TUCOM-CA vs. ATSU-SOMA

[sowdyt]

ATSU-SOMA -- new site in Washington, DC. My class will be the third class to rotate at the affiliated hospital, so no word on rotations yet.

Pros:
- Prefer the early clinical exposure model (significant time with real patients structured into the second year)
- Core rotations are promised to be all in one place and at a bigger hospital than those affiliated with TUCOM, although it's not a large academic teaching center
- Less "in the classroom" time during the second year (all lectures are online), so I can manage my time on my own, which can be helpful with both research activities and step I studying
- Family in the NE
- Large national network of hospitals from which to pick electives/selectives

Cons:
- Only 10 people from my class with me for years 2-4
- The pain of moving twice and feeling like the first year is temporary
- Push for primary care may result in faculty/staff not supporting people who are leaning towards non-primary care specialties
- Short summer means I cannot get one of the traditional summer research experiences


TUCOM-CA

Pros:
- Weather and the year-round outdoorsy activities and the positivity that comes with all of this. It is a place where I could see myself settle down. I am not from the Bay Area, so perhaps I am idealizing it, but in culture it's not far from the city in which I grew up, but with amazing weather.
- Better research opportunities through the school
- Continuity of staying in CA all four years
- The school's town has the highest salary in the US for the specialty I have wanted to do for years 🙂
- One of my best friends just moved to the area


Cons:
- Rotations are variable in quality; mostly small hospitals of goal is to stay in the bay area
- No Sim Lab (how much does this matter?)
- Lectures not video recorded yet (although perhaps next year, or so they say)
- A little higher cost of tuition, but grows more quickly; COL comparison is moot

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[pattr]

TUCOM-CA

Pros:
- Weather and the year-round outdoorsy activities and the positivity that comes with all of this. It is a place where I could see myself settle down. I am not from the Bay Area, so perhaps I am idealizing it, but in culture it's not far from the city in which I grew up, but with amazing weather.
- Better research opportunities through the school
- Continuity of staying in CA all four years
- The school's town has the highest salary in the US for the specialty I have wanted to do for years 🙂
- One of my best friends just moved to the area


Cons:
- Rotations are variable in quality; mostly small hospitals of goal is to stay in the bay area
- No Sim Lab (how much does this matter?)
- Lectures not video recorded yet (although perhaps next year, or so they say)
- A little higher cost of tuition, but grows more quickly; COL comparison is moot

I'm a Touro CA student. We do have a Sim Lab... if you're referring to a lab where OSCE's (clinical encounters with standardized patients) are performed and video-recorded. Yes, we do have that.

Also, we have a couple rotation sites in the Northeast if you wanted to return there for 3rd year. If you wanted to stay in the Bay Area or California for residency and beyond, I'd highly recommend you go to the California school. However your ability to do this also depends on your chosen specialty... though just by reading the bolded text above, if you're referring to Vallejo as the "school's town" I don't think that's where you'd want to end up practicing eventually, unless you're really into working with underserved/urban poor populations.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Look at the match lists. Touro-CA railroaded SOMA this year.

 

[sowdyt]

Look at the match lists. Touro-CA railroaded SOMA this year.

The thing is, if we go by this year's freshman class, 36/135 students come from UC Berkeley/UC Davis combo. Something tells me that students with this background would have had some solid research connections in the area already; their projects could have only gained momentum in the four years on campus. I am speculating, but that's a big percentage of the class who benefited splendidly from prior backgrounds without the school having to get involved at all.

 

[pattr]

The thing is, if we go by this year's freshman class, 36/135 students come from UC Berkeley/UC Davis combo. Something tells me that students with this background would have had some solid research connections in the area already; their projects could have only gained momentum in the four years on campus. I am speculating, but that's a big percentage of the class who benefited splendidly from prior backgrounds without the school having to get involved at all.

well, I know for a fact a few ppl in my class who did have significant connections to the area in the way of extra-curriculars but Touro-CA and the Bay Area are just more competitive than ATSU-SOMA and Arizona stats-wise so it's reasonable to deduce that there is some self-selection in that way as well.

 

[sowdyt]

I'm a Touro CA student. We do have a Sim Lab... if you're referring to a lab where OSCE's (clinical encounters with standardized patients) are performed and video-recorded. Yes, we do have that.

Also, we have a couple rotation sites in the Northeast if you wanted to return there for 3rd year. If you wanted to stay in the Bay Area or California for residency and beyond, I'd highly recommend you go to the California school. However your ability to do this also depends on your chosen specialty... though just by reading the bolded text above, if you're referring to Vallejo as the "school's town" I don't think that's where you'd want to end up practicing eventually, unless you're really into working with underserved/urban poor populations.

My "desired" specialty is non-competitive 🙂 And yes, I was referring to Vallejo. I was mostly joking, though.

The SIM lab is this http://www.dmu.edu/simulation-center/simulation-lab/

 

[pattr]

My "desired" specialty is non-competitive 🙂 And yes, I was referring to Vallejo. I was mostly joking, though.

The SIM lab is this http://www.dmu.edu/simulation-center/simulation-lab/

Oh okay haha... yeah you don't need that kind of sim lab during medical school. If you go to Touro they'll have mannequins you can practice running codes on etc. for BLS/ACLS training. Those kind of sim labs are actually much more useful for resident-level training.

 

[sowdyt]

Oh okay haha... yeah you don't need that kind of sim lab during medical school. If you go to Touro they'll have mannequins you can practice running codes on etc. for BLS/ACLS training. Those kind of sim labs are actually much more useful for resident-level training.

Huh okay.

How are the research opportunities for people without the ties to the area?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

well, I know for a fact a few ppl in my class who did have significant connections to the area in the way of extra-curriculars but Touro-CA and the Bay Area are just more competitive than ATSU-SOMA and Arizona stats-wise so it's reasonable to deduce that there is some self-selection in that way as well.

Yes, but also within each specialty who manages to match at better places. Many SOMA students rotate here via CHC, but they don't have similar matches to Touro or Western.

 

[pattr]

Huh okay.

How are the research opportunities for people without the ties to the area?

There are on-campus basic science labs and faculty who do some small-scale clinical research. We actually have a handful of renowned researchers who are publishing things every year in pretty high-impact journals. Not sure how easy it is to get a position working with them.

Otherwise I know of people who did research at UCSF, Berkeley, and other schools/hospitals nearby. It all just depends on your willpower and time management. You don't have to have ties to the area to be able to succeed.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Otherwise I know of people who did research at UCSF, Berkeley, and other schools/hospitals nearby. It all just depends on your willpower and time management. You don't have to have ties to the area to be able to succeed.

If you have lab skills already, any PI will want to take the free labor of a medical student. Believe me, people are familiar with Touro at UCSF. The anatomy department loves Touro for purchasing the highest amount of bodies of all Bay Area schools.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

TUCOM-CA > ATSU-SOMA

 

[sowdyt]

I worry most about the clinicals at Touro (quality of experience/quality of recommendations/long drives), but I find Touro harder to walk away from.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I worry most about the clinicals at Touro (quality of experience/quality of recommendations/long drives), but I find Touro harder to walk away from.

Based in the match list, it doesn't seem clinical rotations sank any student. I do think it's better than being thrown to a random community clinic.

 

[pattr]

I worry most about the clinicals at Touro (quality of experience/quality of recommendations/long drives), but I find Touro harder to walk away from.

Okay, last year we (TUCOM-CA) had a student from the supposedly bad rotation sites match into Children's Hospital of Oakland for Pediatrics, arguably the best peds program in the nation. If you are a strong applicant, your rotation sites aren't going to hold you back. There are plenty of other ways/opportunities to impress the program directors at your top residency choices: audition rotations, research, board scores, etc.

 

[DOFutureEM22]

Look at the match lists. Touro-CA railroaded SOMA this year.

How did Touro-CA railroad SOMA this year? You're being a little dramatic. SOMA had better sub-specialty matches by far and Touro has almost twice as many students as SOMA


TUCOM-CA c/o 2014 match list

Unofficial and Incomplete (~80% reporting)


ACGME Anesthesiology Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA
ACGME Anesthesiology The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
ACGME Anesthesiology University of Washington, Seattle, WA

ACGME Diagnostic Radiology Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
ACGME Diagnostic Radiology University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ
ACGME Diagnostic Radiology University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ

AOA Emergency Medicine Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
AOA Emergency Medicine Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
AOA Emergency Medicine Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
AOA Emergency Medicine UNECOM/Kent Hospital, Warwick, RI

ACGME Family Medicine UC Davis Medical Center, Davis, CA
ACGME Family Medicine San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Kaiser Orange County, Santa Ana, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Kaiser Orange County, Santa Ana, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Kaiser Fontana, Fontana, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Kaiser San Diego, San Diego, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Natividad Hospital, Salinas, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Valley Consortium, Modesto, CA
ACGME Family Medicine Methodist Hospital of Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
ACGME Family Medicine UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA
ACGME Family Medicine O'Connor Hospital, San Jose, CA
ACGME Family Medicine St. Anthony Hospital, Denver, CO
ACGME Family Medicine Northern Colorado Medical Center, Greeley, CO
ACGME Family Medicine West Suburban Medical Center, Oak Park, IL
ACGME Family Medicine University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
ACGME Family Medicine UT Southwestern - Austin, Austin, TX
ACGME Family Medicine Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX
ACGME Family Medicine Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
ACGME Family Medicine University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
ACGME Family Medicine University of Wisconsin, St. Mary's, Madison, WI
AOA/ACGME Family Medicine Marian Regional Medical Center, Santa Maria, CA
AOA/ACGME Family Medicine UPMC Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA
AOA/ACGME Family Medicine Aurora St. Luke's Hospital, Milwaukee, WI
AOA Family Medicine Community Memorial Health, Ventura, CA
AOA Family Medicine Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
AOA Family Medicine Manchester Memorial Hospital, Manchester, CT
AOA Family Medicine NSUCOM/N Broward Hosp Distrcit, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
AOA Family Medicine Palmetto General Hospital, Hialeah, FL
AOA Family Medicine Palisades Medical Center, North Bergen, NJ
AOA Family Medicine Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK
AOA Family Medicine Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Corvallis, OR
AOA Family Medicine Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Corvallis, OR
AOA Family Medicine PNWU-COM/Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, Tacoma, WA
AOA Family Medicine PNWU-COM/Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, Tacoma, WA
AOA Family Medicine PNWU/Multicare Good Samaritan, Puyallup, WA
Military/ACGME Family Medicine Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI

AOA Family Medicine/NMM South Pointe Hospital, Warrensville Heights, OH

AOA General Surgery Garden City Hospital, Garden City, MI
ACGME General Surgery Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
ACGME General Surgery Harbor-UCLA, Torrance, CA
Military/ACGME General Surgery Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA
Military/ACGME General Surgery Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA

ACGME Internal Medicine Banner Good Smaritan Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ
ACGME Internal Medicine University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ
ACGME Internal Medicine White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
ACGME Internal Medicine Alameda County Medical Center, Oakland, CA
ACGME Internal Medicine Alameda County Medical Center, Oakland, CA
ACGME Internal Medicine Alameda County Medical Center, Oakland, CA
ACGME Internal Medicine Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
ACGME Internal Medicine Kaiser Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA
ACGME Internal Medicine Metro Health Case Western, Cleveland, OH
ACGME Internal Medicine Hennepin County Medical Center/ University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
ACGME Internal Medicine Legacy Health, Portland, OR
AOA Internal Medicine UNTHSC/TCOM/Bay Area Corpus Christi MC, Corpus Christi, TX
AOA Internal Medicine Community Memorial Health, Ventura, CA
AOA Internal Medicine Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
AOA Internal Medicine Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
AOA Internal Medicine Parkview Medical Center, Pueblo, CO
AOA Internal Medicine Palmetto General Hospital, Hialeah, FL
AOA Internal Medicine NSUCOM/Broward Hosp District, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
AOA Internal Medicine Valley Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV
Military/ACGME Internal Medicine San Antonio Medical Center, San Antonio, TX

ACGME Internal Medicine (Preliminary) The Christ Hospital
ACGME Internal Medicine (Preliminary) UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA

ACGME Obstetrics and Gynecology UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA
ACGME Obstetrics and Gynecology Kaiser Oakland, Oakland, CA
ACGME Obstetrics and Gynecology Mercy Hospital, Chicago, IL
AOA/ACGME Obstetrics and Gynecology Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA

AOA Orthopedic Surgery Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley, CA
Military/ACGME Orthopedic Surgery Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA

AOA Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery Freeman Health System, Joplin, MO

ACGME Pathology University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

ACGME Pediatrics UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA
ACGME Pediatrics UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA
ACGME Pediatrics UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA
ACGME Pediatrics University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
ACGME Pediatrics Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
ACGME Pediatrics Our Lady of the Lake/Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
ACGME Pediatrics Rush University, Chicago, IL
Military/ACGME Pediatrics Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
Military/ACGME Pediatrics Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI

ACGME Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

ACGME Psychiatry Texas A&M College of Medicine/Scott & White Program,
ACGME Psychiatry University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
ACGME Psychiatry Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
AOA Psychiatry Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
AOA Psychiatry Michigan State University Detroit Wayne County Health Authority, Detroit, MI
AOA/ACGME Psychiatry Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Corvallis, OR

AOA Traditional Rotating Internship Eastern Connecticut Health Center, Manchester, CT
AOA Traditional Rotating Internship Manatee Memorial Hospital, Bradenton, FL
AOA Traditional Rotating Internship Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley, CA
AOA Traditional Rotating Internship Our Lady of Lords Hospital, Stratford, NJ
AOA Traditional Rotating Internship Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Corvallis, OR

ACGME Transitional Year Tuscon Hospital Medical Center, Tuscon, AZ
Military/ACGME Transitional Year Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA
ACGME/Military Transitional Year William Beaumont Army Medical Center/Texas Tech University, El Paso, TX
Last edited: Apr 2, 2014



VS.


ATSU-SOMA (Arizona)


Anesthesiology
ACGME Medical College of Wisconson (Milwaukee, WI)

Diagnostic Radiology
ACGME University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)
ACGME John Stroger Hospital of Cook County (Chicago IL)

Emergency Medicine
ACGME Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)
ACGME U-Illinois St Francis (Peoria IL)
ACGME Kaweah Health Care District (Visalia CA)
ACGME UT-Houston (Houston TX)
AOA Henry Ford (Macomb, MI)
AOA University of New England COM (Kent, RI)
AOA St. John Providence (Warren, MI)
AOA Mercy Hospital (Monroe MI)
AOA St Barnabas Hospital (NYC NY)
MILITARY San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Consortium (San Antonio, TX)


Family Medicine
ACGME Harbor-UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)
ACGME University of Kansas (Wichita, KS)
ACGME Fort Wayne Medical Education (Fort Wayne, IN)
ACGME Methodist Charlton Medical Center (Dallas, TX)
ACGME University Hospitals, Case Medical Center (Cleveland, OH)
ACGME University of Illinois (Peoria, IL)
ACGME Kaiser Permanente Orange County (Santa Ana, CA)
ACGME Valley Consortium (Modesto, CA)
ACGME University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland, OH)
ACGME Sacred Heart (Spokane, WA)
ACGME Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, IL)
ACGME Valley Medical Center (Renton, WA)
ACGME Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (Provo, UT)
ACGME Case Western Medical Center (Cleveland, OH)
ACGME University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)
AOA Mountain Vista Medical Center (Gilbert, AZ)
AOA Mountain Vista Medical Center (Gilbert, AZ)
AOA The Medical Center - NSUCOM (Columbus, GA)
AOA Wright Center for GME - ATSU-SOMA (Seattle, WA)
AOA Wright Center for GME - ATSU-SOMA (Seattle, WA)
AOA Wright Center for GME - ATSU-SOMA (Seattle, WA)
AOA Wright Center for GME - ATSU-SOMA (Portland, OR)
AOA Wright Center for GME - ATSU-SOMA (Tucson, AZ)
AOA UP-KYCOM Fort Wayne Medical Center (Fort Wayne, IN)
AOA UH Regional Hospitals (Richmond Heights, OH)
AOA TCOM Methodist Charlton MC (Dallas, TX)
AOA RVUCOM St Mary Hospital (Pueblo, CO)
AOA PNWUCOM Skagitt Valley Hospital (Mt Vernon, WA)
MILITARY Darnall Army Medical Center (Fort Hood, TX)
MILITARY Naval Hospital (Jacksonville FL)
MILITARY Naval Hospital (Jacksonville FL)


Family Medicine/NMM
AOA Larkin Community Hospital (Miami, FL)

Internal Medicine
ACGME Texas A&M Scott and White (Temple,TX)
ACGME University Hospital (Columbia, MO)
ACGME University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)
ACGME Einstein Beth-Israel (NYC, NY)
ACGME Maricopa Medical Center (Phoenix, AZ)
ACGME Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle, WA)
ACGME Kern Medical Center (Bakersfield, CA)
ACGME Presence St. Francis Medical Center (Peoria, IL)
ACGME DMC-Sinai-Grace Hospital (Detroit, MI)
AOA Verde Valley Medical Center (Cottonwood, AZ)
AOA Lutheran Family Health Center (Brooklyn, NY)
AOA Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Philadelphia, PA)
AOA Henry Ford Macomb (Clinton Township, MI)
AOA DMC Osteopathic Division (Detroit, MI)
AOA Sky Ridge Medical Center (Denver, CO)
AOA Bingham Memorial (Blackfoot, ID)
AOA LECOM/Arnot Ogden Medical Center (Elmira, NY)
MILITARY Tripler Army Medical Center (Honolulu, HI)

Internal Medicine/Pediatrics
ACGME University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)

Neurological Surgery
ACGME Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, CA)

Neurology
ACGME North Shore LIJ (Long Island, NY)

OB/GYN
ACGME University of California San Francisco- Fresno (Fresno, CA)
ACGME University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)
ACGME Sinai Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
ACGME Wyckoff Heights Medical Center

Ophthalmology
ACGME University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)

Orthopedic Surgery
AOA TUNCOM-Valley Medical Center (Las Vegas, NV)

Pediatrics
ACGME Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)
ACGME University of Southern California LA-USC (Los Angeles, CA)
ACGME University of Southern California LA-USC (Los Angeles, CA)
ACGME Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
ACGME University of Kansas SOM (Kansas City, KA)
AOA TCOM Driscoll Childrens Hospiral (Corpus Christi, TX)

Preliminary General Surgery
ACGME Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency, Banner Good Samaritan (Phoenix, AZ)

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
ACGME Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, CA)
ACGME University of Toledo (Toledo, OH)
ACGME Wayne State University
MILITARY Walter Reed (Bethesda, MD)

Psychiatry
ACGME University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
ACGME University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland, OH)
ACGME University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)
MILITARY Naval Medical Center (San Diego, CA)
MILITARY Wright Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, OH)

Transitional Year
AOA Riverside County Regional Medical Center (Riverside, CA)
AOA Western University/Good Samaritan (Corvallis, OR)