UHS and DMU Interviews vs LECOM acceptance

[drkim]

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I have a similar situation as Kumar28. I just mailed out my deposit to LECOM last week and a day later, i've received interview invitations from UHS-COM (3/26) and DMU (4/2).
Should i attend any of them? how would you compare the strenths and weaknesses among these schools?

How is UHS-COM's new curriculum program (Genesis program?)? Did the students (Class 2004?) do better or worse on their boards after this curriculum has incorporated compared to the students (Class 2003 and before). The overview of this curriculum looks like everything - basic and clinical sciences incoporated.
How are the core classes like Biochem, Genetics, Embryology, Physiology, Pharmc, Gross Anatomy, etc, taught? i personally prefer traditional method of teaching. Would my preference exclude UHS-COM? How many students are assigned for a cadavar?

How about DMU? Is it true that DMU is the most "osteopathic"? OMM-oriented?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Popoy]

Personally, I would visit both if you're financially sound....

It's always best to visit both campus and see which one would be best for you.

I interviewed in LECOM, got accepted, but I really didn't feel I fit in that school.... It's not because of their program.... they have they're strength and weaknesses as DMU does as well.

Yes, DMU I feel is the most "Osteopathic" out of the schools I visited.... We have a strong, if not the best, OMM training.... this is due to the dedicated and hard work of the OMM Department.

There are also weaknesses such as pathology - I'm sorry to say is very weak hear.... I'm not sure how the current first years view this but when I went through it, it was not up to par to some schools.... But there are also strengths such as a great Biochemistry Department and our Pharmacology Department is awesome since Dr. Crisp, Dr. Mortenson, et al came in to play....

Physiology is very tough here but it does push the students to learn concepts not random facts....

Anatomy at DMU... well taught.... 4 peeps per cadaver rotating with another group of 4.... one group dissects one part then the other group does another. Dr. Khan goes over a quick review of the dissections from different sessions so you don't miss out. I don't think this is such as big deal.... I found out from a friend of mines going to UCSF Med School that they've ELIMINATED anatomy dissecting lab all together.... So interpret that as you must....

Our systems curriculum in the second year needs a bit of work and they have made improvements.... Our year are the guinea pigs for this and we have yet to take the boards.... Some feel it works, some don't.... like anything else in life....

The students, staff, faculty, etc are the best and sincerely respect their students - they are all friendly and willing to listen.

ALL in ALL, I suggest visiting the campus.... if you're budget isn't tight. If anything, you can see how the campus compare or simply a practice of your interview skills 😉

Good luck and I'm sure in the end you will make the right decision for you....

😎

 

[DrSmiles]

From a UHS perspective:
The new Genesys curriculum has shown an improvement in overall board scores (I believe it was a 97% pass rate last year), and overall, students performed above the national mean in every single subject (not a bad improvement!).
If you have the funds, I suggest you come take a look first hand because I am sure you won't be disappointed.
The Genesys program incorporates all the path, physio, histo, biochem, etc you will need. One of the advantages to this program as opposed to the traditional programs: if you suck in a subject like biochem, you won't get killed on exams because each exam incorporates a few questions from each discipline. We don't have one biochem exam, one physio exam, one histo exam, etc. At the end of every section you get a breakdown on how you performed in each discipline so you have a better idea on where to focus for the boards. So for example: if you only got 50% of all the histo questions correct, but 80% of all the genetics questions correct, you have a better idea of which subjects you might be weak in.
Personally, I love this curriculum and I didn't really understand how it worked until I was immersed in school.
Our anatomy lab is structured very similarly to DMU. 4-5 students per tank, rotating in with another 4-5 students. Anatomy is a lot of work (dissection), so I am very happy that we are sharing the work with another group. Every Friday we have an open anatomy lab where instructors are on hand to go over the dissections. We have T.V. monitors throughout the lab to observe the prosection done the day before. This is nice because you don't get 100 students crammed around a cadaver and everyone gets a chance to see what is important.
Strengths and weaknesses:
Our school is very strong in pathology- we present path cases every week in addition to our lectures.
I wouldn't go as far to say we are really weak in any subject except maybe pharmacology, but I am certain other students might not agree with me on that point.

Personally, even though you sent in your money...I would still check out at least one more school because you would be surprised at how different each school can be. You might find something at another school that jumps out at you, or at the very least, it will reconfirm your decision to attend LECOM.
Good luck.😉