Which DO school is ranked highest?

[futura]

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Hi, I am pretty new to the whole DO programs.

Just wondering if there is a ranking for DO programs?

Which school is "usually" known to be pretty good.

Thanks.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

I think the consensus is that no one really knows with the one exception of the few listed in the US WORLD AND NEWS REPORT. I know the Michigan school and West Virginia schools are on the top 50 or 100 list. It's a combined ranking of MD and DO schools.

I've seen other third party rankings from unofficial sources but I don't think anyone ranks them (and for a reason I can't remember)...

It can be a heated debate about who's the "top ranked"..

who knows...

 

[HoodyHoo]

There are no rankings. If you do a search you'll see this topic has been discussed in much detail. The oldest schools, which many say are the best due to their history, are KCOM, DMU, and PCOM. But I assure you that every person has a bias to their own school and will claim that it is the best. Personally, I think they are all good.

 

[(nicedream)]

I think the consensus is that no one really knows with the one exception of the few listed in the US WORLD AND NEWS REPORT. I know the Michigan school and West Virginia schools are on the top 50 or 100 list. It's a combined ranking of MD and DO schools.

It's MSUCOM and TCOM, not WVSOM.

 

[HeavyD]

For me, the issue of 'ranking' was a personal one. Specifically, which schools have consistently placed graduates in residencies that I was interested in as well as first-time board pass rates. With a little work you can get these stats from just about any school. I was accepted to several schools, including those on US News's 'top - whatever'. In fact, I chose an osteopath program (AZCOM) over MD schools specifically because of my above listed criteria. I could give a rat's a** less what someone else thinks of the institution I attended. What matters to me is ability; step up or beat it.
If, however, you need some name-dropping power due to personal or anatomical deficits, my 'simple' osteopathic school has sent graduates to Johns-Hopkins, Mayo, UMass, Albert Einstein (PA), Cleveland Clinic, St. Joseph's (CT), UCSF, etc, etc, etc, etc. This is since 2000.
Bottom line, it's about YOU and what you can do. One school's education won't bump board scores up 30% versus another school's education. Good, bad or otherwise, the MCAT is good for (at least)1 thing: predicting how you will perform on the next standardized test, Step 1 USMLE (or COMLEX). So if you are worried about matching into a pediatric cardiothoracic surg w/ a transplant postfellow or some other super subspecialized crazy narrow scoped line of medicine, well then, you better be able to put up some scores, period.

 

[TJ Ford]

According to US World News Report, MSUCOM is ranked 15 and TCOM is ranked 26 in primary care. They are the only DO schools in the top 50.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdprank_brief.php

 

[BiochemMan]

Why does it matter which is ranked the highest? 😕

 

[docslytherin]

the us news ranking is garbage. the rankings for primary care are based on percentage of the graduating class that actually goes into primary care and the majority of the other rankings are based on scientific (non-OMM) research that goes on at the institution. the DO schools that are doing research are primarily doing OMM research (which is another rant that i'll save for later) so they're not going to make it onto the us news ranking.

if you're unsure where you might like to go, you should visit them. contact schools and ask about board scores, 1st time pass rates. also ask about residency placements for specific residencies (a derm residency at the place X is much harder to get than a family practice residency there, just as an example). ask about attrition rates. those are the things that might help you out. try to seek out alumni in places you might be interested in going for rotations or residency. this really boils down, a lot of the time, to politics. to know someone who can pull strings for you is a godsend (even though it seems a little underhanded).

ultimately, my decision was based on what felt right when i interviewed. i came to kcom for a lot of reasons (those above), but mostly i came here because my interview made me really see what the place was like. i felt like part of a community instead of a student who went to class with a bunch of people he doesn't really know.

 

[rchrest1]

According to US World News Report, MSUCOM is ranked 15 and TCOM is ranked 26 in primary care. They are the only DO schools in the top 50.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdprank_brief.php

http://www.wvsom.edu/Welcome/WhatsNew/2005usnews404.html

 

[DireWolf]

Might as well. 🙄

OSU-COM

 

[Dr JPH]

PCOM. Hands down.

www.pcom.edu

 

[bgworm]

MSUCOM and TCOM are the ones listed in the US NEWS rankings. They however, simply rank by #of primary care docs they pump out or by the amount of research funding they get. So I guess you have to know what criteria you would judge a school by. Personally, I chose to go to a school that I felt would be supportive and supply opportunity for success. Make the best of wherever you go. 🙂

 

[Adapt]

I said it before and I'll say it again. COMP is the best DO school in California. 👍

 

[Richie Truxillo]

The best school is one you can actually pass the COMLEX by attending 😉 keep that in mind and you're golden! 🙂 So everyone wave your school flags and wear your white coats with pride 😉 Just lick them boards!

-Richie

*holds up a lil WVSOM flag for kicks*

 

[Quimby2]

Yeah, no ranknings for DO schools really. I had the saem dillema. In general, you just need to go by reputation based on what you hear from the grapvine. When I applied several years ago the advice I was given was, "the older the school, the better the reputation." Did this turn out to be true? After four years, I still don't now the answer.

One peice of advice I can sugggest is to email the schools and ask for their Match list from last year (this years list may not be compiled yet). This will tell you which schools are sending students to Harvard residencies and which are sending them to No Where, USA. Of course, schools recruiting students from No Where, USA will send more grads to those regions as each grad returns to his home town for residency; therefore, this method is slighty biased toward where the school is located.

Good Luck!

 

[BiochemMan]

Yeah, no ranknings for DO schools really. I had the saem dillema. In general, you just need to go by reputation based on what you hear from the grapvine. When I applied several years ago the advice I was given was, "the older the school, the better the reputation." Did this turn out to be true? After four years, I still don't now the answer.

One peice of advice I can sugggest is to email the schools and ask for their Match list from last year (this years list may not be compiled yet). This will tell you which schools are sending students to Harvard residencies and which are sending them to No Where, USA. Of course, schools recruiting students from No Where, USA will send more grads to those regions as each grad returns to his home town for residency; therefore, this method is slighty biased toward where the school is located.

Good Luck!

Also, you can go to a great, high-ranking school and get an awful education if you don't put much effort into your education (and vice versa).

As you can see, there are so many variables in choosing a school. Rankings mean nothing.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

Get as much info as you can on the schools you're interested in. Rankings don't mean as much as location and how happy you will be there. In my personal experiences, I LOVED DMU and CCOM. Actually if I were to go to any DO school, it would have been CCOM. It was just wonderful.

 

[Dr.Wolkower]

because im a associate clinical professor there

 

[Amy B]

The highest ranked school will be the one you get into. In other words there aren't really any rankings you should be worried about. All the schools are good and you should pick which one you like based on your opinion of it. Personal preference is subjective.

Now, that said.............VCOM is the best

They aren't ranked because they are new but here is something to read from their web site.....

"""""Accreditation Status
VCOM has been granted provisional accreditation status by the Bureau of Professional Education of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). State approval has been granted through the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV). VCOM had zero deficiencies on all SCHEV (state) and AOA (national) site visits. Provisional accreditation is the highest accreditation status that can be obtained by the AOA prior to graduating the first class of students.""""""""

 

[cooldreams]

Question:

Which school is "usually" known to be pretty good.

Answer: Yes.

 

[Goofyone]

......the MCAT is good for (at least)1 thing: predicting how you will perform on the next standardized test, Step 1 USMLE (or COMLEX).

not really
preclinical medical school grades are a much better predictor

 

[gr8n]

The #1 D.O. School in the country is the one to which you get accepted (that is if you only get accepted to one, of course)!!!

gr8n
LECOM-Bradenton
c/o 2008

 

[DOindahouse]

COMP made number 20 on the best DO school list

oh wait theres only 19. makes sense

seeya kids

 

[tkim]

COMP made number 20 on the best DO school list

oh wait theres only 19. makes sense

seeya kids

There are now 22 DO schools ...

Don't be hatin'

 

[DOindahouse]

well in that case we are 23.

what are the other 2, are they open

 

[cooldreams]

well in that case we are 23.

what are the other 2, are they open

maybe... you like the juice, yes?

 

[scrupulous79]

I know PCOM is opening one soon. Instead of opening more schools how about increasing graduate program openings for DOs??