Couple of things that weren't answered.
1. The numerous Ortho matches weren't all actual matches I believe...several of the matches to some program on the East Coast (I think NY) are where they take all the interns but only a couple will actually get to advance on into Ortho residency at that hospital...like a pyramid so to speak.
There was one outright match into Ortho at an MD institution, and another one or two into DO programs I think.
2. Some of the big universities that people want to rotate at 4th year have schedule issues...i.e. UC Irvine students get first pick and other students can't apply untill like June or something, in which case some rotations are full. It's just a matter of getting your act together and applying as soon as you can and having backups.
3. There are smaller community hospitals where most students do their core 3rd year rotations, i.e. Pacific Long Beach, Rancho Los Amigos, Doctors Montclair, Chino Valley, San Antonio Community, and probably the largest of the hospitals is Arrowhead with Riverside 2nd. Arrowhead and Riverside are both county hospitals so you see that kind of patient population and pathology. I did most of my 3rd year rotations at Arrowhead, and I am an intern there now. I did a couple rotations at Riverside and sporadic rotations at other hospitals in So Cal my third year, community hospitals. Fourth year I went out of state twice, and did a few rotations at more academic institutions. The key is to plan ahead where you want to rotate and get all the paperwork in order, and there is a ton of legwork to get rotations at some places sometimes.
4. I don't think med students should do ER rotations until fourth year anyway so I didn't have a problem with the 4th year requirement. There are plenty of rotations that you can do 3rd year for experience, some giving good experiences that will help when you are on your ER rotation.
5. Most people who do match to university programs rotated through. It would be relatively rare for a DO to match into a big academic MD institution without rotating through, IMHO.
6. The school is in a bad part of town(ghetto), but that doesn't matter one bit. I didn't live in Pomona and don't know many who did. Its easy to commute from surrounding cities. It's expensive but many DO schools are, and many med schools in general. As long as you don't go into primary care, you'll make your money back....j/k...sort of.
The first year students are in a new curriculum so we'll see how they do on the boards, but really, that shouldn't be your #1 concern...and I see many people using schools board scores in order to decide between. Boards are extremely important when it comes to residency, but with a little effort you can do better on boards than some applicants from MD institutions/other DO schools....boards are a bigger reflection of the person in my opinion than the school, with a few exceptions. Program directors for residencies often look at local ties to the area so if you are wanting to get your residency training in SoCal, then Western might be a better idea than MSUCOM, which is probably safe to say "a better DO school."
7. Go to med school/DO school somewhere where you'll be happy living for a few years and feel as though you "fit in," whatever that means.
