Des Moines University (DMU-COM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

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I informed the admissions office today of my decision to decline my admissions offer.

I was thoroughly impressed by DMU! I hope some good news is sent out soon.
Good luck at the school you chose and thanks for the open seat!

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Can someone please answer this question for me as I have tried finding out this info online and am not able to find it :/ This is an important factor that will help me decide which medical school I want to eventually matriculate into.

What is the average USMLE Step 1 score for students at DMU??? How are students scoring on the step 1 compared to other DO schools? Are their ample resources?
 
Can someone please answer this question for me as I have tried finding out this info online and am not able to find it :/ This is an important factor that will help me decide which medical school I want to eventually matriculate into.

What is the average USMLE Step 1 score for students at DMU??? How are students scoring on the step 1 compared to other DO schools? Are their ample resources?

Class of '18 had a 229 Step 1 average which was the same as the national average, I posted the info earlier in this thread. Number of student that took it was like 60ish % of the class.

You're not going to find any info or sources for the second part. I don't know any DO schools that advertise their average USMLE scores and I don't think even MD schools do this either. You'll have to dig through every school thread to find a post from a current student who was nice enough to post the info.

Lastly, this shouldn't be an important factor for where you matriculate because if you're going to a DO school, boards are going to be significantly dependent on you as an individual and your ability to balance studying for boards and maintaining class grades during second year. It is more important to find out how much dedicated study time schools give you.
 
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Hi everyone! I've been looking around online and the only information about the COM curriculum is an example from the 2015-2016 school year. Does anyone have a better idea of what we should expect or is it going to be the same format as in years past?
 
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Hi everyone! I've been looking around online and the only information about the COM curriculum is an example from the 2015-2016 school year. Does anyone have a better idea of what we should expect or is it going to be the same format as in years past?
As a current first year (2016-2017), our curriculum looks identical to the 2015-2016 curriculum other than anatomy ending in March, not April/May. I haven't heard of any big curriculum changes coming for the incoming class.
 
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After much debate, I withdrew my acceptance from DMU today due to an acceptance to an MD program in my home state. I loved DMU and I truly felt at home there during my interview, but the uncertainty of the ACGME/AOA merger and the lower cost of attendance in my home state have led me to accept that seat instead. I hope my seat goes to one of you deserving people, and best of luck to you all in your studies!


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I just got the email for quartile rankings of the alternate list!
 
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1st quartile! *wipes sweat from forehead after reading email*
 
Third quartile here, too! I wish they had just rejected me back in September rather than waste my time.

Anyway, very glad I got in somewhere else!
 
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Anyone from the 2nd quartile got accepted before? it seems like the chances are pretty slim
 
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First quartile! Just curious, does anyone know about how many people are on the waitlist total?
 
I'm 99% sure the UCSF match was to UCSF Fresno as opposed to San Francisco. UCSF Fresno has a lot of DOs in their program. Maybe the person putting together the match list made a mistake or didn't realize the difference.

I'm a fourth year at DMU and I'm close friends with the guy who matched at UCSF. It is the SF location and he had insane connections there.

Edit: @icecoldstar pointed out that the match wasn't at UCSF after all, it's St. Mary's in San Francisco. My bad everyone.


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Anyone from the 2nd quartile got accepted before? it seems like the chances are pretty slim
Also second quartile, this is my first choice school. I'm very interested to hear how much movement is generally made on the alt list.
 
Does anyone know if the school provides any kind of scrubs to the students (for labs for example) or if we should start stocking up now?
 
Does anyone know if the school provides any kind of scrubs to the students (for labs for example) or if we should start stocking up now?
They don't. Your 2nd year "big" will probably give you their anatomy stuff (lab coat, tools, etc.), but typically not any scrubs.

I would get multiple sets of scrubs. At least one set for anatomy (these will smell gross) and one set for clinical med or other labs.
 
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They don't. Your 2nd year "big" will probably give you their anatomy stuff (lab coat, tools, etc.), but typically not any scrubs.

I would get multiple sets of scrubs. At least one set for anatomy (these will smell gross) and one set for clinical med or other labs.

Bless you. Do you have any recommendations for a good quality pair of scrubs and are there any color requirements I should know about?
 
Bless you. Do you have any recommendations for a good quality pair of scrubs and are there any color requirements I should know about?
No color requirements that I can remember hearing about (most people wear the typical navy blue, light blue or surgical green, but I've also seen some purple and atrocious candy cane red).

Cherokee scrubs are cheap (check out Amazon for those). They're not the softest material, but wash well and are super durable. I've heard Figs scrubs are nice and more form flattering (if scrubs can even be like that), but I'm not sure about their pricing.
 
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No color requirements that I can remember hearing about (most people wear the typical navy blue, light blue or surgical green, but I've also seen some purple and atrocious candy cane red).

Cherokee scrubs are cheap (check out Amazon for those). They're not the softest material, but wash well and are super durable. I've heard Figs scrubs are nice and more form flattering (if scrubs can even be like that), but I'm not sure about their pricing.

Figs are pretty expensive but do you recommend having a "nice" set of scrubs for any observations, etc, or are OSCEs and the like always shirt and tie?


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Figs are pretty expensive but do you recommend having a "nice" set of scrubs for any observations, etc, or are OSCEs and the like always shirt and tie?


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Nah, unless you want to. Standardized patient encounters and shadowing require you to wear professional clothes and your white coat. If you're shadowing in an OR at any point, the hospital will make you use their scrubs anyways.
 
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Another chance to use the numerous pairs of scrubs I've acquired!! I like Wonderflex scrubs, you can get them on Amazon for a great price and they hold up better than some others I've had (bonus: the pants come in long for tall people like me!).

Does anyone know if there's a FB group- sorry if I've missed it, but I don't remember seeing a post yet!
 
Does anyone know if there's a FB group- sorry if I've missed it, but I don't remember seeing a post yet!

There is a FB group. I think it's called "DMU DO Class of 2021". You can request to be added and an admin will put you in the group within a few days. It's more active than this thread, but not more than a few posts a week. See ya on there!
 
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Ok one more question, in the interest of determining how much money I should save for a stethoscope would you guys recommend that I plan on getting a Littman Classic or a Cardio III? I've read a lot online about this and I've unfortunately seen a pretty even split for recommendations and I was wondering what you all thought, especially in terms of what would be most appropriate for a first year medical student. Thank so much for your help!
 
Ok one more question, in the interest of determining how much money I should save for a stethoscope would you guys recommend that I plan on getting a Littman Classic or a Cardio III? I've read a lot online about this and I've unfortunately seen a pretty even split for recommendations and I was wondering what you all thought, especially in terms of what would be most appropriate for a first year medical student. Thank so much for your help!
I've been an ICU nurse for 6 years. Master cardiology is the Cadillac. Unnecessary imo. Cardiology 4 is decent and will do the job, but, the master classic is slightly more but you can hear a bit better than the 4 (in my opinion) and is my personal stethoscope.
 
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Withdrew my acceptance today. Good luck to all on the waiting list!
 
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A cardiology III is plenty sufficient. If you don't abuse it or lose it, it'll last you through residency. I have used both C3 and Master steths and I honestly didn't see the Master being worth the extra money. Not to mention, people will make assumptions (whether accurate or not) about the med student that shows up with a stethoscope worth some monthly mortgage payments. There's no need to buy any top of the line piece of equipment that you have no idea how to use, frankly. I've wanted a Ducati SS my whole life, but I'm glad I went through 2 smaller motorcycles instead of jumping the gun and buying one.
 
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So in terms of Littman Classic III and cardio III I should go for the more cost efficient option and that will be good enough to last me through med school, or is the cardio III really the expected standard?
 
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Another chance to use the numerous pairs of scrubs I've acquired!! I like Wonderflex scrubs, you can get them on Amazon for a great price and they hold up better than some others I've had (bonus: the pants come in long for tall people like me!).

Does anyone know if there's a FB group- sorry if I've missed it, but I don't remember seeing a post yet!

Log into Facebook | Facebook <-- click this link
 
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I just received an email from admissions asking me to confirm my interest to remain on the alternate list. Has anyone else received this? They asked me to promptly respond by tomorrow. I hope this means they plan to start making offers soon!
 
I just received an email from admissions asking me to confirm my interest to remain on the alternate list. Has anyone else received this? They asked me to promptly respond by tomorrow. I hope this means they plan to start making offers soon!
Yup, I got the same email. The next wave of acceptances is coming
 
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I got the "are you still interested?" e-mail and then 20 minutes later I got off the waitlist! Yippee!!
 
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Holy ****, accepted!!!!!
 
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I got the same email and was accepted an hour later!
 
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I just received an email from admissions asking me to confirm my interest to remain on the alternate list. Has anyone else received this? They asked me to promptly respond by tomorrow. I hope this means they plan to start making offers soon![/
I just received an email from admissions asking me to confirm my interest to remain on the alternate list. Has anyone else received this? They asked me to promptly respond by tomorrow. I hope this means they plan to start making offers soon!
I am in the first quartile and did not receive this email. Is anyone in the same boat?
 
Man, I have been refreshing my email like a maniac! Congratulations to everyone who got accepted off the wait list a short while ago!!
 
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