!!TCOM class of 2007!!

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There are very few TCOM people on this forum for some reason. TCOM 2006 here. Congrats.
 
Hey,
I'm a TCOM class of 2007! :clap:

I've been waiting for my registration to go through and it finally has.
I'd like to meet some of my future classmates.
 
Hey Captmorgan,

when did you receive your registration materials. i'm still waiting on my packet from TCOM.
 
No my bad.

I didn't receive school registration materials yet. I meant that I was finally able to register so I could post messages to this forum. I wanted to log my TCOM acceptance to the acceptance posts and comment on why I decided to go D.O..

So far, I have received my acceptance package and yesterday, I got a financial aid package from TCOM in the mail.

I'm pretty eager to get started with school. I hear there is usually a spring social event for new students to meet each other before school actually starts.
 
Yea, I called TCOM, and the Spring Fling is at the end up April. It's a big mixer for new students. About the registration packet... they're sending it out this week, so we should definitely receive it by next week. If not, we should called them.
 
Hey, what kind of doctor do you guys want to be? Or is that question to early to ask....
 
Hi.

I was wondering does your school allow you to defer after you get your acceptance?

Also, are any of you from out of texas?
 
yea, any school will allow you to defer for good reasons. TCOM will allow at most 10% from out of state.
 
has anyone heard anything about the rotations and education at TCOM? ?

I haven't heard too much about this school but the low cost makes it very attractive.

thanx
 
All of the medical schools in Texas have many of the same affiliations for rotations. TCOM is in a great city with plenty of hospitals that we can do rotations at, and Dallas is 30 miles away. The first two years are as good as any of the other state schools when it comes to basic sciences. TCOM ranked number 1 in the state for primary care medical education this year, and 20th in the nation. In reality, although people will argue the fact, TCOM is really basically an MD school that teaches maniplulation. There are other DO schools out there that teach more osteopathic philosophy, but in reality even MD's schools have become very osteopathic in recent years. TCOM does a great job of finding the balance between manip and real world medicine. I used to think we didn't get enough OMM, but now I am glad it is concise enough to give a basic understanding of it only.
 
Originally posted by FutrFPDO
In reality, although people will argue the fact, TCOM is really basically an MD school that teaches maniplulation. There are other DO schools out there that teach more osteopathic philosophy, but in reality even MD's schools have become very osteopathic in recent years. TCOM does a great job of finding the balance between manip and real world medicine. I used to think we didn't get enough OMM, but now I am glad it is concise enough to give a basic understanding of it only.
Click to expand...

Can you explain what you mean by this?
 
David, you were recently at TCOM right? Except for the manip course, which is only 2-3 hours per week (compared to KCOM where it is like 8 hours per week), there is really no emphasis placed on osteopathic principles. And why? Because I believe that osteopathic principles have become general medical principles that all schools learn now, and are no longer solely owned by us. Tell me one Texas medical school that doesn't teach and strongly emphasize preventive med topics these days. None of our courses outside manip offer anything different than courses you would get at any other medical school. Our Anatomy, Physio, Clin Med, Histo, Patho is exactly like any other school. And our manip course is so disconnected from these other courses in terms of terminology, anatomy overlap, and it is so short in time respect, that it has little overall influence. I agree that the manip we get gives us a cursory view of OMM, but if you really want to be good at it, you will have to do either a one year, 3 year residency in it, or be a PDF. Which is what you did right Dave? Your name still shows up in the powerpoint presentations because some have never been changed since you left. And in reality Dave, our administration all trained in allopathic residency programs, and most are tight with allopathic professional organizations. I think our program has smartly embraced the allopathic world because they know here in Texas we have a much stronger allopathic residency system for the graduates from here. Our higher ups are smart enough to know that there are more similarities among our program and the rest in Texas than there are differences. This is a very smart political move, and one that is already paying off. We became ranked 20th in primary care because many of the other medical school Deans put us there.
 
Originally posted by FutrFPDO
David, you were recently at TCOM right? Except for the manip course, which is only 2-3 hours per week (compared to KCOM where it is like 8 hours per week), there is really no emphasis placed on osteopathic principles. And why? Because I believe that osteopathic principles have become general medical principles that all schools learn now, and are no longer solely owned by us. Tell me one Texas medical school that doesn't teach and strongly emphasize preventive med topics these days. None of our courses outside manip offer anything different than courses you would get at any other medical school. Our Anatomy, Physio, Clin Med, Histo, Patho is exactly like any other school. And our manip course is so disconnected from these other courses in terms of terminology, anatomy overlap, and it is so short in time respect, that it has little overall influence. I agree that the manip we get gives us a cursory view of OMM, but if you really want to be good at it, you will have to do either a one year, 3 year residency in it, or be a PDF. Which is what you did right Dave? Your name still shows up in the powerpoint presentations because some have never been changed since you left. And in reality Dave, our administration all trained in allopathic residency programs, and most are tight with allopathic professional organizations. I think our program has smartly embraced the allopathic world because they know here in Texas we have a much stronger allopathic residency system for the graduates from here. Our higher ups are smart enough to know that there are more similarities among our program and the rest in Texas than there are differences. This is a very smart political move, and one that is already paying off. We became ranked 20th in primary care because many of the other medical school Deans put us there.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that the situation you're describing is a good one. If you leave an osteopathic medical school feeling like you have not received a distinctive kind of medical education then either the institution has failed you or you have failed yourself. TCOM, and in fact all of the the DO schools, offer quality medical educations. When you graduate or begin clinical rotations and interact with MD graduates and DO graduates from other programs you will appreciate the excellent medical preparation you received. Still, as Norman Gevitz (look him up, reference below) and other leaders in the osteopathic profession have said many times over, unless the osteopathic profession demonstrates that it has something UNIQUE to contribute to the health care of the citizens of the United States, then there is no compelling reason for us to exist. We are redundant: Chiropractors are more widely recognized as manual medicine providers, physical therapists have co-opted and profited from osteopathic techniques (Jones Strain-Counterstrain, myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization), and while DO schools may still lead the nation in primary care and rural medicine there is nothing really "osteopathic" in this mission. Some welcome this dissolution, but in reality it amounts to a defeat---not to the "allopathic enemy" but to ourselves. We were given an opportunity to create a reform movement in medicine by organizing not only a parallel educational system but also a parallel health delivery system...and failed. We only have ourselves to blame.

There do exist unique osteopathic principles that you won't find in Harrison's, Robinson's, Cecil's, Bates, or other standard medical texts. It's ashame that these ideas aren't more manifest in the wider curriculum. Part of the effort to create an "integrated" curriculum at TCOM was to make these ideas more prominent. You're at an osteopathic medical school and shouldn't have to fight for an osteopathic education. Osteopathic principles don't replace any of the ideas in standard medical texts, but contextualize them and offer heuristics for their clinical application.

**THAT** should be the difference between an osteopathic and allopathic education. When pimped on pulmonology rounds at UT Tyler your answers regarding the pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases should be more complete compared to the students from UT Houston, Southwestern, or TAMU and include discussions of the anatomical structure and function of the thoracic cage upon pulmonary compliance, the role of the autonomic nervous system on bronchoconstriction, and the mechanisms underlying lymphatic congestion in pulmonary edema. Why? Not because your MCAT was higher or your GPA better but because you attended OMM classes three days per week where you were taught to seriously consider three fundamental influences in *ANY* disease process---structural, autonomic, and fluid-based influences---and they didn't. Just as Felix Rogers, an osteopathic cardiologist as MSU-COM, has developed a model of congestive heart failure the incorporates current medical thinking and osteopathic principles in a manner that offers a more complete understanding of the pathophysiology of CHF.

The muscle hypothesis: a model of chronic heart failure appropriate for osteopathic medicine.

Just as Van Buskirk has developed a model bridging research in psychoneuroimmunology and somatic pain which has been corroborated by other "allopathic" investigators who have stumbled upon similar findings that support basic osteopathic precepts. Compare the two abstracts and if you removed the author affiliation could you guess which one was "osteopathic?":

Nociceptive reflexes and the somatic dysfunction: a model.

Neural mechanisms of autonomic responses elicited by somatic sensory stimulation.

These are examples of how osteopathic graduates should think differently (apply anatomical, physiological, and therapeutic principles more completely) as a consequence of their education. Just as those who have attended small liberal arts colleges tend to be "more well rounded" so to speak compared to graduates of large public universities, osteopathic graduates ought to have a richer understanding of anatomy and physiology than their allopathic colleagues. The underlying medical principles taught at both allopathic and osteopathic institutions are the same, but how they are applied is different. If this is the first time you've encountered these ideas, then I would print out this thread and bring it to Dean Hahn and Dr. Stoll and tell them that your school is failing you by not offering you a complete osteopathic education. At the very least, osteopathic graduates ought to feel more comfortable treating a variety of common musculoskeletal disorders (which has been a long-standing identified educational weakness in primary care curricula), should have a better appreciation of biopsychosocial aspects of disease, and have internalized the distinction between "abscence of disease" versus "health."

Proposed tenets of osteopathic medicine and principles for patient care.

'Parallel and distinctive': the philosophic pathway for reform in osteopathic medical education.
 
wow that was uh...a thick answer. thanx. then that brings up another question. I've heard that DO's are very well respected in Texas. is this true? and if yes, if manipulation is not something that is practiced by the DOs there, what is the reason?
 
Nobody said that DO's don't practice manip in Texas. They do.
 
In so far as TCOM is concerned, I think you guys are overlooking the reasons why OMM is so poorly taught at our school. Administration may play a role in all of this, but ultimately it is the mediocre nature of the OMM department itself which is to blame. First off, fifty percent of the PTR lectures are given by third and fourth year med students. The exam questions are written by these same people. I'm sure you first years remember the disgrace that first exam was this semester. To say the least, it is nothing less than ridiculous when four out of twenty five questions have no right answer on a multiple choice test. And then there is the course director, Dr. Dickey. Personally, I think it is quite pathetic to have a course director with no email or phone number. Outside of class the guy is practically a ghost. It is his assistant, Lorna, that makes all administrative decisions. I have sought him out on several occasions to clarify mistakes in teacing made by the upperclassmen teaching us and he is never around. And, according to Lorna, he does not take appoitments. Of course this is all underscored by the fact that he is entirely antagonistic towards his students, and fosters an environment in lab that is less than conducive to our learning. Personally, I'd like to see the whole operation be handed over to Dr. Williams.

It's bad enough that the little time they do give us to learn OMM is not sufficient, but what's worse is that what time they do give us is largely in the hands of people who do not care about our education, or even worse, are incompetent. Given that OMM is thirty percent of the COMLEX, it is going to be us that are the ones that are going to pay for these problems.

I should note that I do not really care about the problems circulating around the OMM dept. at TCOM. For me, OMM is just a hurdle I have to jump, as my specialty no doubt will have really no place for it. However, to get the specialty I want, my board scores will play a role, and I would be kidding myself if I didn't acknowledge the fact that if I am to have a chance at achieving solid board scores I have a lot of self study ahead of me to learn the OMM that I was never exposed to.

I don't mean to discourage any of you class of 2007 people. Rest assured, TCOM is a very good school. I'd be lying however if I didn't admit that I've had plenty of moments while walking out of OMM class that I wished I'd ranked Texas Tech above TCOM on my match list. It may seem extreme that just one department at my school can influence me to such a degree, but that is really how screwed up the OMM department is at TCOM. I recently described it to my Dad as being run similar to high school gym class in which the teacher doesn't referee the intramural basketball games fairly because he doesn't know the rules of the game.
 
so then is the average passing rate on the board scores low?

Also, you guys get great residencies in Texas, but how about outside of texas. I know that most of the med students are texas residents so they don't want to leave, but how friendly are outside residencies to your school?

thanx
 
Thirteen people failed the first COMLEX sitting last year. Whether or not that was due to OMM deficiencies I'm not sure. Many people in my class don't feel strongly about their knowledge of OMM as being sufficient. That said, those same students don't worry too much about it because OMM simply is not stressed as being an integral part of the curriculum. I'm a first year though and maybe those opinions will change once we take the COMLEX. Most people seem to be interested in allopathic residencies, which is why I would agree with the previous post that TCOM is the closest to being an allopathic school as all other twenty osteopathic schools in the counrty. As for the residency placements, from what I understand people go all over the country. Even though TCOM is a state school, many people here are older students that acquired Texas residency just prior to matriculation/admission--it only takes a year of living in Texas to become a state resident for admissions/tuition purposes. They have ties elswhere in the country and thus going to TCOM and previously living in Texas is not a deciding factor as to where they end up for residency or beyond. Plenty of people do stay in-state of course but I don't think the average heavily outweighs the situation at other osteopathic schools.
 
TCOM class of 2003 just had some incredible matches. Duke ER, LSU ER in New Orleans, Mayo, Derm at UNM allopathic, and many more.
 
But do you and the other students feel that TCOM prepared you or pushed you very well to do well on the boards (USMLE or COMPLEX)?
 
Like I said, I am only a first year, but I would have to say yes. TCOM's curriculum outside of OMM is quite excellent in my opinion. It is hard for me to guage how well I am prepared for the boards though being that they are so far off. PACtoDOC probably has a much better idea. He's one of the top students in our class, a class officer, and much more heavily involved in campus affairs.
 
My guess is TCOM probably is competitive with most other state medical schools in Texas on USMLE boards with the exception of Baylor and UTSW. The average MCAT correlates with all other schools except these 2, and our curriculums are similar in many ways. I do think though that the material we get here at TCOM is definitely board material, but sometimes the faculty have a way of testing at the undergrad level. I get dissappointed at times when I take an exam and make a solid A, and see the exam average close to the mid 80's. In my opinion, the A's should be hard earned, and I don't feel that I have done what it takes to deserve A's in most of my courses. I think TCOM needs to follow KCOM's lead and keep the average in the 70's for most exams. If the class average is in the mid to high 80's, and there are 30 A's, then to me the exam could be more challenging. I think these high averages just make it harder for the top of the class to separate themselves from the remainder of the class. Case in Point: my good buddy, also our class pres, is by far smarter and more devoted to study than I. But, we generally both score about the same grade. I know that an exam could easily be written that would have him ahead of me, but the number of difficult questions is limited enough to keep us on the samel level. And I don't think this way of testing helps anyone. Instead it allows some of those who should fail to barely get by, while the top of the class is so stacked up that no one really knows who deserve to make the Dean's List. Hell, I made it last semester, and I don't think I deserved it. But, overall, you learn based on how much you study, so since the material presented is useful and challenging, I expect we are prepared for Boards.
 
Does TCOM teach cranial omm?
Also, do the students mostly take just the USMLE or both the USMLE and COMLEX? In your opinion does it make a difference?

thanx for all of your replies
 
You have to take the COMLEX at every DO school as a requirement to simply be a licensed physician. The USMLE is only an attractive alternative that many take for satisfaction reasons and to make themselves more competitive for the match. I would say that half the class likely takes the USMLE, but I can't possibly know for sure. I am taking it because I want to be able to show anyone who asks that I have passed both licensing exams. It is certainly not needed to go into family practice as I will be doing.
 
Where do you guys think is a good place to live in terms of real estate? I'm planning on buying my own townhome in the price range of 30-40k. Do you guys have any input? Also, where is the rush hour traffic? I heard that I-35 has pretty bad traffic and that most of the traffic on I-30 and I-20 are heading towards dallas in the mornings.
 
If you are interested in buying instead of renting, take a look at University Park Condominiums on Sondra Drive. Its two minutes from campus and the condos are within the price range you mentioned. Quite a few TCOM students, including myself, live in the complex. Congrats on your acceptance.
 
If you are having to go near I35, you probably are in the wrong area. The best places are within 2 miles of school in any direction except east. Most people live within bike riding distance like myself.
 
Aren't University park condominiums across the street from a housing project? I've actually been there already, but that was much of a turn off. What are some other names of condo's or townhomes?
 
I personally do not know if any housing projects that close to the school to be honest with you. Truthfully, any housing project in Fort Worth is like the Marriott in other cities. I am from Houston and the only bad part of town I have seen around here is on the east side of downtown. I live in Arlington Heights neighborhood south of Camp Bowie and west of school a few blocks. There are all kinds of douplex, garage, and small complex apartments over here. You really should just come up for the weekend and drive around to find a private one. Now is the time too!! Its cheap to live here. I bought a house outright for 79K with the equity I made off my house in Houston, and I have a 3BR, 2Bth, garage, 1200 square foot, cute little neighborhood.
 
I actually don't know if that is a housing project or not. If it is then it is a darn nice one. Univ Park Condos is less than a two minute drive from campus, so if you think that it is in a bad area then you must think campus is in a bad area too. Personally, I have heard of nothing even close to a crime occuring anywhere in the area. If you want something really nice though, and price is no object, then I would suggest you go west of campus around the Hulen Road area. If you want a clean safe environment that is affordable, then I think right around campus is your best bet.
 
a couple of questions:

1. I'm a junior and I'm in the process of applying only to TCOM. My advisor told me to wait until this year's grades come out and then submit my application so that way I would have 3years worth of coursework. So I would have to wait until the end of June. Do you recommend this?

2. When do rolling admissions begin? The TMDSAS start processing June 1st, when does TCOM start offering interviews?

thanx.
 
If you apply through the TMDSAS early acceptance program (only TCOM and TTech offer this), then assuming you have all your pre-reqs, you might get interviewed as early as August. If you are not planning to graduate, getting an interview is much harder. Are you palnning on graduating? I know someone who got in through early acceptance with a 23 MCAT and 3.8 GPA, but she had a ton of extracurricular activites (to the point of ad-nauseum).
 
back to the old topic.
I was excited by the school because it has an OMM clinic and rural medicine program as well as its low cost, good residencies and location. However some of you are saying that the school doesn't stress OMM very much.
Will I be looked down upon by the admission committee if I am interested in OMM and the osteopathic philosophy as much as a KCOM student?!!
How is it that TCOM does research in OMM and has a clinic but doesn't stress its importance to the med students?

thanx
 
JustDOit,

You misunderstood. There is plenty of support for OMM here at TCOM. It is just not beat into you like at other DO schools. You get plenty when it is all said and done. If you want more, be a TA the 2nd year and you get paid to do more OMM than you will ever desire. TCOM is the best DO school in the country by far. It is better than many of the Texas MD schools actually. Come be an OMM guru if you like, or leave hear hating OMM. There are many choices!!!
 
What do you guys recommend? a desktop or laptop? Which did you use, and did you wish you had the other? Also, what if you're doing a dual degree... desktop or laptop?
 
Dual degree doesn't mean you need a PC anymore than anyone else. The library has plenty of PC's, and you can do everything there if you need. It is not a big deal. A few people have laptops because they like to follow the powerpoints at their seat, and be able to study them during breaks and at lunch. The school also has a wireless network so if you have the right card, you can use a laptop online without a connection. But it only works in the library for the most part.
 
Does anyone know the average age of entering students at TCOM?
Are there a lot more of non-traditional students than the other med schools in texas or is it ~ the same?

thanx
 
It is about the same as it is everywhere (except UTSW). The average age is around 26-27 usually, which is slightly older than other schools by a slim margin. In our class we have about 10-15 people over 30. We have maybe 3 or so over 40.
Probably 1/3 to 1/2 are married, and around 20-30 people have children. This is not that much different than the typical UTSA class, but a little more non-traditional than a few Texas schools.
But overall, it seems that you are surrounded by tons of young energetic 23 year olds with no life experience. But you can't fault them for that 😉
 
what is the dress code for OMM lab?
 
No denim or any other thick material. They generally ask that people where shorts but in the winter you mostly see scrubs. Men go shirtless for spinal and ribcage manip whereas the women where a sports bra.
 
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