TCOM vs. NYCOM

[msgbueno]

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Hey guys, I have dilemma. I've been accepted into both TCOM and NYCOM. If I go to TCOM, I'd pay 1/2 the price of what I'd pay at NYCOM. Also, I wanted to go into ortho for my residency, and I didn't know which school would enable me best to get there. NYCOM has name recognition and is near the big apple. What would you do? I need some opinions....

 

[oceandocDO]

Ahh, decisions, decisions. I go to NYCOM, so I can offer that POV. First off, both are good schools, so you're in a win-win situation. Think about the money definitely, but dont make it your deciding factor. NYCOM's OPTI has some incredible, very sought-after residencies, but they dont have any ortho as of now I think, although their supposedly working on getting 2 slots. You do get to see alot of ortho at some pretty prestigious affiliated hospitals on rotations though. There's a fair amount of ortho-wannabes here, as it's pretty popular right now. The Sports Medicine folks are really active and they have alot of ortho contacts it seems.

Make sure you want to live in NY. It takes some getting used to if you've never lived here 😉 But, there's some benefit in the area in the wide ranging pathology you get to see. People may disagree, but the diversity of the pathology you get at NYCOM is, IMO, second to none, yes, even better than some of the "power MD schools". You rotate through many of the same hospitals as students from Cornell, Yale, Stonybrook, and Einstein. I think they have about 35-40 affiliated hospitals. The first 2 years at nycom are definitely tough, but the administration is very responsive to student concerns and although they push you, you're appreciative for it in rotations. They're really into technology, giving all students PDAs, ethernet connections at all lecture seats and study cubes, and most importantly, all lectures are taped and put streaming on the web, so you can review lectures at home.....this a huge plus, you have no idea!

My largest negatives are the tuition and the cost of living, both high (welcome to NY), but the tuition is actually average for the D.O. world, even if it is still more expensive than TCOM. I know TCOM has a great research center, so if you're really into research, especially in OMM, that may be your place. NYCOM does alot of Parkinsons research and a bit on Alzheimers and neuro development. The parkinson's research center is one of the larger ones in the country supposedly, is directed by a D.O./PhD who also heads up NYU's parkinson's research.

Wherever you go, DO or MD, if you want ortho you'll have to shine. Do well, make yourself stand out and your school choice becomes secondary.

Anyway, feel free to fire back any questions. hope this helps. good luck.

 

[DermRes]

If you know for sure that you want ortho, I think NYCOM maybe a better choice. TCOM is very primary care oriented and encourage all its student to go into family practice heavily.

But then again, it is a lot of $$ difference between school tuition. Check with NYCOM about the third and fourth year schedule and compare with TCOM's to see which one will allow you more chance for ortho rotation in the third year.

 

[drusso]

I graduated from TCOM. It is a great school. TCOM also has an orthopedic surgery residency which tends to take local graduates (Texas and Oklahoma), but they only take 1-2 residents per year. I don't think that you can go wrong at either school. I'd take the tuition break. TCOM has a great reputation in Texas and you could be in a better position for a Texas ortho residency (although this will be very difficult as ortho spots are competitive.

 

[drvlad2004]

There is only one osteopathic orthopedic program in NY, Peninsula Hospital. It is affiliated with LECOM and not NYCOM. Honestly, I've never head good things about Peninsula for ortho. However, beggars can't be chooser when it comes to getting ortho. It is nearly impossible to get an allopathic ortho program as a DO, especially in areas like NY. I wouldn't worry about which school to go to. Both are good schools. At NYCOM, we have a good variety of affiliations for 3rd and 4th year, especially in the inner cities. Some very good hospitals and others not so good. The NYCOMEC residency programs are, in general, decent in terms of primary care meds and ER but less in variety of residency program specialities. Texas is great for sports medicine. But remember that ortho is not the only specialty for sports medicine (that is if you're interested in sports med. I had to emphasize that when I was prez of sports medicine last year at NYCOM. Before med school, I decided that I want to go into Sports medicine myself but through PM&R.

Some may say it is a little early at your stage to decide what specialty you're interested in. Personally, I think that it very good that you have an idea what you want. If you really want ortho, OUCOM and MSUCOM both have lots of programs for ortho. Apply mainly to DO ortho residency programs. Even the dirctor of ortho @ Peninsula (Dr. Sveilich, DO) said that a DO has almost no chance of obtaining an allopathic spot. It's so competitive for an MD to get ortho to begin with. Still, you have a long road ahead. Work on getting good grades in the classroom. Most especially, kick ass on the boards (probably 85+ percentile). Ortho is such an exciting field and I love it myself. OMM will deifinitely help your knowledge of ortho as well. I was a personal trainer before I started at NYCOM and appreciate the art of ortho medicine. It's so cool being a "carpenter for the musculoskeletal system." Remember "Strong as an ox and twice as smart!"

I would take the tuition break if I had th opportunity. TCOM may hospital affiliations as strong as NYCOM has but you wouldn't go wrong in picking either school. I cannot say which DO school is better because that is personal opinion. Good luck with your decision.

 

[msgbueno]

Hey guys, thanks for all the input. I have about a week and a half before I have to make my decision and reply to NYCOM. I've already accepted my seat at TCOM on Feb 1, but I'm still debating if I should withdraw and head to the NE coast.

Hey, drusso...
What hospital is that ortho residency program working out of, and do you know the name of the director? I want to see if I can contact him personally.

Thanks

 

[PACtoDOC]

Hey MSG,

Go to www.hsc.unt.edu and choose "education", and residency programs, and choose ortho. TCOM is an excellent school. I will say that TCOM is probably a bit more allopathic if you consider a med school allopathic. It fits neatly amongst all the MD programs in Texas, and all the high ups in administration did allopathic residencies. Most are ex military, and our Pres is the former Army Surgeon General. You can't go wrong coming here where tuition is cheaper than most undergrad schools. Look at the match list on the website to see where last year's class matched. It is pretty impressive.

 

[msgbueno]

Hey Pac,

Thanks for the info in the link. I'd researched TCOM's website over and over, yet I'd failed to find that residency page.

Thanks again.

 

[drusso]

Residency Program in General Orthopedics

Through its affiliation with the Texas OPTI, TCOM sponsors this AOA-approved residency program for training qualified osteopathic physicians in the practice of general orthopedics. This OPTI program provides the educational requirements to qualify residents for membership in the American College of Osteopathic Orthopedists and for eventual examination by the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery pursuant to certification in orthopedic surgery.

Dallas-Fort Worth Medical Center
Joseph Pollifrone, D.O., director

Osteopathic Medical Center of Texas (Fort Worth)
Joseph Daniels, D.O., director


http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/postgrad/residency.cfm#go