UTRGV vs UHCOM vs UTMB

[Tomiee]

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UTRGV
Pros

• My entire support system and partner live here, negating the need to uproot my life
• Small class
• I plan to work in the RGV for a significant portion of my life
• Fully accredited

Cons

• Newer schools and less established
• No teaching hospital?

UTMB
Pros

• Small island vibe and a chill atmosphere
• It is a very established school and has great opportunities for competitive specialties

Cons

• Larger class size
• Hurricanes

UHCOM (Pre-match)
Pros

• In a bigger city with more opportunities
• It aligns well with my previous education and values

Cons

• Newer school
• Not fully accredited (although I do not see this as a massive dealbreaker)
• Not associated with TMC (oh well)

Summary: I honestly feel very conflicted with my rank list. I am not entirely interested in a super competitive specialty, but who knows once I'm in school. Any advice or personal experience with these schools would be very appreciated.

 

[guytakingboards]

UTMB grad here and early career physician here.

UH being a newer school means there's a ton of stuff that isn't settled. Untested curriculum, untested clinical sites, uncertain board pass rates, uncertain match rates, etc.... I'd absolutely avoid that if you have an option like UTMB on the table.

IMO, your decision should be between UTMB and UT-RGV. The big question for you is how you value personal life vs career opportunities.

Without question, you will have better career opportunities at UTMB. It's the oldest medical school in Texas. It has residency programs in every major specialty and staff that have connections to place you elsewhere if desired.

That being said, the personal side of life cannot be discounted. Family support for you (and your partner) is a big deal. Especially if you decide to start a family during medical school.

Only you can decide how to prioritize those two things. Good luck!

 

[Tomiee]

UTMB grad here and early career physician here.

UH being a newer school means there's a ton of stuff that isn't settled. Untested curriculum, untested clinical sites, uncertain board pass rates, uncertain match rates, etc.... I'd absolutely avoid that if you have an option like UTMB on the table.

IMO, your decision should be between UTMB and UT-RGV. The big question for you is how you value personal life vs career opportunities.

Without question, you will have better career opportunities at UTMB. It's the oldest medical school in Texas. It has residency programs in every major specialty and staff that have connections to place you elsewhere if desired.

That being said, the personal side of life cannot be discounted. Family support for you (and your partner) is a big deal. Especially if you decide to start a family during medical school.

Only you can decide how to prioritize those two things. Good luck!

I appreciate your advice. I agree that going to UH has its drawbacks, but beggars can’t be choosers at this point and I gotta make do with the circumstances once the dust is settled after match day. With that said, I’ll definitely start weighing my personal and academic goals, and see which one will take precedence. Thank you!

 

[Med Ed]

UTMB and not even close.

UHCOM's clinical rotations are at HCA hospitals, which are for-profit. HCA has become a huge player in establishing new residency programs, which are intended to funnel new docs into their for-profit system. If that appeals to you then go for it.

UTRGV struggles along but has serious problems that cannot be overlooked.

Attending any of these three will lead to a diploma and "MD" after your name, but only one of them has a longstanding academic culture and teaching hospital. If you want to be of maximum service to The Valley over the course of your career, get the best education you can.

 

[Tomiee]

UTMB and not even close.

UHCOM's clinical rotations are at HCA hospitals, which are for-profit. HCA has become a huge player in establishing new residency programs, which are intended to funnel new docs into their for-profit system. If that appeals to you then go for it.

UTRGV struggles along but has serious problems that cannot be overlooked.

Attending any of these three will lead to a diploma and "MD" after your name, but only one of them has a longstanding academic culture and teaching hospital. If you want to be of maximum service to The Valley over the course of your career, get the best education you can.

Thank you for the response.
I’m not sure how to take the for-profit point. What are things about this type of system I should be aware about as a medical student? I’m not interested in getting in with a residency with HCA, but if my only acceptance is with UH… then I need to make do with what I have. Also, their match list is fine, not the best but it shows I won’t be forced with HCA if I network and do what I have to do. Just something the note.

What “serious problems” are you referring to with UTRGV?

Again, thank you for the reply. I appreciate the insight 🙂 !

 

[Med Ed]

Thank you for the response.
I’m not sure how to take the for-profit point. What are things about this type of system I should be aware about as a medical student?

Historically, there have been teaching hospitals and non-teaching hospitals. Teaching hospitals attract doctors who are academically-oriented and enjoy, or at least accept, teaching as part of their regular activities.

Non-teaching hospitals are purely driven by practicing medicine. They attract doctors who want to just see patients.

The problem comes when you take a non-teaching hospital (like a for-profit HCA facility) and try to impose an academic, teaching-oriented culture onto it. At best it only partially works, and students end up being treated as interlopers rather than learners. With regards to residency programs, HCA has attempted to become quasi-academic by hiring some staff who are into teaching, but the ultimate goal of these programs is to provide a workforce pipeline.

What “serious problems” are you referring to with UTRGV?

The institution took 9 years to progress from preliminary to full accreditation (intended timeline is 4 years). The place has generally just lacked resources and stability, and while this may improve over time it's fighting a difficult ongoing battle. wysdoc, who is familiar with all things UTRGV, has addressed some of this here: Concerning changes in teaching hospitals for UTRGV School of Medicine