University of Vermont vs. Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

[FutureDoc1234321]

Hello!

I loved both schools and frankly don't have a preference of one over the other as far as the school itself. I don't care where I live. My ultimate goal is to be an orthopaedic surgeon. Here's my list of pros and cons:

TCOM

Pros: Best DO school in the country, great match rates, very affordable (~$80,000 in tuition for all 4 years)

Cons: Orthopaedics appears to be biased against DOs and there is no telling what exactly is going to happen after the AOA/ACGME merger is completed in 2020

UVM

Pros: Great MD school, also great match rates (I believe ~4% of students go into orthopaedics), wouldn't have to worry about bias against MDs when applying to orthopaedic residencies

Cons: VERY expensive (~$264,000 in tuition for all 4 years)



I'm unsure as to how I should approach this decision. Although TCOM is one of the best DO schools in the country, should I risk fighting the stigma of attending an orthopaedic residency upon application when the time comes when I have a very good MD school I could attend otherwise? The biggest difference between the two programs (from my eyes) appears to be tuition, which is very steep for UVM. That being said, orthopaedics is my dream.

Please, no pre-med responses. I would appreciate if only current medical students, faculty, or physicians/surgeons respond to this.

Thank you!

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[libertyyne]

UVM.
No contest.

 

[FutureDoc1234321]

UVM.
No contest.

Thanks for your comment. Would you mind explaining why?

 

[tkim]

UVM. You will have a much better chance getting ortho, and the price difference, though steep, can be paid off in a couple of years, versus the very real chance of not getting ortho at all.

 

[PugsAndHugs]

My ultimate goal is to be an orthopaedic surgeon

This is the reason why I would say UVM. Unfortunately, you are right about the bias against DOs in ortho.

 

[libertyyne]

Thanks for your comment. Would you mind explaining why?

there were 742 acgme ortho spots. Only 5 were taken by osteo students
After the merger is complete things may change , but realistically speaking if you have an MD accept , you should take it.

 

[PugsAndHugs]

If you have shadowed/worked with multiple orthopedic surgeons and understand what their job/life is like and still really can’t see yourself doing anything else, pick UVM and don’t look back.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Would you mind explaining why?

Because MD beats DO 10/10.

source: DO student who is gunning for a competitive specialty.

 

[BombsAway]

Echo above posters and will add that VT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>TX in every conceivable way.

 

[CarpeDiem1993]

UVM times one million. Any MD over any DO, you will have better opportunities to match to any competitive specialty as an MD.

I have a friend at UVM I can get you in contact with if you are interested. He absolutely loves it there! Burlington is beautiful and their facilities are great.