UNECOM Class of 2012

[wook]

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At that point I will have less than 2 weeks of medical school left!!!! I'm taking May off... yay me!😀😉😛😎 Doing my last rotation at the hospital I matched at... unpacking in my new house (closing march 31st...) so I dont think I will make it... but I will be there in spirit!

Congratulations!! It's been a long hard road. Do some celebrating for me!!



Wook

 

[Shodddy18]

Congratulations!! It's been a long hard road. Do some celebrating for me!!



Wook

Will do!!! You're doing EM right? Same here! Where are you at?

 

[ATrain]

For any and all current students: What was your orientation like? What kinds of events/activities are usually scheduled and do you know of anything specific planned for this year?

 

[ATrain]

For any and all current students: What was your orientation like? What kinds of events/activities are usually scheduled and do you know of anything specific planned for this year?

Bump

 

[wook]

For any and all current students: What was your orientation like? What kinds of events/activities are usually scheduled and do you know of anything specific planned for this year?

Well...I'll tell you what I remember from 6 years ago...

Orientation was a week long affair with activities allowing us to get to know our classmates, including a white river rafting trip, a boat harbor trip, dinners almost nightly, and a lunch barbecue (where family was invited).

For activities, during the day there was paperwork for signing up for classes. Immunization paperwork updates. Introduction on what to expect. An orientation segment for partners to give them an idea of what to expect.

That's all I can remember...I'll let ShyRem or one of the folks more recently involved post more up to date information. I can't believe I'm having trouble remembering what we did...must be old age.



Wook

 

[ShyRem]

That was pretty much a blur for me - I was homeless at the time and desperately looking for a place for my children, husband, two dogs, and myself to live (the house we were buying fell through the day before closing. Literally). After I had to arrange for all of our belongings to be shipped to storage. And then, since all our stuff was in storage, we had to go shopping for clothes. I really don't remember much about orientation except I was really really really stressed out about dragging my entire family 2500 miles just to end up homeless and without any of our stuff. 🙁 And I still managed to pass my classes.

Not a good time for me. I hear other folks had a really good time though. They still do the rafting trip, the cruise, nightly dinners and BBQs.

 

[ATrain]

Thanks Shy and Wook, it sounds like a great time!😀

 

[DrKeys]

Thanks Shy and Wook, it sounds like a great time!😀

I was a orientation leader for class 2011 (the current first years),

Orientation is definitely a lot of FUN, white water rafting trip (a must go), booze cruise at casco bay, club sign-up/fair, ice cream social, then orientations regarding each class that the first year students will take (tips, tricks, experiences, and questions), there will be a lot of social/games activities on diversity, ethics, etc.. to help students to get to know each other. Finally there will be ID photos, class picture, individual picture for bullentin board, white coat measurements (for the white coat ceremony),

Then we throw you guys in class A.S.A.P. and start gross anatomy 🙂
heh...

 

[ATrain]

Sounds excellent, I am more excited every day! (especially the "getting thrown into anatomy ASAP" part 😉)

 

[ShyRem]

I think our first gross anatomy exam was 10 days after the start of school. It was either upper or lower limb. 😱

 

[ATrain]

10 days including the orientation week?

 

[ShyRem]

I think it was 10 days from start of class.

Just looked. First anatomy class: 8/9. First gross anatomy exam: 8/23. They got 9 anatomy class days in there: Orientation 8/6-7. EOM 8/8. Anatomy 8/9. 8/22 you have the afternoon for review. 9 days of class before your exam. Don't fall behind!

 

[ATrain]

Sounds like it's gonna be quite a ride

 

[ShyRem]

Yeah. You think it's all SOOOO much... and then you get to the really study intensive classes. Path. BacT. Pharm. Phys. And all of a sudden, you long for the days of anatomy when life was easy and simple.



I'm not kidding. And I wouldn't trade a minute of it. 🙂

 

[ATrain]

Well in that case I will do my best to enjoy how good I'm going to have it 😉

 

[ATrain]

Hello all current/former/future UNECOM students:

I just got my financial award letter in the mail yesterday and the grand total for my first year (including supplemental loans) is just over $68K. For current/former students: Do I need this much and is it worth taking out the full amount? I don't want to get into any more debt than I need to, but I also don't want to end up short with less than I need. I remember speaking to one first year at UNECOM who said she only took out just around $60K and that she figured that should get her through the summer as well.

For my fellow future students, how much do you plan on taking out for this year? I am funding my next four years solely with loans, no savings or assistance from the BMD (Bank of Mom and Dad)

Your feedback (as always) is appreciated!!

 

[romeolucas]

Hello, my name is Romeo and I am a graduating 4th year UNECOMer.

First of all, congrats on getting in!!! You got past that and it's uber difficult so kudos to you.

I own a house in Biddeford, right off Pool Road (.5 miles from Downtown, 3 miles from UNE). It's a big house with a HUGE yard. I have some rooms for rent and am looking for incoming 1st years to move in. I rent ONLY to UNECOM students; no randoms, no undergrads. It is a med school house.

The House: living/TV room, study room/library (with lots of my books, board review material and other resources at your disposal), kitchen, dining room, 3 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, and bar, laundry (washer, dryer) and wine cellar in the basement. 2 car garage. big driveway. super nice neighborhood (they all know and love past residents). giant backyard. WIFI set up in house. 200 feet from the "On the Corner Cafe" deli on Pool Road.

This house is the stuff of UNECOM legend since I bought it and lived there. A great meeting place, yet homey and comfortable when quiet.

If you have any questions or are interested in taking a look, please email me at [email protected] and I can email you pictures or I'll arrange a time for you to come by and look.

Again, congrats on getting in and I hope to hear from you soon.

Romeo😀

 

[innominata]

This house is the stuff of UNECOM legend

as one of romeo's classmates, i can vouch that this is a true statement...

regarding the finances of unecom, i took out the maximum amount every year and never felt like i had much excess cash and certainly not enough to get me through the summer months.

also, as a sidebar, be very cautious of your lenders. because of unecom's exorbitantly high tuition (groan...), lots of people have to use alternative funding sources and many of these carry higher interest rates and/or are non-deferable after you graduate.

 

[ATrain]

I'm going to try to get by via Staffords and Grad Plus loans only. It is just that $68K seems like SO much, even though I for some reason thought $60K would be somewhat relatively reasonable. I know the first year is more because of the laptop and PDA $, but I would like to try to minimize my principle debt.

It seemed to me from the Fin Aid website that tuition, fees, insurance and supplies can only account for less than $45K per year. Do you really need ~$25K for other living expenses to thrive in Biddeford? I live in a Boston suburb right now (much more expensive than Biddeford) and get by with a takehome of about $28K a year

 

[ShyRem]

Depends on you. I know single folks who are totally broke before the semester ends. I have a family and manage to get by. But I don't do anything extra that costs money - no bars, no dinners out, no trips, bring my lunch... it's doable.

 

[ATrain]

Yeah, tough call for me though. I feel like if I take out the max I'll definitiely use it, but maybe kick myself for it in a few years. Then again, if I run out of money, I'm also up the creek. Over four years, I'm probably talking about maybe a $20K difference, and that is before fees and interest. At the same time, that would also be less than a 10% difference from the minimum I would take out.
Ahh, the choices we must make....

 

[Shodddy18]

Hello all current/former/future UNECOM students:

I just got my financial award letter in the mail yesterday and the grand total for my first year (including supplemental loans) is just over $68K. For current/former students: Do I need this much and is it worth taking out the full amount? I don't want to get into any more debt than I need to, but I also don't want to end up short with less than I need. I remember speaking to one first year at UNECOM who said she only took out just around $60K and that she figured that should get her through the summer as well.

For my fellow future students, how much do you plan on taking out for this year? I am funding my next four years solely with loans, no savings or assistance from the BMD (Bank of Mom and Dad)

Your feedback (as always) is appreciated!!

Wow...😱😕

Thats like $5,000/year more than this past year, and about $12,000 more than my first year... that is ridonkulous😡

 

[Shodddy18]

Yeah, tough call for me though. I feel like if I take out the max I'll definitiely use it, but maybe kick myself for it in a few years. Then again, if I run out of money, I'm also up the creek. Over four years, I'm probably talking about maybe a $20K difference, and that is before fees and interest. At the same time, that would also be less than a 10% difference from the minimum I would take out.
Ahh, the choices we must make....

Also, remember that if you do not take out the maximum right away... you can always take out more at any time during the semester... or so I have been told!

 

[ATrain]

Wouldn't that depend on the lender?

 

[ATrain]

Wow...😱😕

Thats like $5,000/year more than this past year, and about $12,000 more than my first year... that is ridonkulous😡

Ouch. I don't suppose it is going to slow down any time soon either...

 

[innominata]

MS4 here... despite unecom stating that everything under the sun is "mandatory" (pda, bp cuff, opthalmoscope, millions of textbooks, etc...), the only thing that is really mandatory is a laptop (i don't know how people survive without one, let alone attend medical school). everything else is pretty much optional but gets listed as "mandatory" to get it covered by the armed forces scholarships (they won't reimburse for things that aren't mandatory...).

 

[ShyRem]

I would say that a stethoscope and reflex hammer are pretty much mandatory too. Most textbooks you can get used or don't get them at all. I have a couple go-to books that I've used a LOT, and many many books I've opened once. The second years can help you out with which books were helpful and which were not.

A laptop that's lightweight, sturdy, and has a really good track record is absolutely no holds barred a MUST. you will have classes that will require you to bring your laptop, so don't go hog-wild over a 10 pound ultra-gamers package.

 

[ATrain]

Would you say that you could get away with using only a laptop bag, or would a backpack be more practical?

 

[ShyRem]

That depends on you. I actually bought the messenger style laptop bag with room for books from Lenovo... it's more than big enough, but I don't tend to carry a lot of books around. Many folks go for a backpack. I like the messenger style.

 

[DrKeys]

definitely get used Books if you can, save you a lot of money... i know people who have done really well using like 2002 review books,


new books are overrated...why pay full price if you can get the same thing almost half price.

definite items:

- Stethoscope
- reflex hammer
- pocket eye chart (they don't have these lying around)
- tuning fork
- Diagnostic kit = you need to know how to use it properly before you start utilizing the hospital stuff
- Good (laptop, not gamer type, light weight, with tablet function if you can)
- some facilitator makes you wear a johnny/gown during your EOM course
- Used books, a lot of 2nd years will start selling their books soon.. good opportunity to pick up some cheap used books

other stuff i probably will wait (however, Gray's Anatomy for student and Grants dissector = a MUST, if you can get used.. i would highly suggest it)

as far as financial aid go.. you would want to borrow the MAX (so you don't have to pay the 3% guarant. fee. and borrowers' fee each time you borrow), take out the max loan.. then at end of the year if you have extra..put it in a CD that's 5% then pay it back at end of the year. it is the safest way

 

[rgerwin]

Unfortunately, it was even just over 65K this past year. But that still seems like a jump. I'd be curious to see how much they've given you for COL, supplies, books, etc.

I bought a pocket size set of instruments off of Amazon.com for $199. You can go with the kit, but I found I saved about $150 buying it in pieces.

 

[ATrain]

Unfortunately, it was even just over 65K this past year. But that still seems like a jump. I'd be curious to see how much they've given you for COL, supplies, books, etc.

I bought a pocket size set of instruments off of Amazon.com for $199. You can go with the kit, but I found I saved about $150 buying it in pieces.

Interesting, I would think that the "a la carte" method would be more expensive. Hopefully I'll just win the diagnostic set at Osteobalst 😉

 

[ShyRem]

The ala carte method was WAY cheaper for me! I got my diagnostic set for less than $150. i had an old scope, but got a new one as a gift. I got a medical bag as a gift, but had been looking at some on sale (you can get some really really stylish ones for men and women - look around online).

 

[rgerwin]

Here's the breakdown from what I remember for my kit:

Diagnostic set: $200
Scope: $150
Bag: $35(I actually have an accidental extra if anyone wants it)
Johnny: $7
Eye chart: $6
Tuning forks/reflex hammer: these were gifts, but they really don't cost that much.

I think that's it. So, about $400 and change? That kit from the school was $595 minimum.

 

[ATrain]

Very interesting, I think I'll start fishing around for some of those items ASAP. As far as the bag is concerned, do you mean those old-school leather docotr's bags with the clasp lock etc...?

 

[DrKeys]

Very interesting, I think I'll start fishing around for some of those items ASAP. As far as the bag is concerned, do you mean those old-school leather docotr's bags with the clasp lock etc...?

That's how much i'll sell my medical kit for 500 bucks.

with Medical Bag, stethoscope,
johnny,
tuning forks (high freq, low freq),
reflex hammer,
eye chart,
bloodpressure cuff,
welych allen diagnostic kit (oto and opthmalscope),
(if you're cool, i'll even throw in a Duracell Pen Light for examining oral cavity/throat and for transillumination test on physical exam)

great deal...so you don't have to pay shipping/ taxes and fish around parts to assemble your medical kit and deal with all the hassle.


One thing i did hear people complaining last year was that allheart and steele.com had problem filling people's orders where people didn't get their medical kit or only parts it of 3 month after they placed the order. They basically waited and took people's money then bulk ordered when their quota for their discount is filled at their end. Then got their supply from the factory, then re-ship it out to you (this takes a while) (the horror stories i've heard)

 

[ATrain]

I might just have to take you up on that! I hope I'm cool 🙄

 

[DrKeys]

I might just have to take you up on that! I hope I'm cool 🙄

Yup, you're cool heh heh. gotta watch out for my homie from Mass. 😎, Actually, i missed typed the price, I meant 500 not 400 😀. because the rechargeable (NiMH Cad Battery) 3.5v diagnostic kit from Welch Allyn is alone already more than 400 dollars.

🙂 but if you're cool you might able to barter down from 500 🙂, It is still a good deal, considering adding the stethoscope littman cardiology III (new) (which is more than 100 dollars already), Blood pressure cuff (30 dollars), eye chart (5 bucks), (reflex hammer, 10 bucks), (tuning forks high and low freq, 15 bucks,), johnny, pen light, and the medical Bag. which adds up to about 599 to 600 dollars.

so 499/500 bucks is actually goood deal for the whole thing.. with the bag. 🙂

 

[rgerwin]

Right, I knew I was forgetting something. The BP cuff. Cost me $20. Also, the extra bag I have is the new nylon version. After I bought it I got a traditional leather one as a gift, but it was too late to return the other one.

 

[ATrain]

Is there really a practical use for those doctor bags anymore? When I picture them in my head, I see a woman giving birth at home while the doctor orders someone to boil a pot of water and pulls a jar of leeches out of his black leather bag...
Am I wrong in thinking that these are only useful while either in school or in those "Is there a doctor in the house!?!?!" situations...?

 

[wook]

Is there really a practical use for those doctor bags anymore? When I picture them in my head, I see a woman giving birth at home while the doctor orders someone to boil a pot of water and pulls a jar of leeches out of his black leather bag...
Am I wrong in thinking that these are only useful while either in school or in those "Is there a doctor in the house!?!?!" situations...?

Now what's wrong with leaches and maggots? They are making a comeback (seriously). I especially like maggots for removing necrotic tissue since they eat ONLY necrotic tissue. Problem is they don't fit conveniently in the leather bag.

During your 1st and 2nd year, the bag may come in handy to carry your stuff when you do patient interviews and stuff. I never used my bag after that.


Wook

 

[ATrain]

Thanks Wook, pretty much what I expected. I guess it is probably not worth getting a nice one then unless I plan on practicing FM out in some boondocks....
I have heard about maggot therapy, supposed to be pretty good. Didn't I see leeches used on Scrubs...?

 

[DrKeys]

yeah, the leather doctors bag = you'll get laughed at...


lol because nobody carry those around anymore.. most people have like a medic pack or a regular nylon medical kit bag.

If i see a medical student come in with a leather doctors bag and I'm a physician, i'd be kind of weird out by it and wondering if the person is for actually trying to be a doctor via knowledge or just interested in looking like one 😀

anyways.. 🙂 Welch Allyn stuff = what everyone uses now days, make sure you know how to use them, and also since they're so widely used.. there are replacement parts available....where as other small manufactures = goes in and out of business if you need support for your instrument, you might be out of luck and end up with a junk that sits there forever.

 

[ShyRem]

On the other hand, there are some really nice leather bags out there. I have one and I've been complimented many times on it (but it's not the typical black bag).

 

[rgerwin]

the pocket set I got was Welch Allyn as well. Never had a problem with it, which is good. Last thing you want is to be videotaping or doing a practical exam and have your equipment break. Talk about awkward.

So, are they changin Anatomy this year? Rumors were circulating that anything from integrating histo and embryo, to just extending the length was going to happen. Yeah, that 9 days is a whirlwind. I really struggled, partly b/c I came to school with bronchitis, and partly b/c I hadbeen out for awhile and didn't know how to study. I guess I find classes like BacT, Physio, etc easier b/c I'm more comfortable with studying in general. I couldn't wait for Anatomy to be over. If anyone does seem to have problems, don't panic. Find groups to study with and live in the lab. See as much as possible. After 2 weeks you'll feel like you've known some people forever.

 

[Chunkeroni]

Love all the info up here lately!..I am definitely a little worried about those first couple weeks and getting back in the swing of things!! thanks for the encouragement rgerwin!!

Thanks all you current students who are so informative and welcoming!

 

[ATrain]

the pocket set I got was Welch Allyn as well. Never had a problem with it, which is good. Last thing you want is to be videotaping or doing a practical exam and have your equipment break. Talk about awkward.

So, are they changin Anatomy this year? Rumors were circulating that anything from integrating histo and embryo, to just extending the length was going to happen. Yeah, that 9 days is a whirlwind. I really struggled, partly b/c I came to school with bronchitis, and partly b/c I hadbeen out for awhile and didn't know how to study. I guess I find classes like BacT, Physio, etc easier b/c I'm more comfortable with studying in general. I couldn't wait for Anatomy to be over. If anyone does seem to have problems, don't panic. Find groups to study with and live in the lab. See as much as possible. After 2 weeks you'll feel like you've known some people forever.

I heard that the integration of histo and embryo was probable for this coming year, but I have no official ruling to report. What I did hear from a current MS2 was that i should be very happy about this should it prove to be the case

 

[wook]

I heard that the integration of histo and embryo was probable for this coming year, but I have no official ruling to report. What I did hear from a current MS2 was that i should be very happy about this should it prove to be the case

Interesting. This is a cyclic thing that happens every 4-5 years based on feedback by students. There have been several iterations of this that I'm aware of, then things swing the other way. The education committee does a good job of listening to the feedback.



Wook

 

[ShyRem]

I've heard the same from the curriculum committee wook. Problem is, students are NEVER satisfied (I even heard complaining that some exams were "too hard" -- wait till boards come around if they think the regular class exams are difficult). Regardless, curriculum changes seem to be never-ending based on student feedback.

 

[ATrain]

I've heard the same from the curriculum committee wook. Problem is, students are NEVER satisfied (I even heard complaining that some exams were "too hard" -- wait till boards come around if they think the regular class exams are difficult). Regardless, curriculum changes seem to be never-ending based on student feedback.

I heard that the curriculum in place now squeezes Anatomy into 10 weeks and that that was quite a strain