placing myself in the best possible position to get a competitive residency.
I obviously would rather live in Colorado then Dominica, Grenada, St. Maarten, and Saba.
Which path would you take to get to the end result?
Which is riskier?
Click to expand...

Well, I chose RVU over established DO programs for a few reasons.

1. I just like Colorado a lot more than anywhere farther east. I'm going to be here for 4 years, might as well enjoy the scenery.

2. The administration has told us many times that they are working very hard to open up many new residencies. I'm not guaranteed into them, but I will be able to get to know the PDs easily during rotations.

3. I don't feel any risk going to RVU. Some people are weary, but I have heard and seen too many good things to worry at all.

4. I like new things. And everything at RVU is brand new, which is awesome. It won't make me anymore competitive in residency, but it will be a little extra fun along the way.

However, it is true that our new residency programs won't open until my class graduates, so it's impossible to know exactly how many will open up, though they want to open up at least 150 that include a wide spectrum of specialties (not just primary care). There's also no data about our board scores or match rates.

It's a lot to consider... just do what you're comfortable with. Best of luck-
 
I gotta definitely think about this one...

Similarities: both for profit...similar tuition...private loans
Differences: living US v living caribb (yuck!), RVU hasn't graduated a class, big 4 has and
has decent matches

I'm just wondering if there will be an 'unofficial' bias towards a RVU grad vs. another D.O. grad...I'll have to try to get in contact with some PD.
 
Kicking butt academically = better chances

Regardless of school,

Especially SGU or RVU.


I've heard if you are decent and play your cards right, they will look at how well you FIT, and less where you went to school (of course they will look). As it seems these are less important the farther you get.
 
boone95 said:
they want to open up at least 150 that include a wide spectrum of specialties (not just primary care)
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Opening 150 new residency slots in Colorado within the next 3 years is really, really unlikely. I wrote a long post on this last year and got flamed by the RVU community:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=6526549#post6526549

I stand by everything I wrote, and I am still extremely skeptical (like, no way in hell is that going to happen). Please do not choose your med school based on the assumption that you are going to have a big advantage in entering new Colorado residency slots.

Back to the original question: I still think you do have an advantage in going to a new US school vs. established offshore. Time will tell.
 
Honestly RVUCOM vs. SGU, I would say SGU hands down. You said that you were more concerned with Residency, if you look at the Residency placements for SGU their actually pretty impressive. Not to mention your only on that Island for 2 years, the last 2 years your at teaching hospitals in the states (good ones at that). Not only do they have good residency placements, they also have very high scores on the USMLE. I suppose this is to expected with a well established program. If residency placements is your primary prereq. that should be an easy choice, all this info can be found on the schools respective websites.
 
Does anybody wonder if SGU's rotation placements are going to become less secure when their contracts run out with the institutions (at least in NY)? I'm not sure what year that would be. It seems to me there's been quite a bit of outrage at the payment issue...but that might just be b/c I work at a med school, read too much SDN, and work alongside too many clinical instructors and med students. In reality, maybe nobody who matters enough to change the issue actually cares.

Anyhoo, if it were up to me, I would wonder about that. I am initially turned off by the for-profit nature of RVU, but all the off-shore schools are for-profit also, so that's a moot point. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here. Assuming you are unwilling to re-apply in a different year and want more options, I think perhaps the best solution to me would be to go to RVU and try to transfer to an older D.O. program. Touro programs accept transfers, readily. I pick RVU, b/c I think all schools probably get a lot of transfer apps from the off-shore students. Those schools collect a lot of unsuccessful on-shore MD applicants, conversely, there are students who are chosing to go to RVU because of its location.

If this is your first year applying and you applied late, and if you can afford to do so, I might reapply and submit everything as soon as the applications are open. It makes a tremendous difference.

Ultimately, if you can't stand to do that, just go where you think you'll be happiest. You won't learn as well where you are unhappy. Living in the carribean won't be the same as living in at RVU. Try and get a strong impression of the character of the faculty and the student bodies they are building. My guess is that RVU will have a lot of pressure to maintain "on-shore" standards and appear no different than its non-profit peers...so, I bet that when they graduate their first class they'll be as prepared as every other first graduating class of D.O.'s we've recently seen. And, frankly, Touro NV, ATSU SOMA, PCOM GA, have all done pretty well. RVU isn't going to want to make itself into a garbage pail to catch the people who not only can't get into MD, DO onshore schools but also off-shore schools. So, in spite of the ehtical issue of being for-profit, I'm sure it won't actually result in a bad education. (After all...that'd be bad for their profit ultimately!)

Good Luck!
 
Chocolate Bear said:
How would any of us POSSIBLY know the answer to your question??!!

Why don't you email some PDs, and if they ever respond, post their responses here?
Click to expand...

Chocolate Bear is right on with his statement.

We all understand your "question", as many of us have struggled with the same and/or similar situation(s), but the honest answer is that these boards are a really poor venue for it.

Asking pre-meds for advice about graduate medical education is quite similar to presenting at an ER and getting your exam, medical treatment, and/or advice from the receptionist rather than the physician.

Your question...to be appropriately answered...needs to be presented to practicing physicians and PD's. And...for the love of God...please don't ask just 1 of each!!! You really need to ask the same question to about 20 physicians, AND 20 PD's. Many will have differing opinions...and you really need to be consider them all in your decision.

As I said...most of us have been down this same path of thinking. What I will share with you is the general consensus among nearly every MD, DO, MBBS, and PD I have asked...and I've asked more than 100.

There is nothing wrong with going to any of the Big-4, and any of them will prepare you to be a competent physician...BUT!!!...for purposes of licensure, and getting a competitive residency...the simple truth of the situation is that you are better off at the WORST medical school in America (even if it's a brand new for-profit DO school)...than if you go foreign.

Good luck in your decision.

OlyWA
 
I think all these responses skirted around the real issues here.

RVU, while being a for profit institution, is also new and wont be able to qualify for subsized stafford loans until they graduate the first class. Therefore you are looking at all private loans to attend. The cost of attendance is almost 40k a year. making it more than SGU which is 37k a year.

Not only that, how many times have you heard speculation that some PD's will be prejudiced against RVU for being a for profit institution?

Not all DO insitutions are created equal, and keep in mind that RVU is created by the descendant of the original owner of AUC-st. Maarten.

At least at the moment SGU is eligible for subsidized stafford and has a 30 year history of graduating students.

Keep in mind I am not an FMG, but on the DO side of the fence.

just my 0.02
 
Dissonance said:
I think all these responses skirted around the real issues here.

RVU, while being a for profit institution, is also new and wont be able to qualify for subsized stafford loans until they graduate the first class. Therefore you are looking at all private loans to attend. The cost of attendance is almost 40k a year. making it more than SGU which is 37k a year.

Not only that, how many times have you heard speculation that some PD's will be prejudiced against RVU for being a for profit institution?

Not all DO insitutions are created equal, and keep in mind that RVU is created by the descendant of the original owner of AUC-st. Maarten.

At least at the moment SGU is eligible for subsidized stafford and has a 30 year history of graduating students.

Keep in mind I am not an FMG, but on the DO side of the fence.

just my 0.02
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Does anyone know if any PD's will really be "prejudiced against RVU for being a for profit institution"?...No. I have not heard any actual PD's that are on SDN and have not heard any PD's in person that any 'prejudice' against RVU. Although, I have heard negatives against the Big 4 (thats a whole different post).

Take it to account living in to account living in one of the nicest towns in Colorado vs. living in a second world county...wow seems like a hard decision.

RVU has some of the best faculty. Most are taken from other DO schools. Schools such as NSU, DMU, TCOM, MSU, Touro and many more.

RVU has the best technology that is availible for a state of the art medical education. I know MD students at UCHS, who interviewed at RVU that wish they had the same technology. Ex: the hologram technology that will be available soon.

If you have a problem with the for-profit medical school then don't go to RVU. But more people need to look past that and look at the quality of the medical education they are able to provide.
 
NRC:

You are missing the point. It is well known that many people, students, residents, and attendings have petitioned the AOA to not let a school like RVU exist. This opinion may possibly extend to PDs, which was the point of my bringing up that whole topic. Would you want to take that chance when it comes to match time? Didn't think so, considering that 40% of DO's *do* participate in the Osteopathic match. Especially if you are a OMS4 looking to match into something very competitive.

Supposedly there is a decent amount of support locally for RVU in the colorado area, but the school is new, and has minimal clinical affiliations.
SGU on the other hand, has 30 years of clinical affiliations and a well represented body of SGU alumni in faculty at said clinical affiliations.

Lastly, when you are close to 300k in debt, would you want that amount to be ALL in private loans? incruing an enormous amount of interest while you are in school and residency? obviously not. SGU has Federally Subsidized Stafford loans and cheaper tuition. Clearly the better financial step here.

FMG vs. DO? certainly redundant at this point. We all know DO's do better in the match as a whole vs. FMG especially when you include AOA residency options. However, RVU has a new and untested curriculum. SGU does not. Everyone thinks they are going to come to medical school and annihilate the boards and land derm or rads. But lets be real here, with an untested curriculum, who is to say that it will give you the education necessary to ROCK the boards? Pass, probably, but get 600+ COMLEX, 230+ USMLE, seems a little harder of a task when going to a new school with a new curriculum.

Lets call a stone a stone. Financially RVU doesn't make sense when comparing it to SGU, and if you are even remotely thinking of doing primary care this should be a significant issue for you to consider.
If you include both schools track record then this seems like a no brainer, especially when you consider that the campus on SGU is extremely modern and new and is exaclty like the US, not a shanty town in a shack somewhere with no ac learning medicine, and you return to the US to do clinicals, so the point that you made about living in colorado vs. an island pretty much falls short.

Earlier in this thread there were opinions stating that LECOM has great board scores, but although the Bradenton location is new, LECOM already has a proven track record in the north, with it's ISP and PBL tracks up there. Relay this same idea to the newer PCOM-GA and you get the point. Comparing those schools to SGU is a no brainer. They trump SGU in almost every way.

Comparing specifically RVU to SGU, I think the decision to pick SGU should be obvious. Both schools are for profit, so that's a moot point.
 
So when exactly is the first graduating class going to happen? Im not going in for a couple years so I could just wait and see what happens. Now does all this apply to that new Lincoln Memorial school as well? Or all new schools for that matter?
 
Yea, but I'd trust the non-profit schools that are associated with existing colleges/universities a lot more.
 
OP...go wherever you heart leads you to go. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else but RVU.

To the poster talking about private loans and the tuition that I pay, I currently use Sallie Mae and have a 5% interest rate...that's right, 5% (lower than government subsidized loans at this point in time, though it is subject to change). I can imagine the cost of commuting to and from the Caribbean, as well as cost of living...though it would be nice to live on an island in the middle of paradise. Oh, and I pay a fixed tuition of 35K. Not bad if you ask me...
 
pyropig said:
So when exactly is the first graduating class going to happen? Im not going in for a couple years so I could just wait and see what happens. Now does all this apply to that new Lincoln Memorial school as well? Or all new schools for that matter?
Click to expand...

The inagural class graduates in 2012. So, I guess only time will tell. But there will always be room to discuss how we will do with our integrated, systems based curriculum and potential board scores/residency placement.

I would say that these discussions are applicable to Lincoln, Pacific Northwest and any other new school opening up. You can't really justify a particular point of view until you see numerous classes and the track record that the school establishes.
 
paramediclizard said:
To the poster talking about private loans and the tuition that I pay, I currently use Sallie Mae and have a 5% interest rate...that's right, 5% (lower than government subsidized loans at this point in time, though it is subject to change). I can imagine the cost of commuting to and from the Caribbean, as well as cost of living...though it would be nice to live on an island in the middle of paradise. Oh, and I pay a fixed tuition of 35K. Not bad if you ask me...
Click to expand...

You mentioned 'subject to change'.....that's the whole point I was making. Not only that, staffords don't incrue interest till post graduation/residency. Your private sallie may loan DOES, and in fact you may not be able to defer your payments on those during residency. Remember how during the Bush era the payment deferments were stopped, and now you need to apply for economic hardship deferment? Not to mention Staffords are at 5.9% and not fluctuating. So you will be substantially more in debt than a grad who has subsidized loans in the long run.

Also, the housing at SGU is reasonable and part of their budget. Not bad if you ask me, since you live on brand new campus housing when you are on the island, and no using a car/carpayment/gas etc. So I think your point about that falls short.

It's great to defend your school, and no one here is attacking your school in any personal way or saying it's less than capable of providing you with a good education. We are simply comparing one school to another in a responsible manner, which was the OP's question. After all, it's important to think about the bigger picture, rather than just getting accepted somewhere. Comparing two non-profit schools together is the point here. Schools like LMU and PNWU are non-profit so must be compared in a different manner.
 
Dissonance said:
You mentioned 'subject to change'.....that's the whole point I was making. Not only that, staffords don't incrue interest till post graduation/residency. Your private sallie may loan DOES, and in fact you may not be able to defer your payments on those during residency. Remember how during the Bush era the payment deferments were stopped, and now you need to apply for economic hardship deferment? Not to mention Staffords are at 5.9% and not fluctuating. So you will be substantially more in debt than a grad who has subsidized loans in the long run.

Also, the housing at SGU is reasonable and part of their budget. Not bad if you ask me, since you live on brand new campus housing when you are on the island, and no using a car/carpayment/gas etc. So I think your point about that falls short.

It's great to defend your school, and no one here is attacking your school in any personal way or saying it's less than capable of providing you with a good education. We are simply comparing one school to another in a responsible manner, which was the OP's question. After all, it's important to think about the bigger picture, rather than just getting accepted somewhere. Comparing two non-profit schools together is the point here. Schools like LMU and PNWU are non-profit so must be compared in a different manner.
Click to expand...

I thought that only subsidized Stafford loans didn't accrue interest, not unsubsidized.

Also, unsubsidized Stafford loans are at 6.8% right now. GRAD Plus is at 8.5%.
 
Semicolon said:
I thought that only subsidized Stafford loans didn't accrue interest, not unsubsidized.

Also, unsubsidized Stafford loans are at 6.8% right now. GRAD Plus is at 8.5%.
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Both subsidized and unsubsidized accrue interest. Difference is interest for subsidized is paid for by the gov't while in school but unsubsidized keeps acrruing. Perkins does NOT accrue interest during school only after you graduate.
 
fj4288 said:
Both subsidized and unsubsidized accrue interest. Difference is interest for subsidized is paid for by the gov't while in school but unsubsidized keeps acrruing. Perkins does NOT accrue interest during school only after you graduate.
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Exactly, thanks for that. sorry for not clarifying my earlier post.
 
Dissonance said:
You mentioned 'subject to change'.....that's the whole point I was making. Not only that, staffords don't incrue interest till post graduation/residency. Your private sallie may loan DOES, and in fact you may not be able to defer your payments on those during residency. Remember how during the Bush era the payment deferments were stopped, and now you need to apply for economic hardship deferment? Not to mention Staffords are at 5.9% and not fluctuating. So you will be substantially more in debt than a grad who has subsidized loans in the long run.

Also, the housing at SGU is reasonable and part of their budget. Not bad if you ask me, since you live on brand new campus housing when you are on the island, and no using a car/carpayment/gas etc. So I think your point about that falls short.

It's great to defend your school, and no one here is attacking your school in any personal way or saying it's less than capable of providing you with a good education. We are simply comparing one school to another in a responsible manner, which was the OP's question. After all, it's important to think about the bigger picture, rather than just getting accepted somewhere. Comparing two non-profit schools together is the point here. Schools like LMU and PNWU are non-profit so must be compared in a different manner.
Click to expand...


cool...sorry if i came off "defending my school" (i have gotten used to it on this forum)

why does it always have to come down to for profit vs. non-for profit bull**** will you guys? the person who I was speaking asked a question specifically about LMU. that is why i compared the two based on being new and not having track records.

i'm glad you got set correct with the interest and government loans. if it works for the OP to up and leave the united states than great. i wasn't about to be without my family for that amount of time. that is why it worked out best for me. again, back to my original reply, 'follow your heart'

out of curiosity, what is the COA for SGU? housing, transportation, tuition, books, etc...

oh, and i won't be "substantially more in debt" when i graduate (i pay my interest off and deduct it in my taxes)
 
dylantanis said:
Please NO D.O. vs offshore flaming...

I'd like to know where you'd attend and why?

My end goal is to be a physician....and to me its about residency. Its about placing myself in the best possible position to get a competitive residency.

I obviously would rather live in Colorado then Dominica, Grenada, St. Maarten, and Saba.

Which path would you take to get to the end result?
Which is riskier?
Click to expand...


To be honest, I might consider a post-bacc/SMP/MCAT improvement if I thought I could get into a better established D.O. program next time around.

Nothing against RVU or the big 4, I just don't have the appetite for risk for either as things currently stand. And it's likely that you'd get into one of the big 4 again next cycle, so you won't be completely SOL if you don't substantially improve.
 
Why is for-profit or non-profit held against the student anyway? The student is simply trying to obtain a medical education.
 
Alright, I'm done playing devil's advocate.


OP just put it this way. SGU and RVU aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Looks like you are on the right track with that line of thought.
 
thanks for the feedback guys! lots to think about...

the whole financial side of it is a good point and something to consider...
 
msb1190 said:
Why is for-profit or non-profit held against the student anyway? The student is simply trying to obtain a medical education.
Click to expand...

te prevailing thought is for-profit schools really only care about money and not the education they give their students. That is why it is looked down upon. Granted many non-profits act like for profits sometimes.


Also of note going to sgu limits where you can do rotations as a student apparently they are not recognized with insurance in many states so they cannot do electives as easily as you would want. I was told by a guy from sgu he wasnt allowed in PA to do rotations
 
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.
 
Since many arguments against RVU-COM concern its for-profit status, the school will only convince others the eq. quality of education with solid performances after graduating its first class.

And subsidized govt loan is very limited, I think every year the maximum is about 8,500. Then the rest are made up of the unsubsidized portion, and Grad PLUS, etc. The interest rate, unfortunately no matter how you look at it, is SCARY. Also, I think govt loan cap takes into account of those you accumulated while in undergrad.

Anyway, the point is, if you applied to RVU-COM and SGU then there must be reasons for your choices. Focus on those positive aspects and find out which one is right for you.

I personally do not fancy the number of people in SGU's program; 2 intakes per year with more than 400 students per class.

SGU has a new scholarship, if you meet the standards, and you will get it! I am not sure if you are interested. http://www.sgu.edu/news-events/news-archives09-Chancellors-Circle.html
 
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lincolnparadox said:
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.
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I'm pretty sure we can't defer loans until after residency anymore. Now we need to start paying them after we graduate.
 
I'm going to RVUCOM and chose it over "well-established" schools. If you go to the school and see what's going on there, it will difficult for you to worry too much about the "newness" of the school. If you do well on your boards, doors will open. Also, to those considering the school, most of the people on these threads really have no idea what "the people who matter most" actually think so I wouldn't always trust what they say.

I was wondering though how much extra it will cost if I take out private loans vs. going to a school where I wouldn't need to do this (i.e. federal loans). I always hear people gripe about it but never heard how much of it difference it will make in the long run. (I know that interest rates can vary but I'm looking for a rough estimate.) Thanks!
 
Es Pontas said:
I'm going to RVUCOM and chose it over "well-established" schools. If you go to the school and see what's going on there, it will difficult for you to worry too much about the "newness" of the school. If you do well on your boards, doors will open. Also, to those considering the school, most of the people on these threads really have no idea what "the people who matter most" actually think so I wouldn't always trust what they say.

I was wondering though how much extra it will cost if I take out private loans vs. going to a school where I wouldn't need to do this (i.e. federal loans). I always hear people gripe about it but never heard how much of it difference it will make in the long run. (I know that interest rates can vary but I'm looking for a rough estimate.) Thanks!
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Es...
I'm an RVU student. I use Sallie Mae and sit at 5% currently. I choose to pay my interest off every 6 months. IMO, it works out pretty well.
 
lincolnparadox said:
This means that you might see some competition in IM or Peds, but FM, obgyn, AM and Geriatrics residency slots will be wide open.
Click to expand...

Sorry, this is completely incorrect. There are hundreds of out of state med students who want to do residency in CO. Competition in virtually all specialties is brisk, for that reason. Including FM. Ob/Gyn in CO is EXTREMELY competitive; there are CU students every year who either do not match in OB or who end up going out of state. Peds and IM in CO are competitive because people want to live here. There are no geriatrics residency slots, and I do not know what AM is.

The number of counties in CO without physicians is irrelevant, when you are talking about residency slots. If you're talking about jobs, that's a separate issue.
 
RVU-COM has not yet graduated a class so I don't know their match list or where they have clerkships. The big 4 match the great majority of grads into Primary Care i.e. Ob/Gyn, IM and FP. If this is your interest then go there. Unfortunately you are less likely to match. The DO route is more likely to match, gives you more latitude. I would choose the DO route it is also easier as you don't have to have to worry about whether there are licensure issues etc. RVU-COM is a good school where you will likely have a better chance of succeeding. Unlike the big 4, DO schools only take those who they know will succeed and want you to pass.
 
This is to the people that get horny about technology. Im curious to know what you perceive to be the benefits of "technology" in medical education.
 
Buckeye(OH) said:
This is to the people that get horny about technology. Im curious to know what you perceive to be the benefits of "technology" in medical education.
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You get to practice on robots that express simulated human emotions (creepy as hell if you ask me). That way you don't accidently kill real people. 👍
 
Semicolon said:
You get to practice on robots that express simulated human emotions (creepy as hell if you ask me). That way you don't accidently kill real people. 👍
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Right, because you would have the opportunity to "kill real people" as a first or second year or even third or fourth for that matter?
 
Buckeye(OH) said:
This is to the people that get horny about technology. Im curious to know what you perceive to be the benefits of "technology" in medical education.
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When I interviewed at DMU-COM, they were saying that practicing on sim-men will be required for residencies starting in June. So going to a school where you practiced on them from the beginning would leave you better prepared for that.
 
Styria said:
When I interviewed at DMU-COM, they were saying that practicing on sim-men will be required for residencies starting in June. So going to a school where you practiced on them from the beginning would leave you better prepared for that.
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Well, Im starting a residency in June. Im pretty sure I've never practiced on a sim-man....
 
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