UIWSOM vs ACOM

[eaglehawk]

Hey!

I currently have an acceptance to UIW and an interview comping up at ACOM. Of course I am going to my interview to check out the school, the curriculum, and just to learn more, in case I do end up liking it. Currently I am happy with attending UIW specifically because of it's location and access to food rotation sites possibilities in San Antonio. However, ACOM is more established, credited, and has already had a graduating class and from what I read - they have a solid affiliated hospital system?

Would anyone mind giving me tips on what else I should look out for that would be an advantage over UIW at ACOM. And what you would personally recommend regarding the two programs and which would be the better one to attend?

Thank you

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[Cath Up]

Hey!

I currently have an acceptance to UIW and an interview comping up at ACOM. Of course I am going to my interview to check out the school, the curriculum, and just to learn more, in case I do end up liking it. Currently I am happy with attending UIW specifically because of it's location and access to food rotation sites possibilities in San Antonio. However, ACOM is more established, credited, and has already had a graduating class and from what I read - they have a solid affiliated hospital system?

Would anyone mind giving me tips on what else I should look out for that would be an advantage over UIW at ACOM. And what you would personally recommend regarding the two programs and which would be the better one to attend?

Thank you

Things to look for when comparing programs:
quality of food rotation sites (ACOM only has clinical rotation sites- so it appears UIW has a leg up on this one)
quality of clinical rotation sites (I believe they both have these. From what I have seen, ACOM's seem very good for a DO program. Don't know about UIW)
tuition (it is easy to see price just as a number you will have to deal with in a decade, but I have seen far too many attendings say one should truly value cheaper-cost programs if available)
fit (can you see yourself living and learning in the area of the school/state for 4 years?)
set-up for GME (have they matched students in the specialties you think you may be interested in? Are the matches at decent programs? This is pretty hard to determine and is of some limited importance. But if I had an interest in, say, anesthesiology and EM and one school matched a student each to community programs in both specialties, I would consider that to be a potentially door-closing program compared to one that had 20% of their class between those specialties).
required lecture attendance (required lecture attendance is generally not well regarded)
dedicated time to study for COMLEX/USMLE step 1 (I would aim for a school that gives you as much as possible. 2 weeks is considered relatively little)
total class time for other required courses (some programs require ~4 hours of OMM per week while others are around 2-2.5 hrs/week. The less time you spend on OPP, the more time you have to study for your classes and more importantly COMLEX/USMLE).

I looked into both of these programs and would personally prefer ACOM over UIW. ACOM seems to be well set-up, had what I believe is a decent match list, and I have heard they have good rotation sites. Also sounds like students like the admins and professors there for the most part. Your preferences may reasonably drive you to prefer UIW though.

 

[Coltuna]

Things to look for when comparing programs:
quality of food rotation sites (ACOM only has clinical rotation sites- so it appears UIW has a leg up on this one)
quality of clinical rotation sites (I believe they both have these. From what I have seen, ACOM's seem very good for a DO program. Don't know about UIW)
tuition (it is easy to see price just as a number you will have to deal with in a decade, but I have seen far too many attendings say one should truly value cheaper-cost programs if available)
fit (can you see yourself living and learning in the area of the school/state for 4 years?)
set-up for GME (have they matched students in the specialties you think you may be interested in? Are the matches at decent programs? This is pretty hard to determine and is of some limited importance. But if I had an interest in, say, anesthesiology and EM and one school matched a student each to community programs in both specialties, I would consider that to be a potentially door-closing program compared to one that had 20% of their class between those specialties).
required lecture attendance (required lecture attendance is generally not well regarded)
dedicated time to study for COMLEX/USMLE step 1 (I would aim for a school that gives you as much as possible. 2 weeks is considered relatively little)
total class time for other required courses (some programs require ~4 hours of OMM per week while others are around 2-2.5 hrs/week. The less time you spend on OPP, the more time you have to study for your classes and more importantly COMLEX/USMLE).

I looked into both of these programs and would personally prefer ACOM over UIW. ACOM seems to be well set-up, had what I believe is a decent match list, and I have heard they have good rotation sites. Also sounds like students like the admins and professors there for the most part. Your preferences may reasonably drive you to prefer UIW though.

This advice is absolute GOLD. I'm just gonna add some buzzwords for any students seeking selection criteria in the future:
What to look for in medical school
How to decide medical school

 

[DO2015CA]

Things to look for when comparing programs:
quality of food rotation sites (ACOM only has clinical rotation sites- so it appears UIW has a leg up on this one)
quality of clinical rotation sites (I believe they both have these. From what I have seen, ACOM's seem very good for a DO program. Don't know about UIW)
tuition (it is easy to see price just as a number you will have to deal with in a decade, but I have seen far too many attendings say one should truly value cheaper-cost programs if available)
fit (can you see yourself living and learning in the area of the school/state for 4 years?)
set-up for GME (have they matched students in the specialties you think you may be interested in? Are the matches at decent programs? This is pretty hard to determine and is of some limited importance. But if I had an interest in, say, anesthesiology and EM and one school matched a student each to community programs in both specialties, I would consider that to be a potentially door-closing program compared to one that had 20% of their class between those specialties).
required lecture attendance (required lecture attendance is generally not well regarded)
dedicated time to study for COMLEX/USMLE step 1 (I would aim for a school that gives you as much as possible. 2 weeks is considered relatively little)
total class time for other required courses (some programs require ~4 hours of OMM per week while others are around 2-2.5 hrs/week. The less time you spend on OPP, the more time you have to study for your classes and more importantly COMLEX/USMLE).

I looked into both of these programs and would personally prefer ACOM over UIW. ACOM seems to be well set-up, had what I believe is a decent match list, and I have heard they have good rotation sites. Also sounds like students like the admins and professors there for the most part. Your preferences may reasonably drive you to prefer UIW though.

Acom will try to push you into primary care. If you are okay with that then go but you can also work your butt off and do something else. Just bringing it up because all of the residencies they are starting at the rotation sites are with FM and 1 IM

 

[MADD!!!]

I'd say the 1 biggest factor is curriculum. I think UIW is a solid program in terms of clinical rotations (they have access to a large city and have tapped into every hospital system in the region). Also just being in Texas is a huge leg up. They have a lot of MD programs in the state and some of their residencies openly state on their websites "Criteria they look for: 1. Graduate of a Texas medical school" They are expanding their GME and by 2020 they're expecting to have 10% excess residency spots compared to grads. Although residency shortages aren't affecting us YET (99% of DO's still PLACE somewhere), it's comforting to know that Texas as a state cares about their med students all getting residencies. In addition to that, most of these residency programs are all university-affiliated so it's awesome.

Also, hitting on the same point, UIW itself has already set up more GME than ACOM.

Location wise: Major city vs. a sub-urban/rural area.

IF you can handle UIW's curriculum, in my opinion it's the better choice.

 

[Cath Up]

Acom will try to push you into primary care. If you are okay with that then go but you can also work your butt off and do something else. Just bringing it up because all of the residencies they are starting at the rotation sites are with FM and 1 IM

Reasonable concern. They did have diversification in their match list, though, and had university-affiliated residencies in specialties. This gives a hint that they prepare students well enough to match competitively, despite any mission drive for primary care.

I'd say the 1 biggest factor is curriculum. I think UIW is a solid program in terms of clinical rotations (they have access to a large city and have tapped into every hospital system in the region). Also just being in Texas is a huge leg up. They have a lot of MD programs in the state and some of their residencies openly state on their websites "Criteria they look for: 1. Graduate of a Texas medical school" They are expanding their GME and by 2020 they're expecting to have 10% excess residency spots compared to grads. Although residency shortages aren't affecting us YET (99% of DO's still PLACE somewhere), it's comforting to know that Texas as a state cares about their med students all getting residencies. In addition to that, most of these residency programs are all university-affiliated so it's awesome.

Also, hitting on the same point, UIW itself has already set up more GME than ACOM.

Location wise: Major city vs. a sub-urban/rural area.

IF you can handle UIW's curriculum, in my opinion it's the better choice.

I did not know this- really good info, and would definitely make me rethink UIW. Access to GME (despite not having graduated a class, unlike ACOM), especially in a protected Texas-only system like that, could potentially be incredibly useful. As long as Texas PDs don't completely prioritize allopathic grads. One could probably see how the Texas DOs match into Texas university residencies to get a good sense of how much discrimination there is. My wild and crazy speculation is that Texas DOs will have it better off in the post-merger world if what MADD!!! says is true.

 

[giguerex35]

UIW

 

[DO2015CA]

Reasonable concern. They did have diversification in their match list, though, and had university-affiliated residencies in specialties. This gives a hint that they prepare students well enough to match competitively, despite any mission drive for primary care.

Yes they do and if you work your butt off and do research you can do as you like. they opened a lab and have an annual poster comp with SHM on campus so there are opportunities, but you will not have specialty mentors. For those of us that want PCP, I could pretty much choose a faculty member as a mentor. Outside of pathology there are no non-primary care faculty. Most are FM, IM, OB

 

[Ruraldoc18]

Reasonable concern. They did have diversification in their match list, though, and had university-affiliated residencies in specialties. This gives a hint that they prepare students well enough to match competitively, despite any mission drive for primary care.


I did not know this- really good info, and would definitely make me rethink UIW. Access to GME (despite not having graduated a class, unlike ACOM), especially in a protected Texas-only system like that, could potentially be incredibly useful. As long as Texas PDs don't completely prioritize allopathic grads. One could probably see how the Texas DOs match into Texas university residencies to get a good sense of how much discrimination there is. My wild and crazy speculation is that Texas DOs will have it better off in the post-merger world if what MADD!!! says is true.

I chose UIW because of the access to GME, and because I live in Texas already. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic, and I have read the exact documents MADD!!! refers to. It is legit.

Also, Texas is DO friendly because of TCOM's presence as arguably one of the best DO schools in the nation. Hospitals in the state have many DO graduates from TCOM, including the one I work at. I took a look at the current residents listed on our website, along with numerous other hospital websites, and they have significant amounts of DO's on their residency roster. For instance, I was looking at the IM program at my hospital and it has 34 total PGY1 spots. 12 of those are DO's. This is also a University program, with numerous fellowships. I took a look at the IM fellowships and they also have a significant amount of DO's, many of which completed their residencies at the same hospital. We also have some PD's (or associate PD's) who are DO's, which has certainly helped.

The only residency programs I saw that lacked any DO's in Texas were UTSW and Baylor, which makes sense due to them being two of the best MD schools around.

 

[Cath Up]

I chose UIW because of the access to GME, and because I live in Texas already. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic, and I have read the exact documents MADD!!! refers to. It is legit.

Also, Texas is DO friendly because of TCOM's presence as arguably one of the best DO schools in the nation. Hospitals in the state have many DO graduates from TCOM, including the one I work at. I took a look at the current residents listed on our website, along with numerous other hospital websites, and they have significant amounts of DO's on their residency roster. For instance, I was looking at the IM program at my hospital and it has 34 total PGY1 spots. 12 of those are DO's. This is also a University program, with numerous fellowships. I took a look at the IM fellowships and they also have a significant amount of DO's, many of which completed their residencies at the same hospital. We also have some PD's (or associate PD's) who are DO's, which has certainly helped.

The only residency programs I saw that lacked any DO's in Texas were UTSW and Baylor, which makes sense due to them being two of the best MD schools around.

LUCKY

That sounds wonderful. Sounds like Texas is getting medical education and physician employment more right than most other places.

 

[DO2015CA]

Texas is getting most things right

LUCKY

That sounds wonderful. Sounds like Texas is getting medical education and physician employment more right than most other places.

 

[MADD!!!]

Reasonable concern. They did have diversification in their match list, though, and had university-affiliated residencies in specialties. This gives a hint that they prepare students well enough to match competitively, despite any mission drive for primary care.


I did not know this- really good info, and would definitely make me rethink UIW. Access to GME (despite not having graduated a class, unlike ACOM), especially in a protected Texas-only system like that, could potentially be incredibly useful. As long as Texas PDs don't completely prioritize allopathic grads. One could probably see how the Texas DOs match into Texas university residencies to get a good sense of how much discrimination there is. My wild and crazy speculation is that Texas DOs will have it better off in the post-merger world if what MADD!!! says is true.

Here's my source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/pdf/6238.pdf?CFID=71389017&CFTOKEN=91765226

Basically, I read from this and another source that GME funding is biased towards the Northeast. Therefore, the state of Texas is funding the additional residency slots through their state taxpayer dollars.

Also, don't get me wrong, going to UIW would still be bottom of the totem-pole in terms of medical schools in Texas. (You're MOST LIKELY not going to get into a UTSW or Baylor residency), but working your way down at the lower-tier MD hospitals you'd have a good shot at getting slots. (Like Texas Tech). (The main point is there's going to be more slots than graduates!) Also, UT San Antonio I'm assuming is going to be very receptive towards UIW students because having been to San Antonio, it's VERY community based and UIW as an institution has been around forever.

 

[premed45456]

If you're from Texas and want to stay here for residency, I would go with UIW (for all the reasons mentioned above, namely having clinical rotation sites in a major metropolitan city). This was my main reason for choosing UIW over the schools I was accepted to.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I chose UIW because of the access to GME, and because I live in Texas already. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic, and I have read the exact documents MADD!!! refers to. It is legit.

Also, Texas is DO friendly because of TCOM's presence as arguably one of the best DO schools in the nation. Hospitals in the state have many DO graduates from TCOM, including the one I work at. I took a look at the current residents listed on our website, along with numerous other hospital websites, and they have significant amounts of DO's on their residency roster. For instance, I was looking at the IM program at my hospital and it has 34 total PGY1 spots. 12 of those are DO's. This is also a University program, with numerous fellowships. I took a look at the IM fellowships and they also have a significant amount of DO's, many of which completed their residencies at the same hospital. We also have some PD's (or associate PD's) who are DO's, which has certainly helped.

The only residency programs I saw that lacked any DO's in Texas were UTSW and Baylor, which makes sense due to them being two of the best MD schools around.

Except Baylor PM&R (and UTSW also I believe). And Baylor PM&R program is one of the top programs in the country.

 

[It's lupus!]

The only residency programs I saw that lacked any DO's in Texas were UTSW and Baylor, which makes sense due to them being two of the best MD schools around.

Just wanted to mention UTSW definitely has DO residents in multiple programs. I cant speak on Baylor though...

 

[Ruraldoc18]

Just wanted to mention UTSW definitely has DO residents in multiple programs. I cant speak on Baylor though...

Awesome! I was looking at only their IM program, good to know they do consider DO’s in other specialties.

 

[DO2015CA]

Awesome! I was looking at only their IM program, good to know they do consider DO’s in other specialties.

You aren’t going to see DOs in anything higher than a mid tier IM program, and usually in low tier. This is mostly due to they get enough Qualified MD applicants that want competitive fellowships. Places like Baylor and UTSW are getting plenty of strong MD applicants

 

[It's lupus!]

Yeah unfortunately what DO2015CA is saying is true. Living in the DFW area, I hear (often), from even professors that came from UTSW, that they have a bit of a pretentious attitude about them in regards to reputation and what not. Whether this is in fact true and/or it lends some of its programs toward being not so DO friendly or not I have no idea. It certainly makes for a place that is highly sought after by highly qualified applicants and could make it easy to just ignore DO applicants. That being said, no one can argue that they are a good school, and they do have DO applicants in their other residencies.