Wvsom

[coolDoc12]

Hey can any 3rd and 4th year students at WVSOM give some insight as to thier experience in setting up rotations, how friendly the school was to choosing rotations, class/studying advice, pros, cons? I would really appreciate it! thanks!

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[OMG Lizards]

Hey can any 3rd and 4th year students at WVSOM give some insight as to thier experience in setting up rotations, how friendly the school was to choosing rotations, class/studying advice, pros, cons? I would really appreciate it! thanks!

Well, I don't start until Aug but I was peaking with a rising 3rd year who is picking rotations at the moment.

He said that all students pick a region of the state as a base for 3rd/4th rotations. In the event that more people ask for an area than there are spots to accommodate them it goes to a lottery system. This seems like a fair way to go about it.

I also know that lecture mp3's are put up same day for review online at home which I think is great.

Any actual students want to share?

 

[coolDoc12]

Well, I don't start until Aug but I was peaking with a rising 3rd year who is picking rotations at the moment.

He said that all students pick a region of the state as a base for 3rd/4th rotations. In the event that more people ask for an area than there are spots to accommodate them it goes to a lottery system. This seems like a fair way to go about it.

I also know that lecture mp3's are put up same day for review online at home which I think is great.

Any actual students want to share?

Thanks OMG Lizards! Are you OOS as well?
I would also love to hear any other 3rd and 4th years.

 

[AF DO]

I'm getting ready to graduate from WVSOM....3rd year rotations are mostly set up for you (like the person above said, there are 18 or so statewide "sites" that you pick from amongst with your classmates. There are a few rotations you set up on your own 3rd year, and you set up all your own rotations 4th year, which as long as you stay on top of things, isn't bad. Hope this helps, email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

 

[medschoolplease]

I am a fourth year student currently. First two years of education are great! You will have a lecture on almost everything you will be exposed to during your clinical years. Third year rotation sites are probably the weakest points of the school. Most of the rotations will be at very small community hospitals and didactics are severely lacking!! However, if you are a motivated individual it will be a great experience in independent learning and hands on opportunities because you will not be competing with residents to try out procedures. Fourth year is great because you can essentially plan out your entire year yourself. That being said, fourth year can be difficult because you have to plan it out yourself. You will be competing with many other students for a rotation spot and if you are trying to get an "audition" rotation at a competitive program it may be difficult. So my advice is to start planning out fourth year rotations in the second half of your third year. Best of Luck!! It will fly by!

 

[MountyManiac08]

I was curious to see if anyone knew anything about the GTA positions at WVSOM. I am aware that the tuition gets waived for the last three years but wasn't sure what the salary stipend was, i.e. what loans do most students take out during the remaining three years? I will be starting at WVSOM in the fall and have been looking into various ways to off set the debt i'll be accruing. And since I would like to teach one day I figure this would be a good set up. Also, as far as housing goes, do most students rent or buy?

 

[WernickeDO]

I was curious to see if anyone knew anything about the GTA positions at WVSOM. I am aware that the tuition gets waived for the last three years but wasn't sure what the salary stipend was, i.e. what loans do most students take out during the remaining three years? I will be starting at WVSOM in the fall and have been looking into various ways to off set the debt i'll be accruing. And since I would like to teach one day I figure this would be a good set up. Also, as far as housing goes, do most students rent or buy?

I'm not 100% sure what the GTA stipend is, but I do think that it will be tough to live on it. Don't forget that you will be maintaining a place near your rotation site while you are teaching in Lewisburg. But the main cost of attending WVSOM is the tuition, obviously. You will need money for books, supplies, etc, but that money is small compared to tuition. On the other hand, I notice that you are from Morgantown, and the benefit for a GTA who is already getting in-state tuition drops substantially, to the tune of about 60K. If you truly love teaching, then have at it. Competition for GTA spots varies from year to year, so you had better have the grades and enthusiasm for the position!

As far as housing goes, most students rent, though a few have bought.

 

[Kate429]

I applied for one of 2 GTA positions in OMT this year (there were I think 14 applicants- previous years more like 7 or 8). THere were also 2 positions for Clinical Skills GTA (18 applicants) and 1 for anatomy (12 applicants).

It's misleading to say that your tuition is paid for the last 3 years. You pay no tuition for year 3 or year 4, but year 3 takes you 2 years to do (6 months teaching, 6 months doing rotations - repeat). So saving (out of state) about $110,000 tuition. Borrowing living expenses for 3 years instead of two (so subtract $16,000 from that) give you about $94,000 in savings. You get paid a stipend of $1000/month for the months you are teaching, totaling $12,000, which should cover the additional expense of living facilities in your clinical site and in Lewisburg. If your clinical site happens to be Greenbrier Medical Center, in Lewisburg, you are then saving that $12,000 as well.

I didn't get it, but it is definately worth applying for if you are interested in teaching. It is difficult to get hired as a teacher once you are a doctor unless you had a GTA position.

Bear in mind it adds a year to your schooling and causes you to graduate out of sync with your admission class. And there is no guarentee you will get it. Oh, and you have to have an 80% in the topic you are interested in being a GTA for (minimum). An A would be better.

Kate