Touro CA

[dancingdoctor13]

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Does anyone know the reputation of this school out in Vallejo, CA? I have heard some things about it but I am not sure if they are right or wrong. Did anyone apply here or decide to go here? Input is appreciated!

 

[FirefighterDoc]

A doc at the hospital i work at said she went there. She said that it was a quiet town when she went there, but it was a short drive from san fran. She said she enjoyed the rotations though. In general she said she enjoyed her time there

 

[pyropig]

Does anyone know the reputation of this school out in Vallejo, CA? I have heard some things about it but I am not sure if they are right or wrong. Did anyone apply here or decide to go here? Input is appreciated!

You need to go to Vallejo before you can make a decision. It's crammed between an extremely wealthy part of California, and a gang-ridden ****hole. Although it is right next to Six-Flags 😀

 

[BKtomodachi]

I have visited and know a current student.

The school is great- however the general area of campus is absolutely horrible. In fact, he broke his lease (apt was 5 minutes from campus) to move to a new place almost an hour away. Apparently he felt very threatened and there were constant violent encounters, etc.

 

[JustAGuy]

The difference in quality of most DO schools is negligible. Cost and location were the two most deciding factors to me.

 

[MossPoh]

When I interviewed there I was talking to a lot of students and found some things kind of concerning. Main thing was that when I asked them what they liked about the school, the only reply I got was that it was in the bay area. I found the facilities lacking and the students weren't tremendously happy. It was also super expensive. I was really let down by that because I really do love the bay area. Just not that much.

 

[jisu23]

When I interviewed there I was talking to a lot of students and found some things kind of concerning. Main thing was that when I asked them what they liked about the school, the only reply I got was that it was in the bay area. I found the facilities lacking and the students weren't tremendously happy. It was also super expensive. I was really let down by that because I really do love the bay area. Just not that much.

when did you interview?

 

[VooDooo327]

I am from So Cal. I interviewed and got in here. Didn't like the area and the interviewers were kind of off, for me at least. Very old buildings and close to a shipyard with warehouses. No campus dining, just microwaves. They specifically told us that we are better not walking around there at night. For me it wasn't very comfortable. I didn't like TOURO-NV very much either but would rather go there. I would have liked to stay in Cali. but for now I'm on the waitlist at Western and have my deposit in Florida.

 

[lilbird2013]

im from so cal and Im a 1st yr at touro in vallejo, ca. while the area of vallejo is crummy, the housing on the island and the touro buildings are pretty nice. as for a lack of dining hall, we do have food services on campus. We have a kitchen that makes food for sale everyday, as well as vending machines stocked with freshly made food. we also have a large microwave area for those students who packed lunches/dinner that need to be heated. the quality of education, caliber of people/students/professors is superb, and i truly enjoy going here. the location is great and when you compare the cost of education to other private schools, touro's cost is on par (western univ costs ~4k more per year).

dont get me wrong, touro certainly has its downsides like any other medical school, however, in my experience, my classmates are amazing, my resources are adequate, and my professors truly want to help me learn and succeed.

if anyone would like to speak with me further, please send me a PM. thanks!

 

[pyropig]

im from so cal and Im a 1st yr at touro in vallejo, ca. while the area of vallejo is crummy, the housing on the island and the touro buildings are pretty nice. as for a lack of dining hall, we do have food services on campus. We have a kitchen that makes food for sale everyday, as well as vending machines stocked with freshly made food. we also have a large microwave area for those students who packed lunches/dinner that need to be heated. the quality of education, caliber of people/students/professors is superb, and i truly enjoy going here. the location is great and when you compare the cost of education to other private schools, touro's cost is on par (western univ costs ~4k more per year).

dont get me wrong, touro certainly has its downsides like any other medical school, however, in my experience, my classmates are amazing, my resources are adequate, and my professors truly want to help me learn and succeed.

if anyone would like to speak with me further, please send me a PM. thanks!

Downsides such as?

 

[JaggerPlate]

In case people haven't noticed ... someone made an account called 'JagerPlate' ... my name is 'JaggerPlate.' This person copied my avatar and status, and is now trying to post as me on the forums.

I actually know who this troll is now too. LOL.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

In case people haven't noticed ... someone made an account called 'JagerPlate' ... my name is 'JaggerPlate.' This person copied my avatar and status, and is now trying to post as me on the forums.

I actually know who this troll is now too. LOL.

Ah, I just checked this thread and just caught the one "g" missing.

So... is that LOL a good lol?

 

[nikon]

Wow you are now famous. Congrats, Jagger. 😀

In case people haven't noticed ... someone made an account called 'JagerPlate' ... my name is 'JaggerPlate.' This person copied my avatar and status, and is now trying to post as me on the forums.

I actually know who this troll is now too. LOL.

 

[nikon]

When I interviewed there I flew in the day before to check out the campus. I almost flew right back but decided to give it the benefit of doubt. That restaurant by the ferry is overrated IMO as well.

The impression of the school on the second day did get better, after meeting with the staff and students. Dr. Height is awesome. However, the dilapidated campus to some extent says about the school's operating philosophy, which I don't agree with. On my interview day at least one interviewee didn't show up (one or two, couldn't recall exactly) and they took the name tag(s) off the table.

-Anyway, my 2 cents. YMMV.

Does anyone know the reputation of this school out in Vallejo, CA? I have heard some things about it but I am not sure if they are right or wrong. Did anyone apply here or decide to go here? Input is appreciated!

 

[JeetKuneDo]

When I interviewed there I flew in the day before to check out the campus. I almost flew right back but decided to give it the benefit of doubt. That restaurant by the ferry is overrated IMO as well.

The impression of the school on the second day did get better, after meeting with the staff and students. Dr. Height is awesome. However, the dilapidated campus to some extent says about the school's operating philosophy, which I don't agree with. On my interview day at least one interviewee didn't show up (one or two, couldn't recall exactly) and they took the name tag(s) off the table.

-Anyway, my 2 cents. YMMV.

Did you end up choosing another school?

 

[salazaar]

The difference in quality of most DO schools is negligible. Cost and location were the two most deciding factors to me.

I'm sorry, I couldn't let this statement slide. There is a vast difference in quality of DO schools. Every medical school teaches the same content - maybe that is what you were referring to. in that case, sure no arguments. But clinical rotations, faculty, class size, COMLEX prep, student programs, and about a billion other things make a huge difference in school quality. A motivated student can become a great doctor no matter where they go; it is just that some places provide stronger support to reach that point.

 

[JustAGuy]

I'm sorry, I couldn't let this statement slide. There is a vast difference in quality of DO schools.

Do you have any evidence of a vast difference in quality of education?

 

[salazaar]

Do you have any evidence of a vast difference in quality of education?

Sure! There are all kinds of things that set some DO schools apart from others.
DMU for example has a top notch robotic simulator for students to gain hands on experience before ever setting foot into clinicals. Students can learn and practice risky procedures without risk to actual patients, then later refine those skills in clinicals.
CCOM has incredible clinical rotations where students rotate through several teaching hospitals in a major metropolitan area. Their system is built to really prepare their students for hospital based residencies should they decide to go that route.
Class size makes a difference in the education for several reasons. AZCOM recently greatly increased its class size and can barely support their new numbers. I remember from my interview that they have to have one professor teach two anatomy labs simultaneously from across campus. Also limited Arizona clinical sites mean that students are less likely to go where they want to go when they rotate.
Some schools have multiple health professions that share the medical school’s cadavers or no cadaver dissections at all. That is, portions of the body are off limits for the medical students to dissect because podiatrists need the lower legs, dentists need significant portions of the head, etc. I think that the cadaver dissection is a cornerstone to medical education, particularly for Osteopaths who have to learn to meticulously palpate in OMM. It is hard to feel for structures when you don’t have practical working knowledge of what’s there/how it feels/how it articulates.
Not that there is a set quality ranking anywhere or anything. These schools are different things to different people. That said, there are SOOOO many factors that contribute to quality education; it is nonsensical to say that all schools have completely equal quality. These schools all have different resources, faculty, teaching style, funding, administration, location, and facilities. If you are looking for some cold hard data that quality varies look at the COMLEX pass rates for the different schools then tell me that you don’t see any outliers. If you still don’t believe me, we may have to agree to disagree.

 

[JustAGuy]

Sure! There are all kinds of things that set some DO schools apart from others.
DMU for example has a top notch robotic simulator for students to gain hands on experience before ever setting foot into clinicals. Students can learn and practice risky procedures without risk to actual patients, then later refine those skills in clinicals.
CCOM has incredible clinical rotations where students rotate through several teaching hospitals in a major metropolitan area. Their system is built to really prepare their students for hospital based residencies should they decide to go that route.
Class size makes a difference in the education for several reasons. AZCOM recently greatly increased its class size and can barely support their new numbers. I remember from my interview that they have to have one professor teach two anatomy labs simultaneously from across campus. Also limited Arizona clinical sites mean that students are less likely to go where they want to go when they rotate.
Some schools have multiple health professions that share the medical school’s cadavers or no cadaver dissections at all. That is, portions of the body are off limits for the medical students to dissect because podiatrists need the lower legs, dentists need significant portions of the head, etc. I think that the cadaver dissection is a cornerstone to medical education, particularly for Osteopaths who have to learn to meticulously palpate in OMM. It is hard to feel for structures when you don’t have practical working knowledge of what’s there/how it feels/how it articulates.
Not that there is a set quality ranking anywhere or anything. These schools are different things to different people. That said, there are SOOOO many factors that contribute to quality education; it is nonsensical to say that all schools have completely equal quality. These schools all have different resources, faculty, teaching style, funding, administration, location, and facilities. If you are looking for some cold hard data that quality varies look at the COMLEX pass rates for the different schools then tell me that you don’t see any outliers. If you still don’t believe me, we may have to agree to disagree.

I never said every school was exactly the same. I know all have their strengths and weaknesses. I said the difference in quality of education between most schools is negligible. Since you said there was a vast difference in quality of education, I thought you might have some objective outcome data to share.