Schools where it'd be nice to have a car

[qev]

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So I've done some light searching and I'm trying to figure out other than obvious places what schools are in areas where you'd pretty much have to have a car to get around. Given that a lot of D.O. schools are in rural areas I would make the best guess that if it says "rural" in the CIB handbook you should probably count on having a vehicle of some sort there, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Obviously if one ends up at PCOM, NYCOM, or Touro-NY you can probably get by with out a car and from my experience in Philly, its best without one. While schools in California like Western and Touro-CA you would probably benefit most from having one given California's track record of poor public transportation. I can only make assumptions for these schools based off living in these areas.

Does anyone have any insight into the other schools, for example Chicago or Nova?

Edit: Not trying to make decisions on schools based off this, I'm just being curious.

 

[DrMidlife]

Nova: you can live in walking distance to campus, but you still need to be able to get to preceptorship etc. sites that you can't assume are walkable. During rotations, you could live in walking distance to your hospital, but you still need to be able to get to campus for exams. From my incoming-MS1 perspective, the broader Davie/Ft Laud area isn't safely bikeable, and public transportation is unpredictable and imprecise, both as compared to the Pacific Northwest.

That said, I'd assume there are plenty of Nova students who do fine without a car, by begging rides or whatnot. Driving is a hassle in that part of Florida on the best of days, anyway.

Best of luck to you.

 

[zoey1912]

When I went to the LECOM interview, they said students must have a reliable car (or be able to carpool with someone), especially in the winter when it snows like crazy. LECOM is right by a residential area, so students may be able to walk to and from class if they live close. However, you'll need a car in order to do other things, like grocery shop.

 

[JAL05]

Same for Lecom-Bradenton, you might be able to live without a car but why would you want to? There are houses and apartments biking distance away but Florida is hot.

 

[engineeredout]

NYCOM is in the middle of long island. It may be NY, but you definitely need a car on long island.

 

[Kateb4]

As far as Chicago, you need a car at least in the clinical years. You may get away without one if you live in the dorms, and have someone to take you to the grocery store (nothing really in walking distance). But, the clinical sites are not all close really, a few of them can be a couple of hours from downers grove in the construction traffic that we have right now!

 

[qev]

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it. I'll give the TMI version of why I ask; I'm working for my year off and debating on purchasing a new vehicle. Mine's got 100k miles and is a 1995 so I am considering getting a more reliable solution for school.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Touro NV- Henderson- Though its doable without having a car, public transit is not always reliable. Plus, THE HEAT!!!!!!!!!! So I would say in my own opinion ..you would need a car.

 

[Vee]

Like someone else said, at NYCOM it's definitely easier if you have a car to get around long island. I do know a few people who commute from Queens (LIRR, etc) but it takes them 3 hours sometimes, between all the waiting for each leg of the trip. I'd definitely recommend having a car - spending hours commuting is a waste of valuable hardcore study time (obviously you can read or flip through flashcards on a bus but it's not the same as sitting down and memorizing a bunch of drugs).

 

[ShyRem]

Car is a must have for UNE. You have a bunch of preceptorships in first and second year.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I haven't moved to Atlanta yet, but I'd hate to not have a car out there, and miss out on all the wonderful traffic.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[soparu]

I haven't moved to Atlanta yet, but I'd hate to not have a car out there, and miss out on all the wonderful traffic.

Posted via Mobile Device

oh, traffic is only a problem if you actually want to head toward atlanta in the mornings or want to come home to suwanee from 3-7pm

 

[RySerr21]

Car is a must have for UNE. You have a bunch of preceptorships in first and second year.

ive heard this word a few times now, what is a preceptorship?

 

[ShyRem]

Where you go and spend time in a doctor's office, surgery, ER, PT, etc. Pre-clinical exposure. Depending on how much experience you have and what the preceptor is like depends on how much you get to do. If you're someone who has only shadowed doctors but never actually touched a patient, you're likely to just watch and ask questions. If you've worked with patients (actually touching them, rendering medical care - not just transporting beds to X-ray), you're likely to do more. Surgery you may just be watching or you might first assist depending on your experience.

 

[Sparda29]

Forget a car, be like Dr. House and buy a bike.

 

[RySerr21]

Where you go and spend time in a doctor's office, surgery, ER, PT, etc. Pre-clinical exposure. Depending on how much experience you have and what the preceptor is like depends on how much you get to do. If you're someone who has only shadowed doctors but never actually touched a patient, you're likely to just watch and ask questions. If you've worked with patients (actually touching them, rendering medical care - not just transporting beds to X-ray), you're likely to do more. Surgery you may just be watching or you might first assist depending on your experience.

and this common to all schools? during first 2 years to get some sort of experience before rotations?

 

[ShyRem]

I can't answer that question since I haven't been to all schools. I believe most have some sort of clinical exposure during the first two years.

 

[CDO2012]

When I went to VCOM it looked like a car was pretty important, they don't have on campus housing.

 

[Marthea007]

You have to have a car at LMU-DCOM. Can't get around without one unless you really want to rely on someone else for driving you around to everything.

 

[KateGia]

To answer 2 questions:

At NYCOM, you definitely need a car. Even if you take a train, the campus is not within walking distance to a train station. You'll either have to take a taxi or a bus. It's a real hassle and just not worth it. The train is best for getting in and out of the city, and that's about it.

Also, only the DPC students at NYCOM have any clinical experience during the first 2 years. The rest of us have a "clinical lab" I guess you'd call it, where we have patient actors, and we go in and take histories and do a focused PE. We also have a fully automated patient.

 

[a817]

I would guess Touro NY would be one the few if not the only school, where you can get by without a car. It would probably be more hassle to have a car then to not have one.

 

[bravotwozero]

That said, I'd assume there are plenty of Nova students who do fine without a car, by begging rides or whatnot. Driving is a hassle in that part of Florida on the best of days, anyway.

Best of luck to you.

MS2 at NSU here. Don't have a car as of yet. I live across the street from campus. My roommate's got a car, so he gives me rides for things like groceries, etc. and so it works out. When filling out paperwork for preceptorships, there is a box that you can check off that says you don't have a vehicle. This way, they will either arrange for you to share a ride with someone who drives to the same preceptorship as you, and you can share gas/toll costs etc. OR, they'll give you a preceptor on campus, which was my case, and I lucked out big time.

For the first two years, life without a car is certainly doable. There are buses that run here, which can be used if you're in a pinch.

3rd/4th year is a different story. You will definitely need a car, as chances are that you likely will NOT be doing all of your rotations at one hospital.