TOUGH DECISION! (AZCOM vs Touro-CA vs COMP-NW vs KCU vs SOMA)

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pineapplesmoothie

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Hello dear SDN community,

I am so fortunate and grateful to receive multiple acceptances this cycle and now I need to make some tough choices.
I still have multiple interviews lining up as well and I am not sure if I should attend due to financial reasons.

I want to specialize...especially into anesthesiology or general surgery (also consider other possible specializations). The main criteria I look for is the quality of medical education and what school will give me the best chance to achieve my goal.

To make things easier...I have acceptances and future interviews with the following list of schools:
1. AZCOM: expensive tuition but about half of the grads go into specializations.
2. Touro-CA: good location in California (I am from the west coast) but I have heard that they have not-so-good residency placement.
3. Western Oregon campus (COMP-NW): apparently the mission is to push their grads into primary care.
4. KCU: one of the most established DO schools but apparently about 70% of their grads went into primary care...(not sure if I remember this correctly)
5. SOMA: not sure about the whole CHC...and they have missions in training primary care physicians.

Which schools should I eliminate and which schools should I consider?

Any insight information and feedback will be greatly appreciated! Some advice from any current students from the above schools will be awesome. oh and I would like to have some valuable information from @Goro @AlteredScale too!!!

Thank you so much for your help!
 
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I would go to KCU. Also, I don't think it really matters what grads go into, it's their emphasis but you aren't locked into anytjing.

At the least you could eliminate AZCOM (as you said, tuition) and SOMA (newer school).

Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile
 
Last edited:
pineapplesmoothie said:
Hello dear SDN community,

I am so fortunate and grateful to receive multiple acceptances this cycle and now I need to make some tough choices.
I still have multiple interviews lining up as well and I am not sure if I should attend due to financial reasons.

I want to specialize...especially into anesthesiology or general surgery (also consider other possible specializations). The main criteria I look for is the quality of medical education and what school will give me the best chance to achieve my goal.

To make things easier...I have acceptances and future interviews with the following list of schools:
1. AZCOM: expensive tuition but about half of the grads go into specializations.
2. Touro-CA: good location in California (I am from the west coast) but I have heard that they have not-so-good residency placement.
3. Western Oregon campus (COMP-NW): apparently the mission is to push their grads into primary care.
4. KCU: one of the most established DO schools but apparently about 70% of their grads went into primary care...(not sure if I remember this correctly)
5. SOMA: not sure about the whole CHC...and they have missions in training primary care physicians.

Which schools should I eliminate and which schools should I consider?

Any insight information and feedback will be greatly appreciated! Some advice from any current students from the above schools will be awesome. oh and I would like to have some valuable information from @Goro @AlteredScale too!!!

Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...

Pretty much what @FCMike11 said. My personal fav out of those is KCU, so I'm not exactly an unbiased source. I would recommend lookin through the CIB and reading about each school. Then visit each school's website and give it a once-over. Emphasis on primary care doesn't mean much, really. Each school probably has a variety of sources for those wanting to specialize. And 70% sounds high for KCI, but it may be accurate, I dunno. I do know that they don't specifically push people toward primary care the way some schools do. Figure out where you woulf be happy location wise, tuition wise, etc. And go from there. It's a personal choice, so you'll get limited help here from unbiased parties. Lastly, read through some of the threads for current students at these schools. Good luck!
 
What do you like more?

Mexican food vs seafood+ Napa wine or barbecue?


pineapplesmoothie said:
Hello dear SDN community,

I am so fortunate and grateful to receive multiple acceptances this cycle and now I need to make some tough choices.
I still have multiple interviews lining up as well and I am not sure if I should attend due to financial reasons.

I want to specialize...especially into anesthesiology or general surgery (also consider other possible specializations). The main criteria I look for is the quality of medical education and what school will give me the best chance to achieve my goal.

To make things easier...I have acceptances and future interviews with the following list of schools:
1. AZCOM: expensive tuition but about half of the grads go into specializations.
2. Touro-CA: good location in California (I am from the west coast) but I have heard that they have not-so-good residency placement.
3. Western Oregon campus (COMP-NW): apparently the mission is to push their grads into primary care.
4. KCU: one of the most established DO schools but apparently about 70% of their grads went into primary care...(not sure if I remember this correctly)
5. SOMA: not sure about the whole CHC...and they have missions in training primary care physicians.

Which schools should I eliminate and which schools should I consider?

Any insight information and feedback will be greatly appreciated! Some advice from any current students from the above schools will be awesome. oh and I would like to have some valuable information from @Goro @AlteredScale too!!!

Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...
 
chizledfrmstone said:
I remember when I was applying the old KCU site said ~50% matched primary care. They never pushed us into primary care the first 2 years.
Click to expand...

Yessir. Different school now.


Its very hard to say that of those who go into peds or IM from KCU are ending up as primary care, a good cohort end up choosing to subspecialize via fellowship and cant really be considered PC providers at that point. A very similar thing was dicussed when MD schools include academic IM as a percentage number in their Primary Care section of alumni when in reality many many of them do GI or cards or pcc or heme onc.


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Hey thanks for all the wonderful input.
On KCU's website it did say that 72% of KCU alumni practice in primary care. I understand that it the emphasis doesn't really matter and it is your choice but the high percentage of their grads going into primary care must have indicated something. I don't know...I have went through all the schools website numerous times and still can't make up my mind. From last year's match list KCU has roughly 20% in non-primary care whereas AZCOM has around 45%. I really like both schools though and I feel really grateful for having the opportunity to attend those two.

So I guess I can eliminate SOMA, Touro-CA and COMP-NW then??
 
I would get rid of :

SOMA- very PC focused and driven
Como NW- same as above
Touro CA- has garbage board scores and match lists for how high of an MCAT average they have. The more I learn about it the more I think it is one of the worst DO schools

I would decide between AZCOM or KCU. Anesthesia and surgery are very plausible from either school. U of Kansas takes a a few KCU grads every year for gen surg and AZCOM has multiple gen surg programs in the region that have matched AZCOM grads before not to mention a former AOA program in John C. Lincoln. At the hospital I work at there is a DO opthomologist and a DO Urologist. Both went to AZCOM. My dermatologist is a DO from AZCOM who went to Mayo. KCU has some great matches every year as well.

Bottom line, neither school will stop you from getting what you want. At this point it should come down to tuition followed very quickly by whether you prefer Mexican food or BBQ.
 
pineapplesmoothie said:
Hey thanks for all the wonderful input.
On KCU's website it did say that 72% of KCU alumni practice in primary care. I understand that it the emphasis doesn't really matter and it is your choice but the high percentage of their grads going into primary care must have indicated something. I don't know...I have went through all the schools website numerous times and still can't make up my mind. From last year's match list KCU has roughly 20% in non-primary care whereas AZCOM has around 45%. I really like both schools though and I feel really grateful for having the opportunity to attend those two.

So I guess I can eliminate SOMA, Touro-CA and COMP-NW then??
Click to expand...

KCU does not push its grads into PC. That is more just a natural consequence of it being a DO school as most incoming DO students want to do PC from the beginning. Don't make the decision based on that number.
 
I think many people make a common mistake, and correct me if I am wrong, but I feel like that mistake is happening here..I think people confuse "Primary Care" for "Family Medicine," although Family Medicine is a branch of Primary Care, so is Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, OB/GYN, etc. Internal Medicine alone has so many fellowship opportunities, one of the more prominent ones being Cardiology. Ob/Gyn can perform surgeries...Primary Care is a really good field to go into...it doesn't translate directly into Family Medicine like I think most of you might believe.
 
OrdinaryDO said:
I think many people make a common mistake, and correct me if I am wrong, but I feel like that mistake is happening here..I think people confuse "Primary Care" for "Family Medicine," although Family Medicine is a branch of Primary Care, so is Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, OB/GYN, etc. Internal Medicine alone has so many fellowship opportunities, one of the more prominent ones being Cardiology. Ob/Gyn can perform surgeries...Primary Care is a really good field to go into...it doesn't translate directly into Family Medicine like I think most of you might believe.
Click to expand...

This. I've even seen some rural schools lump general surgery into primary care. Primary care is definitely a lot more than family medicine and outpatient peds.
 
pineapplesmoothie said:
Hey thanks for all the wonderful input.
On KCU's website it did say that 72% of KCU alumni practice in primary care. I understand that it the emphasis doesn't really matter and it is your choice but the high percentage of their grads going into primary care must have indicated something. I don't know...I have went through all the schools website numerous times and still can't make up my mind. From last year's match list KCU has roughly 20% in non-primary care whereas AZCOM has around 45%. I really like both schools though and I feel really grateful for having the opportunity to attend those two.

So I guess I can eliminate SOMA, Touro-CA and COMP-NW then??
Click to expand...

Pick the cheapest school and work your butt off. In the end that will help you get where you want to be.

KCU does pretty well on boards btw. We only had 3 first time takers fail COMLEX.
 
oh my...my mind changes everyday between KCU and AZCOM...I guess I just need time to really think about it.

@Goro quick question...KCU has more grads into primary care than AZCOM (significantly more)...it still doesn't mean that it is easier to get into specialties from AZCOM and harder to get into specialties in KCU? I thought if one school has high % of grads into primary care means that the school is primary care focus.

Thanks!
 
pineapplesmoothie said:
oh my...my mind changes everyday between KCU and AZCOM...I guess I just need time to really think about it.

@Goro quick question...KCU has more grads into primary care than AZCOM (significantly more)...it still doesn't mean that it is easier to get into specialties from AZCOM and harder to get into specialties in KCU? I thought if one school has high % of grads into primary care means that the school is primary care focus.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

There are so many factors that go into this. Lists from the same school change year to year. It's possible that one year, 70% of the class just happened to want to go into primary care whereas the following year, it was only 50%. If you WANT to go into something other than primary care, going to either azcom or kcu won't make a difference. It comes down to your board scores, letters, and grades.
 
KCU or AZCOM would be my top choices.

KCU is a great school in general and AZCOM is a good school that isn't too far from home.
 
sdhere1234 said:
There are so many factors that go into this. Lists from the same school change year to year. It's possible that one year, 70% of the class just happened to want to go into primary care whereas the following year, it was only 50%. If you WANT to go into something other than primary care, going to either azcom or kcu won't make a difference. It comes down to your board scores, letters, and grades.
Click to expand...

Just read the replies....your question has been answered already..What speciality do you want to go into that isn't under the umbrella of primary care?
 
OrdinaryDO said:
I am very fortunate to not have ANY interest in ENT, Ortho, or Derm...for some reason everyone wants to flock to those specialties.
Click to expand...

Everyone I know that wants ortho thinks it is some lifestyle specialty. I've worked in an OR for 3+ years and those guys see their wives about as much as the neurosurgeons.
 
AnatomyGrey12 said:
Everyone I know that wants ortho thinks it is some lifestyle specialty. I've worked in an OR for 3+ years and those guys see their wives about as much as the neurosurgeons.
Click to expand...

So never? lol


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KCU just seems like the better choice-- but I might be biased. I would eliminate Touro-CA, pacific NW and SOMA.
 
Thanks again for all the response. I am more leaning towards KCU after some thought.
One last question though - the 72% into primary care is found here http://www.kcumb.edu/about-kcu/impact
I think what they mean is that 72% of their alumni (total KCU grads instead of just any particular year) are in primary care and personally I think that is somehow an indication of a primary care focused medical school. Please correct me if I am wrong haha. Come to think about it since the school is 100 years old what they were may not be what they are today. Also is there any difference between "primary care" and "primary care specialties"? Like Cardiology fellowship after internal medicine etc.

Thanks again for your time answering my questions!
 
pineapplesmoothie said:
Thanks again for all the response. I am more leaning towards KCU after some thought.
One last question though - the 72% into primary care is found here http://www.kcumb.edu/about-kcu/impact
I think what they mean is that 72% of their alumni (total KCU grads instead of just any particular year) are in primary care and personally I think that is somehow an indication of a primary care focused medical school. Please correct me if I am wrong haha. Come to think about it since the school is 100 years old what they were may not be what they are today. Also is there any difference between "primary care" and "primary care specialties"? Like Cardiology fellowship after internal medicine etc.

Thanks again for your time answering my questions!
Click to expand...

You are way to focused on a very inconsequential statistic. KCU will not inhibit what you do, that is totally on you. Stop worrying about this honestly.
 
When I interviewed at KCU a few weeks ago I saw students that genuinely felt like any specialty or field was open to them-- heck, the guy giving us the tour wanted to pursue general surgery and the schools really gives you the opportunity to find what best suits you without "pigeonholing" into primary care-- a lot of people/students just genuinely have a desire to practice primary care.
 
pineapplesmoothie said:
Thanks again for all the response. I am more leaning towards KCU after some thought.
One last question though - the 72% into primary care is found here http://www.kcumb.edu/about-kcu/impact
I think what they mean is that 72% of their alumni (total KCU grads instead of just any particular year) are in primary care and personally I think that is somehow an indication of a primary care focused medical school. Please correct me if I am wrong haha. Come to think about it since the school is 100 years old what they were may not be what they are today. Also is there any difference between "primary care" and "primary care specialties"? Like Cardiology fellowship after internal medicine etc.

Thanks again for your time answering my questions!
Click to expand...

Hmm perhaps you are reading into the data a bit too much. Its really hard to say if those numbers are an accurate depiction of what is going on with the school right now. That is 100 yrs of classes choosing to practice as primary care providers. That does not mean every year 73% are going into primary care.

http://www.kcumb.edu/blog/students/kcu-class-of-2016-achieves-100-percent-residency-match

"49% of the class went into a primary care specialty". That is inclusive of those going into peds and IM where a good chunk of those will choose to specialize and work in an inpatient setting and therefore, are NOT considered primary care providers. Here's the actual list:

http://cdn.agilitycms.com/kansas-city-university/Attachments/residency/Match2016.pdf

8 orthopedic surgery, 1 neurosurgery, 2 ENT (one of those at Tulane SOM), 9 gen surg.

I will be straight up here and please don't take this the wrong way. If you are sincerely worried about ending up in primary care you should 100% just go MD. Stop the aacomas cycle, turn down the DO acceptances and focus on getting into an MD school so to maximize your chances of going into a non-primary care specialty. The only reason I bring this up is because it does seem like you very concerned about ending up in primary care.



*disclaimer: I am not butt hurt!!
 
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AnatomyGrey12 said:
Everyone I know that wants ortho thinks it is some lifestyle specialty. I've worked in an OR for 3+ years and those guys see their wives about as much as the neurosurgeons.
Click to expand...

I know right? I knew I wasn't ever going to do surgery when I shadowed a general surgeon and saw how miserable his schedule was sometimes. I will take general IM or a job as a hospitalist any day over any surgery specialty. The trade-off is it really worth it to me


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I went to SOMA, loved it too. I'm in Family a medicine, but by choice, I love the field and will be doing EM, Inpatient Medicine, Clinic, and Obstetrics (including surgical) at my first job (already signed the contract).

Anyway, my class had a ton of Anesthesiology, and a good chunk of general surgery matches. It's not a school specific thing, more a reflection on what people are interested in and how driven people are.
 
AlteredScale said:
Hmm perhaps you are reading into the data a bit too much. Its really hard to say if those numbers are an accurate depiction of what is going on with the school right now. That is 100 yrs of classes choosing to practice as primary care providers. That does not mean every year 73% are going into primary care.

http://www.kcumb.edu/blog/students/kcu-class-of-2016-achieves-100-percent-residency-match

"49% of the class went into a primary care specialty". That is inclusive of those going into peds and IM where a good chunk of those will choose to specialize and work in an inpatient setting and therefore, are NOT considered primary care providers. Here's the actual list:

http://cdn.agilitycms.com/kansas-city-university/Attachments/residency/Match2016.pdf

8 orthopedic surgery, 1 neurosurgery, 2 ENT (one of those at Tulane SOM), 9 gen surg.

I will be straight up here and please don't take this the wrong way. If you are sincerely worried about ending up in primary care you should 100% just go MD. Stop the aacomas cycle, turn down the DO acceptances and focus on getting into an MD school so to maximize your chances of going into a non-primary care specialty. The only reason I bring this up is because it does seem like you very concerned about ending up in primary care.



*disclaimer: I am not butt hurt!!
Click to expand...
Hey no it is fine thanks for the information!!
But I don't quite get the two data you listed...after looking at the match list there is at least over 160 people in primary care and that is more than 49% (as stated in the article) of 2016 class. Do you mind explaining that? thanks

To be honest I really like family medicine and I just want to keep my options open...I mean I haven't even start medical school yet. Like I said, I am grateful for the opportunity and would be happy to attend any medical school that fits me!
 
pineapplesmoothie said:
Hey no it is fine thanks for the information!!
But I don't quite get the two data you listed...after looking at the match list there is at least over 160 people in primary care and that is more than 49% (as stated in the article) of 2016 class. Do you mind explaining that? thanks

To be honest I really like family medicine and I just want to keep my options open...I mean I haven't even start medical school yet. Like I said, I am grateful for the opportunity and would be happy to attend any medical school that fits me!
Click to expand...

It's been said multiple times that match lists don't always tell the big picture. A lot of people match IM but will specialize further say with a cards fellowship or what have you. Just because a lot of people are matching IM/FM doesn't mean they are strictly going to be general practitioners as you are referring to...
 
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