.

[ooh a bean]

Redacted

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

Looks like you have quite a decision to make. The cold truth is that MD > DO (though that gap is no longer so great). In 10 years nobody is going to care that CalMed is a new school. An MD from California is the real deal and should help you match competitively to the east coast IM programs.

Arrowhead is great for emergency medicine and has residency programs. Anecdotally, it's a good place to do rotations. The website also has a link to the research that is being done there (there is a decent amount of clinical research). Furthermore, Loma Linda University is down the street, CalMed is not far from the University of California Riverside, and there are other medical schools/ academic medical centers within driving distance that would be open to have a medical student conduct research. CalMed itself will have some opportunities to do some database-based research as well. So as far as research goes, you can basically take your pick. Nowadays, clinical research often involves sitting in front of your computer at home and occasional meetings at the medical center with the doctors.

CalMed is high risk, high reward. Although it's almost certainly going to get full accreditation eventually, there is always a risk associated with going to a new program. New curriculum is worrisome, no upperclassmen for guidance, no board scores, no match list, etc. The cost is going to be higher due to private loans as well and facilities are temporary.

For me it comes down to how much risk you want to take (and how much you can afford) and what your career aspirations are (MD is better than DO). I would go to CalMed if I were you. Good luck! Happy to answer more questions about the area if you want to send me a message.

 

[humblethinker]

It is surprising that with a 517 you are choosing between a DO school and a brand new MD school. Reading between the lines, it sounds like you are in a situation where you applied to certain schools without really wanting to attend them if admitted. But, you received acceptances to both DO and MD so you can't turn them down without risking being flagged. Your post history doesn't suggest a strong desire for DO....and by throwing in the application to CalMed it looks like you want MD. However, like the above poster mentioned, there are definitely risks involved. Having done extensive research on the program, it feels like a somewhat risky option that has the potential for a lot of reward. My concerns generally surround the vague answers to key things such as federal loan eligibility and the new school building timeline. However, I was impressed with the teaching faculty, ARMC, and the curriculum. If you consider yourself someone who embraces uncertainty and is genuinely open to change and adjusting as you go, then CalMed may be a great option. If you are risk adverse and don't enjoy uncertain environments, then the DO school may be a great option. Ultimately, you know yourself best, go to the place that you feel will provide you with the greatest opportunity to reach your goals.

 

[Hobbsyy]

Are you on any waitlists?

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Pro/Con-I was looking at Western Michigan's Inaugural Internal Medicine match list, and from what I could tell they seemed to match better than CCOM did...unclear if this reflects well for all inaugural classes or if its an exception to the rule or if its the result of a small sample size.

So is Western Michigan one of the schools you are considering or you are using this to point out that Midwestern CCOM is not a great school? Sorry I just dont understand how it fits in.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

If you consider yourself someone who embraces uncertainty and is genuinely open to change and adjusting as you go, then CalMed may be a great option. If you are risk adverse and don't enjoy uncertain environments, then the DO school may be a great option. Ultimately, you know yourself best, go to the place that you feel will provide you with the greatest opportunity to reach your goals.

This is a good point - can you go with the flow really well, or do late changes or even early changes from a plan you were already told really bother you? A new program could add stress, but you'd also perhaps be able to influence it to how you want it to be as I expect they will be super receptive to feedback and really value/ask for it. Some people say specializing as a DO can be a bit harder, that is something I'd actually look into for rheumatology if I was in your position.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

I wasn't trying to point that CCOM is not a great school, more trying to show that based off of Western Michigan's match lists, it seems that new MD programs match better than CCOM do.

Ooh I see, yeah that's a good takeaway from it. With WMed, they have been doing medical education in the city for quite some time as they like to highlight (if you read that thread and opinions about 2nd look day), so while it's a new MD school they already had a lot to work with. Not sure how this compares to the CA new school.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Go to the MD school

 

[humblethinker]

Go to the MD school

even though it's not just a new school, it's a brand new university? feels like the whole md>do isn't as clear in this situation because of this

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

even though it's not just a new school, it's a brand new university? feels like the whole md>do isn't as clear in this situation because of this

While is not as clear, it still applies. In ten years nobody is going to care where you went to medical school. But they will still care whether you have a MD or DO.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

feels like the whole md>do isn't as clear in this situation because of this

It’s clear. You will face less hurdles coming from a brand spanking new MD school than any DO school.

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

It’s clear. You will face less hurdles coming from a brand spanking new MD school than any DO school.

+1

Also, there are tons of residency programs and schools within driving distance. You’re going to have to take the initiative - if I was attending CalMed, I would immediately begin doing research at the nearby institutions - UCLA, Cedars Sinai, Kaiser, UCI, UCR, Loma Linda, etc. some of
which have quite the reputation.

Good luck!

 

[humblethinker]

+1

Also, there are tons of residency programs and schools within driving distance. You’re going to have to take the initiative - if I was attending CalMed, I would immediately begin doing research at the nearby institutions - UCLA, Cedars Sinai, Kaiser, UCI, UCR, Loma Linda, etc. some of
which have quite the reputation.

Good luck!

It seems like in this immediate Inland Empire area, the MD reputation looks something like Loma Linda>>>>UCR>>CalMed. Does anyone have insights on this?

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

It seems like in this immediate Inland Empire area, the MD reputation looks something like Loma Linda>>>>UCR>>CalMed. Does anyone have insights on this?

You are correct. This is because of longevity: LLUSM has been around for over a century now, UCR enrolled the first class in 2013, and CalMed is interviewing candidates for the first class this year (with fall 2018 start date).

But I expect that UC Riverside will soon surpass LLUSM. If you check US News and World Report, despite UC Riverside having a medical school only a few years old it is ranked #93 in terms of research and Loma Linda remains unranked (!). CalMed is of course unranked.

 

[DrAnxiety]

+1

Also, there are tons of residency programs and schools within driving distance. You’re going to have to take the initiative - if I was attending CalMed, I would immediately begin doing research at the nearby institutions - UCLA, Cedars Sinai, Kaiser, UCI, UCR, Loma Linda, etc. some of
which have quite the reputation.

Good luck!

How would one go about finding a research opportunity like this being from a different school? Are the physicians doing the research really receptive to having students from other institutions work for them?

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

How would one go about finding a research opportunity like this being from a different school?

One of the most direct ways to do this (especially for clinical research opportunitues) is to contact the research coordinator in your department of interest. This person will have an understanding of all the major projects being done in the department and should be able to find you someone to work with. Another option is to simply email faculty whose research interests you after looking at their research webpage or list of publications. Just introduce yourself, mention that you’re interested in doing research, happy to meet whenever is convenient, etc.

Are the physicians doing the research really receptive to having students from other institutions work for them?

Often the answer is yes, especially if there is work to be done and they can’t find someone to do it at their own institution.