Why Western DO?

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zachs

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I looked in the "pros and cons" and maybe i missed some points about western. would like to know some details that make western so great! let's hear some details, thanks,

-Zach
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Southern friggin California.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Well, I'm a first year at Western (what is that now, a month into it?). Considering I grew up in So Cal and spent the last two years in Boston, I'm happy to finally be able to be back in a place where "cold" is defined as anything below 68 degrees. 🙂

So far what I enjoy about Western or look forward to:

Full on anatomy lab. No prosections.

Lectures recorded and posted online daily. The lectures are recorded in a manner that they display the podium computer (hence slides for powerpoint), so the lecture is synced up with power point already).

Start with standardized patients (SP) during the second week of class. We've already had 2 SP encounters and are having our third encounter over the next two weeks (Essentials of Clinical Medicine is split up into groups A and B, hence the two weeks to get through SP encounters).

All of the professors so far seem happy to be here.

Anatomy lab is ran by a combination of TAs and professors. Each table has both a TA (one for every 2 IIRC, but they walk around anyways) and a professor (1 for every 5 or 6 tables). The TAs are first year students who went through the accelerated gross anatomy course over the summer (Intensive Summer Anatomy Course, ISAC).

Buildings are pretty nice on the inside. Ignore the outside architecture.

Fair amount of open space on campus.

Active student body. Besides the clubs, we currently have an unofficial soccer group, flag football group, and (just started) poker group.

No uniforms (outside of 3 classes with understandable reasons).

New buildings opening up end of this year, beginning of next year (namely, a patient care facility, and an education facility with, thank God, a cafeteria)

The concept of having PBL sessions with students from Western's other schools (graduate nursing, DPM, DMD, OD, PharmD, PA, vet [I don't get it either], PT, etc).

I forgot, did I mention Southern California yet?
 
Siggy said:
vet [I don't get it either]
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It's to deal with the aging werewolf population in So Cal. Those dreamy werewolves from Twilight have to get old some day, and when they do ... all the Western trained DOs now practicing in Hollywood will know exactly how to treat.
 
It's almost as good as Nova.
 
Because Jim Morrison said "the west is the best" obviously. Say that and your in.
 
ILikeFood said:
It's almost as good as Nova.
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At 11:53 pm PDT (2:53 am EDT), Ft. Lauderdale is showing 83 degrees, 78% humidity, and light rain. Pomona, on the other hand is at 65 degrees, 82% humidity, and clear.

Oh, and how's that business professional/scrubs uniform and required attendance working for ya? (note: I interviewed at Nova last year, so I at least got the dime tour. I will say that it has a beautiful campus).

All kidding aside, both schools are great. 😀
 
JaggerPlate said:
It's to deal with the aging werewolf population in So Cal. Those dreamy werewolves from Twilight have to get old some day, and when they do ... all the Western trained DOs now practicing in Hollywood will know exactly how to treat.
Click to expand...


Sorry. DVM/DO dual degree with emphasis in movie medicine is only available at the North Hollywood Upstairs College of Osteopathic Medicine.
 
Because dissecting sucks. Having an expert dissect the cadavers saves so much time! I hated digging in my cadaver and fighting 3 other students FOR HOURS only to find out that we completely ****ed over some tiny nerve/vessel/tendon and having to LOOK at some other cadaver anyway.
 
Siggy said:
Sorry. DVM/DO dual degree with emphasis in movie medicine is only available at the North Hollywood Upstairs College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Click to expand...

Do they accept Interfolio?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Nope... only letters sent through carrier swallows.
 
Aww crap. I used a carrier flying squirrel.
 
Is it true that the basic science courses will be shared between the osteopathic, dental, podiatry, and optometry colleges once the latter 3 open? I heard a portion of them will also be taught these through live feed since not that many people will fit in an auditoriunm. Not sure how true that is though, heard it from a student who I'm on rotation with.
 
It's not just true... it's happening right now. The problem is that the current lecture hall is only big enough for something around 230 people (basically the size of the DO class). The DPM, OD, and DMD colleges opened up this year and we are sharing a fair amount of the current classes with them. What Western was hoping to have happen was the new health education building open up, which has 2 lecture halls with a capacity of over 300 people. Since the vast majority of classes that are shared would be COMP + 2 other schools, the 300+ hall would be large enough for all of us. When it's COMP + 3, an overflow room would still be needed. Unfortuantely, the construction fell behind and the new building is supposed to open up at the end of this (calendar) year, begining of next.
 
1) the curriculum is systems based.

2) they record all the lectures so you can watch them at 2x from home. you can choose to at most come to pomona 2 afternoons a week.

small enough school, that you dont have to park terribly far from your car.
 
thanks for all the comments guys! I have an interview on the 17th of this month.
 
Pro: the people at Western are way cool and some of the easiest to get along with I've ever met (I've never met an asshat who goes to Western).

On the other hand, Pomona sucks HARD!!! It makes you want to shoot yourself in the face. Be warned. I'd lol if someone said that they loved the thought of being in Pomona in their essay.

Now, don't get me wrong, if you know the area well and you love it, be my guest and keep loving it. But don't think Pomona and think beaches and all sorts of So Cal awesome. Really. Don't.

Just my two cents.
 
...but what good is it being near the beach when you're indoors all day anyways. At least this way parking isn't screwy during the summer.

/grew up next to Huntington Beach.
//Driving distance to the beaches is better than living on the beach
///finds the beach over rated anyways. Too cold.
 
Upgrayedd said:
On the other hand, Pomona sucks HARD!!! It makes you want to shoot yourself in the face. Be warned. I'd lol if someone said that they loved the thought of being in Pomona in their essay.
Click to expand...

I would definitely agree. I grew up about 2 towns over from there and Pomona still gives me the shivers. However, there are plenty of nice places close by that you could live.
 
Just driving down Garey ave, Pomona gives me the shivers. Im always thinking of an escape plan if my car were to ever brake down after sunset. They would have to call in search and rescue.
 
I interviewed here last week.... aside from some really odd paint jobs on the buildings (the guide said they filmed "The cat in the hat" there and painted the shops to fit the movie...) the city doesn't look seedier than many other cities in California. It's no Beverly Hills, but it's not THAT bad of a neighborhood. A lot of med schools/hospitals tend to be in the not so nice parts of town, so the location of this school isn't so unusual. I liked this school for the most part.... the only thing I disliked was the fact that it DIDN'T look like a school. I felt like I was walking around in some crappy mall/shopping outlet or something. The insides of the buildings were nice, but the outsides could use a serious facelift..... not that the appearance of a school should be a prime factor in making a decision to attend it... but still.
 
Where are you from in CA? I've been to quite a few different cities, and I think maybe some out of towners might be a little worried or something, or maybe people who live in very nice areas, but to me it looks like the downtown of any normal California city. Definitely not a nice place, but it didn't look any worse than a lot of places either. I don't think many of the students live in the area, although it sounded like a good amount do. If I go there, I wont :laugh:
 
Black Adder said:
the only thing I disliked was the fact that it DIDN'T look like a school. I felt like I was walking around in some crappy mall/shopping outlet or something.
Click to expand...

That's because... it was. The University Services Building (if I recall the name correctly) used to be a credit union until last year. If you go around back you can still see the old drive up window that's been boarded up on the inside. Similarly, you can look online and find pictures for when the Health Sciences Center (current main building for COMP) used to be a Bummums department store and the outside looks exactly the same.
 
Siggy said:
That's because... it was. The University Services Building (if I recall the name correctly) used to be a credit union until last year. If you go around back you can still see the old drive up window that's been boarded up on the inside. Similarly, you can look online and find pictures for when the Health Sciences Center (current main building for COMP) used to be a Bummums department store and the outside looks exactly the same.
Click to expand...



It's actually Buffums, but in the context of things, Bummums is more appropriate. But anyway, here are some before and after pics. From a slightly different angle, but you can still see that they are the same. The sign that said "Pomona" in the old pic now says "Western University". Personally, I think it sucks and should be taken down, but wtf do I know.

buffums.jpg

33tth1e.jpg
 
...and that's what I get for posting first thing in the morning.

I do agree that either the Western U needs to either take down the sign or refurbish it.
 
zachs said:
I looked in the "pros and cons" and maybe i missed some points about western. would like to know some details that make western so great! let's hear some details, thanks,

-Zach
Click to expand...

Graduated in 2005. Ask someone else for more current issues/etc.

Pros:
Established and accredited osteopathic program
Established clinical rotation sites
Decent pre-clinical year experience, although several professors I had have since left.
Strong OMM department
Southern California(despite Pomona)
Friendly environment
Good placement into residencies, some very competitive
ISAC (if they still have it)...and if you are interested

Cons:
Expense $$$, both tuition and cost of living in SoCal
Lack of strong research department
Some clinical rotations may be far away(driving/traffic)
Not the highest Step 1/COMLEX score averages, although this may have changed, and there are certainly outliers
Other little pet peeves that occured throughout my education, but are pretty minute in the grand scheme of things, especially 4 years later


Overall, Westernu/COMP prepared me well for my career as a physician. It would have been nicer to get into TCOM(used to live in Texas), because would have saved lots of money, but I probably would have picked a different specialty, and I've met some great people since moving to California. Things happen for a reason. I'll be able to pay back my loans.

-Vince
PGY 5 Diagnostic Radiology, Chief Resident
2010-2011 Fellow in Vascular/Interventional Radiology
 
Vince said:
Graduated in 2005. Ask someone else for more current issues/etc.

Pros:
Established and accredited osteopathic program
Established clinical rotation sites
Decent pre-clinical year experience, although several professors I had have since left.
Strong OMM department
Southern California(despite Pomona)
Friendly environment
Good placement into residencies, some very competitive
ISAC (if they still have it)...and if you are interested

Cons:
Expense $$$, both tuition and cost of living in SoCal
Lack of strong research department
Some clinical rotations may be far away(driving/traffic)
Not the highest Step 1/COMLEX score averages, although this may have changed, and there are certainly outliers
Other little pet peeves that occured throughout my education, but are pretty minute in the grand scheme of things, especially 4 years later


Overall, Westernu/COMP prepared me well for my career as a physician. It would have been nicer to get into TCOM(used to live in Texas), because would have saved lots of money, but I probably would have picked a different specialty, and I've met some great people since moving to California. Things happen for a reason. I'll be able to pay back my loans.

-Vince
PGY 5 Diagnostic Radiology, Chief Resident
2010-2011 Fellow in Vascular/Interventional Radiology
Click to expand...

Thanks for your review! I got the impression that it was a pretty decent school to attend after my interview. The ISAC program is still there.... if I were to go here I think I'd definitely take advantage of it if I get the chance.
 
Black Adder said:
Thanks for your review! I got the impression that it was a pretty decent school to attend after my interview. The ISAC program is still there.... if I were to go here I think I'd definitely take advantage of it if I get the chance.
Click to expand...

I don't recommend "taking advantage" of wasting your 2nd to last summer in anatomy lab, when you can just as easily do it during the year with the rest of the class. But, to each their own I suppose.
 
2007 Grad. Finishing my EM residency this year and already have been offered a job at my first choice. Western has prepeared me well for residency, but it still remains what you put into it more so than anything else.

Hopefully the lack of study spaces will change with the new building. But other than that, and a few other minor things, I would recommend Western without reservation.
 
Can somebody in the know speak to the quality of year 3/4 in the Northwest track? There isn't much information in SDN about how this program is working.

I am looking for specifics about how often you moved (if you had to), firsthand experience about where you were, what the options are, are you happy with your experiences, etc. ?

Thank you!
 
KidMedBot said:
This is some good advice. I am still deciding what school to go to and rotations are a big part of my decision. I know Touro-CA's rotations are in random places in CA or out of state so I'm sort of iffy about that school because of that that. I just wish that WesternU felt more like a school. Hopefully it will with the new building finishing around January 2010.
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Not sure what you mean by "I wish that WesternU felt more like a school." If you are referring to the campus...who cares....yeah, its an old strip mall....but from the inside you'd never know. And being in medical "school" will be like no other school you have ever been in...at least that was the case for me.

Concerns about quality and location of rotations are valid, and that should be more important in your decision...with whichever school you choose.
 
After studying at western for 4 months here are my refreshed perspectives:

Doesn't matter at all:
1. What the campus looks like
2. That it's in pomona
3. That the new building is opening

Matters:
1. Rotation sites/tracks
2. Residency relationships
3. Teaching staff
4. Organization of curriculum toward the boards
5. Lots of friendly people in the 1st & 2nd year class
6. Apreso
7. School support when the poop hits the fan

Regarding research, there is a bunch of stuff going on. It may not be as glamorous as projects at some huge research schools, but there is plenty to do.
 
EricH said:
After studying at western for 4 months here are my refreshed perspectives:

Doesn't matter at all:
3. That the new building is opening
Click to expand...

See... the nice thing about the new building is that there will be more study rooms available. No more getting kicked out by the pharm small groups.
 
Your perspective after 4 months is pretty spot on. I re-ordered a couple things for you though.

EricH said:
After studying at western for 4 months here are my refreshed perspectives:

Doesn't matter at all:
1. What the campus looks like
2. That it's in pomona
3. That the new building is opening

Matters:
1. Rotation sites/tracks
2. Apreso
3. Residency relationships
4. Teaching staff
5. Organization of curriculum toward the boards
6. Lots of friendly people in the 1st & 2nd year class
7. School support when the poop hits the fan

Regarding research, there is a bunch of stuff going on. It may not be as glamorous as projects at some huge research schools, but there is plenty to do.
Click to expand...
 
Siggy said:
See... the nice thing about the new building is that there will be more study rooms available. No more getting kicked out by the pharm small groups.
Click to expand...

Since I only study at school once in a blue moon (in the quiet library), I don't really give a crap about the study rooms....but I'm sure that they will be awesome for some of the other students.

cyclohexanol said:
Your perspective after 4 months is pretty spot on. I re-ordered a couple things for you though.
Click to expand...

No on the boards? I was going through First Aid and it seems to be resonable well aligned with our curriculum. I guess I will have a better idea when I get closer to actually taking them.

I do love Apreso, it's my new best friend. 👍 I just felt guilty ranking it :laugh:
 
Siggy said:
Pomona, it's not Compton.
Click to expand...

i beg a differ. i think its the same.:scared:

i pass through there all the time. there are police cars at every corner!
 
EricH said:
After studying at western for 4 months here are my refreshed perspectives:

Doesn't matter at all:
1. What the campus looks like
2. That it's in pomona
3. That the new building is opening
.
Click to expand...

the campus looks like...........ehhhhhhhhh
pomona...ehhh

but man i live 12mns from western, so i am applying!

i actually visited the campus, and well, its not visitor friendly.

you can't go into any buildings without a student id. Except for the book store. sad but true.
you have alot of restaurants near, not to mention they have their own subway located within the school premises.

😍
 
dybra said:
i beg a differ. i think its the same.:scared:

i pass through there all the time. there are police cars at every corner!
Click to expand...

Hahahahaha. You live in So Cal and think Pomona = Compton? I'm guessing your 12 minutes/miles is South and West of Pomona. That comment smells like OC to me. :meanie:
 
dybra said:
you can't go into any buildings without a student id. Except for the book store. sad but true.
Click to expand...

Err... I almost never wear my student ID and very rarely get asked to sign in.
 
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