What is the BEST DO School?

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lhe51.jpg
 
Well played sir...btw, I'll be at the Austin marathon in February (running the half). You running it or does there have to be water and a bicycle involved?
 
I was thinking about it, but the last month has been brutal. After my half-ironman, I got sick, and I couldn't do anything for two weeks. The day I decided I was going to start training again, I hurt my toe (4 stitches), and it is still hurt. Nurse says I can't run, bike, or swim. I've been lifting a little, but I can really only do upper-body, so basically, I have de-trained a lot.

No way I'll be ready for the full. I may do the half.
 
Cool. Wife and I will be in Austin all weekend. We should try to grab a beer somewhere after the race. I'll be the one bringing up the rear behind the folks crawling on their hands and knees. (i.e. I'm slow) 10-11 min pace.
 
PianoRock11 said:
**Keep in mind that these ratings take into account QUALITY, LOCATION, and CULTURE in equal weights. So don't act surprised when a school like LMU-DeBusk (known for its high quality education) is ranked so low (students don't seem to like its location).
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I met a lot of students at DCOM at my interview, and I have not heard one complaint about the location. The students seem to embrace the beauty of the area and the fact that the distractions are low. The school is less than 1.5 hour from knoxville which is a pretty cool city.
 
I disagree. Trying to rate schools is potentially beneficial. Looking into the acceptance rates of certain school's students into their preferred residency, this rate is widely variable. The Western University student body has a 51% acceptance rate into their top residencies, while Michigan State's rate is 97%. In the long run, these numbers will matter.

😉
 
Consider tho, that the "first choice" is pretty self selective. Some people wanted to do ortho before the boards, but if they get killed by COMLEX/USMLE, thier origional first choice (ortho) might change to thier actual first choice (whatever they actually rank as #1). Those first choice stats can have a lot to do with how realistic the current class is actually being.


bluefirelily85 said:
I disagree. Trying to rate schools is potentially beneficial. Looking into the acceptance rates of certain school's students into their preferred residency, this rate is widely variable. The Western University student body has a 51% acceptance rate into their top residencies, while Michigan State's rate is 97%. In the long run, these numbers will matter.

😉
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Nickelpennykid said:
Consider tho, that the "first choice" is pretty self selective. Some people wanted to do ortho before the boards, but if they get killed by COMLEX/USMLE, thier origional first choice (ortho) might change to thier actual first choice (whatever they actually rank as #1). Those first choice stats can have a lot to do with how realistic the current class is actually being.
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I agree 👍. "first choice" is a very subjective term.
 
Do the residency programs know what order you put their program? For example, could I put Integrated Plastics, Interventional Radiology, and then Internal Medicine. Would the Internal Medicine Residencies know that was my third choice?

ps. I am not saying one field is less important than the other. I am waiting until rotations to choose which field I want to pursue.
 
Jpc984 said:
Do the residency programs know what order you put their program? For example, could I put Integrated Plastics, Interventional Radiology, and then Internal Medicine. Would the Internal Medicine Residencies know that was my third choice?

ps. I am not saying one field is less important than the other. I am waiting until rotations to choose which field I want to pursue.
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Here's how it works:

You start all over again just like getting into medical school. You take the boards, fill out an application, get LORs, etc. and apply for interviews. If you interview in 15 places you might rank 10 of them for the match from highest to lowest. Each residency will interview lots of people. Let's say IM residency X has six slots. They may rank 15 people. If you are in one of their top six ranked slots and you picked them first, then you get a slot there. If you are number 15 in their ranking, but the others above you already matched somewhere else, then you still get a slot. If you ranked them first and their slots are filled before they get to you, then you go on to your second choice, or third, and so on.
 
PatriotsForever said:
TCOM last year had a pass rate of over 99% on the COMLEX.... it does not get much higher than that! Unless LECOM-Bradenton had a 100% pass rate, it was not in sole possession of first place for pass rate. Although I do agree that COMLEX pass rate must be an important consideration when choosing a medical school things like specialty placement, % of grads who become chief residents, location, and even the US News and World report ratings are considered by applicants and the population as a whole when measuring up a medical school. OSU, MSU, TCOM, and WVCOM all rank within the top 50 primary care medical school in the country. Despite the focus on primary care at these schools they still place a large number of graduates in highly competitive specialty residencies. TCOM also has a substantial level of research going on with many research center affiliated with the campus including the Osteopathic Research Center. The amount of research happening at TCOM far surpasses most osteopathic medical schools although I hear MSUCOM has a substantial research program as well. I feel like TCOM is the best osteopathic medical school in the country but that is my own bais opinion based on personal values. Each school has unique aspects that may make it a favorite for someone!
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For the record, and it's been said on here multiple times, PCOM isn't rated bc it doesn't submit the survey that USNEWS sends out.
 
Nickelpennykid said:
Consider tho, that the "first choice" is pretty self selective. Some people wanted to do ortho before the boards, but if they get killed by COMLEX/USMLE, thier origional first choice (ortho) might change to thier actual first choice (whatever they actually rank as #1). Those first choice stats can have a lot to do with how realistic the current class is actually being.
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All right nickelpennykid, I'm gonna figure out who you are. I see you post on here all the time yet i have no idea who you are... I'm sure you have me figured out.
 
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (the school formerly known as University of Health Sciences) should be your last choice for attending medical school. Do not attend KCUMB unless you are desperate and have no other options.
The smart students attempt to transfer out of KCUMB and go through depression if they are unable to gain a transfer.
KCUMB, the 3rd finest medical school in Kansas City
icon_smile.gif
🙂 🙂.
Just in case you don’t know any better, there are only 3 medical schools in Kansas City.
KCUMB covers up their dark history with new buildings and landscaping paid for courtesy of student tuition.
When KCUMB preys on enough students and those students or former students file complaints, KCUMB will probably change their name again.
Do you think it is a coincidence that the President of KCUMB is an attorney rather than a physician? The health and teaching mission of KCUMB has been forgotten in favor of power and profit.
Save your money and your sanity. Attend a different medical school if at all possible.
NeuroDocDO said:
Top 7

1. MSUCOM
2. TCOM
3. PCOM
4. CCOM
5. UMDNJ
6. OSUCOM
7. OUCOM

Next Tier


8. DMUCOM
9. KCUMB
10. ATSU-KCOM
11. AZCOM
12. UNECOM
13. NYCOM
14. Western Univ COM of Pacific

Next Tier

15. West Virginia
16. NSU-COM
17. Touro-CA
18. LECOM-Erie
19. Pikeville COM
20. Virginia COM
21. LECOM-Bradenton

Bottom Tier

22. Touro-Nevada
23. Touro-New York
24. PCOM-Georgia
25. ATSU-Mesa in Arizona
26. LMU-Debusk COM
27. PNWUHS-Yakima
28. Rocky Vista University COM
Click to expand...
 
Truth07 said:
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (the school formerly known as University of Health Sciences) should be your last choice for attending medical school. Do not attend KCUMB unless you are desperate and have no other options.
The smart students attempt to transfer out of KCUMB and go through depression if they are unable to gain a transfer.
KCUMB, the 3rd finest medical school in Kansas City
icon_smile.gif
🙂 🙂.
Just in case you don’t know any better, there are only 3 medical schools in Kansas City.
KCUMB covers up their dark history with new buildings and landscaping paid for courtesy of student tuition.
When KCUMB preys on enough students and those students or former students file complaints, KCUMB will probably change their name again.
Do you think it is a coincidence that the President of KCUMB is an attorney rather than a physician? The health and teaching mission of KCUMB has been forgotten in favor of power and profit.
Save your money and your sanity. Attend a different medical school if at all possible.
Click to expand...

wow take it elsewhere dude
 
Truth07 said:
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (the school formerly known as University of Health Sciences) should be your last choice for attending medical school. Do not attend KCUMB unless you are desperate and have no other options.
The smart students attempt to transfer out of KCUMB and go through depression if they are unable to gain a transfer.
KCUMB, the 3rd finest medical school in Kansas City
icon_smile.gif
🙂 🙂.
Just in case you don’t know any better, there are only 3 medical schools in Kansas City.
KCUMB covers up their dark history with new buildings and landscaping paid for courtesy of student tuition.
When KCUMB preys on enough students and those students or former students file complaints, KCUMB will probably change their name again.
Do you think it is a coincidence that the President of KCUMB is an attorney rather than a physician? The health and teaching mission of KCUMB has been forgotten in favor of power and profit.
Save your money and your sanity. Attend a different medical school if at all possible.
Click to expand...

:::Rolls Eyes:::
 
He's probably on the alternate list and is trying to scare people from going there to get a seat for himself! LOL

FWIW, I have never heard even one negative thing about KCUMB. If anything, it is probably the school where students seemed the happiest out of everywhere I interviewed. I know -- I shouldn't have justified his post with a response...*sigh*
 
Truth07 said:
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (the school formerly known as University of Health Sciences) should be your last choice for attending medical school. Do not attend KCUMB unless you are desperate and have no other options.
The smart students attempt to transfer out of KCUMB and go through depression if they are unable to gain a transfer.
KCUMB, the 3rd finest medical school in Kansas City
icon_smile.gif
🙂 🙂.
Just in case you don’t know any better, there are only 3 medical schools in Kansas City.
KCUMB covers up their dark history with new buildings and landscaping paid for courtesy of student tuition.
When KCUMB preys on enough students and those students or former students file complaints, KCUMB will probably change their name again.
Do you think it is a coincidence that the President of KCUMB is an attorney rather than a physician? The health and teaching mission of KCUMB has been forgotten in favor of power and profit.
Save your money and your sanity. Attend a different medical school if at all possible.
Click to expand...


Bradenton had the highest COMLEX scores last year, i would bump them up to tier 1
 
belichek said:
Bradenton had the highest COMLEX scores last year, i would bump them up to tier 1
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Too new for that, in my opinion.... I'm looking for greatness sustained over a long period of time. LECOM-B has not been able to that so far for the simply fact they have only been around for half a decade. I could never personally rate a school top tier that only teaches via PBL... but I know some people swear by it, like Texas!:laugh:
 
I think that in the near future, almost every school will be offering PBL in one way or another.
 
TT may be right. I have heard rumors of this at KCOM.
 
Wow, I didn't realize that the difference between PCOM and PCOM-Georgia was so large.. Is there really a big difference between the quality of the schools? I applied to both thinking they were on the same level..
 
djtiesto14 said:
I was wondering what the best DO school is in the nation.
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Oklahoma State COM (no, I didn't go or apply there, so this there's no conflict of interest). Michigan State COM is probably up there as well (and no, I didn't go or apply there either).

Take the time to find out the specifics about the curriculum at any medical school you are considering. Is there a dress code (bad)? Is class attendance mandatory (bad)? Is there a formal note taking service(good)? Are you tested weekly, or are there block exams, or (like Yale allopathic) no exams in the first two years? Are pop quizzes given in any classes? How are clinicals handled? How big a role does OMM play (if you want to do PMNR, it's important - otherwise the less the better)?

Medical schools will have very different answers to these and other questions. The variation between curricula is much greater than at an undergrad level so it pays to know what's the best fit for you, not just go by a list someone else made up.
 
Why does everyone place NOVA so low, is it just for their dress code and attenance policy. Im just curious because Im need to choose NOVA or AZCOM. Ive thought long and hard and still can't decide between the two. Does anyone know how much time they give for elective rotations. I want to do surgery, either burn or trauma. Anyone have any advice to help me decide between the two?
 
Firstly, not everyone ranks NOVA so low. While i'm too lazy to put a link for the 2007 match list, plenty of people matched into surgery last year, so it's not impossible, or even unrealistic.

You can wear scrubs for the dress code, and most students just wear a t-shirt with scrub pants, and easily get away with it. Also, you can miss upto 30% of all of your classes for absolutely any reason, which is quite a lot. On top of that, people get others to sign in for them, if they feel like missing a class above this.

You certainly get elective time in your fourth year. The only potential hurdle is the rural medicine/FM rotation, which I believe is two months long. It can potentially cause problems when scheduling an audition rotation, which needs to be done before you send out your residency application. However, this is not something insurmountable. You can schedule the rural rotation later, and work around it.

I chose NOVA over AZCOM last year, and I don't regret my decision at all. I know of at least one person who graduated last year and was happy with his decision to come here. AZCOM has higher tuition, and very little to show for it. The school also bumped up its class size, without mentioning a specific plan as to how they are going to accomodate for the size increase in their facilities, and in terms of clinical rotation sites. I'm not saying they won't be able to deal with it, but for 40k a year, I do not believe it's a gamble worth taking.
 
zch76 said:
Why does everyone place NOVA so low, is it just for their dress code and attenance policy. Im just curious because Im need to choose NOVA or AZCOM. Ive thought long and hard and still can't decide between the two. Does anyone know how much time they give for elective rotations. I want to do surgery, either burn or trauma. Anyone have any advice to help me decide between the two?
Click to expand...
I am also interested in trauma surgery. As a first and second year student at GA-PCOM, I will be volunteering at Grady Memorial Hospital, which is a major trauma center, and teaching hospital for Morehouse and Emory. Not a bad way to make connections.
 
Looking back as an MS4 now, I don't really put much stock into the "top lists" of DO schools. I think all of the schools, (with the glaring exception of RVU-COM) will provide for students a quality education and a very thorough prep for the COMLEX, and to a lesser degree, the USMLE.

So what should you take into account when choosing a school? Here is my list, based on nothing but my personal opinion and experiences over the past 4 years, first as an applicant, then as a DO med student.

1. Tuition, tuition, tuition. If you get accepted to a state school, DO or MD, GO THERE. Do not even think about paying private school tuition if you can avoid it. If you look at some of the other rank lists that people have proposed, you'll note that the state-supported DO schools consistently rank high by consensus. I can assure you that as an MS4 about to enter residency and loan repayment, my student loans are always on my mind, and not in a good way. I have a crushing debt load, but not an unusual one for my classmates. One of the fundamental hypocrisies of the Osteopathic medical education model is our purported focus on creating primary care docs, yet the private schools saddle their graduates with such crushing debt which drives many of them into subspecialty fields.

2. Clinical Rotations in 3rd year. This is probably the number one thing overlooked by pre-meds. YOU NEED TO PRESS YOUR INTERVIEWERS ON THIS. Don't ignore this. Too many DO schools have completely ridiculous schemes of farming out the 3rd year class to tiny community hospitals, sometimes hundreds of miles from the school. This is absolutely unacceptable, and it's a huge embarrassment for DO education.
(This was commented upon while I was interviewing for allopathic residencies, so it's not like our MD colleagues don't notice this).

3. School reputation and history. Yes, this is important. IMHO, you should try to go to a school that is at least 20 years old. It's nice to have alumni in position to help you out. KCOM and PCOM obviously get tremendous respect in this category. And they are very well known in the medical world, MD or DO. Reputation lends a little more respect to your degree. I do feel that some of the newer schools, like LECOM and Pikeville, put out fantastic docs. But I would be a little apprehensive about Debusk or some of the other new schools. (There are so many opening I honestly can't keep track). No way in a thousand years would I go to RVUCOM.

4. Location. Are you going to like living there for at least 2 years? Are you a city person? etc.

5. Does the school fit you as an individual? Are you looking for a family type atmosphere, with a small class and lots of parties and get-togethers? Or maybe you like a huge class where you can disappear and do your own thing with nobody noticing. Talk to the 2nd year students about this when you interview. The MS1s haven't been there long enough.

6. Dress code. This was a big thing for me. I hate dress codes with a passion, so I went to a school where you could wear a hula skirt to class and nobody would care. Maybe you don't mind a dress code.

I hope some of you find this helpful. Please, for any pre-DO's out there, don't hesitate to PM me if you have any specific questions or would like an MS4's opinion on anything.
 
belichek said:
Bradenton had the highest COMLEX scores last year, i would bump them up to tier 1
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Sorry, but TCOM did. There were a total of 2 failures this 2007 current year ( I think the Dean told us it was a 99.2% pass rate for students who took it this year), and one failure for the previous two to three years (99.4% pass rate, or something close to that). Also, the graph he showed the class demonstrated TCOM with the highest mean of all schools last year, in the number one spot, and the closes 2nd place school on the mean was almost a 1/2 standard deviation below.
tcom200901
 
TCOM is full of people who could get into any number of MD schools, but didn't want to leave TX, and only filled out TMDSAS. Along with people who did get into out-of-state MD programs, and still chose not to leave home. They attract a lot of smart folks from rural TX communities too.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
TCOM is full of people who could get into any number of MD schools, but didn't want to leave TX, and only filled out TMDSAS. Along with people who did get into out-of-state MD programs, and still chose not to leave home. They attract a lot of smart folks from rural TX communities too.
Click to expand...

Word!:laugh:
 
tcom200901 said:
Sorry, but TCOM did. There were a total of 2 failures this 2007 current year ( I think the Dean told us it was a 99.2% pass rate for students who took it this year), and one failure for the previous two to three years (99.4% pass rate, or something close to that). Also, the graph he showed the class demonstrated TCOM with the highest mean of all schools last year, in the number one spot, and the closes 2nd place school on the mean was almost a 1/2 standard deviation below.
tcom200901
Click to expand...

For a 99.4% rate, with two failures, you would have needed over 300 people to pass the test. Bradenton had an average of over 97% pass the first time they took it (the failures passed it the 2nd time) and an average score more than 150 points above passing. Any way you look at it, it's not too shabby.
 
scpod said:
For a 99.4% rate, with two failures, you would have needed over 300 people to pass the test. Bradenton had an average of over 97% pass the first time they took it (the failures passed it the 2nd time) and an average score more than 150 points above passing. Any way you look at it, it's not too shabby.
Click to expand...

The 99.4% pass rate was with one failure, not two. With something around 155 students, I think it's actually more, and one failure, that comes out to 0.9935

TCOM200901
 
tcom200901 said:
The 99.4% pass rate was with one failure, not two. With something around 155 students, I think it's actually more, and one failure, that comes out to 0.9935

TCOM200901
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Man, I'd sure hate to be that one guy 🙁
 
hookem said:
I agree that not everyone is made for a particular school, I've been hearing a lot lately about how TCOM is not the place to be. I have no idea what that means in the least. "I've heard everything from that to practicing osteopathy in Texas is not for me" which also doesnt make sense since texas is like top 3 in the number of practicing DOs. On paper the school is amazing, and at the interview the facilities, students, professors all loved what they were doing and were all the while being pushed. Just wondering if people had any justifiable reasoning as to why not go to TCOM.
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I know someone at TCOM and they love it. Don't believe everythign you hear (unless i'm sayin it of course).
 
MaximusD said:
Philly has cheese steaks. eh..

PCOM has hot girls!
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my time spent on PCOM's campus has disproved this. the girls aren't that hot. and philly is the ugliest city....so it has a lot working against it there boss.
 
spazzz said:
my time spent on PCOM's campus has disproved this. the girls aren't that hot. and philly is the ugliest city....so it has a lot working against it there boss.
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😆 Philly must have low standards.
 
spazzz said:
my time spent on PCOM's campus has disproved this. the girls aren't that hot. and philly is the ugliest city....so it has a lot working against it there boss.
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Eh, at least it is better than Jersey. Then again, a dumpster is better than Jersey....
 
DCOM stands for Debusk college of osteopathic medicine, folks around here like to call it Da Best college of osteopathic medicine..bite on this we have omm t-shirts saying Da best..so that's it 😎
 
Truth07 said:
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (the school formerly known as University of Health Sciences) should be your last choice for attending medical school. Do not attend KCUMB unless you are desperate and have no other options.
The smart students attempt to transfer out of KCUMB and go through depression if they are unable to gain a transfer.
KCUMB, the 3rd finest medical school in Kansas City
icon_smile.gif
🙂 🙂.
Just in case you don't know any better, there are only 3 medical schools in Kansas City.
KCUMB covers up their dark history with new buildings and landscaping paid for courtesy of student tuition.
When KCUMB preys on enough students and those students or former students file complaints, KCUMB will probably change their name again.
Do you think it is a coincidence that the President of KCUMB is an attorney rather than a physician? The health and teaching mission of KCUMB has been forgotten in favor of power and profit.
Save your money and your sanity. Attend a different medical school if at all possible.
Click to expand...

hmm
 
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